Heather Christian | |
|---|---|
| Born | New Orleans,Louisiana |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, librettist, singer |
| Years active | 2004-present |
Heather Christian is an American singer, playwright, and composer best known for 2017'sAnimal Wisdom at theBushwick Starr andOratorio for Living Things, which ranOff Broadway atArs Nova in the spring of 2022.[1][2]
Christian was born inNew Orleans and raised inNatchez, Mississippi. Growing up, she was involved in children's choir and high school theater. She is a graduate of theTisch School of the Arts atNew York University, where she studied experimental theater.[2][1]
Christian served as the composer for theFolger Shakespeare Library production ofAs You Like It in 2017.[3] Later that year, she debutedAnimal Wisdom, a autobiographical work based onsupernatural encounters from her childhood in Natchez. The work's original run at theBushwick Starr received several extensions and a new film version of the piece was released on Broadway on Demand in 2021.[4]
I am Sending You the Sacred Face, adrag opera aboutMother Teresa composed by Christian and performed by Joshua William Gelb, was released online as part of the Theater in Quarantine series in December 2020.[5]
In spring 2022, theArs Nova theater presented Christian's choral workOratorio for Living Things as anOff-Broadway production directed by Lee Sunday Evans.[6]
In 2024, "Terce: A Practical Breviary" (the second of eight planned works in her Breviary Cycle[7]) premiered as part of thePrototype Festival.[8] Co-Produced byHERE Arts Center and The Space at Irondale, the show ran from January 10th through February 2nd and received critical acclaim, including aNew York Times Critic's Pick.[9] Christian received a special citation for Terce's composition from theNew York Drama Critics' Circle.[10]
Christian is a frequent collaborator of directorJanicza Bravo, scoring her 2017 featureLemon as well as many short films. In 2020, she provided music forThe Craft: Legacy, directed byZoe Lister-Jones. She also scored twoAdult Swim television programs:The Shivering Truth andTeenage Euthanasia.[11]
In 2020, Christian contributed the episode "Prime: A Practical Breviary" toSoundstage, a podcast produced by theatrical groupPlaywrights Horizons.[12]
Christian fronts a band called Heather Christian and the Arbornauts.[1]
Christian is based inNew York City. She was raisedCatholic and served as a musician for the Catholic Church until the age of 26. Although she no longer considers herself a member of the Church, she describes herself as spiritual.[4]
Christian received an Obie Award for her composition ofThe World is Round, which ran atBrooklyn Academy of Music in 2014.[13]