The brand new holiday album from Sara Botkin is now available! Featuring Sara's ethereal vocals and piano with Pittsburgh Symphony musicians on harp and violin performing the most beloved Christmas music of all time. A must-have musical treat for the holiday season!
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"Delicate and poignant...a classical singer who could easily (and who at times does) make the crossover to pop, Sara Botkin is an important contemporary voice. At 22 tracks and 60 minutes of classical and contemporary music, 'Breath of Heaven' is a full-length delight for classical listeners and regular folks alike."
- www.christmasreviews.com
"Extremely impressive, new and fresh...it is quite easy to picture [Ave Maria] sung by an angel, complete with harp."
- BellaOnline
"Exquisite taste makes this a cherishable collection of favorites and winning new arrangements. Botkin's finely spun soprano voice provides freshness in a variety of styles from simple devotion to classical, Latin and Pops, all performed with sensitive nuance and devotion. The instrumental work is exquisite too."
- Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"A fun and different Christmas disc...[Sara Botkin] posesses a remarkably clear tone."
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"On this album, [Sara] hits the mark completely. Her voice is absolutely seraphic. Notable tracks are Carol of the Birds, Christmas Time is Here (as heard on Charlie Brown!), Breath of Heaven and a brilliant vocalization with harp on Vivaldi’s Winter."
- New Age Reporter
"Sara plays the piano, sings like an angel, arranges tastefully, and she's chosen some wonderful musicians to work with. She weaves together the wedding favorite 'Canon 'by Johann Pachelbel with 'The First Noel,' swings on 'Mary's Boy Chile' and summons the angels in 'Hark! The Herald Angels' and 'Angels We have Heard on High.' "
- Jim Cunningham, morning host and Senior Executive Producer at WQED fm89.3, Pittsburgh's classical station
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Heavenly Harmonies * One Voice * Sara Botkin
From soaring high notes to mellow bass tones, from operatic singing to the serene sound of a boy choir, all of the voices on "Breath of Heaven" are Sara Botkin's. Through multi-tracking technology, Ms. Botkin creates expansive choirs and harmonious duets using only her own voice. Her imaginative renditions of beloved Christmas songs tenderly reflect the glory, peace, and joy of the season.
A musician since age three, Ms. Botkin studied piano and voice at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan. She attended New York University and graduated from the University of Virginia with Highest Distinction earning a Bachelor of Arts degree.
As a choral singer in New York City, Ms. Botkin performed with some of the nation's finest ensembles in the city's most famous venues including Carnegie Hall, St. John the Divine, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and the State Theater at Lincoln Center. She was an original member of the 10-voice a cappella group "The Douglas Frank Chorale," which in 2001 won the CARA award for Best Classical Album.
Sara's latest release, "Breath of Heaven: A Christmas Collection," is the culmination of nearly a year of arranging and recording. "I had 22 songs on my first Christmas CD, but when I finished it, I was still brimming with ideas for much more music. I always knew I would make a second holiday recording.” Fans of "An Angel’s Christmas" will find the same ethereal splendor in new tracks like “I Wonder as I Wander” (accompanied by Pittsburgh Symphony Principal Harpist Gretchen Van Hoesen), “Panis Angelicus” (featuring Pittsburgh Symphony Associate Concertmaster Mark Huggins) and the beloved Bach/Gounod arrangement of “Ave Maria.” But Sara goes beyond the traditional by including upbeat and innovative arrangements sure to surprise and delight. “I sang a CD release concert when 'An Angel’s Christmas' came out,” Sara remembers. “The songs on that record are contemplative and peaceful, and people told me that’s what they liked about it – the purity, the serenity. But for a live performance, I needed to include some rousing numbers, and we finished off the concert with a calypso/Caribbean version of ‘Mary’s Little Boy Chile.’ After that concert, so many people came up to me and said, ‘Why isn’t that song on the CD!? That was our favorite!’” Listeners will be thrilled to find it on Breath of Heaven, featuring Pittsburgh Symphony Associate Principal Percussionist Andy Reamer. “I was so happy with how it was sounding once Gretchen and I had our parts down,” Sara reflects. “But then Andy came in and just took the song to another level, adding bongos, shakers, steel drums and a host of other things I’d never even heard of!” The result is a deliciously energetic performance that will have listeners hitting the repeat button.
Other unexpected delights featured on Breath of Heaven include “Christmas Time is Here” from A Charlie Brown Christmas and the title track, written by pop singer Amy Grant. Says Sara, “The song is sung from Mary’s perspective about expecting, and being afraid, but ultimately putting her trust in God’s hands. It moved me from the first moment I heard it, although for a while I never considered singing it myself. My style is more classical and the song has been recorded by pop and country singers, including Vince Gill and Jessica Simpson.” On her new CD, Sara has made the song her own, creating a spellbinding experience for the listener with an arrangement memorable for its simple beauty and Sara’s gentle vocal performance.
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