A Seaside View nominated for Album of the Year by SoloPiano.com
We are excited to share another year of SoloPiano.com Album of the Year Nominations!
We rebuilt an entire behind the scenes platform change on SoloPiano.com at the beginning of the year, and we are finally ready to announce our 2023 Album of the Year Nominees! We always want to recognize every single artist who continues to release music in an ever changing industry. You and your work is truly inspiring. You can listen to all of our artists including some of the nominees below on our official Solo Piano Playlist here. Please follow and share!
This Year – Our Nominees represent a record 14 Countries!
THE 2023 ALBUM OF THE YEAR NOMINEES
2023 “CONTEMPORARY/MODERN” ALBUM OF THE YEAR NOMINEES
George David Kieffer – Piano Songs: Solo Piano Vol II – USA
Philip Campbell – Simply. Solo. Piano – Northern Ireland
Suzanne Herman – A Seaside View – USA
Doug Hammer – Swim to America, Vol. 1 (enu retrospective Stephan Eicher au piano) – USA
Paolo Cognetti – Spring Will Come – Italy
Julie Hanney – Everyday Miracles – USA
Michael Borowski – Unlit Moon – USA
Lisa Swerdlow – Through It All – USA
Michael Martinez – The Stillness Within – USA
Pete Calandra – The Blue Light – USA
See original post here.
Newsletter, December 2023
The hustle and bustle of the holiday season has arrived! If you need a few minutes of relaxation amidst the seasonal activities, I would like to share my recent album release, A Seaside View. All the tracks are original compositions, and were inspired from my favorite local beach on the west coast of Florida. You can listen to A Seaside View on your favorite streaming platform. The album tracks are:
- Path of the Sandpiper
- Safety of an Inlet
- Balcony Oasis
- Dancing Lights
- Sandcastle Dreams
- The Old Pier
- Distant Storms
- A Starfish Adventure
- Sailing to a Sunset
- Islands Across the Bay
Thank you to critic Steve Sheppard of One World Music Radio for his review of A Seaside View.
A Seaside View
Suzanne Herman
Written by
Steve Sheppard
I have such great memories of several of the tracks from this album, their previous releases as singles gave me a true flavour for the solo piano style of Suzanne Herman, and now my luck is in as I have another 7 more tracks, as before me sits her latest album A Seaside View.
This is a good one for me as I live near a beautiful coast line, so the visuals of Suzanne’s music are easy to imagine. The opener was a big hit for her and entitled The Path of the Sandpiper, this has to be the perfect beginning point, its light airy refrains give us that inevitable pathway of that aforementioned bird, and the melodic structures of the composition are enough to light up anyone’s dull day.
This 10 track release is like opening up a can of bliss, on a late summers day; offerings like Balcony Oasis are a literal vista of oceanic delights, the slow and careful approach here sums up the calmness of the moment in a perfect setting, whilst compositions like Dancing Lights, another single from last year, gives us perhaps an evening view of the bay as the lights of the coastline and boats, twinkle in the azure dusk of a most pleasant night time.
There can be no doubt that Herman is one of the finest descriptive pianists of her day, tracks like The Old Pier will emphasises that, her presentation here bring us a time worn place of great and fond memories, and at I may say, a delightful six minutes plus of artistic grace. Whilst pieces akin to Distant Storms draw the listener in, there is nothing quite so exciting and sometimes exhilarating as a storm, here though Herman postulates the forth coming tempest with such a deep musical narrative, it is literally palpable and mood filled with her passage played.
Early on in this year Suzanne would release Sailing to a Sunset, this is something we have done here in Cyprus, and it is incredibly romantic, this presentation for me is painted with tones and a wondrous timbre of great quality and style, one to bring the listener a moment of natural splendour and happiness, and of course, love.
We conclude our journey of this uplifting solo piano collection with the arrangement Islands Across the Bay, after listening to the whole album I couldn’t have chosen a better track with which to end with myself, its soothing musical posture is simply perfect to leave the listener feeling totally fulfilled and at ease.
