Born in Long Beach, CA he began his musical studies at an early age, performing on piano, French horn, trumpet, and steel drums. He wrote his first compositions for PanDrumonium - his middle-school steel drum ensemble. Later on, in high school, he continued to perform, in additional to writing songs and arrangements for various rock bands and jazz ensembles. While pursuing his undergraduate degree, Evan decided to focus on classical composition - in 2007 he received his B.M. in music composition from Chapman University in California. During this time he also studied piano under the tutelage of Karen Knecht. He went on to receive his M.M. in music composition from California State University, Northridge (CSUN) and his D.M.A in music composition from the University of Maryland.