New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Ann Licater's third indie solo album Invitation from Within continues her personal journey to "play it forward," and she is reaching people through an abundance of avenues. It was about a decade ago that Ann, a lifelong flutist, followed the call of a Native American flute thru the woods at a powwow in California, leading her to embrace a new sound and purpose for her music. Today, she embraces Native American and
Silver flute, both solo and with additional instrumentation, for meditation and relaxation. Her award-winning music has a lush and organic style that takes listeners to the quiet, contemplative and inner realms for peace and well-being.
One could say Ann's music is well-traveled: it's on the international radio airwaves, it's heard as in-flight entertainment on global airlines, played live on the trails surrounding Lake Tahoe, utilized at Wellness Centers in Silicon Valley, shared at Spiritual Centers in Los Angeles and represented on Hollywood's red carpet, where Ann has already earned two Hollywood
Music and Media Awards nominations in the Best New Age/Ambient Song category for 2014. Invitation from Within, co-produced by GRAMMY®-nominated artist
Peter Phippen, also appears on the first-round ballot for the 57th GRAMMY® Awards, eligible for Best New Age Album. Learn more about the music at www.annlicater.com.
"To me, being a truly New Age artist means being in service with and to the music…it helps others, and acts as a guide to me and others who hear the call to dive deeper into their own consciousness. When you travel 'within' there is so much to discover and reflect upon: childhood passions, lost dreams, even latent talents can be awakened. You need to be in a space of meditation and relaxation to access this inner knowing. I've found that my flute-based music can be an effective tool for this."
Ann's passion for both her spiritual and artistic exploration speaks for itself. She frequently plays her flutes at Agape International Spiritual Center in Culver City, CA, and it was Ann's journey to Italy in 2012 for the Association of Global New Thought's Awakened World Conference that sparked the creation of Invitation from Within. In Rome and in Florence, she played daily meditations on her flutes for the convention attendees, from which new melodies and motifs emerged for the new album. Ann also found a new fan that trip-- someone who helped give her a perspective on her flute playing that helped shape the new album. That fan was former South African Parliamentarian and Peace Activist Ela Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi's granddaughter who had this to say, "Ann Licater's music is soft and yet overpowering — it reaches the depth of my being and awakens the spirit inside me."
Music reviewer Jonathan Widran sees Ann's intent for her New Age music impacting people in a gentle and individual way, stating: "True to its title, it draws our hearts as an Invitation to Within—an opportunity to explore our inner selves and come to a state of grace and deeper self-awareness on the wings of a lush and often magical musical journey."
One doesn't have to journey far to hear Ann's relaxing music. It's been a staple on XM/Sirius' Spa Channels and cable's
Music Choice Soundscapes program. Woman of Substance Radio, an internet radio station that focuses on hand-picked, high-quality music by women artists, will be featuring Ann's music this Fall. Bree Nobel the creator and host says, "Ann Licater is a talented and unique artist whose passion is woven into the very fiber of her composition and performance. 'Angels on the Wind' is a mystical union of winds, percussion and haunting vocals and Women of Substance
Radio is proud to debut this stunning piece in November."
If you travel internationally, you may have heard Ann's music at 30,000 feet. Her release Doorway to a
Dream (chosen by Amazon's music editors as Top Ten Best New Age Albums of 2010) was recently featured on Cathay Pacific Airlines, and on Air Canada in the past year. Ann's current release Invitation from Within is featured onboard Asiana Airlines during "Silk and Soul," a meditative music program accompanied by quotes from philosophers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Rumi. The category of in-flight music is considered "well-being" because of its calming effects.
Ann's music is heard in healing centers and hospitals, too. She performs live, accompanied by crystal and Tibetan singing bowl player Kathleen Farrell, several times a year at Kaiser Hospital in Silicon Valley for events ranging from Cancer
Survivor Day to the Family Fun Festival, a wellness fair for Kaiser employees.
MiMi Belser who heads up the Mind, Body Wellness Center at Kaiser Permanente's
Santa Clara, California location regularly plays Ann's CDs, and has said "They provide a calming, and gentle energy for our members and our staff."
Hikers on the trails of Lake Tahoe also may have heard Ann perform her Native American flutes at "Trails and Vistas," a curated art hike that takes adventurers on an artistic journey through the woods and along the lake where they encounter dancers, artists and musicians during a three-hour hike. Following the Art Hike, Ann performed at the World Peace Concert at the Shakespeare Theater in Nevada with violinist Scarlet Rivera, known for her work with Bob Dylan, and Jeff Oster, a flugelhornist who was featured on a GRAMMY-winning album in 2013 and plays horn on Licater's album Invitation from Within.
Ann's music is embraced around the world, yet her focus is still on simple everyday wellness for everyone. "People are looking for ways to connect with their passions and de-stress from a hectic world," she shares. "Listening to the organic sounds of Native American flutes, wherever you are in your day, can instantly transport you to another time and place. I hear over and over again how this music relaxes people and helps attain a meditative state-of-mind, body, spirit."