A Seaside View by Suzanne Herman is a scrapbook of musical memories lovingly put together by a woman who clearly knows her own environment and adores it; the pianist manifests for us a musical art gallery of sublime solo piano tones, melodies and segments of blissful reveries for us to enjoy, and succeeds with each and every touch of the keys. I have a feeling that A Seaside View by Suzanne Herman is going to not only be a big hit with fans of the solo piano genre, but on the album chart as well.
The original review can be seen here:
Steve Sheppard Music Reviews: A Seaside View By Suzanne Herman
Take a break and unwind while listening to A Seaside View. Remember to “like” and/or “follow” on your favorite streaming platform. Your continued support of my music, recordings, and YouTube Channel is greatly appreciated. Wishing you many blessings this holiday season!
One World Music Radio/Steve Sheppard A Seaside View album review
A Seaside View By Suzanne Herman
Written by Steve Sheppard
I have such great memories of several of the tracks from this album, their previous releases as singles gave me a true flavour for the solo piano style of Suzanne Herman, and now my luck is in as I have another 7 more tracks, as before me sits her latest album A Seaside View.
This is a good one for me as I live near a beautiful coast line, so the visuals of Suzanne’s music are easy to imagine. The opener was a big hit for her and entitled The Path of the Sandpiper, this has to be the perfect beginning point, its light airy refrains give us that inevitable pathway of that aforementioned bird, and the melodic structures of the composition are enough to light up anyone’s dull day.
This 10 track release is like opening up a can of bliss, on a late summers day; offerings like Balcony Oasis are a literal vista of oceanic delights, the slow and careful approach here sums up the calmness of the moment in a perfect setting, whilst compositions like Dancing Lights, another single from last year, gives us perhaps an evening view of the bay as the lights of the coastline and boats, twinkle in the azure dusk of a most pleasant night time.
There can be no doubt that Herman is one of the finest descriptive pianists of her day, tracks like The Old Pier will emphasises that, her presentation here bring us a time worn place of great and fond memories, and at I may say, a delightful six minutes plus of artistic grace. Whilst pieces akin to Distant Storms draw the listener in, there is nothing quite so exciting and sometimes exhilarating as a storm, here though Herman postulates the forth coming tempest with such a deep musical narrative, it is literally palpable and mood filled with her passage played.
Early on in this year Suzanne would release Sailing to a Sunset, this is something we have done here in Cyprus, and it is incredibly romantic, this presentation for me is painted with tones and a wondrous timbre of great quality and style, one to bring the listener a moment of natural splendour and happiness, and of course, love.
We conclude our journey of this uplifting solo piano collection with the arrangement Islands Across the Bay, after listening to the whole album I couldn’t have chosen a better track with which to end with myself, its soothing musical posture is simply perfect to leave the listener feeling totally fulfilled and at ease.
A Seaside View by Suzanne Herman is a scrapbook of musical memories lovingly put together by a woman who clearly knows her own environment and adores it; the pianist manifests for us a musical art gallery of sublime solo piano tones, melodies and segments of blissful reveries for us to enjoy, and succeeds with each and every touch of the keys. I have a feeling that A Seaside View by Suzanne Herman is going to not only be a big hit with fans of the solo piano genre, but on the album chart as well.
See the original review here.
Mainly Piano/Kathy Parsons A Seaside View album review
Classified as a professional musician by the time she was 14, Suzanne earned a Bachelor of Music Degree in Piano Performance from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and her Master of Music Degree in Piano Performance from Bowling Green State University. Proficient in a variety of music genres and styles including classical, sacred, jazz and contemporary solo piano, Suzanne has also served as the Director of Music and as an organist for many churches.
