Featured Artist

OUR FEATURED ARTIST IS JILL HALEY

Jill Haley is an oboist, English horn player, pianist, and composer who has written and released 6 recordings about the National Parks in the United States. Jill also performs with One Alternative, a small ensemble group that writes music combining many different styles. She also is invited to be a regular guest artist on recordings produced by Will Ackerman, the founder of Windham Hill Records, at Imaginary Road Studio.

Her latest National Parks album is “The Winds of Badlands.” 

You can see our New Age CD review of “The Winds of Badlands here.

Her National Park projects began after a visit to Glacier National Park. Upon her return home from a visit to this National Park in Montana, she wrote several pieces inspired by the magnificent scenery. “Glacier Soundscapes” was released and received favorable reviews and airplay.

Jill presented concerts with a video of images in Glacier that inspired the music. A pianist, guitarist, and Jill on double reeds comprised the trio that accompanied the video.

The request for more visual material to accompany music led to a decision to create a photo booklet to be included with the CD packaging of her 2nd release, “Zion and Bryce Canyon Soundscapes.” The recording received considerable airplay, including SiriusXM Radio in the United States.

During the recording process of “Zion and Bryce Canyon Soundscapes,” engineer and co-producer, Corin Nelsen, suggested Jill explore the possibility of applying to be an Artist in Residence at a National Park. She received her 1st invitation to do so at Mesa Verde National Park. During her 2 week residency there, she lived in a Hogan style building while visiting sites and writing music.

This resulted in her 3rd release, “Mesa Verde Soundscapes,” which won the “Best Piano Album with Instrumentation” award from Zone Music Reporter, an organization that tracks international airplay of instrumental music. Steve Shepherd of ONE WORLD MUSIC wrote, “Mesa Verde Soundscapes is a musical vista of outstanding natural beauty; this is one album that everyone needs in their collection.”

2016 was the 100th anniversary of the formation of the National Park Service, so Jill released “National Park Soundscapes,” a collection of pieces about 12 different National Park in honor the NPS. The music highlights Parks from Acadia to Zion, and includes one piece written during her 2nd Artist in Residency at Badlands National Park. During the centennial year, Jill traveled the country presenting National Park Soundscapes concerts at Parks such as Shenandoah, Glacier and Badlands.

“National Park Soundscapes” was also arranged for solo oboe/ English horn with concert band as a 4 piece Suite and performed during the centennial year. In 2017 the music was arranged for solo oboe/ English horn and orchestra and performed by the Reading Pops Orchestra.

Glacier National Park invited her back for a month long residency in October, 2016. While there she composed several pieces and presented them in 2 concerts; one in the Park and the other at a local school. This Artist in Residency led to “The Waters of Glacier,” her 5th recording released in the spring of 2018.

In 2017 Jill spent 2 weeks in Wrangell/St.Elias National Park in Alaska as an Artist in Residence. This incredibly remote location afforded her the opportunity to explore an amazing Park, but more importantly introduced her to local folks who live in such a place. The people as well as the place influenced her compositions about the Park.

 CHECK OUT JILL HALEY’S STUDIO ALBUMS

OFFICIAL ARTIST WEBSITE

JILL HALEY PERFORMANCE DATES: