The Heath Sisters

Artist Information

Biography

Sarah Heath, Lucy McLellan and Peggy Ogilvy were raised in a family of classical musicians, but have been highly influenced by folk, jazz, world music and the singer songwriters of the seventies. Their singing has been described as "heartfelt, crystal clear...breathtaking." Their multi-instrumental talent creates a concert that is full of variety and musical surprise not often heard in pop music, while their connection to an audience is direct and emotional.

The three sisters have had all kinds of experience playing apart from each other, and each has brought a different influence to the group.

The Heath sisters have played in a variety of venues, including:

Caffe Lena (Saratoga Springs NY)
The 333 Coffeehouse (Annapolis MD)
"Big Splash" Festival (Wilder VT)
Fenway Park (Boston)
Eli Whitney Folk Festival (Hamden CT)
Branford Folk Society (Branford CT)
The Cloister Garden Series (Winchester MA)
The Space (Hamden CT)
Arts in the Autumn Festival (Brattleboro VT)
Plainfield Town Hall (NH)
Cornstock Festival (Cornish NH)
Yale Club of Manhattan (NYC)
New Hartford Public Library (CT)
North Canaan School (MA)
Stratham "Arts in the Evening" series (NH)
Windham Gallery (Brattleboro VT)
Battell Chapel (New Haven CT)
Unitarian Society of Arlington (MA)
Spring Sing acappella festival (Estes Park CO)
Ahknaten (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Intl. Festival of Arts and Ideas, CT
Jordan Hall, Boston (NEC)
Unitarian Society of New Haven
Exeter Town Hall, NH

Instrumentation

Sarah Heath: piano, guitar, vocals
Lucy McLellan: flute, baroque recorders, vocals
Peggy Heath Ogilvy: cello, piano, vocals

Discography

Grammy nominated for participation on the compilation disc "Philadelphia Chickens" in 2003, the band has also released four CDs of their own, including a Christmas recording in 2004, available from their web site.

Many tracks are online at the Itunes music store or on Cd Baby!

The Heath sisters recordings on Acoustic Nightingale Records include:

Cornish Moon
(pop originals by Sarah and Peggy, 1993)

Gentle Fire (Folk/Celtic/Appalachian/New Age 1996)

The Heaths, Live! (1996, lively eclectic mix)

On Christmas Day (2004 variety of songs for all ages)

Gentle Fire and On Christmas Day were recorded at the studios of Wellspring Sound in East Acton, MA. Engineer: Eric Kilburn
www.wellspringsound.com

Sarah Sedgwick Heath's solo recordings include an instrumental disc for the Solstice: "Wintersong" (2009) and a spoken word/song collaboration with Franz Douskey: "Archeology of Night" (2009)

Official Website

http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/TheHeathSisters

Audio

• Spirits of Night
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• Hey Ho
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• Ascutney Rising
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• I Found Love on the Info Highway
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• The Fiddler's Hymn
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Lyrics

• Ascutney Rising
• Spirits of Night
• Hey Ho
• I Found Love on the Info Highway

Video

FiddlersHymn.mov

Photo Gallery

Press

• The Heaths in Concert [+ Show ]
  

  Listen to The Heaths for awhile; beautiful music, wonderful arrangements, and soothing, pristine voi...Listen to The Heaths for awhile; beautiful music, wonderful arrangements, and soothing, pristine voices will come to your rescue. If you get to hear them live (honest, brreathtaking, and unpretentious), prepare to be mesmerized.

• Sister Trio to Play in New Hartford [+ Show ]
  

  The repertoire's common denominator is long lined melodies that are sorrowful, soaring, or funky at ...The repertoire's common denominator is long lined melodies that are sorrowful, soaring, or funky at the drop of a downbeat.
  
  Music afficianados addicted to rich melodies and tasteful improvisations will enjoy the Heaths' well seasoned smorgasbord. A recent national public radio review has centered new attention on the well rehearsed group. The Heaths' instrumental interplay imbues each concert with humor, style and substance. "We have as much fun as the audience," says Heath with a laugh.

• The Heaths Learned it's all in the Heart [+ Show ]
  

  The Heaths have made a solid name for themselves on the Northeastern folk circuit, with their ace ha...The Heaths have made a solid name for themselves on the Northeastern folk circuit, with their ace harmonies and their multi-instrumental talents.
  
