Every great story needs a voice to elevate it beyond the page. For 40 years, Felicia Farerre has been using her pure soprano to do just that. Her voice has been featured in 300: Rise of an Empire, and promotion for Disney’s Maleficent.
Through her work with the Taliesin Orchestra, Felicia’s vocals and lyrics have topped the Billboard charts sitting at No.1 for the longest time allowed. Recently Felicia has brought together an incredible team of musicians to form “Epic Women” an album known as “The Shero’s Journey.”
Classical Crossover Magazine: When did you know music would be your life’s path?
Felicia Farerre: My first awareness of music as my life’s path was at around the age of three. Even though I tried to find other paths, and explored other paths, the path of music stuck with me like a true and loyal friend.
Classical Crossover Magazine: What were the musical soundtracks that inspired you as a young musician?
Felicia Farerre: Thanks to my father, who had his Ph.D. in music and education administration, and to my mother who was an accomplished pianist, I was exposed to a wide variety of wonderful music. Their tastes were eclectic and diverse. Our house was filled with the beauty of music from every genre. I am very grateful for this. It gave me a great love for music in general. It gave shape to not only my musical preferences but to my sound as a vocalist, producer, and composer.
As far as classical music goes, I was most inspired by Bach, Mozart, Debussy, Handel, Tchaikovsky, and Beethoven. I was very inspired by musical theater pieces by Rodgers and Hammerstein. As a child, I had the opportunity to audition for and participate in various musical theater productions.
I was influenced and inspired by the soundtracks of many Disney movies, the original soundtrack for the movie A Star Is Born, and the soundtrack work of John Barry. Especially his soundtrack for Somewhere In Time that featured the work of Rachmaninov. I love the work of Michael Convertino, the late James Horner, Rachel Portman, Danny Elfman, and many others. The list of those who have inspired me over the years is truly endless.
Classical Crossover Magazine: You have been a featured voice on many film and television soundtracks. What have been some of your favorite and most challenging?
Felicia Farerre: My work with Joseph LoDuca on a handful of his tv and film score pieces stands out in the favorite category. He was very kind and pleasant to work with. He gave concrete directives based on the visuals of the film or television segment and what the music needed to portray. He described the scene and the overall feeling, and then he allowed me the freedom to interpret the song from there. It was a harmonious and positive process.
The film trailer for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was recorded live, with an orchestra sitting behind me. Even though I was accustomed to high pressure, get it right the first time professional vocal work in the era of analog recordings; (tape and roll back in my early days of session work), being recorded with a live orchestra was even more demanding. It was certainly challenging but on the other side of the experience, I gained deeper confidence in my abilities. Such is life. We learn through each experience that challenges us.
Classical Crossover Magazine: Among other musical endeavors, you were the vocalist, arranger, and songwriter for the Taliesin Orchestra. How did your participation with this group first begin?
Felicia Farerre: My sister, Donna Gibbons was a friend to Trammell Starks, the creator of The Taliesin Orchestra. She introduced my younger brother, the late Rich Gibbons, to Trammell. They did several album projects together under the umbrella of a niche genre record label called Intersound. I was involved with several of those projects and eventually, Trammell Starks asked for my participation in The Taliesin Orchestra album projects specifically.
Classical Crossover Magazine: With the group, you experienced great Billboard chart success. What was it like the first time you made it to the No.1 spot?
Felicia Farerre: There was a sense of accomplishment and I was honored to be a part of that success. At the same time, I felt quite removed from certain aspects of the success. The record label and the group name/brand had the spotlight and the financial benefit. I was paid a flat fee for my work and while I was grateful for the remuneration I received, in the end, it wasn’t entirely equitable. Looking back, I can see that my lack of self-esteem and self-honor was the primary issue. I don’t put it on anyone else. I was unconsciously creating these types of situations and allowing or enabling inequitable terms. That was then. This is now. This experience and others like it definitely woke me up and gave me the inspiration to do something proactive; to be the change I wanted to see rather than waiting for the change to happen. Creating the Epic Women project has been a sort of alchemy for me; a way to transmute underwhelming experiences into positive possibilities.
Classical Crossover Magazine: In addition to your own singing, you are also a teacher and technician. Can you tell us a little bit about your book and method for singers?
Felicia Farerre: My book is a no-nonsense approach to discovering and developing your true voice. It was born out of my personal experience of vocal limitation and not being able to find the answers to those limitations. Even after working with some of the most renowned vocal coaches in America, I was still limited in my ability to sing full voice in my upper range. I was able to transition into head voice seamlessly but I could not find my powerful middle voice, or ability to belt as some people call it. For years, it felt like I was crossing rough waters without anything to steady me regarding my voice. When all along, I just needed to find the bridge that would allow me to cross those waters with ease. Thankfully, my professional work did not suffer but I was suffering in the background knowing that my voice was missing a puzzle piece. No matter what I did, what I read, or who I studied with, I couldn’t find that elusive missing piece.
After years of searching, I finally had my Eureka moment that changed everything for me vocally. I had been through and was going through significant life changes. My entire belief system was under construction. Perhaps this was the catalyst that shifted my auditory perception as well and allowed me to receive the answers I had been searching for regarding my voice for such a long time. It was on my drive from my former life in Utah to my future life in Tennessee that my Eureka moment happened. I was listening to Faith Hill’s album Breathe when a shift occurred in my ability to listen. Suddenly, what I once heard as singing, started to break down into very simple, concrete terms. For the first time ever, what I heard wasn’t someone singing at all. What I heard was someone speaking, whispering, yelling, laughing, and crying in various pitches.
