Born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Sora was classically trained on violin and piano as a child and toured with a youth orchestra and fiddling group when she was a teenager. Surprisingly, however, it's only recently that she became a singer, shortly after the birth of her first daughter in 2000 (she and her husband have four children). "I'd been away from music for years, and I was starting to feel like something was missing in my life," recalls the vocalist, who majored in psychology at the University of Calgary and graduated with honours. "I started taking voice lessons as something just for me, and things just blossomed from there."

The initial fruits of Sora's newfound voice were 2003's Winds of Change, a collection of traditional folk songs from the British Isles, and 2007's Light, a four-track EP. In 2009, Sora released a full length album of original compositions, Heartwood, in which Sora delves deeply into examinations of human archetypes, all held within a contemporary framework. With this release, Sora received airplay on many college and community radio stations, charting on several while the reviews poured in, unanimously applauding her crystalline voice and unusual lyrical vision within the songs. While her love of mythology plays a central role in her songs, Sora maintains that for her it's not simply about setting tales to music. "It's always my goal to understand the heart of the myth, rather than to simply retell a story," she says. "I'm far more interested in discovering why that myth is still meaningful today." And like those ancient myths themselves, the songs Sora sings have a hauntingly elusive resonance that will surely see them echoing throughout the ages to come.

Sora's uncanny sensitivity to meaning within stories and her ability maintain urban relevancy within the organic settings of her music is starting to garner recognition. In 2010, Sora was commissioned to give voice to Calgary Family Service's 100 year anniversary, which became the song, Legacy, recorded with Juno-nominated producer, Douglas Romanow and performed at the gala event. "My ultimate goal is to create something that people would want to listen to and get lost in,"

Praise for Sora

"Sora's sweet voice, potency of lyric and attention to musical detail captivated me. It made me want to hear more after the very first song. I was never disappointed."
R J Lannan: Zone Music Reporter

"Few albums can be described as perfect, but this one definitely deserves that distinction. Sora takes her listeners to a magical place when she sings, one that few if any will want to leave."
Mossip

"Some musicians are performers and some are true artists. It seems clear from every detail of "Heartwood" that Sora belongs in the latter cateogory."
Catherine L.Tully: Celtic mp3 Music Magazine

Heartwood

Scorpion Moon