  

• Family Ties and Music Hold the Heath Sisters Together [+ Show ]
  

  Peggy Ogilvy, a singer songwriter and instrumentalist for The Heaths, recalls the closeness shared b...Peggy Ogilvy, a singer songwriter and instrumentalist for The Heaths, recalls the closeness shared by her family. "We would sing rounds as we drove to my grandmother's house in New Hampshire. We perform the same rounds in our concerts today."
  
  Ogilvy feels strongly that the most rewarding part of a performance is the audience feedback. "I've had audience members come up to me in tears and say they were inspired by our concert. That's what is most important to me: the connection to the audience."

• On Christmas Day [+ Show ]
  

  Exciting, inventive, full of surprises! "On Christmas Day" gave me the best gift of all: inspira...Exciting, inventive, full of surprises!
  
  "On Christmas Day" gave me the best gift of all: inspiration. The instrumentals glitter like strings of colored lights. The singing is heartfelt, by turns jolly, sentimental, and then shining with a special, other worldly magic. In addition to the traditional old favorites, some lovely new tunes are introduced, including Fenno Heath's lush and luminous originals. This recording will be on the top of my list for years to come.

• Cornish Moon [+ Show ]
  

  "Crystal clear singing, interesting harmony, fine backup playing, an amalgam of folk/jazz styles, an..."Crystal clear singing, interesting harmony, fine backup playing, an amalgam of folk/jazz styles, and imaginative poetry that fits the music like a glove, saying important things at several emotional levels. It's almost illegal for so much talent to reside in one family and to blend so well."

• Gentle Fire
  

  "Lovely and lyrical, with enduring peace and beauty"

• On Christmas Day [+ Show ]
  

  " Many great talents are on display in this holiday selection of old favorites and new compositions,..." Many great talents are on display in this holiday selection of old favorites and new compositions, designed to delight the most musical of listeners"
  
  (Henry Becton, president)

• The Heaths' Gentle Fire [+ Show ]
  

  Gentle Fire is an apt title for this debut by the New England based Heath Sisters. Each of the thre...Gentle Fire is an apt title for this debut by the New England based Heath Sisters. Each of the three, Sarah, Peggy, and Lucy is a multi instrumentalist and a fine singer. They can write too- check out the haunting original "Ascutney Rising."
  Keyboard and hammered dulcimer, whistle, flute, recorder, cello and percussion played with taste and intimacy, frame the sisters' heartfelt vocals on material ranging from Stephen Foster to Mozart.

• Music is in Heaths Blood [+ Show ]
  

  ...Their father was the director of The Yale Glee Club, and their mother was a classical violinist a......Their father was the director of The Yale Glee Club, and their mother was a classical violinist and music teacher in the New Haven public schools.
  
  "We were like the Trapp family," says Heath, referring to the musical family made famous in "The Sound of Music."
  
  "We were encouraged, but not forced, to play," Heath said. "There was so much music around, we just wanted to."
  
  The sisters have sung the national anthem acappella at Boston's Fenway Park for two years in a row. They were picked from audition tapes. "It was a thrill to stand at home plate and sing to 32,000 people," Heath said. "The roar is deafening."
  
  Their shows combine their original music with world music, jazz and classical songs. Their repertoire even has some Celtic, Appalachian and Native American songs. The goal is to give each audience a unique performance. "We really try to connect with the audience in a way that is not superficial," Heath said.
  
  She feels a special bond with her sisters. "We've always been a trio," she said. "We enhance each other's sound. There's almost a psychic connection on how to blend our music, which comes from a lifetime of playing together."
  
  "I feel incredibly fortunate," she said. "Music has been the way to keep close to my extended family. Music is in blood."

Setlist

Recent sets include original songs by Sarah Heath and Peggy Ogilvy, plus classics by Joni Mitchell, Harold Arlen, and Alouette Iselin.

Life is a Waltz
Walking This Muddy Road
A Case of You
The Solstice Song
Feathered Caravans
Ascutney Rising
Was it Ever Really Fine
Spirits of Night
Long Time Traveller
Over the Rainbow
Do You Want to be My Man

Basic Requirements

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