Holly was born in Ottawa and raised in a small southwestern Ontario town called Simcoe. At an early age she demonstrated a love of music and an unusual aptitude to sing a song after hearing it just a few times. Her strong, sultry voice and expansive range make her performances very moving and involving as she puts her heart and soul into her singing. Anyone who has enjoyed one of her performances leaves with a satisfied feeling that they have been very well entertained. Holly, like a good hostess looks after her guests, enjoys her audience and comfortably connects and interacts with them.
Holly was involved in music in some form from the time she was three years old. Ballet, piano and voice lessons all served her well to produce a performer with a gripping presence on stage.
Holly is a very versatile vocalist and does not limit herself by being slotted into just one category. Her first love is jazz, however she has competed at the Canadian Open Country Singing Contest and several other vocal competitions as well as performing with blues bands and pop bands around Southern Ontario. Her interest in jazz was first piqued in High School, when as a member of the jazz band she was the featured vocalist.
While a student at Hamilton's Mohawk College in the Applied Music Program, Holly was privileged to study with Nick Deutsch, Greg Bush, Mike Malone and Dave McMurdo, to name a few of the outstanding faculty members. She has studied voice privately under the instruction of Bob Hamper, Carol McCartney, Shannon Gunn, Bonnie Brett, Ranee Lee, and Norma Winstone.
You can find Holly in Toronto spicing up things at The Rex, Whistler's, Momo's, Gate 403 as well as performing at a wide range of corporate and private functions. This year found Holly as a hot attraction as part of the 2004 Toronto Jazz Festival. She had a very exciting performance to a packed audience and was interviewed for the upcoming Downtown Toronto Jazz Newsletter.
A highlight in her musical career was being a featured vocalist in the Jazz Divas Concert at the Hamilton Place Convention Centre, Studio Theatre. This event was a great success and played to a sold out house in October 2003. The show was featured as a special for CH Television and Holly had a very exciting interview and performance for Wendy Wolfe's Entertainment Buzz.
It is very obvious when you visit one of Holly's shows that her true love is for live performance. She expects to start working on her debut cd early next year. If you are looking for a timeless yet original and classy performer then you must make her your choice. She can personally tailor her show for your specific needs. Whether your desire is for the intimate sounds of a jazz trio or the bold excitement of a full jazz orchestra,
