Maestra
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2000 | SELF | AFM
Music
Press
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Discography
as Shari Lauter: Global Water Dances-Cincinnati 2013 Composer of music for live performance and full HD-DVD soundtrack released February 2014
as Shari Lauter: Splash Mob for GlobalWaterDances.org 2021 World Festival, June 8, 2021
as Shari Lauter: Soundtrack for Ravens of Mars SciFI Animation Series by Skyvengers Cartoon. youtube.com/skyvengerscartoon
as Shari Lauter: Nicholas Longworth Exhibit video, by James Duesing - 1982 Taft Museum, Cincinnati
as Shari Lauter: Tugging the Worm original soundtrack for animation short - 1983 by James Duesing
as Perfect Jewish Couple: Menage a Trois - 1985. Vinyl 7" 33rpm EP
as Perfect Jewish Couple: Six Faces of a Couple - 1986. Cassette EP, 6 Songs
as Perfect Jewish Couple: Heart on my Sleeve - 1987. On Join Waters Compilation CD of Ohio bands, a Jim Clevo Production.
as Perfect Jewish Couple: Heart on my Sleeve b/w New York Rain - 1988 Cassingle
as Shari Lauter: Dream of Endymion original soundtrack for 1989 animation film by Andrew Durbin
as Shari Lauter: soundrack for Open Spaces, series on BBC, 1990 episode produced by MediaWorks/KY
as Drums for Peace: Morning Market b/w Six in the Evening - 1992 Cassingle
as Shari Lauter: Sharing Waters: A Videosong Celebrating our Ohio River - 1995 multi-media performance piece for solo violin, piano, djembe, dance, African-American Spiritual singer & live poet atop projected video
as Shari Lauter: The Chakra Cycle - 1997 for SATB choir, djembe, piano, vibraphone, pipe organ, tuned crystal glassware, bass, tambourine
as Cosmeau: Love in Your Heart - 2004 CD EP, 4 songs, violinist & producer
as Perfect Jewish Couple: Time Capsule 2007 CD, 7 songs; digital release 2016
as Maestra: Kisses Me in Light 2012 digital release
as Shari Lauter: In the Light of Truth, choral work, 2013 digital release
Photos
Bio
Influences: Brian Eno...Beethoven...Aaron Copeland...Los Muñequitos de Matanzas...Joe Jackson...Brazilian Batucada...Vivaldi...Aretha...Bach...Jah Wobble...
I have been writing music since 9. Play violin, electric bass, keys, synths, world percussion---usually the big drums like surdo and djundjun (...it's good to have a girl on the bottom ;-). I write big works and direct groups of great musicians to bring those works to life. Multi-modal, interdisciplinary, stylistically forward and conscious of where we are at this place and time in the history of the planet. Underpinning the melody is world percussion representing
all corners of the globe: Afro-Cuban and Afro-Brazilian, Middle-Eastern,
Tibetan, Indian... Lush layers of violins, upright & electric bass, flutes, jazz & folky
guitars. So in other words, instrumentation includes all world musical families; cordophones,
aerophones, membranophones, idiophones. (i.e. instruments with strings,
instruments you blow through, instruments with a (drum) head, and
percussion instruments without a (drum)head. Electronic touches. Song forms are hooky, improvisational yet
structured, rhythmically captivating, lyrically intriguing. Lyrics reference Mother Earth's
challenges and encourage respect for the planet and her people.
When performing live I assemble a female-focused, rockin' group of world percussionists, vocalists, and other instrumentalists as needed.
I'm a tech geek---I produce all tracks in Digital Performer on an iMac 27 w/supplemental 19" monitor...and that's still not enough screen real estate. Still have & use my Alesis HR16 and the Roland TR606 and the Boss handclap pad! Been audio engineering since my first 4-track, Dokorder 7140 (1/4" tape, 7" reels) I bought used in 1982. Addicted to gear ever since. I know both current digital gear and the analog stuff; mixed live sound in large Cincinnati clubs like Bogart's and know how to keep mics from squealing, how to splice analog tape, and run signal path cables like nobody's business. I spend countless hours tweaking production and sculpting the final product for my recorded works.
A Maestra production evokes the intertwined melodies of Baroque era composers and the polyrhythmic approach of Rumba---whether using a mixed world percussion orchestra, all synths, or a guitar/bass/drums approach. Fortunate to have a cadre of talented friends and musician colleagues to add touches of other instruments. Sing a rich alto but often bring in other voices to enrich the songcrafting palette.80s electrolushsynthpopnewwaveromantic duo, Perfect Jewish Couple, has cult status
among fans around the globe. (see perfectjewishcouple.com. 1985 7" EP
sells for upwards of $75/copy on eBay!) Truly a groundbreaking duo, performing to pre-produced backing trax (on cassette!) of original music. Now using backing trax, well, that's old hat.
Studied in Cuba with Los Muñequitos de Matanzas; with West African drum masters like Baba Olatunji, Mamady Keita and Yaya Diallo, with Brazilian Samba Masters like Nego Gato, and Western European Orchestral Conductors like Sigmund Efron. Studied Music Theory & Composition at CCM.
Also a composer of choral music, Maestra has received grants for
composition & performance for two major works, "Sharing Waters: A
Videosong of our Ohio River" for solo violin, piano, Native American
dancer, and African-American poet & spiritual singer set to projected video
scenes of the beautiful (and industrial) Ohio; and "The Chakra
Cycle", an 8-movement work for SATB Choir, bass, djembes, crystal glassware,
vibes, and pipe organ. (Curious why it has 8 movements? Ask...!)
Each Maestra composition features a roster of talented musicians helping
breathe life into the music, touched by her expert production techniques.
Each Maestra gig features a select group of talented performers to present
a captivating performance customized to the needs of the venue, whether a huge
outdoor festival or an indie bar.
Pretty much anything goes, always with a strong rhythm (if you can't dance,
what's the point?), top-shelf performers, strong melodies & hooks, and
thought-provoking lyrics.
Commissions accepted...hell, welcomed!!!
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