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About Heather Houston |
about Heather
"I am here to be a revealer of Truth,
Light, and Love.
All that I do is in service of this deep intent;
my voice the highest expression."
Heather is a natural born singer, songwriter,
performer, conductor, teacher, and group facilitator.
As a
singer, songwriter, and harmonizer extraordinaire, we have most
recently had the pleasure of experiencing Heather's beautiful voice
with her a cappella trio Dis Moi. The group offered a soulful
blend of songs and chants from around the globe, as well as inspired
originals. Long before the inception of this trio, Heather refined
her ear with numerous small a cappella ensembles, some of them being
Sound Advice, a 6-voice jazz ensemble; Madrigaia, a 5-voice early music
ensemble of Italian Madrigals, French Chansons, and English Motets;
Nectar, a 6-voice ensemble of Balkan vocal music. Vocal harmony
has always enlivened Heather's spirit. She sang in harmony with
her mother from the time she was 4 years old, and since then has sought
out every opportunity she could to blend her voice with others.
As a soloist, Heather has sung lead vocals for Latin
bands Soulita and Havana Jazz, which made their appearances at the
Cabrillo Music Festival, the Santa Cruz Art and Wine Festival, the
Kuumbwa Jazz Center Birthday Celebration, and many clubs throughout
Santa Cruz County. For five years she sang jazz professionally
with the Steve Abrams trio, and has played numerous lead roles in
musical productions. In College she studied Classical Vocal
Performance, Social Work, and Spanish, receiving her B.A. Degree from
Pacific University in 1997.
After College Heather went on to teach music to K-6
graders in private and public schools, simultaneously running an after
school tutorial program for "at risk" youth in two of Santa
Cruz's low- income housing facilities. After 6 years of
teaching children, she certified as a Kali Ray Tri-yoga instructor, and
taught students about the nourishment to be found within the one
pointed concentration on the breath, body, and mind. This form
of moving meditation also opened Heather to her own true calling.
Currently, Heather teaches private voice lessons, leads singing circles
and conducts the 15 voice choir, Women with Wings. She is
as gifted at leading hundreds of people in singing or chanting together
harmoniously, as she is at guiding a single student in discovering the
intricacies and nuances of their own voice.
Heather is continuing her vocal studies with
Silvia Nakkach at the Vox Mundi School of the Voice. She is
enjoying the depths of vocal meditation though the use of seed
syllables, mantras, and Indian ragas. She continues to write
gorgeous and inspiring songs for her choir, her new trio that is
forming, and her own solo voice.
Some of Heather's influences are her mom, Eva Cassidy, Bobby
McFerrin, John Denver, Judy Garland, Take 6, Bob Reid, James Taylor, Indigo Girls, Jennifer
Berezan, Sarah McLaughlin, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Stevie
Wonder, Celia Cruz, Sade, Sheila Chandra, India Arie, Kitka, Zap Mama,
Paul Simon, Tina Malia, Rhiannon, and many, many more. She has
also been greatly influenced by music from other cultures, particularly
Afro-Brazilian, African, Latin, Balkan, Indian, and Native American.
Other influences include the natural beauty that
surrounded her childhood home in Aptos, Ca., the ocean, the dolphins, the Big Sur
Coast, the Colorado Rocky mountains, the trees, the wind, the alpine meadows, the
hawks and eagles, Joshua Tree, and the glorious sunshine. Most of
Heather's songs have been written while surrounded by the beauty of
nature. She has also been influenced by the healing journey of
her body temple, emotional and spiritual growth, her loving, artistic
community of friends and family, the depths of intimacy, and her
spiritual community at Inner Light Ministries. Other influences
include the many cultures she has experienced on her travels, which
have expanded her heart and mind, and filled her soul with magic!
"I am so grateful to the Creator for
this blessed experience we call life!
And for the opportunity to
express Her beauty through song!"
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