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Duo with Laurence Hobgood     More

 

Alive!
Spontaneous
 

WeBe3

 
 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

Bios

For more information, workshops, and booking requests please contact:
Margie T. Farmer               252-202-0865 cell

Artist Onesheet

Long Bio:

Rhiannon is a vocal artist with a vision of music as a vehicle for innovation, healing, transformation, and social change. A vibrant, gifted singer, performance artist, composer, and master teacher, Rhiannon has been bringing her unique and potent blend of jazz, world music, improvisation and storytelling to audiences for over four decades.

From her stellar collaborations with the all-women jazz ensemble Alive! to a cappella ensemble SoVoSo’ to Bobby McFerrin - Voicestra, and Gimme5, to her groundbreaking solo and ensemble performances, Rhiannon has paved a unique path as an independent artist. In recent years she has continued to refine her improvisation work by performing in cutting edge ensembles: Bobby McFerrin's Gimme5, an a cappella trio WeBe3 with Joey Blake and David Worm,  Spontaneous, featuring renowned instrumentalists Abraham Laboriel, Alex Acuña, Otmaro Ruiz and Jetro daSilva.. These groups have toured internationally, giving completely improvised performances. In 2012 Rhiannon Music released Spontaneous, a live improvised recording. Rhiannon continues to enjoy touring and teaching with Bobby McFerrin in the US and Europe. 

Rhiannon's most recent collaborations  include jazz pianist, composer, arranger, producer, Yamaha® artist and Grammy® winner Laurence Hobgood.  Rhiannon and Laurence perform a powerful combination of compositions and improvisations in a duo called The Two of Us. Award-winning choreographer Margie Gillis joins Rhiannon to collaborate in a workshop/performance: The Nature of Voice and Body. Rhiannon also creates performance pieces with dancer Shizuno Nasu of Volcano Village, Hawaii and Tokyo, Japan. Their performances are rich with the cultural mix of the ancient dances of the Shinto temples and the raucous blend of jazz, soundscape and world music. Bridging cultures, they meet in the universal world of improvisation. They perform in Hawaii and in Japan with other musicians and artists sharing an environmental message, The Ocean Regards Us All As One.

The powerful body-based vocal improvisation and sound healing process that Rhiannon teaches internationally in workshops and retreats is a result of living in these times as an artist on the cutting edge of music and theater. She offers an international year-long training called All The Way In with more than 125 graduates who continue to meet in annual reunions as well as collaborative projects resulting from their work in All The Way In.

Rhiannon’s long-awaited book about her life and teaching methods, Vocal River, The Skill and Spirit of Improvisation, was published in 2013. Read more about Vocal River.

When she is not touring, she lives and works at Leo Nani Farms on Hawai’i Island, growing food and "cultivating the arts through farming." In 2016, Ha Lau Leo Nani, The Gathering Place at Leo Nani Farms, was built. This singing barn hosts Rhiannon’s workshops and teacher trainings, as well as gatherings with other selected teachers from Rhiannon’s extensive group of colleagues around the world.

Rhiannon—Short Bio

Rhiannon is a vocal artist with a vision of music as a vehicle for innovation, healing, transformation, and social change. From her stellar collaborations with the all-women’s jazz ensemble Alive! to a cappella ensemble SoVoSo’ to Bobby McFerrin - Voicestra and Gimme5, Rhiannon has paved a unique path as an independent artist. In recent years she has continued to refine her improvisation work by performing in the a cappella trio WeBe3 with Joey Blake and David Worm, both 35-year members of Voicestra. Rhiannon has worked with renowned instrumentalists Abraham Laboriel, Alex Acuna, Otmaro Ruiz and Jetro Da Silva in an ensemble known as Spontaneous. Both groups have toured internationally, giving completely improvised performances.

Rhiannon’s new book about her life and teaching methods, Vocal River, The Skill and Spirit of Improvisation was published in 2013. The powerful body-based vocal improvisation and sound healing process that Rhiannon teaches internationally includes a year-long training called All The Way In. Rhiannon lives and works the rest of the year on her farm on the Big Island of Hawai’i, "cultivating the arts through farming".  WORD COUNT 183
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Rhiannon is a vocal artist with a vision of music as a vehicle for innovation, healing, transformation, and social change. A vibrant, gifted singer, performance artist, composer, and master teacher, Rhiannon has been bringing her unique and potent blend of jazz, world music, improvisation and storytelling to audiences for over four decades paving a unique path as an independent artist. Collaborations include the all-women’s jazz ensemble Alive!, a cappella ensembles SoVoSo and WeBe3, Bobby McFerrin - Voicestra and Gimme5, the instrumental trio Spontaneous, duets with pianist Laurence Hobgood, and improvised performance pieces with Japanese dancer Shizuno Nasu:The Ocean Regards Us All As One. Rhiannon’s book about her life and teaching methods, Vocal River, The Skill and Spirit of Improvisation, was published in 2013. Rhiannon lives and works on her farm on the Big Island of Hawai’i, currently building a teaching/performance space, Ha Lau Leo Nani, The Gathering Place, honoring culture and community.             WORD COUNT 156
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Rhiannon is a vocal artist with a vision of music as a vehicle for innovation, healing, transformation, and social change. Rhiannon’s book about her life and teaching methods, Vocal RiverThe Skill and Spirit of Improvisation, was published in 2013.  A vibrant, gifted singer, performance artist, composer, and master teacher, Rhiannon lives and works on her farm on the Big Island of Hawai’i using her singing barn Ha Lau Leo Nani, The Gathering Place as a teaching and performance venue honoring culture and community.   
WORD COUNT 84  
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A fabled underground figure in vocal jazz, Rhiannon turns improvisation into performance art...With a soft, supple voice and a range that climbs to the sky, she shows what heights jazz singing can reach when it combines disciplined musicianship, with utter fearlessness.  ~ James Gavin, Time Out New York

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