Biography
Katy has been singing since she was a child, starting her career at school talent shows and singing in chorus, school musicals, and church choirs. She has a Bachelors from Alfred University (Alfred, NY) in Performing Arts with a voice emphasis, where she studied voice classically. Katy then studied in Vienna, where she acquired a taste for medieval music by singing with Vienna's St. Augustine Church Choir, immersed herself in music, and studied voice and German. She later studied Swedish, earning a Masters in Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN).
While living in Vermont, Katy toured with the group Northern Harmony in the United States, Canada, England, and Europe, performing and recording traditional music of all kinds. singing with Peter and Mary Alice Amidon and Tony Barrand. She also sang with the eclectic, traditional music group, the Bayley-Hazen Singers and with Anima, a medieval women's group. With Anima, she participated in the recording of two albums of medieval music.
Anima first introduced her to the music of 12th c. German mystic Hildegard von Bingen. This music felt like home and Katy promptly learned all she could of it, furthering her study of Hildegard and medieval music by training with the internationally-acclaimed medieval ensemble, Sequentia, and eventually co-directing Anima.
Katy moved to the Mid-Hudson area six years ago to pursue her music in a new, more diverse area. In 2000 she released her first CD,
Mirabilis, from a live recording of a concert in January 2000 in Kingston.
She has performed extensively in the area,
and has recorded 3 more CDs since her first, including a Mass commissioned by the Foundation for Universal Sacred Music.
Katy and Amy Fradon are dear friends who love to spend time in each other's company. Making music together is one of the ways in which they can express their friendship/love for each other, while at the same time finding connection to God / Spirit. Katy and Amy sing because to sing is to be alive and present and connected to Spirit.
While singing can be just pure fun, it can at the same time be a vehicle for profound and deep transformation and unfolding of Spirit. They both feel it has been one of their greatest teachers and deepest spiritual practices.
Why Mirabilis?
Mirabilis is my business name. Giving a name to the business of my music was, for me, like naming my child. It was a way of making concrete my intention, taking myself seriously, and in essence, giving birth to my music. I chose a Latin word that I have sung many times in medieval music, that means "full of wonder." This seems appropriate for me as a reminder to take in the amazing wonder of life and because my music is about God/Spirit communion, which is, in itself, full of wonder.
What's a Hurdy Gurdy?
Hurdy Gurdy refers to any of several instruments that are operated by turning a crank which turns a wheel. The most widely known hurdy gurdy is the one the organ grinders with monkeys played. This was actually just a box outfitted like a player piano.
The hurdy gurdy I play in concert is based on a medieval design from the 12th century, when it was often called a Sinfonia (from symphony) or a Rote (from "to rotate"). It was found in England and Europe. Later hurdy gurdys were developed with larger bodies that often resembled lutes or guitars.
The hurdy gurdy makes music in the following way: four strings sit perpendicular over the wheel and vibrate as the wheel turns. Two of these strings are drone strings and are tuned to the tonic of the scale, and the other two are melody strings tuned to the 5th above the drone.
Hildegard von Bingen Illumination
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(I am only using the lower of the two drone strings as I find the upper octave drone adds too much volume for vocal music.) The keys on the front of the hurdy gurdy shorten the length of the melody strings and allow a tune to be played.
The Music of Hildegard von Bingen
Hildegard was a 12th century abbess, mystic, visionary, politician, revolutionary, herbalist, and healer. She received her music in visions from God, and, while she practiced a very proscribed and ordered medieval Christianity, she was also very connected to the Earth and the Feminine as sources of inspiration and holiness. Ever since I first sang her music, I have felt deeply connected to it.
Links
Here are some links you might want to check out...
I'm sure there are many more I could recommend, but these are a few that I find very useful. Enjoy, Katy
Spirituality
Artists and Musicians
Hildegard von Bingen
- Sequentia, premier interpreters and performers of Hildegard's and medieval
music
- Norma Gentile, singer and healer
- Sinfonye, beautiful, earthier interprations
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