Tish Oney's Music Blog

Over the past month I have spent many hours churning out arrangements for a new live show and a new studio album... Neither project duplicates any songs, so the volume of new material I am performing while in southern California this month may well be setting a new record! My new tribute show, "Going My Way! The Songs of Jimmy Van Heusen," contains sixteen arrangements of Van Heusen goodies like "Swinging On a Star," "Moonlight Becomes You" and "It Could Happen To You," as well as practically unknown songs from the various films to which Van Heusen and his best-known collaborator, Johnny Burke, contributed scores of ditties and tunes. I highly recommend all the "Road To..." movies that Bing Crosby filmed with Bob Hope for those seeking to enjoy these beautiful and witty songs in their intended comedic medium. "Going My Way," "The Bells Of St. Mary's" and "And The Angels Sing" are other golden oldies wi...

Having experienced the joy of singing with the Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra over Valentine's weekend, and looking ahead to March 22 when I will perform in Virginia with the Williamsburg Symphonia , I am ever so grateful for the career path I have found. This morning during my prayer time I was faced with a decision--to record a new jazz album while on tour in April or to put it off for another several months, a year, or more? The frequent traveling and touring with constantly different musical repertoire places a limitation on the amount of preparation one can devote to arranging and producing a new album (I do all the arranging myself), but the financial question is usually the primary deterrent to spinning out a new recording every year or so. I am an active enough writer and arranger to have plenty of material that I wish to record, but alas--I am not independently wealthy! I gave up that possibility years ago when I gave up microbiology as my chosen profession... or med...

Ah, winter snowstorms... having grown up in central New York, I am no newcomer to the world of snowy travel, snow shoveling, snowblowing, snow and ice removal from cars, sidewalks, driveways, roads and roofs. It's a bit idyllic at times, in a way, pausing from shoveling one's driveway from large (4-foot or taller) mounds of snow to notice the sparkle of the sunshine dancing through ice crystals on the lawn, on the shrubs or in the trees... it sometimes brings a sense of quiet, peace and acceptance that we are part of nature and subject to its large-scale activities. Watching the birds engage with snowfall is an education--they do not act stressed--they simply take it as it comes, gather food as usual and delight us with their energy and vivid colors--flying, perching and foraging against the new whitewashed backdrop. Winter is a truly beautiful time! Then we snap out of our dazed reverie and get back to straining our backs with the snow shovel for another hour or so, knowing we...

Here we are again... marveling at how quickly time passes and how fast the year has progressed. Reflecting on the past twelve months is a healthy way to take inventory of one's life--an audit, even, and late December seems to be an ideal time for such ruminations. Am I focused on the things that are most important to me and to the dear ones around me? Have I successfully made time for that which is my top priority? Thinking back on the year involves coming to terms with one's weaknesses and losses in addition to recognizing one's strengths, victories and areas of measurable growth. I have found that I must appreciate this balance... Without acknowledging weakness, we never learn and grow in our character and skills. Similarly, without validating our victories we sell ourselves short and cannot achieve our potential for growing and developing steadily through life. Being honest and humble with oneself about such things is something for which one must continually strive, an...

One of the challenges of any performing artist's career is the high level of preparation that is demanded for consistently great performances. If an individual routinely has a month or more between concerts, preparation for the next concert may be garnered rather comfortably, but the more an artist performs, the less that type of luxury becomes likely. I consider myself fortunate to have quite a number of highly variable performances on the near horizon, but that, of course requires the discipline to prepare for more than one (or two or sometimes three) concerts at a given time. I believe in taking life one day at a time, so my NEXT performance is always the most important, but if the next one after that is only four days further out, it would obviously be rather unwise of me to ignore that show until the first show has come and gone! How then does one budget time to create the necessary preparation for every performance? Part of the answer lies in knowing thyself. I know that ...

Possessing a dual career, while often daunting, has its perks. My dual career is, of course, performing and teaching. Through the years one or the other has taken more time and priority, sometimes to the neglect of the other, and it seems to happen in waves... for a few years the teaching has been overshadowing the performing, but the pendulum swings back eventually to bring balance back to this soul which yearns to do more than one thing very well... Today I am excited to share news of one of many very successful singers I have had the privilege of teaching... having had no fewer than five former voice students (that I know of) perform in Broadway musicals, not to mention those who have pursued successful careers as stage and film actors, pop singers, opera singers, and music teachers, I am blessed to now sit back and watch their blossoming careers unfold. One such success is Broadway star Jessie Mueller, who garnered a Tony award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical in 2014 for he...

What an exciting time! The flurry of things to do when an album or recording is about to be released is formidable... and sometimes it's difficult to guess when it will all get done. When I recorded Songs From The Heart with John Chiodini (our third recording project together), it further proved that when you've got a good thing going, it's just silly to change it. The rhythmic interplay, melodic dances and pure improvisational bliss that we experience in the studio or on the stage together drive the point home that I have found my ideal collaborative artist. The title of the collection comes from a press kit testimonial John wrote for me several years ago in which he declared "Tish sings from the heart." The first track, "Follow Me," came out as a country love song. Songs are like children--they are who they are and you cannot make them into something they are not! Since I do not consider myself a country singer (although I do teach country singers),...