Reviews:
Snow Angel (2011)
Daydream (2011)
Myths & Legends (2008)
Bio:
What began at the age of 10 with her first original piano composition has become the realization of a dream for MICHELE DE WILTON, a new age piano composer and performer who recently released her first album Myths and Legends and launched the highly-creative www.MicheledeWilton.com.
The thirteen original piano compositions on Myths & Legends are lush with tales of love, yearning and adventure. Recorded during a series of winter snowstorms in 2008 at the Chicago Recording Company, the album release by MICHELE DE WILTON begins a new chapter in her musical journey that, until now, was a very private part of her life.
“It was only after I learned that listening to my music could soothe other people as much as playing it relaxes me, that I decided to release an album,” reflects DE WILTON. Today, the pianist is making that a reality, composing on her dream piano, a restored 1925 Steinway Model “L”.
MICHELE DE WILTON began composing her stories at a young age, not as words on paper but as notes played on a piano while attending a school outside of London with an emphasis on music. Since that time, piano composition has been an integral part of MICHELE’s life. “As long as I can remember, I have been fascinated with the piano—the notion of moving my fingers to give voice to my emotions,” says DE WILTON. Her early influences were classical composers Frédéric Chopin, Felix Mendelssohn and Bedrich Smetana. Later, she found inspiration in George Winston's December, Vangelis's Opera Sauvage, and Isao Tomita's Canon of the Three Stars. But her passion for musical storytelling came from singer-songwriters like Joan Baez, Chris de Burgh and Janis Ian, as well as Broadway composer Andrew Lloyd Webber.
The music of Myths and Legends is intended to tell stories and transport the listener on a musical journey into the experience and emotions of memorable characters. The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen inspired the creation of DE WILTON’s Waltz for Gerda & Kay. The haunting strains of the music evoke Gerda’s quest to find her best friend, Kay, ensnared by the Snow Queen, his heart turned to ice. Voyage of the Argo by DE WILTON calls to mind the gravity of the quest; the piece’s deliberate melody characterizes the dip and swoop of oars as Jason and the Argonauts set out to find the Golden Fleece.
All of the songs on the album were inspired by timeless narratives and are depicted on the interactive website, including the following titles: Salt River; Cupid & Psyche; The Ice Maiden; Lady of Shalott; The Vigil; Hymn of the Hills; Waltz for Gerda & Kay; The Door in the Wall; Galetea; Ilium; Voyage of the Argo; Sea of Sunset; and Nursery Rhyme for a Starry Sky. DE WILTON also appears as The Ice Maiden in a dramatic music video shot to promote the album; it can be seen on YouTube.com, MusicDishTV and the artist website.
DE WILTON’s inspirational, transporting and melodic new age compositions are available for purchase at your local music retailer or at www.MicheledeWilton.com.
MICHELE DE WILTON lives in Columbus, OH, with her husband and two children; she holds a bachelor’s degree and two master’s degrees from Northwestern University.
