Press Release
Pensacola musician Dr. Michael Brant DeMaria is a GRAMMY Nominee! Nominations were announced last night by The Recording Academy, and DeMaria’s soundtrack “SIYOTANKA†is nominated for Best Native American Music Album.
DeMaria composed and performed the music for Pensacola Little Theatre’s 2008 production of the same name. The play, co-written by Dr. Stephen C. Lott, was inspired by a traditional Lakota legend about the creation of the Native American wooden flute, called Siyotanka. The play won seven of PLT’s Crystal Awards including best original score and performance by DeMaria, and the soundtrack album received a Native American Music Award (NAMMY) in October of this year.
DeMaria says he really didn’t think a GRAMMY nomination was possible. “The first thought I had was, ‘Am I dreaming???’ The second is that this is such a wonderful opportunity to spread the word about the value and importance of Native American culture and music and the profound nature of this story.†He adds that he hopes his nomination, “will be a stepping stone to see the play and story behind the music reach a much larger audience.â€
DeMaria is planning to attend the GRAMMY Awards ceremony at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, January 31, 2010. GRAMMY ballots for the final round of voting will be mailed on December 16 to the voting members of The Recording Academy. They are due back to the accounting firm of Deloitte by January 8, 2010, when they will be tabulated and the results kept secret until the ceremony.
On the soundtrack, DeMaria plays a wide variety of Native American flutes, drums, keyboards and many other instruments. The album received international acclaim, made it to #1 on the New Age Reporter chart and remained in the top 20 for six months. The album is available for purchase through Amazon.com, iTunes and many other online and traditional outlets.
DeMaria will be performing music from “SIYOTANKA†and his newest album, “OCEAN†during a Winter Solstice Concert at Unity Church Pensacola on Sunday, December 20 at 7pm. He composed this album in 2004 and 2005 as part of his healing from the devastating hurricanes of those years. “OCEAN†is already receiving acclaim, having been chosen Best Ambient Album of the Year by Improvijazzation Magazine. He is also presently in the studio composing and recording his next album “EARTH†for release in Fall, 2010.
To learn more about Michael Brant DeMaria and his music, visit his website, http://www.ontos.org or http://www.siyotanka.com. High resolution photos are available for download at http://www.ontos.org/integrative-psychotherapy-press.shtml.
