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Vicky Emerson's A Winter Moment is a blissful new age CD of the gentlest, most intensely beautiful, solo piano music for the holidays. This is rapture; lovely waves of delicate and imaginative piano pieces roll over you again and again. You feel the warmth, and your spirits are buoyed by the uplifting melodies which are alive in your brain and, more importantly, in your heart. Emerson presents a dozen instrumental pieces here, including five originals. On the remaining traditional numbers, Emerson supplies the creative, intricately-layered arrangements. So very lovely!

A Winter Moment opens well with Emerson's own "Snowman Song," an expressive number with lines running through it that are reminiscent of moving water, so I'm thinking that Mr. Snowman might be heading for a melt. The title number is equally impressive, evoking imagery of a breathless winter scene. The holiday classics come alive in Emerson's skilled hands; the melodies remain as constant anchors, letting Emerson spread her wings and move with energy away from the center. My favorite songs include the moving "Carol of the Bells" and the playful "Winter Wonderland"; both are absolutely splendid springing from her keyboard.

Some new age music is boring, but A Winter Moment is not! If you enjoy George Winston, then you will definitely love Vicky Emerson!

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2005)

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From the liner notes:

Piano: Vicky Emerson
Solo piano recorded, engineered & mastered by Tom Mudge at Studio M Recording Studios, St. Paul, Minnesota

From the Web site:

Vicky was born an raised in the small, wonderfully quirky village of Elmwood, Wisconsin. With a population of 742 people and an affinity for UFO sightings (it is the self proclaimed "UFO Capital of the World"), this could be categorized as an eccentric community, and Vicky's music reflects her town's charm. As a child, music was a frequent, if not constant, presence in Vicky's home. She grew up listening to the Beach Boys (Dad's favorite), Anne Murray (Mom's favorite) and The Smurf Album (Vicky's favorite). "I remember receiving my first boom box for Christmas and I was ecstatic. I sat in my room listening to all kinds of music, but Madonna and Cyndi Lauper were my favorites at the time. I also remember a secret yearning, as I learned to play their songs on my piano that I wanted to see my picture on a cassette tape that contained my music."

Vicky attended college at The University of Wisconsin at River Falls, where she continued her training on the piano as well as a myriad of other instruments including the flute, organ, saxophone, trumpet, oboe, and marimba. It was also in college where she began writing music in a more formal way, and much to her delight, found it more stimulating and more rewarding than performing at piano recitals or concerts. She began listening to Fiona Apple, Tori Amos, Dave Matthews and Sarah McLachlan, and was intrigued by the art of songwriting and the power a three-minute story can have over one's emotions.

Immediately after graduating with a music degree in 1998, Vicky attended St. Mary's University in St. Paul, MN and earned a master's degree in Arts Administration (to quote her father, "Just in case!") and did what any accomplished musician would do, she accepted a job at a construction company as an accounting administrator. Though the business experience proved invaluable, Vicky discovered very quickly that life behind a desk was not nearly as rewarding as life behind a piano and in 2000; she left the construction company, and started writing songs for "Moment of Clarity", her first original piano solo CD. "My whole life changed for the better when I found my focus and began to accept who I was as a person and that I AM a musician. It was an excellent test for me and I quickly chose to be a musician first. It was at that time Vicky moved to Chicago for a year, marketing her CD while playing piano at Nordstrom's. Besides providing Vicky with a well-stocked shoe closet, this job was an excellent opportunity to learn about song structure as she studied and played popular music from every decade for her fans at Nordstrom's.

It was in Chicago where Vicky released another piano solo album, "A Winter Moment", a collection of original and traditional holiday music, which has gone on to sell thousands of copies on Vicky's self-started record label, Triad Entertainment. It was also there where she began to write her first vocal songs.

Vicky Emerson

A Winter Moment: Piano Solos for the Season

Artist link

Track List