Maestra

Influences: Brian Eno...Beethoven...Aaron Copeland...Los Muñequitos de Matanzas...Joe Jackson...Brazilian Batucada...Vivaldi...Aretha...Bach...Jah Wobble...
I have been writing music since 9. Play violin, electric bass, keys, synths, world percussion---usually the big drums like surdo and djundjun (...it's good to have a girl on the bottom ;-). I write big works and direct groups of great musicians to bring those works to life. Multi-modal, interdisciplinary, stylistically forward and conscious of where we are at this place and time in the history of the planet. Underpinning the melody is world percussion representing all corners of the globe: Afro-Cuban and Afro-Brazilian, Middle-Eastern, Tibetan, Indian... Lush layers of violins, upright & electric bass, flutes, jazz & folky guitars. So in other words, instrumentation includes all world musical families; cordophones, aerophones, membranophones, idiophones. (i.e. instruments with strings, instruments you blow through, instruments with a (drum) head, and percussion instruments without a (drum)head. Electronic touches. Song forms are hooky, improvisational yet structured, rhythmically captivating, lyrically intriguing. Lyrics reference Mother Earth's challenges and encourage respect for the planet and her people.

When performing live I assemble a female-focused, rockin' group of world percussionists, vocalists, and other instrumentalists as needed. 

I'm a tech geek---I produce all tracks in Digital Performer on an iMac 27 w/supplemental 19" monitor...and that's still not enough screen real estate. Still have & use my Alesis HR16 and the Roland TR606 and the Boss handclap pad! Been audio engineering since my first 4-track, Dokorder 7140 (1/4" tape, 7" reels) I bought used in 1982. Addicted to gear ever since. I know both current digital gear and the analog stuff; mixed live sound in large Cincinnati clubs like Bogart's and know how to keep mics from squealing, how to splice analog tape, and run signal path cables like nobody's business. I spend countless hours tweaking production and sculpting the final product for my recorded works.

80s electrolushsynthpopnewwaveromantic duo, Perfect Jewish Couple, has cult status among fans around the globe. (see perfectjewishcouple.com. 1985 7" EP sells for upwards of $75/copy on eBay!) Truly a groundbreaking duo, performing to pre-produced backing trax (on cassette!) of original music. Now using backing trax, well, that's old hat.

Studied in Cuba with Los Muñequitos de Matanzas; with West African drum masters like Baba Olatunji, Mamady Keita and Yaya Diallo, with Brazilian Samba Masters like Nego Gato, and Western European Orchestral Conductors like Sigmund Efron. Studied Music Theory & Composition at CCM. 

Also a composer of choral music, Maestra has received grants for composition & performance for two major works, "Sharing Waters: A Videosong of our Ohio River" for solo violin, piano, Native American dancer, and African-American poet & spiritual singer set to projected video scenes of the beautiful (and industrial) Ohio; and "The Chakra Cycle", an 8-movement work for SATB Choir, bass, djembes, crystal glassware, vibes, and pipe organ. (Curious why it has 8 movements? Ask...!)

Each Maestra composition features a roster of talented musicians helping breathe life into the music, touched by her expert production techniques.
Each Maestra gig features a select group of talented performers to present a captivating performance customized to the needs of the venue, whether a huge outdoor festival or an indie bar.

Pretty much anything goes, always with a strong rhythm (if you can't dance, what's the point?), top-shelf performers, strong melodies & hooks, and thought-provoking lyrics.
Commissions accepted...hell, welcomed!!!