Heather Dale

Heather Dale

Heather Dale in 2016
Background information
Birth name Heather Dale
Born Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres Celtic, folk, world, new-age
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter, producer, independent record label owner
Instruments Voice, piano, bodhrán, tin & low whistles, recorders, mountain dulcimer, hammered dulcimer, harp, bowed psaltery, percussion
Years active 1995–present
Labels Amphisbaena (Amphis) Music
Website http://www.heatherdale.com/

Heather Dale is a Canadian Celtic music recording artist and touring musician. She records and performs primarily her own original songs, which draw their inspiration from the folklore, mythology, and history of various Celtic and non-Celtic cultures, along with some elements of modern fantasy literature. Her musical style is a mix of traditional and modern, influenced by Celtic folk, folk rock, new-age, and world music. She has been compared to Loreena McKennitt, Sarah McLachlan,[1] and Judy Collins.[2]

Life and career

Dale at the 2009 Ohio Valley Filk Fest

Born and based in Toronto, she began her career by performing at Society for Creative Anachronism historical re-creation events; she has been a medieval-era re-creator since 1993 and is known by the name 'Mistress Marian of Heatherdale'[3] within the group. She was elevated to the Order of the Laurel, the Society's highest award for achievement in the arts, in 2001.[4] Her CD Call The Names is a compilation album of her oldest songs (originally released on cassette between 1995 and 1998), all of which present an idealized view of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, within the SCA context. Heather released another historical album in November 2002: This Endris Night, with twelve reworkings of pre-1700 CE Christmas carols.

Building on her popularity in the SCA community, Heather soon started doing concerts at folk clubs and other live music venues in the Toronto area, traveling occasionally to perform for audiences further afield. She released two major albums in this time period:

These albums demonstrated Heather's longtime interest in the epic King Arthur story, and garnered mention in the scholarly New Arthurian Encyclopedia.[5] Particularly notable is Heather's ability to create empathy with the characters in her songs; listeners are shown vulnerable, first-person portrayals of such legendary figures are Sir Lancelot, Sir Tristan, Queen Guinevere, King Arthur, Merlin the Magician and Morgan Le Fay. Heather also released a 120-page story/songbook called The Legends of Arthur in November 2006; it has sheet music arrangements for all of her Arthurian songs. The book also includes Heather's re-telling of the whole King Arthur story, in the form of 27 traditionally-inspired stories that were originally released as part of Heather's fan newsletter.

Dale with Ben Deschamps

In late 2004, Heather began a new phase of her career and shifted her focus toward a solid touring schedule (100+ shows per year). Along with fellow multi-instrumentalist Ben Deschamps, she regularly books and performs extensive tours across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and continental Europe (Germany, Hungary and Spain). In addition to vocals, Heather and Ben play as many as a dozen instruments in their duo shows, including piano, double bass, guitar, bodhran drum, mountain dulcimer, alto recorder, violin, and an array of Irish flutes & tin whistles.

Dale is an outspoken advocate of independent musicians within the Canadian music industry, and has never signed with a major record label.[6] She undertakes all her touring and recording work through the indie record label she founded in 1998: Amphisbaena Music (often shortened to Amphis Music). Many of her fans discover her music through online radio and download sites like iTunes; her song Mordred's Lullaby has achieved popularity with anime fans on YouTube, and her version of the song This Endris Night has been featured on the several hundred Medieval-memed YTMND sites. In addition to her fans in folk & Celtic music circles worldwide, she has a strong fan following in the historical re-enactment and science fiction/fantasy fan communities. Her recording The Hidden Path was nominated for a 2007 Prix Aurora Award. She and Ben Deschamps won the 2009 Pegasus Award for Best Performer(s). In 2005 Heather received a double Pegasus nomination for her songwriting, and she won the 2010 Pegasus for Best Writer/Composer.

Discography

References

  1. ↑ Robert J. Wiersema (6 June 2004). Vancouver Sun. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ↑ Catholine Butler - Celtic Connection magazine, June 2003, Issue 117 (Link is site homepage; no archives found.)
  3. ↑ SCA - Ealdormere Order of Precedence
  4. ↑ "The Kingdom of Ealdormere". Marian of Heatherdale - O.L. [=Order of the Laurel]. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2014. Date of Elevation: Pennsic Great Court (Aug 16, 2001) Art or Science: Research into the King Arthur Legends. Other specialties: Bardic Arts.
  5. ↑ Norris J. Lacy, The New Arthurian Encyclopedia
  6. ↑ HeatherDale.com
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