From as early as I can remember, I have been singing; both alone and with anyone who would join me or listen! In First Grade, on occasion, the teacher would ask if anyone would like to get up and sing a song. My hand always shot up and I would stand in front of the class and sing either “By the Sea” or “The Rainbow Song” which were my two favorites.
For my 12th birthday, I was gifted a Harmony guitar. It became my escape, my therapy, and my healing. Living in New York City in a two bedroom apartment with two younger brothers, I found peace and space by taking my guitar into the bathroom, closing the door, lighting a candle and singing to my heart’s content. I would be there for hours. (Luckily we had two bathrooms!)
In college, I was exposed to opera, which began to take me in a totally different direction. After college, I played in a country band called "Bluewater" in the NYC/NJ area, but too many nights of cigarette smoke-filled bars began to take its toll on my operatic voice. I made the choice to quit the band and pursue opera, which I did for the next 20 years.
I enjoyed singing many operatic roles including the title role in Carmen, Amneris in Aida, Adalgisa in Norma, Azucena in Il Trovatore, Siebel in Faust, along with many others with companies including National Grand Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Theatre Cornell, New Rochelle Opera, Henry Street Settlement and Amato Opera. I created the roles of Iambe and Rhea in Joel Feigin’s The Mysteries of Eleusis and was one of the female voices in Lee Hoiby’s The Tempest.
Two children and many years later, I left the opera scene and returned to my singer-songwriter/ country roots. After traveling to various open mics with my singer-songwriter children, I thought, gee, I'd like to be doing this again. And so I did!
I have wanted to record an album of my songs from the time I was 13 years old. Now, almost 50 years later, it has happened! Although I grew up in Manhattan, I was privileged to spend my summers in rural Northeastern Pennsylvania, working on various farms and spending lots of time in the wilderness. My early song heroes and heroines were Hank Williams, Patsy Cline and later Neil Young and Linda Ronstadt.
The songs on "My Country" are a mix of commentaries on relationships as well as on the state of our country and the world. Topics include celebrating freedom, waking up to relationships that can never be, remembering that fear closes the heart while love opens it, recognizing there are good sides and bad sides to repeating stories, and the excitement and anticipation of finally going Home — the place where all hearts are united.
Currently, I am also performing with Sylph Chamber Music (Nadine Scharman on flute, Ann Zalkind on piano and myself doing vocals and playing quartz crystal singing bowls). We perform many styles of music, from classical to jazz, to show tunes as well as traditional and more modern music, utilizing the crystal bowls to heighten the experience, raising one’s vibration to a state of peace and joy. https://www.sylphchambermusic.com
Along with creating music, about 14 years ago, my husband Neil and I had the opportunity to purchase Creations Magazine. http://www.creationsmagazine.com. Having been avid readers of the magazine for many years, and knowing it was about to fold, we looked at each other and said, “Let’s do it!” although we had no experience regarding what was involved in publishing a magazine. With the help of the former owners getting us started, we dived in and we are happy to say it has all worked out very well.
Other interests include Yoga, which has been a part of my life’s practice for 46 years. I am a certified yoga instructor teaching in the lineage of the Himalayan Yogis for over 35 years, and I am also a Holistic Health Coach, certified by the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, 2002, and certified as a 2nd degree Reiki practitioner in 1986. I have worked in private practice as a Holistic Health Coach, in Sunnyside, Greenlawn and Huntington, utilizing EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), Sound Healing through quartz crystal bowls and toning, and Young Living therapeutic grade essential oils. Our household follows a vegan lifestyle and has been doing so for almost 30 years.