Guest Musicians

Mary Otterstrom began classical training on the violin at the age of 4 culminating with a Master's Degree in Violin Performance while Jimmy Ingold bought his first guitar in college and began teaching himself. 

From a young age Mary was learning the works of Bach and Beethoven while Jimmy was jamming out to the Grateful Dead and The Rolling Stones. 

Both of them found their way to traditional American music developing a deep passion for tunes written largely by unknown musicians who crafted music after long days of hard labor. 

With Jimmy’s deep roots in blues and country and Mary’s deep knowledge of technique and theory they come together to play American classics with passion and panache. 

 Blake Sharette is a composer, arranger, conductor, performer, and producer native to Salt Lake City, Utah.  He is classically trained in vocal and violin performance.  Blake is also proficient on guitar and piano. 

He has extensive and eclectic performance experience including Tabernacle Choir soloist, lead guitarist for an 80's tribute band, singing and playing with Kurt Bestor, Michael Martin Murphy, and the legendary rock band, Kansas. 

Blake is the founder and director of the Deseret Symphony Orchestra, SingUtah, and Black Tie Talent. Blake's mission is to make the world a better place by creating and performing uplifting music!  

International recording artist and motivational speaker Karie Hillery has a vision for a better world. A life's journey of challenges, triumphs, love and loss has carved a place where moving music grows and spills forth to fill a need that all humans have inside. The place where shadow meets light and hope is born anew.

Karie’s gift is the joyful abandon in her musical expression, the bubbly enthusiasm for healing that sings itself through her songs and keyboard artistry. Karie embodies a deep love and respect for all living things and the message in her music and programs inspires others to find the song within them, whatever its outward manifestation. Karie's voice is soothing, but not sleepy. It is rich and full of life’s emotion. You cannot hear her without being moved, touched and uplifted.

Gentle, inspiring, powerful, sometimes silly, her spirit shines forth, pulling the listener deeper into their own heart and hers. Karie’s music and programs let you know that you are not alone on your journey through life’s dreams, hopes, and challenges.

With nine independently produced CDs - pop music that blends many genres - Karie shares her original music and messages of love and empowerment throughout the world with live performances and on internet radio. As a solo artist or with her exceptional band, Karie lives to perform, enjoying audiences of all ages and cultures, at venues large and small including art and music festivals, county fairs, gallery openings, churches, house concerts, senior centers, farmers markets, coffeehouses, motivational seminars, retreats, conferences and benefits.

A gifted producer, Karie owns and runs Singing Creek Studio, a full service production house and currently has 5 diverse artists on her Indie record label, One World Records.

Karie’s custom written songs and special programs have been used in support of environmental causes, care providers, and promoting peace and non-violence in families, neighborhoods and around the world.  She shares so deeply from her soul that she opens hearts and enriches lives, inspiring us all on our journey to create a more peaceful and loving world.

Mindy Dillard is a musical alchemist who accompanies her award-winning songs with modern twists on the clawhammer banjo and funky rhythmic grooves on the guitar. Known for her innovative storytelling, powerful stage presence and soaring voice, she was recently described as a combination of Joni Mitchell and Tori Amos. “One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul.” – Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Jungian Psychoanalyst; Poet

Musical Alchemist: Transform or transmute the ineffable into healing stories. 

http://www.mindydillard.com/

Holly Kirsten is a singer/songwriter from Salt Lake City, UT.  She makes herself at home with any stringed instrument and has been composing and performing since she was very young.  

She studied Music Education at Central Methodist College and then, the Business of Music at Belmont University in Nashville.  Holly started Little Rockstars, LLC in 2012 developing and teaching her music classes for preschool kids and their parents/caregivers.  She has over 10 years experience as a Worship Director at 3 different Methodist churches.  

She went back to college in 2018, and while in the throes of Covid-19 became a Registered Respiratory Therapist!  She currently works at a local children's hospital saving lives and helping children to breathe better.  

Holly is thrilled to share her musical gifts and allow the artist, the teacher, and the nurturer within her to fully express and cause a positive shift in her listeners.

Rory Norseth, aka, the No Account Drifter, enjoys putting story to song and performing them for anyone who wants to listen.  

Will Baxter is a Salt Lake City based musician with a style inspired by the blues.    

 Love, light, and laughter are at the heart of Mandy Lynn’s music. Her performances and compositions run wild though genres as if she were a bee in a field of wildflowers. Her years working as a licensed therapist and activist have left her with a deep dedication to social justice, leading her to write lyrics and melodies that one critic described as “songs that appeal to the heart and mind as well as the ear” (Greg Harness, Rootsworld Magazine).  

DelAnne Haslam was born the youngest of five and at age 3 began performing with the family band The Jessop Family Singers. She hasn’t stopped performing since. She loves to sing all genres of music and has sung in children’s groups, choirs, commercials, operas, plays, sporting events, and bands. But her favorite gig is singing with The Center for Spiritual Living Band every Sunday morning. 

DelAnne was introduced to the Center For Spiritual Living in 2014 when she and her sister were looking to add some spiritual community into their lives. Ric and the band kept them coming back long enough to hear the Science of Mind message and she was hooked. She took the foundations class and a few other courses and then began singing with Kopo on Sundays in 2015. She even spent a few months as music director before she took a much-needed hiatus in 2016. In 2017 Ric invited her back as special music and then invited her to stay on with the band. 

Jim Bizer has been gigging since age 14 and a career musician all of his adult life; Jim's been around the musical block. He's an accomplished musician with a restless imagination.  His songs are a unique blend of humor, catchy melodies, and his personal view of the essential craziness of being human.

