About

Cynthia grew up in the Green Mountain state of Vermont. Her love for piano began when she was less then two years old and at the age of five she formal piano lessons. Although classically trained her original compositions are in the solo piano genre. Many of her pieces are infused with strings, guitar, flute, and other instruments.

Cynthia released her debut piano solo album “Tranquility” in the Spring of 2008. Her second album “Imagine” was released in the Spring of 2009.

In January 2010 she released "Tears of Haiti" through a YouTube video and in March 2010 it was selected by United Nations officials for use in a tribute video that was shown at the UN Haiti Memorial.

How would you describe your music?
Gentle piano solos to calm the mind. Original music in the easy listening “solo piano” genre. “Solo Piano” is a term used to describe a genre of music that mingles elements of pop, jazz and classical music to form a style that has also been termed “Relaxing Solo Piano”. Strong melodies, a tender touch and a soothing spirit are hallmarks of this music, which despite the “solo” reference, may occasionally incorporate other simple instrumentation to frame the mood. This music creates a great background for working, studying, meditation, creativity, and entertaining.

Do you enjoy composing your own music?
Composing my own music provides me with a sense of contentment and together with my art and photography, serves as a creative outlet. Although I want the listener to interpret my pieces in their own way, my overall goal is to provide the listener with a sense of peace while inspiring their imagination.

How are your songs inspired?
Music truly is another form of communication. My compositions are one way to capture memories, images, feelings and translate their essence into a piece of music. I draw inspiration from conversations, experiences, trips or people that I interact with. I will focus on one key emotional element and attempt to capture that emotion/thought in music. For example during a snowstorm I had the idea of capturing the feeling of walking in the snow. “Snowfall in Vermont” was the composition that came out of that process.
What is the process of composing a song like?
I compose my pieces right at the piano. I start out with a simple melody or group of notes that appeal to me. Once I have something to start with, I turn on the recording device on my Yahmaha Clavinova piano and play improvisationally for as long as ideas and musical thoughts come to me. I continue to record multiple takes of the song as the inspiration strikes me. By recording my improvisational playing,. This enables me to simply “play” in the moment and not have to worry about remembering what I am playing. When I feel like all the improvisational thoughts/melodies have been captured I start to listen to the various recordings that I have made. I then decide which parts I like and which parts I am going to discard.

The next step is to begin writing out my composition. I connect my laptop to my digital piano and use the music notation software Sibelius to write out my composition. This process can takes hours or days depending on how easily I am able to put together the different parts of the song that I played in an improvisational way previously. I strive very hard to maintain a sense of free-flowing improvisational style in my pieces even though I am now playing the piece from written music.

How did your new album come about?
Several years ago I composed my first piece and recorded a cassette tape that I shared the recording with friends and family .Ever since they have encouraged me to compose more pieces and record an album. The “Tranquility” album is a collection of 13 original solo piano melodies.

What was the recording process like?
I recorded this album at Little Castle Recording Studio in Starksboro, Vermont. I was fortunate to work with Horace Williams, Jr who is a seasoned recording artist, producer, engineer and studio musician with over 30 years experience in professional recording. His philosophy is: “…people buy music because it affects them. To make music that affect people, you have to be able to immerse yourself freely back into the place you were in when you composed the piece originally. That was the point at which it affected you the most.” He definitely created this type of environment during the recording process and it felt more like a creative endeavor than just a recording session.

I felt that the recording of this album did capture the emotion and feeling that was there when these pieces were originally composed. The most enjoyable part of the whole process was adding some additional instrumentation to some of my pieces in order to enhance and round them out.. Please take a moment to listen to the sample tracks from this album.

Do you play live performances?
I love to share the music and talent that I have been blessed with. My favorite performances are for small intimate groups where I can interact with the audience and share with them what inspired me to compose my pieces.

When did you start playing the piano?
I was eighteen months old when I was first drawn to the piano (see photo) and played my first notes. I started taking piano lessons when I was five years old and for the next 12 years was trained primarily in classical piano music.

During that time, I performed music recitals and entered various piano competitions. When I was 16, I won a regional talent contest playing Aaron Copeland’s piece “Cat and Mouse”. The next year I placed first with a five minute rendition of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue”. I continued my classical piano training during college.

What are the benefits of relaxing music?
In this stressful world we live in, we often do not take time to relax and clear our mind of all the hectic activities and events that consume our lives. Music can play a part in reducing anxiety, improving mental functions, aiding in restful sleep and inspiring creativity.

I love the quote by Ludwig Van Beethoven, “What I have in my heart and soul must find a way out. That is the reason for music.” Composing music is a way of expressing myself and sharing it with others.