A Seaside View begins with “Path of the Sandpiper,” a lively, graceful piece that beautifully describes the ebb and flow of a calm ocean tide while groups of small birds run in and out of the surf almost in formation. “Safety of an Inlet” describes a place of refuge when unexpected storms occur at sea. Sometimes on the dark side and sometimes very peaceful, the music tells quite a fascinating story without words. “Balcony Oasis” beautifully describes the respite of sitting on a seaside balcony watching the activity of the water, the wildlife, boats, birds, clouds, people walking along the shoreline, and more – a very “in-the-moment” experience that is never duplicated. “Dancing Lights” is a favorite. This lively piece was inspired by the lights on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge across Tampa Bay, the way they change colors and patterns on the water every night, and how the movement of the water creates the illusion that the lights are dancing on its surface. I love Suzanne’s description of “Sandcastle Dreams”:
Sandcastles come in all shapes and sizes. Some are true works of art with details of exquisite design and excellence. Of equal significance are those sandcastles created by children, while they laugh and play in the sunshine. The same can be said about hopes and dreams. Dreams can be big or small, consisting of different shapes and sizes. Many dreams are serious, detailing future endeavors, while other dreams are fun and involve play. Some dreams are in the process of being created, while other dreams never become reality, they get washed away with the waves.
The piece has a a very dreamy, wistful feeling – also a favorite. Most of “A Starfish Adventure” was composed in a 5/8 time signature in honor of a starfish and its five legs. It’s a fascinating rhythm that has some measures of 3/4 mixed in. Is there anything more beautiful or relaxing than a sunset over the ocean? I doubt it, and Suzanne captures that peaceful feeling beautifully in “Sailing to a Sunset.”
A Seaside View is available from Amazon, Apple Music/iTunes and streaming sites including Spotify. Very highly recommended! Three singles from the album were released in 2022 and 2023: “Path of the Sandpiper,” “Dancing Lights,” and “Sailing to a Sunset.” A solo piano songbook of the complete album is also available in printed and PDF formats from Suzanne’s website.
Mainly Piano/Kathy Parsons A Seaside View songbook review
A longtime piano teacher as well as an internationally-acclaimed pianist/composer, Suzanne Herman brings a wealth of musical experience as well as life experience to her music, which is expressive, beautiful, a joy to listen to and very satisfying to play. This collection features a couple of pieces with interesting rhythms: “A Starfish Adventure” starts in 5/8 and goes back and forth between that time signature and 3/4; “The Old Pier” has some 32nd note runs. Some pieces go into the deep bass of the piano as well as into the upper octaves – it’s good to use all 88 of those keys at least some of the time! There are no reaches of more than an octave. It’s an excellent songbook, and I highly recommend it!
A Seaside View songbook is available from Suzanne Herman’s website as both a spiral-bound book and as a PDF download. Individual pieces are also available to download. Be sure to check out the recording, too!
The titles of the pieces, the key(s) they are in and the number of pages are:
Path of the Sandpiper – Key of G (1 sharp) – 5 pages
Balcony Oasis – Key of Ab (4 flats) – 4 pages
A Starfish Adventure – Key of Bb (2 flats) – 5 pages
Sandcastle Dreams – Key of E minor (1 sharp)/ A minor (0 sharps or flats) – 3 pages
The Old Pier – Key of F (1 flat) – 6 1/2 pages
Safety of an Inlet – Key of C# minor (4 sharps) – 4 1/2 pages
Islands Across the Bay – Key of C (0 sharps or flats) – 4 1/2 pages
Sailing to a Sunset – Key of F minor (4 flats) – 4 1/2 pages
Distant Storms – Key of C minor (3 flats) – 3 pages
Dancing Lights – Key of D (2 sharps) – 5 1/2 pages
End of summer sale!
Greetings! Fall is in the air! To celebrate the change of season, I would like to pass along an “End of Summer Sale!” To receive 40% off the popular solo piano sheet music download, Dancing Lights, visit my secure sheet music store on Thursday, September 21 through Monday, September 25. Enter the code SUMMER23 at checkout and begin playing!
