When searching by computer for talented artists in your favorite genre, a couple of simple search terms might quickly get you good results.  If not, you can try searching the many recording labels to help you find talented artists, or at least point you in the right direction.

Lisa Downing is one name to search for, and Vision Quest Entertainment is another search term you can try.  With either result, Lisa Downing’s name will appear since this business was originally her own record label and now a combined talent agency doing business as Vision Quest Entertainment, representing over 1200 musicians in Colorado.

Now that we know Lisa Downing as a businesswoman, let me tell you about her busy career as composer, recording artists, and concert pianist.  Lisa performs in many concert venues including corporate and private events, along with conducting workshops and concerts with Liz Story and Joseph Akins, among many additional reputable artists.

Teaching piano along with her academic studies, Lisa attended the University of Colorado at Denver and Metropolitan State College to study music and piano performance.  Graduating with a degree in Traditional and Nontraditional Music with Keyboard Emphasis in 1982, her educational pursuits appear to be nicely balanced too.

A Delicate Balance is her 2010 Solo Piano, New Age, Neo Classical release, in an album title that is pretty well equal to her business and creative endeavors as a Solo Pianist.  What’s interesting about the inside cover of this CD is the special written diary about the thoughts behind each song’s composition which uniquely portrays Lisa’s intimate expressions during some rather personal moments in her life. 

I did enjoy reading her diary of songs while listening and preparing for this review of A Delicate Balance since it meticulously brought her personal recounting for each composition into the picture, giving her piano melodies a conclusively heartfelt and well spoken reflection.

Without giving away all of the diary secrets, many songs like The Gift, reflect a wonderful positive expression by the classical phrasing leading to the uplifting feel given by full register piano runs.  This song aligned in a moderate tempo made me think of the intrinsic treasures a gift giver feels and the unexpected joyful surprises a recipient receives.

The song Lost nicely portrays the first quiet moments in piano composition before well placed notes makes one realize that someone dear has lost their way, leading to deeper moments of pause and curiosity by her intonation.  After bolder dynamic chords suggest a winding road of lost hope, an upbeat conclusive ending happily points to a more familiar direction, ending with a more moderate calming tone of security.

Indecision is a faster moving piece where treble runs are shown like racing thoughts of indecisiveness, where lower register chords lean towards equal balance in an affirmative way, reflecting the decisive moments in life that are pretty much universal to everyone.

No Matter What I Do involves a special dedication and meaning to Lisa and does reflect this by quieter phrases giving way to pause, leading to a wider path, where positive chords suggest a new resolve in this scenario, ending in a more relaxed contemplation.   

Lisa’s prior albums Think On These Things is much like her current personal melodies with well timed moments of reflection, and her Holiday CD Christmas for Two are traditional holiday arrangements you will easily recognize and are easy to find CDs.

A Delicate Balance is a fine Solo Piano album with the personal Lisa Downing expressive touch.  Reading her song diary while listening to her latest musical gift about finding many delicate lines during the search for perfect balance is sure to please everyone, provided they take the time to search and then find this talented artist for themselves.

Visit this Vision Quest Entertainment artist at LisaDowning.com to sample / purchase or visit her CDBaby.com page here.

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