For the next several years, I retrained my voice based on my new understanding. As a result, I enjoyed unlimited vocal expression for the first time in my life. I also enjoyed the fruits of my labors regarding the professional work I was asked to do and able to do with ease. I went on to teach a great number of vocal students with my new understanding about the voice and from a place of real-world professional experience. I was so pleased about the results I experienced in my own voice and in the voices of my students that I wanted to write it down and share it with others who may face similar vocal limitations as those that I had experienced. In writing down my experience, I developed my own unique vocal methodology which became my book, Real Singers Don’t Sing. This book is a powerful foundation for anyone in any genre of music who wishes to understand the technical aspects of the voice. It is a profound way to discover your true voice. My vocal awareness continues to evolve and has expanded to include the emotional, psychological, and spiritual aspects of the voice. I would love to write a second book about these aspects.
Classical Crossover Magazine: You have been in the music industry for nearly 40 years which is incredible. What are some of the most valuable lessons you have learned?
Felicia Farerre: Through the experience of using my ears as deep listening tools for so many years I have learned to lean on their wisdom. I say that my ears have eyes. This is what it feels like. I have learned that listening is a beautiful gift. It is one of the most important skills a vocalist can develop. I have learned that for me, success as a vocalist means being a pure conduit of light through sound; one that allows the listener to experience their own light or divinity. I have learned that if you want to be honored and respected in the music industry or in any part of life, you must show your cards at the table, check your ego at the door, and keep your heart at the center of all you do. Look to serve the all, rather than just the self. I have learned to value my gifts and share them with those who value them as well. I have learned that reclaiming your voice, especially as a woman, is a life-long journey; a shero’s journey, of which I am still a curious traveler. I have learned that no matter what path you are here to walk, being true to yourself and your path is the most courageous thing you will ever do. It takes absolute bravery to discover who you are, why you are here, and whatever the path, to figure out what changes for good you can make right where you are. I have learned that you don’t have to be a person of great means or status in order to facilitate and support meaningful change. I have learned that How I do anything, is how I do everything.
Classical Crossover Magazine: Tell us how the Epic Woman group/project came about?
Felicia Farerre: Three years ago, I had the idea to gather a group of female composers, producers, and artists together from epic music, music for media, and soundtrack genres. I liked the idea but felt a bit resistant to go into action. My life situation, my career, my own set of unique circumstances as well as past pain with women in various situations put a real damper on my motivation to move forward with the concept. I frankly had to do some soul-searching and important inner healing in order to create the Epic Women project. My conviction is that if you want to create change, you must start with yourself. If you want to heal any situation, you must first heal yourself. For me, this applies to the ongoing global challenge of inequality. If we can each explore our part in any dynamic and heal our part, it serves as a positive element in the alchemy that can effect lasting change.
After a year of working on myself, I finally felt ready, albeit still nervous, to start sharing the idea of the Epic Women project with a few fellow female artists. To my heart’s ease, when I started sharing my idea, I was met with excitement, enthusiasm, and support. I initially shared the Epic Women project concept with my sister Donna and my friend Jennifer Thomas; two very talented musicians. They have been very supportive since the beginning of the Epic Women endeavor. At the end of 2019, right before the pandemic hit, the Epic Women group officially gathered and we began creating a collective album. The pandemic really slowed down the creative process but we continued to plug along. Finally, after much ado, the Epic Women group released The Shero’s Journey album in partnership with Warner Chappell Production Music, Germany on February 1st, 2022.
The women’s charity aspect has been at the heart of the Epic Women project from the beginning. Part of the proceeds from The Shero’s Journey album goes to COEEF (Children of Ethiopia Education Fund). We are so honored to be working with this charity that provides education and help for young girls. Their conviction is, and we agree, that when you educate a girl, you empower her nation. When anyone buys or streams The Shero’s Journey album, they will be helping COEEF as well.
Stream Epic Women – the Shero’s Journey on Spotify
Classical Crossover Magazine: Who are some of the ‘Epic Women’ who have encouraged you?
Felicia Farerre: I have looked to my ancestors for inspiration and encouragement on many occasions. My ancestral roots are from The House of Stuart (Mary Queen of Scots), The House of Tudor, and The Hamiltons of Arran. They were courageous, epic people. I also look to the women who raised me for encouragement. I was raised by powerful women, strong women with brave hearts and epic courage. My maternal grandmother, my mother, my aunts, and the mothers I have adopted over the years have shown me the north. They have encouraged me and empowered me. They showed me that real strength is gentleness and that love is the greatest weapon there is.
I am blessed with three beautiful daughters and a granddaughter. They are my greatest joy! They encourage and inspire me to be a force for good in the world. I am also blessed with three beautiful, epic sisters. They have encouraged me and shown me what unwavering, unconditional love looks like. My sister, Donna, aka Emanate Music. composed one of the tracks for The Shero’s Journey album. She has seen me through thick and thin and has encouraged me with love and grace through the process of creating, managing, and sharing the Epic Women project. My sister, Tricia, and I are embarking on a new shero’s journey together in creating The Epic Women Podcast. We are very excited to share this aspect of the Epic Women project! While the music component will remain my primary focus regarding the Epic Women project, Tricia and I aim to create a more inclusive community with The Epic Women Podcast. We want to establish an environment where women from every walk of life can connect, learn from one another, share stories, and encourage and empower each other.
Classical Crossover Magazine: As you look to the future, what are some of the areas you’d like to explore?
Felicia Farerre: Maybe I should look more to the future but I have a conviction that what I am doing today is my future; will become my future. I agree with the quote by Lao Tzu that says If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading. I will keep my eyes open and heart curious to new avenues of interest that may come into my view but for now, I see and honor what is right here and now.
www.feliciafarerre.com