Dancing Lights is an engaging, late intermediate level, solo piano composition. The straight-forward rhythm and continuous 16th notes provide a splendid opportunity for musical and finger technique development. Dancing Lights was inspired by the shimmering, colorful night time lights that sparkle on the water from the Sunshine Skyway Bridge which spans Tampa Bay on the west coast of Florida. Reviewer Kathy Parsons of Mainly Piano writes, “It’s a beautiful piece and a lot of fun to play!” See Kathy’s full review here. Listen to Dancing Lights here.
A sincere thank you to Steve Sheppard of One World Music Radio for the wonderful review of my latest single, Sailing to a Sunset. Released June 2, 2023, Steve writes, “Suzanne’s presentation is a moving opus of piano brilliance…and her manifestation brings that all together in a melodic and incredibly emotional arrangement.” The entire review can be read here. Recorded at Piano Haven in Sedona, Arizona and produced by Joe Bongiorno, Sailing to a Sunset can be heard on all major listening platforms worldwide, including Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music, YouTube Amazon Music, etc. Photography and cover art design by Jeff Herman.
Sailing to a Sunset places in Best Single for May 2023 in the One World Music Radio Awards
We are proud to announce that Sailing to a Sunset has won second place for Best Single in the 2023 One World Music Radio awards. One World Music brings monthly nominees and winners as they go throughout the year. You can listen to the awards show here.
New Single Release, Sailing to a Sunset
Happy summer to all!
We all know that life can be unpredictable. I’ll share my own personal example. Recently, on June 2nd, I had full hip replacement surgery. Seven months ago, I never would have predicted this. Surgery went very well! Right now, my days are filled with physical therapy exercises and getting acquainted with my new hip. This is good because it is the road to healing. It is regaining the ability to do the activities I enjoy such as gardening, bicycling, hiking, playing the piano, and composing!
I’m excited to share my latest solo piano single release, Sailing to a Sunset. This music, as with the previous two releases, describe my favorite local beach, the north point of Anna Maria Island. Here, on the west coast of Florida, the sunsets are iconic. No two sunsets are ever alike; each one is different and unique. Experiencing a sunset is saying good-bye to yet another day. Whether you walk the beach or are sailing to the horizon, people never get tired of watching a sunset. Sailing to a Sunset can be found on all major listening platforms worldwide, including Spotify, Amazon Music, Pandora, Apple Music, and YouTube. Also, thank you to my husband, Jeff, for his exquisite photography and cover art design! Enjoy!
Are you a pianist? Would you enjoy learning to play Sailing to a Sunset? I notate and transcribe all my original music; fingerings are included in the scores to help with learning. The sheet music download for Sailing to a Sunset is available at my secure website SuzanneHerman.com, Sheet Music Plus, and Sheet Music Direct. Have fun!
Thank you for your continued support. Wishing you health and happiness!
Sailing to a Sunset Review – One World Music Radio
Sailing to a Sunset
By
Suzanne Herman
Written by
Steve Sheppard
Suzanne Herman is a wonderful pianist, she is one of a few pianists who can literally take me to a location through her music, and allow me to thoroughly enjoy the experience through her crafted presentations. Here on her brand new single entitled Sailing to a Sunset, we have just that and more.
However I never expected the emotional response my mind would give me during a most emotive listening experience, until I realized that although I live on the other side of the world, the sunsets of both Cyprus and Florida are very similar, it is a time each day when people simply stop in their tracks for around half an hour, and watch a beautiful orange orb disappear below the oceanic horizon, memorized in beauty.
This new single for me was and in fact is an anthem for that moment, and I would go as far to say that Suzanne’s sublime piano performance is a reminder to us all to stop and appreciate our lives and our planet, so we can literally drink in the gratitude and that moment.
Her presentation is a moving opus of piano brilliance, she paints the sunset, she manifests tones that show the gentle moment of the sun, and the changing textures of the sky, and her manifestation brings that all together in a melodic and incredibly emotional arrangement. This folks is descriptive piano music at its very best, this is most certainly one you really should not miss at all costs.
See Original Post here