What are some of your musical influences? Easy Listening music favorites Enya and Yanni, as well as New Age piano greats Liz Story, George Winston, Danny Wright and David Lanz.
Can you tell me about your childhood and what happened that influenced your music? I grew up on a farm in Northern California near the foothills of Mt. Lassen. My parents were a big influence on me because they were creative and took us on lots of adventures and my mom happened to be a children’s book author (Carol Purdy, who is best known for her books Least of All, Mrs. Merriwether’s Musical Cat, and Iva Dunnit and the Big Wind.) She was my first piano teacher and started teaching me to play when I was around four years old.
I used to enjoy playing around on the piano and making up songs and before long I had a whole notebook full of them. When I was in college I started teaching musical theater and developed my own company called “Star Company”. I wrote 6 musicals for this troupe of children’s performers and we produced the shows ourselves.
Can we hear your music on the radio? My music charts on radio, including satellite stations Sirius, XM Radio, and Music Choice’s Soundscapes and it can be heard on various stations internationally listed on New Age Reporter. I am also a member of the contemporary piano artist collective Whisperings, founded by composer and pianist, David Nevue. Other artists in this organization include David Lanz, Wayne Gratz, Robin Spielberg, and Suzanne Ciani. This artist community promotes its collective through its own radio station and regional concerts. Whisperings can be heard on iTunes radio and Live355.
Where can we find your CDs? I have my own record label, Sentient Spirit Records, on which I release my music which I would classify as of the Contemporary Classical and New Age music genres. Sentient Spirit Records is distributed on Amazon, CDBaby and through IODA, among other outlets, to iTunes and other digital download sites. Some of my albums are also signed to the record labels North Star Music and Orange Music (of Asia). North Star Music distributes to retail stores throughout the US and you can find my music in Asia on the Orange Music label at Sembawang Music Centre outlets.
Where are some of the other places your music is played? I’ve performed at a number of shows where my music has been discovered by those in the healing arts. I’m delighted to hear from those who have said the soft melody in each of my songs lends itself well to massage music and spa music. My music has been included in television, feature film scores, and a variety of other media soundtracks. I was a featured artist in a program produced by jazz legend Stanley Clarke called Music Across America.
What are some things about growing up on the farm that influenced your projects? I think growing up in the environment I did with the incredible views of the mountains and so much life all around, I developed an awe of our environment and it continues to move me. My release, Pianoscapes for the Trails of North America, includes a song inspired by each of the National Scenic Trails, such as the Appalachian, Continental Divide, and the Pacific Crest. We put blue spruce tree seeds inside each of the CD jewel cases that listeners can plant.
Along the view of the foothills where I lived there is a rock wall built by ancient Chinese settlers. Also the location of our old farm house was on the land where Ishi, the last surviving member of the Yahi-Yana tribe used to live. We also lived close to Mt. Shasta which is legendary for being a sacred and mystical place. Knowing about these things growing up, I became fascinated with spiritual places and that influenced the creation of my album Mystical America.
Who are some of the people that have influenced your music in your personal adult life? I’m lucky enough to have had the chance to work with renowned guitarist Chris Camozzi (who has appeared with artists Jeff Lorber, Michael Bolton, Maria Carey, Barbara Streisand, and many others). He produced both Pianoscapes for the Trails of North America and Mystical America, and also contributed his electric and acoustic guitar talents to those albums. He introduced me to wonderful musicians who play on those albums, Mary Pitchford on violin, Diane Grubbe on contemporary and wooden flute, and Scott Fuller who does the orchestral strings.
I’m also passionate about studying Non Violent Communication, also called Compassionate Communication, and strive to live NVC as a spiritual path. Non Violent Communication was developed by Marshall Rosenberg and is based on the principles of non-violence such as that which is integral to Gandhi’s philosophy of ahimsa. I am currently working on an album of music for children based on the principles of NVC.
What else do you enjoy doing besides making music? I call the beautiful Bay Area of California home and there are so many wonderful things to do here in the great outdoors with the ocean close by and the redwoods literally out my backdoor. I love spending as much time as I can playing with my family and I enjoy cooking (I’m not that great, but getting better!) and taking long walks.
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