Shara Narayan Boyd
Shara Narayan Boyd grew up in a musical family, where making music together was a way of sharing love. She has been sharing this love through studying and teaching music for most of her life. She is a singer-songwriter, releasing her first album “Voices in my Head” in 1997, and plays several instruments. She also has collegiate-level vocal performance and musical theater training. Before beginning her Music Together® internship in 2007 (with teacher certification in 2008), she taught children’s music in varied settings including daycares and primary school kindergartens, and has also taught secondary mainstream, GT and ESL English. She studied ballet for many years and now practices yoga, qigong, and tai qi. When she is not singing and dancing with your family (or her own!) she is a senior acupuncture student at The Academy of Oriental Medicine at Austin, and expects to open her acupuncture and Doula practice (www.texasfamilywellness.com) in early 2011. She has two very young children, a very nice husband, and too many pets, and finds music class to be one of the most joyful parts of the week.
Brian Pettey
Baritone Brian Pettey is a singer whose “charming” and “haunting” voice (Baltimore Sun, North Lake Travis Log) has garnered glowing reviews from critics across the country. Along with performances at the Peabody Conservatory, where he received his bachelor’s degree in voice, he has sung roles with Baltimore’s Opera Vivente and Young Victorian Theater Company. In Austin, where he received his master’s in voice at the University of Texas, he has appeared with the Butler Opera Center, the UT Chamber Singers, the UT New Music Ensemble, and the Bach Cantata Project.
Presenting concerts which promote and celebrate the repertoire, he is a passionate advocate of chamber music and art song— especially that of American poets and composers. A champion of contemporary music in particular, he has performed dozens of works by living composers, even incorporating dance, visual art, film, and radio. When not singing or playing, he enjoys working in his garden, word games, and even the occasional round of mini-golf.
