Rebekah Eden - Rowing in Eden (2016)

Discovering the ethereal, otherworldly music of Rebekah Eden is to behold a ravishing jewel bathed in Light. First, you’re struck dumb with awe, then you’re filled with grace. The unique talent of this singer/composer/producer crosses all musical boundaries. Since 1987, her shimmering soprano of 3-1/2 octaves has been thrilling audiences around the world in repertoire as diverse as opera, avant-garde and classical song, but especially in her own compositions that leave audiences deeply moved by their transcendental sacredness. Critics have called her performances “gorgeous” and “majestic.” Her own music has been described as “A Score for the Divine.”

Now comes her latest offering to the Gods, “Rowing in Eden.” An homage to the brightest light in all of us, the album wanders poetically through life’s mysteries from hardship and fear to the crowning glory of love. “Rowing in Eden” reflects the spiritual journey of its creator, a struggling single mom wounded by broken hearts and the near loss of her fiancée, only to rebound in marriage and the birth of a daughter. The 12-song collection took Rebekah five years and thousands of miles to complete, from a 41-piece orchestra in the Czech Republic to the state-of-the-art recording studios of New York City. “Rowing In Eden” is influenced by artists as ecumenical as W.B Yeats, J.R.R. Tolkien and Robert Plant, and delivered in Rebekah’s trademark radiance.

The road to this extraordinary body of work has been uniquely Rebekah’s. The American-born daughter of a U.S. Foreign Service officer, she grew up in cities around the world, absorbing genres from Bach to Led Zeppelin to John Adams. At Oberlin College, she auditioned “on a lark” for the school’s estimable Oberlin Conservatory and was accepted, eventually receiving her B.A. in German literature and a B.Music in voice performance.

Her artistry bloomed in Europe, where Rebekah sang opera and oratorio, astounding audiences with her heart-touching ability to transmit palpable compassion through her voice. Her musicianship, liquid legato, and lightning-speed coloratura also allowed her to embrace more modern music.