Marianne Osiel
From California to New York- Musical Journeys in the Life of a Sophisticated Bohemian
‐ are most unleashed. Listen to her CD,“ Full Of Wholes”, and you’ ll hear personal songs of love, loss, and longing. Surrounded by a tasteful and intimate production, her formidable guitar playing moves seamlessly from delicate to ferocious; her voice rises from a delicate whisper to a soaring alto, oozing emotion. She reaches into your heart and mind, inviting you to risk a new thought, a hidden feeling.
About Marianne by Cindy Ackley Nunn
To say that Marianne Osiel is a passionate singer‐songwriter is to tell only half her story. Her musical journey is truly a unique one. She took her first piano lesson at the age of five, in her home town of Santa Barbara, CA. At nine years old, she began playing guitar, the flute a year later, and at age 13 began studying the oboe. At age 15, she began more serious studies at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, majoring in oboe and minoring in voice. In 1974, she was only oboist in the country selected to attend the Cleveland Institute Of Music, where she studied under John Mack.
She secured her first orchestra chair with the Santa Barbara Symphony in 1977, and stayed on for two years. After a brief period of study at the San Francisco Conservatory( on a full scholarship), she moved to Nashville, where she was a member of the Nashville Symphony for ten years. In addition, she was a first‐call session player, appearing on hundreds of recordings.
While in Nashville, Marianne blossomed as a singer‐songwriter, often playing as a solo artist“ in the round” at the Bluebird Café, or leading one of her bands, the Delta Elements, at the
12th & Porter or Ace of Clubs.
In the fall of 1998, Marianne moved to New York, and soon began performing in clubs in the Northeast. Earlier that year, and again in 1999, she played Mainstage at Kerrville Folk Festival. From 2000 – 2002, she toured the country as a member of the John Hall Band, playing acoustic guitar, slide, and oboe. She opened many of those shows with a solo set of original material.
On stage, Marianne consistently delivers powerful, honest, convincing performances, whether solo artist or with a band. It’ s in the recording studio where Marianne’ s myriad of musical talents ‐ writer, arranger, producer, singer, multi‐instrumentalist
Her debut release,“ Strange Girl”, presents an explosion of creativity and diversity. This self‐produced collection of intricate and provocative songs features Marianne playing seven instruments( most notably guitar, slide, and oboe), and with the support of some of Nashville’ s finest studio musicians, the tunes jump off this CD – soulful, rockin’, symphonic, and just plain funky. Combining her talents as classical oboist with her propensity for adventure, she released“ How the Light Gets In”( June 2005), an eclectic collection of oboe and keyboard improvisational duets. Her CD recording,“ Peacemeal”( free of charge), which was created after 911, encourages self‐healing as the seed for healing in the world.
Among the many musicians she has performed and recorded with in both the classical and the pop world are: Jo‐el Sonnier, John Hall, Nanci Griffith, Ashley Cleveland, Gary Nicholsen, Nashville Symphony, Nashville String Machine, Roy Orbison, Itzhak Perlman, Michael LeGrand, Emmy Lou Harris, Take Six, Reba McIntyre, Marvin Hamlisch, and Judy Collins. As a backup musician, she has performed with John Hall( Orleans), Robbie Dupree, Jackson Browne, Nanci Griffith, Daryl Tookes, and Rick Danko( The Band), among others. In the past few years, Marianne has taken a more passionate interest in healing through music and prose writing.
Meeting Marianne:
I stumbled upon Marianne one day while conducting research for my next non‐fiction book., a story about a bizarre religious cult founded and run by a woman who was an expert in the art of manipulation. Marianne ' s grandfather had, at the very least, a minor role in connection with this cult leader, and possibly a more major role than at first realized. Little did I know that my search for information about a long dead West Coast antiques dealer would lead me to such a brilliantly talented musician, song writer and singer in the state of New York.
What started out as a fishing expedition for information about Marianne ' s grandfather, and the location of some very strange cult‐related gold gilded furniture, turned into an interest and curiosity about Marianne and her music.
To say that Marianne is passionate about life, her music and meeting new people would be an understatement. This is one
22