Growing up in a Pennsylvania home where music was synonymous with activism, cultural competence was a family value to her parents, both teachers. Her father would play Draft Dodger Rag or Charlie on the MTA on his guitar, while Heather, her mother, and her sister Tara would sing along. Hearing these authentically activist songs during such formidable years influenced both girls. Now, Tara is a professor of women’s, gender, and sexuality studies and engages in education and reform of the prison system while Heather, in her music, seeks opportunities to write about issues related to women’s rights, voting rights, and social equity, using music as a platform for political and human engagement.

As a young pianist, Heather started playing at age five and accompanied the chorus as early as elementary school. As she approached her college years, she found a balance between piano and field hockey. Although she showed creative gifts as a young pianist, she decided to pursue science, and in 1996 she graduated with a BS in Chemistry from Lehigh University. As a music minor at Lehigh, she and a fellow music student co-presented the department’s first senior recital. Her composition teacher, Paul Salerni, mentored her toward continuing music after college – and so, as a research chemist in a lab north of Boston, Heather continued her piano and chamber music studies each evening. When her commitment to music eventually superseded her interest in chemistry, she pursued full-time graduate study in music, a decision that profoundly changed her professional trajectory.

Heather currently lives in Keene, New Hampshire with her partner, Alan, and her 11-year-old daughter, Gretchen.