michelle bellerose: eastern influences...

ABOUT THIS ARTIST

Michelle Bellerose is a self-produced musician, visual artist and writer. She worked as a feature film production coordinator for ten years before turning her hand to a one-year organic vegetarian project that was named Restaurant of the Decade (2000-2010) by Toronto's NOW Magazine. An innovator whose multidisciplinary work touches all human senses through her ongoing investigations into intuition, creativity, and health, she has independently and persistently produced original music, visual art, and provocative commentary in support of spiritual quest, alternative medicine and holistic science.

In all of her endeavours, her trailblazing approach invites us to hone our relationships with our bodies and minds in order to experience enchantment and wonder. From pioneering a new form of yoga, to her award-winning work as a gourmet chef, Michelle continually breaks ground with her work and play.

As a musician, an eclectic mix of sounds blends into Michelle's own unmistakable style. In 2008 she was nominated for a Niagara Music Award, in the category Best Female Vocalist, and her music has featured in three Antero Alli films, a Reality Sandwich podcast, and on CBC radio and numerous North American college stations. Unique vocals along with her skilled treatment of both improvised and recorded arrangements contribute to her growing reputation as a leading musical talent. She has performed at numerous venues, from the famed Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires to Toronto's Lula Lounge, C'est What?, Cameron House, Comfort Zone, Bambu, Ontario Place, and Distillery Jazz Festival, James Street Supercrawl in Hamilton, Ottawa's Mercury Lounge and Elmdale Tavern, and BC Place in Vancouver, as well as numerous shows in coffee shops, stores, lofts, galleries, libraries, restaurants, parking lots, private homes and nature areas.

Monday, June 24, 2013

eastern influences...

i've long been a lover of eastern music, particularly indian, tibetan, middle eastern and persian varieties. i was lucky to have occasion to study with many local luminaries like gauri guha (hindustani classical ragas), suda and som naimpally (bhajans and kirtans), and dr. hussain khan (harmonium). given my spread out and profligate interests i knew from the outset that mastering these highly specialized musical forms was out of the question, such an enterprise would take a minimum ten years exclusive devotion. i understood that at most i could pick up a flavouring and an inflection from these sojourns... many of the orthodox in the local world music scene had some issues with my borrowing liberally and as i cared to from cultures people were at pains to preserve in the details, but i felt and i continue to, that the rich heritage of this planet is for all of us to enjoy and play with to the extent of our choosing...

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