Karen Harvey-Dewey: I am 'composer'/playwright/librettist/screenwriter/singer-songwriter/artist/writer-author, environmental peace activist, researcher, and teacher. I was born in 1947 in Wisconsin, USA within a few hours of the beautiful Great Lakes. My formal background is in education and the arts—having Bachelor Science degrees in Physical Education, Art, and Biology.
In Nov. through January 2021, my 'MUSICAL-fantasy' screenplay, "Lady of the Rose--a Musical Odyssey", won several awards -- among them, "Best Unproduced Script" in the"International Film Festival Milan/World Cinema Milan". It also won "Best Song/Best Music /Best Songwriting" in the Near Nazareth Festival 2021. "Lady of the Rose ..." scored as a Semi-finalist in the Fantasy/Sci-Fi "Vegas Movie Awards", Oct. 2021: ("Best 6" out of 5,000 entries). It recently made the International Screenplay Association's "Sci-Fi/Fantasy Genre Busting" Quarter Finals, and was "Selected" as a Quarter Finalist in the "Atlanta International Screenplay Awards. "Lady of the Rose..."became a "nominee" for the 2021 French "Fantasy Film Festival FFF - Le Festival du Film du Fantasme" and was most recently "Selected" for the Picasso Einstein Buddah Fest.
As a nature enthusiast, I found a pressing need to try to understand the "light", and "dark". This compulsion came after witnessing the meanness of exploitation (as a "Witness for Non-violence") at Wisconsin's Northern boat landings, where white locals were pitted against Red. 'A civil war' over fishing rights, and ultimately over mineral resources tore lives apart (early 1990's). As a catharsis, from the witness of unfathomable inhumanity to 'Natives', I wrote folk songs to celebrate Life, and try to explain darkness. Many of these songs became the musical-foundation for Lady of the Rose--a Musical Odyssey.
My music reaches into personal/global experience with its rhythmic, melodic lines and lyrics. The music is fresh and relevant, spanning the late '70's to the present. It can be humorous, visionary, and polemic, with '60's flavor and bite--but always hopeful. Genres include children's songs, folk, country, folk-rock, and musical theatre (electronic, classical, rock, and ragtime).
The music comes in great measure from my love of nature. Earthly images are to be found in both lyrics and "sonic-sound-scapes". There are subtle magical "happenings" hidden in some of the songs--unanticipated sound-events from the 'natural world'--- "that's the magic" ... . I have oftentimes felt guided, (or haunted) by some mysterious force chiming into my art, and recordings: songbirds, a hatching egg, a 'ghost voice', gunfire, drum rolls, even a phantom train" etc., etc.
I play guitar and keyboard, and first recorded out my Wisconsin home studio: Wolford and Harvey Studios/Musart Project LLC.
Art & Writings: in the mid 2000's, there were several museum exhibitions of my art and photographs. I did school story-readings/music tours with Earth Day themes--and gave slide-presentations of my children's book, "Pau Pua and the Watering Hole" (co-authored with studio partner M. Wolford). I also published several environmental news articles, mostly related to mining, nuclear, and Native American issues.
Dewey & Harvey Studios: in 2016, Michael Dewey and I were married; I moved from WI to the Southwest, (my second place of inspiration). In Texas, we setup Dewey-Harvey music studio. There, my script for "Lady of the Rose--a Musical Odyssey" was completed. As of August, 2021, the music and script was finished and ready to market (in part or whole) -- for readings, concert-readings, concerts, licensing & development for stage performances, and film production.
U.S. copyrights have been registered either under my maiden name (Karen J. Wentworth Harvey) and/or under my married name (Karen J. W. Harvey-Dewey). The musical-fantasy stage-play, Lady of the Rose--a Musical Odyssey, was initially U.S. copyright registered in 2007; the script and music was completed & updated since, and recently registered with Writers Guild of America/WGAW (2020 & 2021) in both screenplay and stage play formats. For sure, "It’s been a long, long, yet magical journey”.
My sculptures, and Apostle Islands photographic water series are copyright registered under the title:"Spirit forms of an Island". Song albums registered include: "Songs for a New Millennium", and "Flambeau Fire--Politically Hot".
Musical background: I am a self-taught singer-songwriter & folk-guitarist. I performed around the WI Great Lakes region at eco-events/festivals, coffee houses, and political fund-raisers.
As a child, I had 3 years of piano lessons. In Jr. high school, I took orchestra and had violin lessons. When my family moved from the city to country, I joined the high school chorus. Christmas was a special time with home-spun family entertainment: Mom on the piano, sister Kris on the flute and me on Dad's beautiful hand carved violin. Certainly, I was influenced by my Mother and Grandmother's, love of music, piano and musical theater; also by my Fathers and Mother’s and Grandmother’s love of art and nature.
Although I have enjoyed several live musical productions throughout the years, I have had minimal experience in musical theatre. As a kid, I produced a ‘hilarious’ garage adaptation of "South Pacific". As a Jr. high school physical education instructor in Illinois, I taught movement exploration and modern dance, and sponsored/curated two modern dance community perform- ences. My students and I also enjoyed school bus trips to Chicago's theaters.
As an environmental activist I wrote a comedy-play concerning the looming prospect of mining in Wisconsin; it incorporated my mining law and environmental research, with a squirrel protagonist vs. the Mining Company CEO.
If interested, there is a bit more about my art, recordings, and earlier studio partner/mentor, Merle, Wolford (Medicine Woman) -- see the “Bio” menu on my website: www.musartproject.com. Also the Demo-Album for Lady of the Rose--a Musical Odyssey can be heard on the musartproject website--via the MUSIC menu.
Professional Memberships: I have a membership with ASCAP. In 2020 I became a member of MusicalWriters.com, TheaterMakers.com, CreateTheatre.com and Maestra to better familiarize myself with the theater scene—and to polish my skills, and help facilitate the completion and production of Lady of the Rose--a Musical Odyssey.
Travel: The USA, Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, Yucatan Peninsula, and Spain.
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