Ariel is a California-based singer, songwriter and teacher whose work is rooted in the ancient art of song making, vocal improvisation and
story telling. She has performed throughout the US and internationally, both solo and with her award-winning a cappella trio Mayim, and has released five albums spanning 15 years of her work as a musician. Drawn to the transformative power of harmony and the musical traditions of indigenous cultures, she has recorded songs from many countries including Bulgaria, Mexico and Zimbabwe. In addition to her explorations of vocal cultures from around the world, Ariel writes eclectic pop music that includes spoken-word poetry and ‘introspective and dreamy epics’ sung at the piano. Her music has touched a broad range of audiences: she has played in a variety of venues from jazz clubs to concert halls, sharing the stage with such artist as Zap Mama and Compe Segundo (Buena Vista Social Club). Her latest CD Behold has been heard in over 4 thousand Starbucks cafes as well as in the popular program Photoshow. In the words of one critic, she moves in the territory “once occupied by such icons as Joan Armatrading and Laura Nyro,” performing music of “depth and passion married to nuanced musical arrangements.”
A performance and vocal coach for over a decade, Ariel has guided people from all walks of life in the discovery of their voice. Combining vocal improvisation, breath and movement work as well as songwriting, she has co-written and recorded over 100 original songs with her students. For Ariel, creating music and singing in community dissolves the illusion that we are separate, allowing the vision of a more harmonious world to emerge. This philosophy of music as medicine, aligning and integrating mind, body and spirit informs both her teaching and her art. Having made Santa Cruz her home, Ariel travels widely to lead singing circles and vocal improvisation workshops in the US and Europe, and is presently recording her third solo album.
