Here are a few currently working musicians inspiring me and influence my work. These women are singers, composers, arrangers, conductors – and often more than one of those.
- Jennifer Barnes
- Carol Barnett
- Abbie Betinis
- Sara Gazarek
- Jocelyn Hagen
- Christine Helferich-Guter
- Nayanna Holley
- Lauren Kinhan
- Kate McGarry
- Alice Parker
- Andrea Ramsey
- Kate Reid
- Cécile McLorin Salvant
- Maria Schneider
- Mandy Mikita Scott
- Caroline Shaw
- Sandra Snow
- Esperanza Spalding
- Sunny Wilkinson
This is a just partial list of the extraordinary women artists who have affected me. I celebrate them and many others for their creativity, their brilliance, and their influence on so many artists.
If you are looking for a musical way to celebrate International Women’s Day, all of the artist above have music you can buy. Let me highlight three recent releases:
Mirabai: Ecstatic Songs (Sandra Snow, Artistic Director) – I heard their debut performance, from which this album derives – and I was, well, ecstatic about it.
Alice Parker: Heavenly Hurt (poems by Emily Dickinson) – Alice recorded this collection of her settings of Emily’s poems and released it last year. Alice gets Emily.
Sunny Wilkinson: Into The Light – A just-released new recording from this wonderful, expressive jazz singer. You won’t be disappointed.