"Your
voice, your guitar skills, your attitude and your songwriting skills
are nothing short of brilliant. You have an amazing gift…" -singer/songwriter Sonja V.
Biography
Though I was born in Philadelphia, Chicago has been home most of my life (with a six year detour in California). My parents were both visual artists, and they both had a love of music. My father was an amateur jazz drummer, and my mother played guitar. Music was always on in our house - folk, jazz, classical, opera, rock. I started singing and playing the guitar at an early age, and did my first solo in eighth grade. I came to performing through musical theatre as
well as singing at area coffeehouses and political rallies.
My other work is as an American Sign Language/English
Interpreter. I have degrees in Deaf Studies and Adult Education. These led me to a position teaching interpreting at a local college for over thirteen years, but now I freelance as an interpreter/consultant and presenter. My profession has given me the opportunity to combine my theatre and musical
talents with my day job. One of my passions is
performance art interpreting and, in this capacity, I have worked with
many of my musical heroes, including Pete Seeger, Holly Near, Jennifer Armstrong, Jim Post and the
Indigo Girls. I have also interpreted for stage productions at
Steppenwolf Theatre, Marriott Lincolnshire, Ford Center for the
Performing Arts, Court Theatre, and others in Chicago and Los Angeles.
Over the years I have played at a number of coffeehouses and clubs including, recently, Bill's Blues, Stage Left Cafe, The Mast House and Uncommon Ground, as well as at festivals, schools, and for political, religious and charitable
organizations including Heifer International, Take Back the Night, and
Sing Out for Peace. I was invited for repeat performances at the College of DuPage, in Glen Ellyn, IL, for their celebration of Women's History month. My music is being played on numerous Indie internet radio
stations around the world, and in October, 2006, my version of Wild
Mountain Thyme was voted one of the ten top songs on ezFolk.com. My song, Child of Three Mothers, has received honorable mention in two prestigious songwriting competitions - the 2008 Great Lakes Songwriting Contest, and the 2008 Independent Song Writers Association Songwriting Contest. Two of my songs, Wild Mountain Thyme and For Harper, were featured in the 2007 promotional video for the Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Fair. Also in 2007, I recorded as guest vocalist on the new age/Celtic album Donegal Street by songwriter/ instrumentalist/composer Christopher Martin Hansen. That song, The Crucible, made it into the top 100 on Neil Young's Living With War Today web page. My first EP, Morning Quiet, is now available for download through SoundAid.org. My first full-length CD, Now It's Time, was released August, 2008 and is available at CDBaby, ITunes and at the store here on the website.
To hear more of my music, visit http://ezFolk.com/audio/amydk
