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Doug Hammer was called to music at a very early age. His parents noticed this (at age three) and he began piano lessons at the age of six. He had some great teachers in contemporary and classical styles of music. He began composing songs (mainly pop) while in high school. He went to Berklee College of Music on a partial scholarship and studied songwriting, commercial arranging, and jazz. Doug has always enjoyed the recording and production process and (along with this graphic designer wife) decided to open his own project studio and production company, Dreamworld Productions and Design.
They moved to Lynn, MA and opened a studio in 2000 which included a new Schimmel Concert Grand piano. Doug has worked on a variety of projects such as CD's, jingles, soundtracks for film, TV, and radio, music for corporate events, and so on. He was composing his own music during this time as well. At the end of 2007, his solo piano album, Solace, was finally released. From that album, he's sharing 3 songs with us: A Dream I Once Lived In, Flying High and In The Fields. You'll find Doug's music on the Music 2 page.
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Since infancy, music has had a powerful effect on Kathryn Toyama. Her mother says that she could always rely on beautiful music to stop her crying... that she'd become quiet and calm when the music reached her ears. Beginning piano lessons at age 9, Kathryn already wanted to weave her own melody with the notes and found it difficult to respect the confines of time signatures. Her mother found a concert pianist who was grooming students for classical piano competition, and Kathryn suddenly became a serious student trying to catch up to those already so accomplished. While today she is thankful for the rigorous scale work, at the time...with the constant pressure to place in competitions, she lost the desire to play and stopped at age 16. After many years of healing transitions and life lessons, she finally returned to the piano for catharsis...with a renewed spiritual awakening and the digital era now offering musicians new freedoms. Most important to her as an artist now is no longer technique, but depth of soul. Kathryn has brought us two songs, Prayer for Peace (from her album, Hope for Harmony...and The Smell of Rain (from a forthcoming release). You'll find her music on the Music 4 page.
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As an established and respected recording artist, Steven C. has impressively sold well over 2 million records throughout his beloved canon of music, which includes the popular CD Chasing Grace (American Gramaphone), and a best selling series of nature-themed CDs with the acclaimed NorthSound Label. Classically trained and gifted with a keen ear and sensibility for all styles of music, Steven began his musical education with perfunctory piano lessons at home that many burgeoning artist endure... eventually perfecting his craft and distinctive style at respected Hamline University, where he earned a BA in music and had the good fortune of studying extensively with the late jazz legend Manfredo Fest. Steven is sharing two songs with us, Meeting of the Souls and Play With My Heart, from his album Signature. You'll find Steven's music on the Music 4 page.
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