Biography for Dr. Liesa Norman

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Liesa Norman is an accomplished flutist, pianist and composer who holds a doctorate in music. She has performed with the Vancouver Symphony, numerous Canadian and American chamber ensembles and as well, records with various rock and pop artists throughout the UK and North America. She has been featured on CBC radio and television, Vancouver television, CJRT radio Toronto and City T.V., in Canada as well as KNAU radio and KRON 4 television in the USA and the BBC in London, England. At the same time, Liesa is a model and actress who you may have seen on one of several international runways, or on many movie and television sets.

Liesa started her multi-faceted career in Toronto where she received her bachelors and masters degrees in music and has since performed and recorded in Canada, the United States and Europe. She is a co-founder and member of the eclectic ensemble Forbidden Flutes, which performs and records a variety of works ranging from classical to modern, including contemporary film music, funky jazz arrangements and newly commissioned works. They have recently been touring in Canada and will be performing at the Painted Sky Music Festival for the third consecutive year in Arizona, USA. Forbidden Flutes were also featured performers at the National Flute Convention in Nashville, USA in August 2004. Most recently, they performed, recorded and lectured at Florida State University in January 2005.

Liesa also works as a composer and jazz arranger; her works are classically inspired yet filled with jazz and contemporary overtones. She has recently finished composing and recording the score for a feature film for BBC television in the UK as well as a wilderness television soundtrack featuring Bill Cameron. Currently, Liesa is writing music for a television makeover series and several on-line web commercials.

She also enjoys recording and performing flute and piano improvisations with her five piece band Beatthief, a genre-crossing “organic house” ensemble. Beatthief fuses elements of Jazz, Funk, and Electronica with the pure tonal pleasures of symphonic melodiousness resulting in a combination that is as sleek, as it is sexy. Beatthief has performed at the premier of the James Bond movie “Die Another Day” and was most recently featured at the M.A.C. show held at Vancouver’s premier venue The Commodore. Liesa’s other passions include music education; she runs her own music studio where she teaches piano, flute, music theory and history lessons and running events that make use of her diverse skills. She has combined her modelling experience with her musical talent by co-ordinating, arranging and performing music for major fashion show productions in Toronto, Montreal, Miami and London, England. Liesa is currently launching a new chamber music series specializing in multi-disciplinary concerts and will focus on raising money for music lessons and concerts for the underprivileged as well as various charitable organizations.