ALIVE! BIOS

SUSANNE DiVINCENZO BARBARA BORDEN RHIANNON CAROLYN BRANDY TAMMY HALL
                                                                                                         
BARBARA BORDEN
Barbara Borden, drummer, percussionist, composer and teacher, began drumming at age ten. From the beginning, she understood the transformative and enlivening nature that drumming and music provide.  Her musical expression is diverse: collaborator with musicians, healers and artists internationally; member of the all-women jazz quintet Alive!; co-founder –  Cloud 9 Music with Sheilah Glover, producing recordings – Beauty in the Beat, All Hearts Beating, Lady of the Serpent Skirt & Portraits of Passion; teacher – drum kit, West African djembe and ceremonial drums – private lessons and groups - classes, workshops, retreats, drum circles.  She Dares to Drum, Borden's solo, autobiographical “percussion play,” told in words and music, drew critical acclaim. It was co-created and directed by Naomi Newman (co-founder of Traveling Jewish Theatre).   Borden is the subject of Emmy-award winning filmmaker David L. Brown’s documentary, KEEPER OF THE BEAT: A Woman’s Journey Into the Heart of Drumming, receiving the Runner Up Audience Award for the Best Documentary at its world premiere in the 2013 Mill Valley Film Festival.  With drumming and music as her ally, Borden continues to dedicate her life to keeping the beat of love, peace and joy alive!   keeperofthebeatmovie.com
CAROLYN BRANDY
Carolyn Brandy is a percussionist, composer, performer, educator, cultural worker and Mom.  She started playing the conga drums in 1968, and has been a pioneer in opening doors for women in the world of Afro-Cuban percussion.  She was the creator of Sistah Boom in the SF Bay Area and a founding member of the Jazz Quintet Alive! as well as collaborating with many Bay Area Artists. She is currently playing with vocal/percussion group: OJALÁ! who was selected to attend the Festival Del Caribe in Santiago de Cuba in 2014. Carolyn is the founder of the non-profit organization, Women Drummers International, and is the producer of the Born To Drum Camp for Women Drummers, which was created to inspire and empower women students, teachers and performers of hand percussion. The camps have been overwhelmingly successful, and have been produced from 2006-2015.
Carolyn has been a student of Cuban folkloric music for over 40 years. She has led six tours to the Island of Cuba to study folkloric music and dance with masters of Afro-Cuban folkloric music. Carolyn has a degree in music from Holy Names University in Oakland.   carolynbrandy.com
TAMMY HALL
Tammy Hall is a pianist, organist, composer, arranger and musical director, who began playing piano at age 4 and was accompanying her church choir by age 7 and organist/pianist for two churches by age 9 until graduation from high school (The Hockaday School).  After attending Mills College in Oakland, California for two years Tammy embarked upon pursuing a ‘jazz’ life. Tammy has since gone on to work with many vocalists and award ­winning performers, including Linda Tillery, Barbara Dane, Holly Near, Gina Breedlove, Darlene Love, Melba Moore, Connie Champagne, Mary Wilson, and Etta Jones. She has also worked with bandleaders Houston Person, David 'Fathead' Newman, Ellen Seeling and the Montclair Women's Big Band and Regina Carter.  In 2015, Tammy celebrates 50 years of playing the piano, performances at San Jose, Fillmore and SFJazz festivals, as well as the distinct honor of performing with Alive! and Holly Near at the 40th annual Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival.  "Music to me, is not a means to an end; it is a Gift, it is Ministry, it is my Life.” Tammy L Hall     tammyhall.com
 
RHIANNON
Rhiannon is a vocal artist with a vision of music as a vehicle for innovation, healing, transformation, and social change. A  gifted singer, performance artist, composer, and master teacher, Rhiannon has been bringing her potent blend of jazz, world music, improvisation and storytelling to audiences for four decades paving a unique path as an independent artist. Collaborations include the all-women’s jazz ensemble Alive!, a cappella ensembles SoVoSo and WeBe3, Bobby McFerrin and Voicestra, the instrumental trio Spontaneous and the improvised theatre piece with Japanese dancer Shizuno Nasu:The Ocean Regards Us All As One. Rhiannon has six albums on her own label and many collaborations with other artists.  Rhiannon’s book about her life and teaching methods, Vocal River, The Skill and Spirit of Improvisation, was published in 2013. The powerful body-based vocal improvisation and sound healing process that Rhiannon teaches internationally includes a year-long training called All The Way In.  rhiannonmusic.com
SUSANNE DIVINCENZO
Susanne DiVincenzo, Bass and Cello, is a founding member of Alive!  In 1975 she established Wonder Woman Electric, an all-women Electrical Contracting Company in the Bay Area.  For several years she was concurrently touring with Alive! and earning her living as an electrician.  For the last 20 years she has lived in New Jersey, taking care of her elderly Father and raising her young son.  During that time, she remained musically active, playing in the Atlantic City Casinos for Andrea Bocelli, Tony Bennett, Natalie Cole, and others.  She is the principal cellist of the Jersey Shore Pops Orchestra and has also played with other groups on cello and bass.  She has a thriving Wedding Music business, specializing in weddings on the beach.  She is the Assistant Director of the Atlantic Youth Orchestra.   The son that she raised, graduated from Juilliard and is now Principal Timpanist with the New York City Ballet.  Susanne put her Electrical Contracting License on Inactive and has been working as a public school teacher specializing in Physics while maintaining a private cello teaching studio.
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