Carmela Tal-Baron is a New York City-based poet, songwriter and vocalist, whose background is in visual art and design. Her first recorded song, "Turtle Island is in Mourning", was introduced by Bob Sherman on Public Radio-Fordham University, as follows: "One of the most haunting and deeply felt reactions to what we all experienced six months ago (9/11/2001) comes from Carmela Tal Baron... quite extraordinary song and performance" (Woody's Children: "Six Months Later", WFUV 90.7 FM, 3/10/2002). This song features on "Rainbow Ride", her first CD of original songs (2002). Another poem-into-song included in this album, "Tea Ceremony", was also introduced on Public Radio-Fordham University by Bob Sherman, along with songs by Pete Seegar and Woody Guthree (Woody's Children: "Cream of the Summer Crop", WFUV 90.7 FM, 9/15/2003). Songs from "Rainbow Ride" also featured on WUCF 89.9 FM (Orlando, Florida, 10/31/2002) and on KPOO (San Francisco, 9/6/2002). "Rainbow Horse", the opening song in this album, was chosen as the sountrack for "Alice Jitterbug", a short film by Luke Roberts (aka Pope Alice) that ran on Australian TV (2007).
Carmela's poem "Paradigm Shift", included in her second CD by this name (2004), was the sountrack for "Don't Ask", a short movie by Tova Beck-Friedman and a "reel 13" winner on PBS-TV (11/25/2008). "I am a Palestinian Jew", another poem from this album, was included in Jeff Robinson's "Spoken Words" (WMBR 88.1 FM, MIT, 10/5/2006).
"Saturday Morning", the opening poem-into-song in Carmela's third, and latest CD, "Not a Crash Landing - A garland of songs for all who care" (2009), opens Bob Sherman's Woody's Children: "Odds and Ends" on Public Radio-Fordham University (WFUV 90.7 FM, 3/21/2010).
Carmela Tal-Baron is also a bilingual writer. She came to New York from Tel Aviv in 1974. While in Israel, she wrote and illustrated children's books and TV programs. Her first book of poetry, "From this Yom Kippur till the Next" (Sifriat Poalim, Tel Aviv, 1972), is well remembered since its publication one year before the Yom Kippur war. "Morning Offering", her second book of poems (Carmel, Jerusalem, 1998), was sponsored by Amos Foundation - President's House. Her books and art reviews have received notice in the Israeli media since the mid-1960s. Her poems have appeared in various publications including the "1970s Anthology of Hebrew Poetry", "International Women Poets Anthology", "Songs for Peace", "Celestially Auspicious Occasions", and "Everyday Blessings for 2006".
Carmela favors interdisciplinary collaborations with poets, writers, artists, musicians, dancers, choreographers, and architects. Her "Art as Tools for Peace" is on portalmarket.com/carmelatbaron.html, and her "Mending with Sound and Vision (intuitive sounds for healing practices)" is on soundhealingnetwork.org.
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