Album Notes

Johanna's first CD of original music, Stolen Grace, crosses boundaries of culture, gender, and generation. The pulsating polyrhythms and hypnotic harmonies of world-beat band Oyaya provide a rich backdrop for songs like Bone Collector, What You Want, and Nightmare. Other songs, including the gorgeous title track, are presented with more intimate acoustic settings that showcase Johanna's poetic lyrics and haunting melodies. This collection also includes Johanna's first a capella recording: Bad Night. Taken together, the songs in Stolen Grace speak directly to the heart, making the CD a favorite of many Johanna fans.

Johanna Beekman has been singing and acting since she was a child in Corvallis, Oregon. She has performed in musical theatre, a multi-generational rock band, a world-beat band, a gospel choir, a vocal improv chorus, a social-action improvisational acting troupe, several films (including Gus Van Sant’s Sundance Award-winning “Elephant”), and countless festivals, clubs, coffee houses, colleges, and universities. She studied songwriting with Chris Williamson and Tret Fure and vocal improvisation with jazz singer Rhiannon.
Her music has been influenced by Ani Difranco, Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos, the Beatles, Motown, Dido, Everything but the Girl, Billie Holiday, and traditional music from Africa and the Americas. Johanna frequently performs as a solo artist and as part of a larger ensemble.