proud daughter of

a legacy of voice

Heather Garland’s paternal grandmother debuted as a soloist at Carnegie Hall under Toscanini when she was 19. A few years later, she sang Vissi d’Arte for Richard Tucker in a masterclass, bringing the legendary tenor to tears. Her grandfather founded a choral program in the tradition of John Finley Williamson of Westminster Choir College, and expanded upon it with his own deep, spiritual perspective weaved throughout. Her father then expanded his father’s teaching and choral artistry even further, founding his own collegiate choir programs and touching the lives of countless people worldwide with his “deeply personal” choral philosophy and sound. He is also a masterful voice teacher of the Italian School, and a Verdi baritone of arresting power, grace, and artistry. Heather’s mother’s voice was the vibration of bow on strings: a brilliant and impassioned cellist, her music was a gift of unvarnished emotion and power.

Drama has been a part of Ms. Garland’s life since she was a small child. An actor who treads the boards in the mystical footsteps of Eleanora Duse, Heather made her professional stage debut at age 7, and continues to develop her craft through theatrical study, operatic engagements, and the creation and performance of original material. She is honored to serve as music coordinator and resident soloist of the historic San Francisco Swedenborgian Church, a position she treasures in a community of rare devotion and care.

passion

Heather Garland is a wild-hearted poet by nature, possessed of an infectious enthusiasm for art in all its nuance. Her passion for the work involves a natural inclination to mine each moment for its full breadth of interpretive content: she will study its form and formation, its meanings and subtext, and delve deeply into the dramatic intent and potential the composer implies.

devotion

"She combines enthusiasm with mature perspective; talent with relentless work ethic; humility with confidence; and a radiant persona with the relish of collaboration in service of both colleagues and the art. It is not surprising to me that she is rapidly becoming known in the Bay Area for her voice, dynamic stage presence, and the congenial spark she brings to the cast and directors."

-Mark Owen Davis, the Master's Voice Studio

presence

"Heather’s gifts are not simply vocal. She is a superb, intuitive, and gifted musician in the way she approaches music and consistently delivers it. But there are musicians, and there are musicians that actually have something to say. Heather is in the latter category. There is a tremendous depth of life that comes through when she sings. People sense that and are immediately drawn to it. Her presence onstage is powerful and unique."

-Jonathan Dimmock, The Resonance Project