Tara Dawn Solheim

Singer & Poet

Biography

Tara Dawn Solheim

Tara Dawn Solheim grew up on the edge of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in a home filled with music and a huge open field sprawling out behind. The daughter of a music teacher, she began to sing almost immediately and studied piano and trumpet from a young age. Her original music draws on blues and jazz from the 1920's and 30's and early rock and roll. Her song writing has been influenced by a range of artists including Bessie Smith, Nina Simone, Chuck Berry, Joni Mitchell and Buddy Holly.

Tara Dawn has been performing for over 20 years in many contexts throughout Canada, America, England and Japan. She has been commissioned to create original music and poetry for the CBC, music festivals, dance shows, Cathedral Village Arts Festival and the MacKenzie Art Gallery.

After studying poetry and creative writing at the University of Saskatchewan, Tara Dawn lived in England and later spent five years living in Japan. While in Japan, she performed extensively and recorded on a variety of projects including instructional singing videos for JOYSOUND, a major Japanese company. During her time in Tokyo, Tara Dawn performed with and wrote for a number of bands including Tarantula (blues/early rock), =7 (Japanese jazz/rock), Max Blues Band (blues), The DNT (hip hop) and Ooze Out out of D.R.C (hip hop). Her original music was featured in Japanzine in an issue highlighting best foreign musicians in Japan.

Since returning to Saskatchewan , Tara Dawn has continued to create new work through residencies at The Banff Centre, St. Peter’s Abbey and Wallace Stegner House. An artist and coordinator of artistic events, Tara Dawn currently serves as Executive Director of Sage Hill Writing and produces The Vertigo Series, a performance event series for writers and musicians in Regina. Tara Dawn’s exploration of the physicality of the voice has led her to study practices including Fitzmaurice Voicework, Itcush Method, and the Feldenkrais Method.