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ELLEN M. WILSON - Bio
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Collaborating with producer and arranger Scott Leader, one of the country’s most sought after performers of original Jewish rock and folk music, the multi-talented vocalist—whose sound has been praised by many as “angelic” and “ethereal”--transcends all cultural and religious boundaries with rich and colorful interpretations of ten compelling songs whose composers (including Debbie Friedman, Julie Silver and Larry Lesser) set Hebrew phrases from the Bible and Jewish liturgy to music. Songs of Ascent evolved from an original five song demo project that Wilson released in 2007 called T’filat Ha-Adam: Prayers of the Heart, which was also helmed by Leader. While the genesis of Songs of Ascent was Wilson’s meeting Leader when she participated in a recording for Temple Mount Sinai in El Paso under the leadership of Rabbi Larry Bach, the message of healing and peace in its songs—which she sings in a mix of English and Hebrew--tap into a universal consciousness that connects with people of all faiths, belief systems and world-views. Because the need for healing and the desire for peace is something everyone on the planet has in common, songs like “Eil Na R’fa Na Lah” (which translates in our vernacular to “Heal Now I Pray!”), “Lo Yisa Goy” (“An End To War”) and Lesser’s uplifting folk tune “Healing Song” are reaching people in exciting ways that stretch beyond their Jewish origins. But just for the record, “Eil Na R’fa Na Lah” comes from a Torah story where Moses cries for his sister, “Heal Miriam, this I pray!” and “Lo Yisa Goy” is from a familiar passage in Isaiah that talks about the end of war “(beat their swords into plowshares…they will train for war no more”). The essential message of “Healing Song” is: “May it be Your will that we will heal completely whole body and soul.” “The pieces on Songs of Ascent all reflect the current state of my spiritual longings, to be a bridge between the different streams of Judaism and the rest of the world,” says Wilson. “I want the music to speak to everyone. I have a lot of friends of different faiths, all of whom had positive reactions to the texts that were on the CD. That really helped me to see the broad appeal of the Psalms and get in touch with my desire to bring Jewish music to a larger audience. I love the idea that these songs could be enjoyed by many people across the denominations. It’s spiritual music at its core. “I love singing this Jewish, spiritual music as well as other kinds of music,” she adds, “bringing that lyrical, classical approach to more accessible, contemporary music, especially in the ambient arena, as I mentioned. I would love to be an ambassador of sorts, acting as a bridge between worlds: between streams within Judaism, between Judaism and other spiritualities.” A lecturer in voice at the University of Texas, at El Paso, Wilson first sang onstage at Ravinia in the Chicago suburbs at 18, then studied classical music in college, earning a BM in Vocal Performance (University of Illinois) and an MM from Meredith College (Raleigh, North Carolina). Over the years, she’s built a dynamic resume that includes singing both the American and German national anthems at German-American joint ceremonies in Bamberg, Germany (a special moment because her late father was a Holocaust survivor); starring in musical theatre productions at Busch Gardens in Virginia; appearing as a guest soloist with the Polymnia Choral Society in Boston; singing the soprano solos in Rutter’s Requiem in Enfield, North Carolina; and singing with guest conductor Benton Hess & The Raleigh Symphony. Wilson has also appeared on several recordings, including a Travesty CD in Germany and more recently on Shirei Sinai, the Temple Mount Sinai debut CD, produced by Leader and featuring Rabbi Larry Bach. She is currently collaborating with classical guitarist Armin Harrison on a project entitled, “Across the Ages”, which features music of the English Baroque and Renaissance. “I’ve been studying music for many years,” she says, “and when I attended a year-long program taught by Bob Proctor, who appears in The Secret, one of our assignments was to make a huge goal for ourselves. I decided mine was to get in touch with what I really wanted to do with my life and then work towards making that happen. It was clear to me that singing and making a recording like Songs of Ascent was exactly what I wanted to do. Once I set my sights on recording, I met Scott and all the pieces fell beautifully into place. It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to sing songs that can uplift people, and that’s what this project is all about—touching people.” Ellen’s Website is www.ellenmwilson.com View all albums by Ellen M. Wilson |
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