Ann Licater is an award-winning recording artist, world flutist, favoring wood, silver, and clay flutes, as well as a producer and composer. She created and facilitates “Flute for the Soul” workshops where she plays Native American and world flutes as tools for personal discovery. Ann merges her intuition and traditional music background to create beautiful original melodies and provide an inspiring artful, sonic journey that is perfect for mindfulness practices, meditation and well-being. Also recommended for yoga, spa, healing arts, creativity, study, sleep, and overall stress reduction. Licater loves to create music that takes listeners on an inner journey.

On her six albums, Following the Call (2007), Doorway to a Dream (2010), Invitation from Within (2013), Beyond the Waves (2016), Quiet Spaces: Flute Meditations for Mindfulness and Relaxation (2018), and Whispers from Earth (2022), as in her healing concerts, Ann’s unique approach merges her intuition, spiritual perspective and traditional music background. Her love of wood and clay flutes led her to study with master flutist R. Carlos Nakai (Navajo-Ute) complementing her years of classical flute training at the MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Licater’s music accolades range from “Top Ten Best New Age Album” by Amazon music editors, to “Best Relaxation Album” by ZMR Music Awards and beyond. Her music is featured on Sirius XM, Soundscapes, a Music Choice cable radio channel, Pandora and Spotify and as in-flight entertainment for Cathay Pacific Airlines, Virgin Airlines and Air Canada under the music category “Well-Being.” Licater has performed at the World Flute Fest at Carnegie Hall, the Awakened World Conference in Rome and Florence, Italy and at “Sound Body, Sound Mind” Specialty Week at Rancho La Puerta in Tecate. Mexico. She holds a B.A. from University of St. Thomas, and an M.L.A. in Creation Spirituality from Naropa University and divides her time between the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California.

Whispers From Earth is a meditative album with soft, deeply reflective solo and duet compositions, featuring clay, wood and classical flutes, fluttering and glowing, with a pure and living sound, imagine looking up at the sky and specifically reaching out, possibly silently and alone, maybe with a campfire. Perhaps the earliest signals from Earth came about as a form of whispered prayers.

The first track is the title track, “Whispers from Earth” (4:22), which opens with a deep dry celestial electronics, accompanied by a flute. The sound is secure, with a warm feeling, drawing a celestial glow in from the distance. “Echoes from a Glass Pond” (3:26) is a solo instrument, multi tracked. A tremolo call and return reverberating across the restful expanse of the reflective water. The pace is perfectly slow and relaxing. “Peaceful Prayer” (3:21) is for a solo spirit, the light flickers and incandescence sustains, the quiet slowly reaches the spirit. A piano joins the Gaelic bird spirits, “Luminous Morning” (4:25). The track “Red Cedar Calling” (2:42) stands alone signaling, the cedar spirits are signifying. “Star Stream Dreamer” (6:17), brings an accompanied silver flute, warm flowing breath and weaving patterns, with melodic percussion.

Imagine that the water is perfectly still, the music is essentially calling from the water, “Mirror Lake Reflection” (3:05). “Initiation (Awakening)” (2:59), solo multi tracked splendor, a mysterious double tone summoning the community, calling in new spirits. Track 9, “Silver Soliloquy” (3:46) is entirely solo, playing in a huge reflective chamber, the sound is inside and above, very mindful and present. “Forest Moon Rising” (3:02) tonight calling so clearly, solo classical flute. “Redwood Memories” (3:18), where are they now? Calling low and the voice is dry, a solo wood flute multi tracked. The final track is “Following the Call (Horizons)” (4:07), somewhere a signal is going out into the universe, calling us and we hear it, we consider the possibilities of going further, joined by friends.

“Walking in nature experiencing the subtle and bold beauty of rose gardens, bamboo forests, gentle waves and sunlit pathways colored the sound, texture and feeling tone of the collection of tracks I created. Each one expresses something I felt in that quietude and connection. Recalling visits to the Sequoia National Forest and performing in the forests of Lake Tahoe—both in California—were influences, too,” says Licater.

Whispers from Earth—a collection of 12 tracks including “Peaceful Prayer,” “Redwood Memories” and “Mirror Lake Reflection”—showcases Licater’s distinct artistry on an array of world flutes including Native American, Native American-style, folk and silver alto flutes. Licater serves as executive producer, co-producer, composer, publisher, artist and indie label owner, continuing her foray into world flute-based Contemporary Instrumental and New Age music to soothe the soul, helping listeners find inner peace and well-being.

Music writer Jonathan Widran (JWVibe.com) notes, “In many ways, those whispers Ann shares via her Native American style flutes, Native American flutes, folk flute and Mayan-style drone flute sweep through us as the breath of life itself, giving flight to hope and dreams beyond the day to day.”

These flute passages for meditation and inspiration were inspired by Licater’s walks in nature—specifically at The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, in San Marino and stretches of the Pacific Coast in Laguna Beach and Malibu—all in California. She thinks of the album as “a 45-minute inner journey” perfect for a walking meditation, a lunchtime listening escape, or anytime one wants to center one’s self.

Whispers from Earth debuted on radio with five tracks on the “Deep Flutes” program (airing 11.11.22) on Hearts of Space, a syndicated radio show that is heard by approximately 200,000 listeners per week on 176 National Public Radio (NPR) stations.

Radio focus tracks for the album include “Peaceful Prayer,” performed on Native American-style flute and available as a free downloadable and early access streaming track on select platforms with a pre-sale offering; and “Luminous Morning” featuring Ann on both grand piano and Native American flute.

Reflects Licater, “I revisited the piano and my love for improvising on it. I perform both instruments in this piece, so this combination will be something new for my listeners. I named it ‘Luminous Morning’ as it feels so joyful to me—reminiscent of fluttering wings in a garden or sunlight bouncing off of ocean waves.”

Returning to co-produce with Licater are GRAMMY®-nominated artist, Peter Phippen, and Ivar Lunde, Jr. who also is the recording, mixing and mastering engineer. Musicians joining Licater on Whispers from Earth include Phippen on Shakuhachi (“Whispers from Earth”) and electric bass and Moyo Drum (“Star Stream Dreamer”); Lunde, Jr. on synthesizer (“Whispers from Earth”); and Troy Arnett on synthesizer [“Following the Call (Horizons)]” a nod to Licater’s debut album, Following the Call.

The new album, akin to Licater’s other releases, is an artful, sonic journey designed for mindfulness practices, meditation, well-being, yoga, spa, healing arts, creativity, study, sleep, and stress reduction.

Track Listing:
1. Whispers from Earth
2. Echoes from a Glass Pond
3. Peaceful Prayer
4. Luminous Morning
5. Red Cedar Calling
6. Star Stream Dreamer
7. Mirror Lake Reflection
8. Initiation (Awakening)
9. Silver Soliloquy
10. Forest Moon Rising
11. Redwood Memories
12. Following the Call (Horizons)

Connect with Ann Licater:
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