Susan Osborn: Bio and Discography
Susan Osborn
SILENCE AND SONG
Singing is a primal human creative act. It is an essential part of the human emotional digestive system and a gift intricately woven into our design as human beings. Over time, as we have separated from the natural world around us and our own nature, we have relegated singing to the extracurricular, and entertainment, and left this basic human expression to the specialists. This exploration is about reclaiming the original power and purpose of singing. The journey of singing without words following first the breath, then the sound of a sigh, then the song, leads us with the energy of emotion into a place of clarity and integration; a reunion with our true nature. Singing is a practice; a way to center, contact who you are, and from that place create a gift of beauty and truth to share with others. Singing is the direct language of the soul, available to all people regardless of talent. It is a universally understood communication, beyond words, from one body to another. Singing is a primal creative act, a physical metaphoric experience. Singing can lead us directly to a profound silence; the healing balm of stillness where the soul can recognise itself beyond the limitations of time and space. A primary focus of this work is the power of compassionate witnessing. How we listen to ourselves and each other is primary. As the song ends, we will dwell in the silence revealed there. We will explore the nature of emotion, and how it influences and ultimately shapes the sound of the voice, as well as how singing can contribute significantly to our emotional health. Silence and Song is for anyone, regardless of experience or talent, who would like to: strengthen and expand the clarity and range of their voice, explore the practical uses of singing as a tool for communication ... a practice in intimate creativity and emotional integration, and as a pathway to deep silence.
Susan Osborn
About Susan Osborn: For over 30 years, singer and songwriter Susan Osborn has held the high ground of vocal artistry. Her startlingly remarkable voice -- powerful and rich with emotional expression -- came to world prominence when she was lead singer of the Paul Winter Consort between 1978 and 1985, shining on such albums as "Common Ground", "Missa Gaia." and "Concert For the Earth". Osborn's voice has such power and soulful presence that she's performed at the United Nations, the Berlin Wall, the Nagano Winter Olympics, the Global Forum in Kyoto and the Hague, and numerous memorial and peace ceremonies at Hiroshima and Post-9/11 New York.
For the past two decades, Osborn and her husband, artist/writer David Densmore, have lived on Orcas Island, WA. Here, the serenity and silence of nature colored the creation of numerous original songs, while the synergy of the island's vital artistic community inspired Osborn to refine her voice to even greater heights.
Osborn has performed all over the US and Europe, but 1991 saw the beginning of a long association with Japan, where her voice has been heard on Toyota commercials and film soundtracks, on a two hour HDTV Special on her life for Asahi Television, at the Winter Olympics, in a stage musical Tanuki Goten directed by Amon Miamoto, and New Year's Eve concerts with both Skitch Henderson and the New York Pops, and John Mauceri's Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Her songs are also featured in several of Jin Tatsumura’s feature length Gaia Symphony films.
Releasing 12 CDs on Japan's prestigious Pony Canyon label, Osborn's recordings express themes ranging from Japanese folk melodies with English lyrics, “Wabi”, “The Pearl” and “Nagomi Oto” to Disney movie theme classics on the “Disney” CD. "Still Life" and "Tideline," both feature Western classical melodies with English lyrics written by Susan and her husband poet David Densmore. Susan has recorded three CDs with Japanese pianist Kentaro Kihara, “Only One”, “Wonderful World” and Nagomi Oto”. Now an independant artist, Susan is working on another CD of original songs, to follow her “ReUnion” release, tentatively called “ The River”.
Stylistically, Osborn's approach spans original songs, to classical favorites to the freewheeling scat she records with jazz guitarist Ralf Illenberger, to traditional Japanese folk songs. She brings refreshing inspiration to pop and jazz standards and her annual candlelit Victorian Valley Chapel Christmas concert series is an established 20 year Orcas Island tradition.
The mosaic of artists who have inspired her life includes Brazilian percussionist Nana Vasconcelos, folk legend Odetta, singer/songwriter Lucinda Williams, Miles Davis keyboardist Robert Irving, Broadway star Betty Buckley, New York Pops maestro Skitch Henderson, the guitar/vocal duo Tuck & Patti, pianist/composer Paul Halley, Native American flutist Gary Stroutsos, double reed and ocarina, Nancy Rumbel, African master drummer Baba Olatunji, saxophonist Paul Winter, Brazilian maestro Oscar Castro -Neves, guitarists, Ralf Illenberger and Bill Lauf, pianists Kentaro Kihara and Wing Wong Tsan.
Though Osborn's extraordinary voice is indeed unique, she openly shares her soulful approach through her Silence & Song seminars. For over 35 years, Susan has been exploring the power of the human voice in song with people all over the world. Silence and Song classes have been presented in 10 countries, and Susan has been on the teaching staff at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur California, the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland, the Omega Institute, in Rheinbeck NY, the New York Open Center in New York City, Suirin Retreat Center in Nagano, Japan, and the Whidbey Institute in Clinton Washington. "Singing is a gift intricately woven into the human design." shares Osborn. "I am privileged to be there when people remember it."
