Mary Lydia Ryan
Seattle, WA, UNITED STATES
Official WebsiteFacebookInstagramSpotifyPandoraAppleMusicYouTubeMary Lydia Ryan, vocalist, pianist, composer, resurfaced musically in 2010 following a decade - plus hiatus.
Ryan has been active composing, recording, and performing with a renewed dedication to expressing the music she breathes, dreams, imagines, despite challenges and barriers that present themselves. She feels deeply a desire to help heal our world one note at a time.
Momentum began with her "Sunshine & Second Chances" mostly vocal album with highlights of her solo piano work that lead to her full length solo piano album, "Moving in Grace." This recording landed in the hands of Whisperings Solo Piano Radio and was nominated for “Album of the Year" in 2016.
What has followed is a steady stream of performances, new music and recordings (including her new release of solo piano compositions "Little Red Boat"), the invitation to act as “Musical Host” performing her original music throughout the day's event at TEDx Seattle in 2017, then to be invited back for a second and third year at TEDx Seattle 2018, 2019 under the same title.
Added to Mary’s musical ambitions is her new creative endeavor, Spa Opera®. She offers private Sound Bathing sessions to individuals, and has taken this ambience a step further into live musical productions comprising elements of quiet, meditative, spa essences while tapping into a magical array of Seattle artisans to share the stage with. Ryan believes that magic and wonder reside in every human and strives to rejuvenate these aspects in all who attend each of her Spa Opera® experiences.
Albums
“Little Red Boat” reviewed by Pam Asberry
Over the centuries, countless musicians have been inspired by visual art, and vocalist, pianist and composer Mary Lydia Ryan joins their ranks with her 2018 solo piano release, “Little Red Boat.” In 2015, she discovered ”Little Red Boat,” a painting by artist Steve Jensen; she fell in love with the energy, depth of layers of beauty and artistry in the piece, and as she studied it, she felt music within her bubbling to the surface. From the very first first composition, “Little Red Boat,” the music wove throughout the artist’s life like the threads of a tapestry. Recorded, mixed and mastered by the legendary Joe Bongiorno at Piano Haven Studios in Sedona, Arizona, this is a delightful musical journey, indeed.
The title track, “Little Red Boat,” features a winsome melody that sparkles and splashes like sunlight on the surface of the water over a gently rocking left hand accompaniment. The poignant and evocative “Woman in the Moon” is followed by “Floating on a Gentle Breeze”—mesmerizing, peaceful and relaxing as drifting on a raft atop the water on a warm summer afternoon. “The Joy of Ten Knots” is pulsing and exuberant; “In Wonder” is poignant and passionate. “Sailing This Sea Alone” is darker in mood, solemn but not quite melancholy and perfectly captures the essence of a person who is alone but not lonely.
“How Did I End Up Here” is a musical expression of the philosophical question we all ask ourselves from time to time; the quietly joyful “Gentle Sunshine” is one of the shorter pieces on the album but is one of my favorites. “Waltz Under the Sun (Kevin’s Song)” was composed for a friend going through a period of turmoil; light and delicate, ethereal and romantic, it is healing and restorative. “A Song About Sea Turtles” pays mesmerizing homage to these mysterious creatures who spend most of their lives underwater and migrate hundreds of miles between nesting and feeding grounds; “Sparkle on the Water” is a musical painting of the glittering of the sun on the ocean waves. “Ocean of My Soul,” the longest track on the album is at once mercurial and introspective. Another favorite, it brings the album to a peaceful conclusion.
Little Red Boat is a nominee for Whisperings Solo Piano Radio’s “Album of the Year” award and was named as a “Top 3 Best Piano Recordings of 2018” by Dyan Garris of NewAgeCD.com and it is easy to see why. This peaceful and inspiring album is a must for everyone who loves solo piano music. Highly recommended!