Betsy Owens/Abingdon, VA

Sandra Parker has created an auditory treat with her recording "Waters Wide".

The lyrics could easily stand alone as beautiful poems, and her melodies prove her to be a very gifted composer, but her forte lies in her talent as a singer. She has a wide vocal range. It extends from a rich, resonant mezzo in "Guinevere's Lament" to a high sweet soprano in the wistful "If You Were My Love" with lyrics by Kevin Ryan.

One of the more unusual songs on the CD is "Ride the Rolling Sea." The emotional intensity of a lady's obsessive love for her sailor and the movement of the waves are emphasized by the strongly accented rhythms in the piece.

The title song, "Waters Wide," is the centerpiece of the CD. Sandra's soprano and her husband Randy's pleasant baritone sing a dialogue between two lovers who are about to part forever. Then their voices blend in a lovely duet.

There are four additional vocals and an instrumental piece on the recording. Sandra gives melodic renditions of three traditional ballads: "If I Was a Blackbird," "Rosemary Lane," and "Skye Boat Song." The last piece on the cassette is "To The Coming of Night," which has a mystical, almost ethereal quality in both Sandra's melody and Kevin Ryan's lyrics. The instrumental, "On The Moor," evokes the image of a brooding, windblown wasteland.

It is a pleasure to relax and let Sandra's music transport the listener back to those mist-shrouded Celtic islands, where lonely ladies awaited the return of their brave men who had gone to sea in ships with white canvas sails.

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By Joe Tennis

Sandra Parker might have been born too late. The Bristol resident ­ a member of Abingdon's popular chorale group Con Vivo ­ has trouble putting her music into a particular niche when describing her debut CD "Waters Wide."

Recorded in Richmond, her collection of songs ­ like an operatic treatment of the traditional Irish ballad "If I Was a Blackbird" ­ sounds more suited to the classical music of two or three centuries ago, not today's mainstream world of rap, hip-hop and bubblegum country.

"Although I have tried to write for the country market, I am hopelessly what is known to some as a "folkie,' "Parker said. " Most of my songs come out sounding like they could have been written hundreds of years ago." "Waters Wide" is a collection of original and traditional songs and songs that were co-written by Parker and local Abingdon resident, Kevin Ryan. Vocals are enhanced by the computer and synthesizer work of John Battema, a graduate of Tennessee High School.

Parker first dreamed of making the album two years ago. "I wanted to record a collection of songs dealing with the sea in some way," she said. "So many of the old ballads seem to deal with sailors and the sea and the girls they leave behind."

She shares the haunting lead vocals on the title song ­ an original composition ­ with her husband, Randy. It tells a tragic story of lovers separated forever by the sea.

"They are bidding each other farewell as he prepares to set sail for parts unknown," Sandra Parker said.

She interprets her own song in several ways.

"The gentleman may perhaps be sailing off to war - or perhaps has become one of the unwilling persons who was forced to leave Ireland during the Irish potato famine. Or perhaps he has another lady waiting in another port and is just trying to let this lady down easy."

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The Loafer - March 10, 1998

By Stevan Jackson ­ Director of Appalachian, Scottish and Irish Studies at East Tennessee State University ­ Johnson City, Tennessee

Singing at the "Go Green" St. Patrick's Day musical celebration at Barter Theatre on March 17 will be Sandra Parker. A native of Southwest Virginia, Sandra explores her heritage through her music.

With the early ballad singing of Joan Baez as inspiration, Sandra began singing ballads at the age of 12. The influence of arguably the finest female ballad singer in modern times has not been lost on Sandra.

Her crystal clear notes and her emotionally-charged vocal texture make Sandra a comparable songstress of the ballad style.

Sandra has had an extensive performance background in the past few years. She has done virtually every type of musical endeavor, from playing as a street musician for festivals in Jonesborough, to singing high-classical choral music with the highly-rated, regional choral group "Con Vivo." She performed at the 1996 Richmond State Fair and is a staple at the Virginia Highlands Festival in Abingdon, having performed there for the past several years.

This St. Patrick's Day performance sees Sandra with a brand new CD just off the press. Entitled "Waters Wide," Sandra has recorded a collection of traditional ballads as well as original material. With a very eclectic sound, Sandra has used a variety of instrumentation ­ from that traditional sound to a very synthesized, modern sounding instrumental.

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