Much of her creative life is now involved in photography of flowers inspired by the work of her old friend and mentor, Harold Feinstein. Her book “SAKURA NO KIGA OSHEE ETTE KURETA", Lessons of the Sakura Tree, published by SunMark Publishers in Japan, is the story of her special encounter with a cherry tree blossoming out of season and photographs taken over those 6 months of cherry blossoms.
“ Music and song are a bridge between...heaven and earth, body and soul, people and the rest of nature and each other, I feel privileged to have lived a life in music”
Susan is now preparing to celebrate her 20 years of music making and teaching in Japan with an 8 city tour this autumn, ANNIVERSARY/KAKEHASHI with pianist Kentaro Kihara.
Susan Osborn
Thoughts About Singing... Singing without words disorganizes patterns. It disorganizes thought, deconstructs story and keeps energy fluid and usable, and flowing. It can also organize new, cohesive patterns. The feeling of fear as we approach singing without words is about letting go of the known, the continuous story we tell ourselves about how the world is organized, and approaching the unknown. The mind needs to know to understand...and singing without words can lead us into presence which cannot be known, because it is new and happening now. Most adult civilized beings never hear their own voices singing without words. After language enters, at 2 or 3, the natural flowing wordless song of a child begins to disappear. How strange that we edit out this very basic human expression. And at the same time, we also begin to edit spontaneous dance and movement. Is it because it is so revealing? . . . of our sensuality...our connection with our senses? I believe that these natural responses to being alive are vital to our ability to survive. As we edit, we begin to lose touch with the sensual world that surrounds us and upon which we are dependent. Could it be that something as simple, and as basic as singing, holds the key to our ability to navigate more gracefully through life ? If we allow our senses to atrophy through non-use, how can we really survive ? What richness is edited out and eliminated from our experience?” I am asking you to consider that the beauty you love is actually who you are, and that you can discover and nurture that beauty in the sound of your own voice.
Susan Osborn
Discography
•1978 Common Ground
Featured Vocalist with the Paul Winter Consort
Living Music Recordings
•1979 You Gotta Believe
Original Songs
Golden Throat Recordings
•1981 Missa Gaia; A Mass for the Earth
Featured Vocalist with the Paul Winter Consort
Living Music Recordings
•1983 A Concert For the Earth; Live at the UN Featured Vocalist with the Paul Winter Consort Living Music Recordings
•1983 Signature
Features “Sound Over All Waters” by Paul Halley, and John Lennon's “Imagine”
Golden Throat Recordings
•1986 Susan (Out of Print)
Living Music Recordings
•1991 Journey Live
with pianist Phil Markowitz in the Cathedral St. John the Divine
Golden Throat Recordings
•1991 WABI; the Soul of Japan
Winner of Recordo Taisho in Japan
( Not available in US)
NEC Recordings Japan
•1992 Entrance
with Guitarist Ralf Illenberger Improvisations Golden Throat Recordings
•1993 Soleil/ Ralf Illenberger
Guest soloist
•1993 Sabi; the Western Heart
( Not available in US)
Sony Japan
•1995 All Through the Night/A Christmas Lullaby
with keyboardist Brian BecVar
Golden Throat Recordings
•1996 The Pearl
Traditional Japanese Songs in English
Pony Canyon International Japan
and Golden Throat Recordings
•1998 Susan Osborn Sings Disney
( Not available in US)
Pony Canyon International and Disney Japan
•2000 ReUnion
All original songs with Bill Lauf, Ralf Illenberger and Jim Bredouw
Golden Throat Recordings
•2001 Still Life
Classical melodies with new lyrics by Susan, and husband writer David Densmore
Pony Canyon International Japan
and Golden Throat Recordings
•2002 Tideline
Volume II of favorite classical melodies
Pony Canyon International
and Golden Throat Recordings
•2004 A Thousand Winds
The Best of Susan Osborn...in Japan
( Not available in US)
Pony Canyon International
•2006 Only One...Love Songs for Two
with Pianist Kentaro Kihara
Features classic love songs from the 60's on Alfie, Close To You, In My Life and Moon River
Pony Canyon International
and Golden Throat Recordings
•2007 Wonderful World/ (Sakura in Japan)
with Piano Kentaro Kihara, Strings and woodwinds, Martin Lund, and Bass, Gene Nery.
Pony Canyon International
and Golden Throat Recordings
•2009 Nagomi Oto
with pianist Kentaro Kihara, double reeds, Nancy Rumbel, guitar, Gene Nery, and clarinet, Martin Lund
Pony Canyon International
and Golden Throat Recordings