Growing up in Detroit, Jim was exposed to (and fascinated by) an eclectic, broad spectrum of music.  Educated on French horn, self-taught on guitar and piano, he studied music theory at the University of Michigan before embarking on an equally varied music career: cover musician, session player, composer for radio spots and TV series.  

A songwriter since his early teens, it took some time and experience to make this his primary focus - Once he did, he quickly earned accolades winning many national songwriting competitions.  

Jim Bizer writes songs about life - love, connection, insanity and natural disasters...and in it all, he inspires hope, compassion, and a greater wisdom. 

Mindy Dillard is a musical alchemist who accompanies her award-winning songs with modern twists on the clawhammer banjo and funky rhythmic grooves on the guitar. Known for her innovative storytelling, powerful stage presence and soaring voice, she was recently described as a combination of Joni Mitchell and Tori Amos. “One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul.” – Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Jungian Psychoanalyst; Poet
 

Musical Alchemist: Transform or transmute the ineffable into healing stories. 

 http://www.mindydillard.com/

 Dallas Brown was inspired...called by the Great Spirit many years ago to learn the Native American flute.  He did just that, working with several masters of these wind instruments over many years.  He discovered a new 'voice' calling to him from within and beckoning from the natural world around him.  Dallas has collected over a hundred native flutes crafted by artisans from many parts of the world.  Dallas has uncovered and unleashed each flute's personality and spirit, and he has intentional 'conversations' with them as he plays.  Dallas's essential goal is to bring 'flute medicine' to every soul and being he encounters through his flute playing and remind them of their connection to the Great Spirit and all of Life.  

https://www.facebook.com/DallasBrownFluteMedicine/

 Lezlee Monroe's journey is like no one else's and everyone else's.  She was born and raised in Cache Valley, Utah and started singing, playing piano and writing music when she was just six years old. Through the years she became aware of how she was avoiding her true voice even as a singer because of pain, trauma and incorrect beliefs she had picked up along the way which continually veered her off her inner joy-path. She followed her curiosity in the healing arts and studied to become a Rapid Eye Technician, a trauma release healing modality to assist others and her own healing journey.  On this journey, music was and is there all the way.  Music, as you know, is a powerful healer.  Lezlee is a singer/songwriter/keyboardist.  Lezlee is a healer.  And, from The Book of Lezlee: The purpose of life is to have fun!

www.lezleemusic.com 

Desert Wind is a band of musicians performing uplifting world-beat music. Reb Alan is a prolific songwriter. With 12 CDs and numerous digital singles now selling world-wide through iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby, etc., they have over five more CDs of original music in the completion stages of production. 

(Reb Alan has hundreds of original copyrighted songs registered through BMI.) Andalin is the recipient of the prestigious national Selmer Award for Excellence in Jazz Performance. Alan and Andalin have worked together, and with our own Raj Harrous, for over 25 years, and the three of them have performed together in many states from California to Massachusetts! They are frequent performers for Ruach Hamidbar in Scottsdale, AZ. 

Versatile and fun-loving, Desert Wind is all about peace, harmony and inclusiveness. Their music is reported to, "passionately lift your spirits with the perfect choice of notes, lyrics, vocals, instrumentation, diverse musical styles and international rhythms." At SLCSL, Desert Wind looks forward to working with Ric Sharette and others of our own amazing house band. It's time to unwind with the music of Desert Wind!

Orion (formerly known as Jarrett) Burns is a remarkable, artistic phenomenon – a masterful singer/songwriter/producer whose music defies any conventional music genre.  

His education (BYU Music Program); his diverse, international performances; his intentional spiritual journey; and his commitment to master his extraordinary gifts to transform, uplift, heal and inspire his audiences, all combine to ignite profound, positive shifts - expanding our views of ourselves, each other, and the world.      

 Doing What I Came To Do!

Our songs, our conversations, and our actions will determine our frequency.

Rickie, The Artist 

Rickie Byars is an acclaimed and beloved singer-songwriter in the genre of inspirational/New Thought music. Her music resonates in churches of all denominations throughout the world. Live audiences and FB/YouTube streamers who take part in the KUUMBA/B-hood Sunday Devotionals are uplifted through her music and her messages—always delivered with joy and sincerity. She created an inspirational 24-hour radio station, Bradio.org, which blasts her incredible songs from her golden era at the Agape International Spiritual Center where Rickie was the Founding Choir Director and Music and Arts Director for over thirty years. Rickie has released nine solo albums of inspirational music, produced seven choral music albums, three songbooks, two volumes of choral music arrangements and one mini-memoir of stories about her songs. She is often referred to as the Queen of New Thought Music, perhaps because she brings such joy through her healing songs that arise from Rickie’s Divine Connection to God.

Rickie, the Activist

The sixth child in a family of seven children, Rickie was born in the segregated town of Charlotte, NC. At an early age she was taught that she must bring her very best to her family, to her race and then to the world. Rickie has always remembered this and cares deeply about her community. For twenty-four years, Rickie co-facilitated the Soul Sisters women’s retreats, and empowered women through experiential processes, workshops, meditations, and other healing modalities. She sits on the Board of Directors of Voices4Freedom.org, an abolitionist organization working to free enslaved children, women, and men in northern India. In 2009, with a team of intergenerational artists, she established Kuumba in Motion, a non-profit inspirational initiative that empowers individuals to discover their inherent gifts and talents through exposure to nature, the arts, and creative sciences. The Kuumba design team is now focused on developing an innovative model for transitional and transformational communities as they age.