MUSIC In the majority of her music, Teri aims to express human universals - emotions, life experiences, thoughts, and dreams - through both the abstract and programmatic nature of music. With a broad range of influences - including Minimalism, Baroque, various 19th and 20th century Russian and French composers, film music, Balinese gamelan, and African rhythms - Teri enjoys writing for any ensemble and medium. Her music is generally intense and moving - with rhythmic pulses, lyrical melodies, and moody harmonies. Inspired by places and rich emotions in her imagination and memory - Teri paints a vivid and captivating musical journey. CD This is a compilation cd in which Teri collaborated with various musicians ranging from solo violin, to chamber and large ensembles, and even Balinese gamelan. Because of Teri's ability and aim to express deep and genuine universal emotions through music, every song takes you on a captivating musical journey unlike any other. BIO Teri Card Heller received a Master of Fine Arts degree in Music Composition at California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, California in May 2006 and was awarded the Ahmanson Foundation Scholarship while attending. After growing up in the Ozarks where she took weekly Suzuki piano lessons and frequented the St. Louis symphony, she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Composition at Mills College in Oakland, California. At Mills, Teri was awarded scholarships and a UROP grant for her senior thesis, “Elemental Journey,” a 3-movement work for 30 musicians. She has studied composition with Anne LeBaron, Mort Subotnick, Mike Fink, Fred Frith, Alvin Curran, and Pauline Oliveros; and she has also done workshops with Michele Bokanowski, John Debney, Amy Denio, Meredith Monk, and Mark Mothersbaugh. Teri was awarded a grant and interned for film and TV composer, Willow Williamson, through the “Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences” the summer of 2005. She studied Irish music at the University College Cork in Ireland for six months in 2003 and received a scholarship to attend Fukuoka Jo Gakuin - a college in Fukuoka, Japan - and study various elements of Japanese culture the summer of 2001. She is also an active member of the "American Composers Forum" and the "International Alliance of Women in Music." Teri enjoys being influenced by a number of music cultures, genres, and composers - some of which include Bach, Bartok, Stravinsky, Philip Glass, Michael Nyman, Meredith Monk, Arvo Part, Danny Elfman, Irish, Cuban, Flamenco, African drumming and Balinese gamelan. She has composed works for soloists, chamber and large ensembles, film, dance, and theater. One of her most serious works, “Glorious Youth,” was performed by the CalArts professional New Century Players large ensemble at LA’s downtown RedCat theater in May 2005. In 2005 she also composed the soundtrack to Andrea Pallaoro’s short film, “Smeralda,” which was shown at the Siena Corto film festival in Italy. “Hint of Suspension,” composed for dance, has been performed in Sharon Disney Lund Dance Theatre on March 14th and November 15th of 2005. Teri also composed the song featured in the “Saint Plays,” a CalArts puppet show performed in the coffeehouse theater December of 2005. In 2006 she composed “Midnight Shadows” for Javanese gamelan, which premiered April 23rd of 2006 in the gamelan room at CalArts; and “Lucinda Stowe” plus two interstitials with dance and text - performed at Kris Wildman’s vocal MFA recital in the CalArts Roy O. Disney hall on April 15th of 2006. Since Teri's graduation from CalArts, she has had two performances by Melinda Rice of her solo violin piece, "Three Songs of Love - Then, Now and Eternal." In the fall of 2006, she completed music for the soundtrack to Gwenaelle Gobe's short film, "Fish and Teeth." In the spring of 2007, Teri composed a song for Jesse Hassinger’s multi-part film, “Everything Beautiful and Lofty;” and her sextet, “Oasis of Candor,” was premiered by the pLay ensemble in Los Angeles. Teri is working from her new studio in the growing university city of Fayetteville, Arkansas and making commutes to Los Angeles to collaborate with musicians and film artists. Her various projects in 2007 include composing film scores, getting commissioned to write new works for musicians and ensembles, teaching composition lessons and promoting her new CD - “As the Leaves Turn.”