Jillian Horton

She's a singer whose songs speak of beauty and pain, a pianist of depth shaped through years of rigorous classical study. She's also a medical doctor…and she's just twenty-nine years old.

Jillian Horton, vivacious, articulate and determined, is unquestionably an extraordinary young woman. And now her music, a synthesis of poetic lyrics and haunting melodic lines, is available through the release of her debut recording. With echoes of inspirational forces as far flung as Joni Mitchell and Erik Satie, Jillian's songs are tender journeys through facets of life recognizable to all who have ever hoped, loved, lost…and hoped again. Sung in a voice that moves from a pure, light-as-a-feather whisper, to a bold soaring cry.

Born in Brandon, Manitoba, Jillian's journey through medicine and music is startlingly unique. By her mid-teens she was studying at Vermont's renowned Adamant Music School. Dreams that she might become a concert pianist were crushed by the onset of tendonitis, but she continued to write songs while obtaining a masters degree in English, a medical degree from McMaster University, and at the same time publishing stories and writing plays, one of which was mounted at several Canadian theatres.

Her CD features songs of life fully lived -- for instance Less of Me, a powerful coming of age ballad; Winnipeg, a bittersweet tale of love gone wrong and Beautiful Ride, a gem of a love song. Intimate, soulful, and filled with a spark uniquely Jillian Horton, the songs reveal her love of story-telling, imbued with sophistication and grace.

Jillian Horton photos: Ivan Otis