Heidi Munneke

Look out for a new star in the pantheon of great Irish singers. With the release of her album THE LAST STAR, Heidi Talbot is truly set to shine. She first gained recognition during the five years spent as lead singer with the all female Irish-American super group Cherish the Ladies, quickly followed by high praise for her two previous solo outings, Distant Future (2004) and In Love + Light (2008). On THE LAST STAR, Talbot applies her talents to a broader, bolder musical canvas accompanied by a stellar cast of guests musicians including vocalists Eddi Reader and Karine Polwart, vocalist/guitarist Kris Drever, guitarist Boo Hewerdine, fiddler/producer John McCusker and flute/whistle virtuoso Michael McGoldrick.

Heidi Berry cut a stark contrast to the prevailing musical mentality of the early '90s – despite releasing records on both Creation and 4AD, together the leading lights of the shoegazing and dream pop movements, her haunting, luminous folk-inspired sound instead harked back to the work of Sandy Denny and Nick Drake, complete with an earnestness and raw honesty far removed from her irony drenched times. Collection includes: Love (1991); Heidi Berry (1993); Miracle (1996); Pomegranate: An Anthology (2000).

A superlative program of piano music by American composers is offered by pianist Heidi Williams. The oldest work on the program dates from 1988 (William Bolcom) and the most recent was written in 2009 (Daniel Crozier), giving us a snapshot of what American composers have been writing for piano in the past 25 years. Praised by New York critic Harris Goldsmith for her ¨dazzling performances¨ and ¨impeccable solistic authority,¨ American pianist Heidi Louise Williams has appeared in performances across the United States and internationally. Her concert schedule has included solo and chamber music recitals at the Kennedy Center, the Chicago Cultural Center, Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Brevard Summer Music Festival, the Peabody Conservatory of Music and a debut recital in St. Louis as winner of its 2000 Artist Presentation Society Auditions, as well as concerto appearances with the Chicago Chamber Orchestra, the Oregon Symphony, and others. Williams is on the piano faculty at the Florida State University College of Music. She completed her BM, MM, and DMA degrees at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, Maryland.