Marcia hails from the South West of Victoria and from the reknowned local musical Howard family. Marcia was a member of the triple Aria Award winning Goanna Band, alongside Rose Bygrave and her brother, founding member, Shane Howard. She has sung with some of the world’s best musicians including; James Taylor and Carlos Santana and collaborated with Ireland’s Mary Black, Australia’s Bart Willoughby and America’s Tim O’Brien to name a few. In 1997 Marcia and Goanna were asked to perform her songSorry at Canberra’s Parliament House to coincide with the release of the Bringing Them Home Report, which brought to light the inhumanity and damage of these past Government policies.
Her song, Angel Full of Grace, from Goanna’s Spirit Returns was used in the successful Australian, TV series, Sea change. Marcia Howard's first solo release 'Butterfly' represented a long awaited solo debut from one of Australia's best-loved female voices. Renowned for her stunning vocal harmony work with her brother Shane Howard and Rose Bygrave in the legendary band Goanna.
In 2002, Marcia was invited to open for Mary Black at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin in 2002 and began recording her album Burning in the Rain, in Ireland, released in 2004. She was the first Australian female artist to feature on; A woman’ s heart a decade on, with her song, Poison Tree, singing with renowned Irish singer, Mary Black. Emmy Lou Harris, Dolly Parton, Sinead O’Connor and the Corrs also feature on this album.
Marcia was touring Ireland with Mary Black when Nashville bluegrass aces Tim O'Brien and Jeff White fronted in Dublin. Producer Steve Cooney enlisted the duo to play fiddle and mandolin and sing on a disc that also boasted Black and a brace of Irish musicians. It’ s that beatific hybrid of folk, country and Irish music that makes this one of those joyous sleepers of the year. Howard, like the best writers, bares her soul...one of the best female CD’s of the last 10 years. Dave Dawson, Nu Country.
In 2008 Marcia toured Ireland with her brother Damian Howard and their band with a Musical they had written,Ireland to Island about their immigrant Irish ancestors journey to Australia told through narration, images and songs and presented in theatres throughout Ireland.
Marcia has sung, toured, recorded and performed with many Australian Indigenous and non-indigenous performers and her harmony vocals feature on many artists’ albums recorded in Australia over the past thirty years. Marcia has experience as an accompanist pianist and vocal director for productions. She also performs with her brothers, Shane Howard (Goanna) & Damian Howard (Ploughboys) as the Howard Family, and long time former Goanna musical colleague, Rose Bygrave, Marcia and Rose recorded an album together, Pearl, in 2011.
“Divine singing, clever song writing and a lifetime's stage craft, in unforgettable performances. Songs range from pristine ballads to roof raising potboilers” (Nick Charles-Rhythms Magazine). ‘Both ladies are blessed with crystalline voices, perfect enunciation and impeccable harmony singing skills, which makes for optimum blending of their voices when they converge. -Truly outstanding.' Tony Hillier. Rhythms Magazine, 2011.
Over the past seventeen years Marcia has combined performing and recording with work as a Music Educator,combining her industry recording, song writing and business skills teaching students studying Performing Arts. She has recently completed her Research Masters Thesis, ‘Holy wells to Waterholes. Belonging through song’, at Monash University, Melbourne. Her book and CD examine her song writing processes and a sense of belonging to ‘place’ through song.Marcia performs regularly at Festivals and Concerts and incorporates vocal Master class workshops which she teaches as a part of the Music Performance Degree, Collarts, Melbourne.
No comments:
Post a Comment