ABOUT ABBY
Born with perfect pitch and an immense love of music, Abigail started playing and singing at age 3. She spent her early years studying serious classical music on piano, singing in choirs and learning to improvise on violin and viola. She then lived in Holland for 25 years where she earned conservatory degrees in piano performance and choral conducting (Amsterdam and The Hague) and built a lucrative career performing, teaching, conducting, recording and arranging.
She returned to the United States in 2004 to live and perform with her jazz pianist husband, Les Horan.
In addition to her performing her show, "Heart's Journeys"
Abigail has worked as musical director and conductor in New York
with The Peace of Heart Choir and the Sephardic Community Center.
She works in her own Upper West Side studio teaching, conducting, composing and arranging.
When you experience one of her concerts, you're liable to hear her
come out of a soulful version of a Bach fugue or a Gershwin Prelude,
right into singing a Bonnie Raitt ballad, following it with something by Sting, The Beatles or Thelonius Monk. She alternates these with a generous sprinkling of her own uniquely original songs and a vocal jam with the audience, which she calls "Vocalantics."
It doesn't take long for any audience to
get swept up in Abigail's musical journey.
REVIEW OF ABIGAIL LUMSDEN'S PREMIER CONCERT
LEONARD NIMOY THALIA at Symphony Space, NEW YORK CITY
by KATIE AGRESTA,
VOCAL TEACHER of many well-known artists, including Joe Jackson,
Bon Jovi, Dave Matthews, Annie Lenox, Cyndi Lauper
"As I left the concert hall at Symphony Space having been in attendance the evening of
Abigail Lumdsen’s New York City Concert Debut, I felt very privileged.Sometimes, certain live performances stay in your memory for a very long time because of how special they were, and I know that this evening in the concert hall was one of those nights. Not only
is Ms. Lumsden a gifted pianist and an inspired artist,she is also a charmingly available performer.
Barefoot, with her heart on her sleeve, she never broke her concentration for a second.
Seamless in her delivery of a vastly varied program, she began a journey for all who were lucky enough to be in the audience that evening. A journey which rose to great heights of brilliant joyous warmth. That feeling penetrated deeply into the soul of her performance
and into the hearts of her listeners.
She is at once a seriously accomplished, skilled craftswoman at the piano with flawless technique and amazing powers of concentration. At the same time she is an extremely funny, witty, and engaging performer.
I especially loved how she flowed through her selections of classical repertoire interspersed among her own wonderfully beautiful compositions. Her voice was gorgeous, lilting and also beautifully expressive. Her diction was impeccable and it was refreshing to be able to easily understand every word she sang.
Ms. Lumsden’s original compositions were inspired and well crafted. Her timing and inspired placement of materials as the concert unfolded, invited the audience to follow her down a path of sheer joy and entertainment. It was pleasingly evident that she was in full command of her material ~ and her performance was magical.
I was so happy to have experienced the gift of this evening. She was at once entertaining and inspiring. Thank you, Ms. Abigail Lumsden for a wonderful and memorable evening."
LEONARD NIMOY THALIA at Symphony Space, NEW YORK CITY
by KATIE AGRESTA,
VOCAL TEACHER of many well-known artists, including Joe Jackson,
Bon Jovi, Dave Matthews, Annie Lenox, Cyndi Lauper
"As I left the concert hall at Symphony Space having been in attendance the evening of
Abigail Lumdsen’s New York City Concert Debut, I felt very privileged.Sometimes, certain live performances stay in your memory for a very long time because of how special they were, and I know that this evening in the concert hall was one of those nights. Not only
is Ms. Lumsden a gifted pianist and an inspired artist,she is also a charmingly available performer.
Barefoot, with her heart on her sleeve, she never broke her concentration for a second.
Seamless in her delivery of a vastly varied program, she began a journey for all who were lucky enough to be in the audience that evening. A journey which rose to great heights of brilliant joyous warmth. That feeling penetrated deeply into the soul of her performance
and into the hearts of her listeners.
She is at once a seriously accomplished, skilled craftswoman at the piano with flawless technique and amazing powers of concentration. At the same time she is an extremely funny, witty, and engaging performer.
I especially loved how she flowed through her selections of classical repertoire interspersed among her own wonderfully beautiful compositions. Her voice was gorgeous, lilting and also beautifully expressive. Her diction was impeccable and it was refreshing to be able to easily understand every word she sang.
Ms. Lumsden’s original compositions were inspired and well crafted. Her timing and inspired placement of materials as the concert unfolded, invited the audience to follow her down a path of sheer joy and entertainment. It was pleasingly evident that she was in full command of her material ~ and her performance was magical.
I was so happy to have experienced the gift of this evening. She was at once entertaining and inspiring. Thank you, Ms. Abigail Lumsden for a wonderful and memorable evening."
George Rothman,
Conductor of the Riverside Symphony Orchestra:
"...I wanted to give you big congratulations. A terrific performance, Abby. You did a great job.You should be enjoying the afterglow of all the people in the audience that obviously loved and adored you.
I've never seen an audience quite so taken which was very touching.I know the work and effort that went into the performance and I wish you many, many of them.It was just terrific. And I hope you guys bask in the glory and all the rewards..."
Conductor of the Riverside Symphony Orchestra:
"...I wanted to give you big congratulations. A terrific performance, Abby. You did a great job.You should be enjoying the afterglow of all the people in the audience that obviously loved and adored you.
I've never seen an audience quite so taken which was very touching.I know the work and effort that went into the performance and I wish you many, many of them.It was just terrific. And I hope you guys bask in the glory and all the rewards..."