Carla Lother is a singer, songwriter, pianist, and flautist from

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

, Manitoba, Canada. Lother was born into a musical family. Her mother was a classical pianist, and her father was a cabaret and jazz singer. In her early years she studied classical piano, and won her first competition at the age of six. Much of her formative years were spent travelling and participating in various festivals and workshops. She also sang in choirs, which Lother later credited as an influence in her style of writing harmony. At 15, her brother invited her to join his rock band, and she was exposed to the likes of

Todd Rundgren Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, multimedia artist, sound engineer and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the band Ut ...

The Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Police ...

, and

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

. In 1978 she took home first prize at the Concours de Musique du Canada and the Canadian Outstanding Artist Award in 1987. Lother studied at University of Manitoba and the Banff School of Fine Arts at the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexander Cameron Rutherfor ...

. She eventually hitchhiked to New York City to attend the

Mannes College of Music Mannes School of Music is a music conservatory in The New School, a private research university in New York City. In the fall of 2015, Mannes moved from its previous location on Manhattan's Upper West Side to join the rest of the New School cam ...

on a scholarship. Going to school in the United States also provided her with a

visa Visa most commonly refers to: *Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company ** Visa Debit card issued by the above company ** Visa Electron, a debit card ** Visa Plus, an interbank network *Travel visa, a document that allows ...

. She received a Masters in piano performance and a professional studies diploma in voice, while working cleaning bathrooms and answering phones at the school. After graduation, she continued to work at Mannes as Director of

Continuing Education Continuing education (similar to further education in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland) is an all-encompassing term within a broad list of post-secondary learning activities and programs. The term is used mainly in the United ...

. Lother borrowed $2,000 from a friend for studio time and a producer in order to record her first album. She was introduced to

David Chesky David Chesky is an American pianist, composer, producer, arranger, and co-founder of the independent, audiophile label Chesky Records. He is also co-founder and CEO of HDtracks, an online music store that sells high-resolution digital music. Ches ...

who in turn introduced her to producer

Joel Goodman Joel Goodman is an American film composer, music business entrepreneur and educator. His work has appeared at every major film festival in the world and includes scores to films and television programs that have received 5 Oscar nominations, 20 E ...

. From there, she signed to

Chesky Records Chesky Records is a record company and label founded in 1978 by brothers David and Norman Chesky. The company produces high-definition recordings of music in a variety of genres, including jazz, classical, pop, R&B, folk and world/ethnic. Che ...

and her first album, ''Ephemera'', was released in 1999. A second album, ''100 Lovers'', followed in 2004. Four songs from this album are collaborations between Lother and guitarist

Richie Stotts Richard Eugene Stotts (born 27 October 1953) (better known as Richie Stotts) is a musician, who was the first guitarist and one of the founding members of the punk/metal group Plasmatics. In 1978, Richie was among the earliest musicians to sport a ...

of the

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. Apart from her studio albums, Lother does session work, has recorded for CRI Recordings, and performed vocals on a

Bang on a Can Bang on a Can is a multi-faceted contemporary classical music organization based in New York City. It was founded in 1987 by three American composers who remain its artistic directors: Julia Wolfe, David Lang, and Michael Gordon. Called "the cou ...

release. She sang in advertising for Dove Soap, MasterCard, Kit Kat, Kitchen Aid, and Maxwell House. She directed musical theater for ASPIRA's Project Enhance which teams professional musicians with at risk students. Lother also maintains a private studio of piano students.

Discography

* ''Ephemera'' ( Chesky, 1999) * ''Cool Sounds, Modern Voices'' (Chesky, 1999) (compilation) * ''100 Lovers'' (Chesky, 2004)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lother, Carla Canadian music arrangers Canadian women singers Canadian flautists Canadian women pianists Living people Musicians from Winnipeg Chesky Records artists 1963 births 21st-century Canadian pianists 21st-century Canadian women musicians 21st-century women pianists 21st-century flautists