Balter/Welsh

Margie Balter

Balter's CD Music From My Heart: Solo Piano Pieces by Margie Balter has received critical acclaim from respected artists such as Taj Mahal and Thomas Newman. Numerous accolades include winning “Piano Album of the Year” at the 2008 L.A. Music Awards, and "Best Piano Performance" at the 2009 L.A. Music Awards. Track #3 ‘Bluesie’ from her CD (titled ‘Why Me?” in the film) is featured in “Date Night” starring Tina Fey and Steve Carell.

Chuck Crisafulli from Hollywood Reporter/Billboard/GRAMMYmagazine wrote: “One might turn to Margie Balter's 'Music From My Heart' for a master class in the artful subtleties of piano performance, but what grabs a listener is not simply brilliant technique but the emotional power of the works. Balter's beautifully, often hauntingly understated compositions put feeling and melody forward, with results that are soothing, moving, and inspiring. Wonderful music to begin or end a day with.”

Balter has been supporting her release with a series of concerts around the United States, including Steinway Hall, NYC, and The Grove, Los Angeles.

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pa., Margie Balter began ballet and tap at age 3 and piano by age 4. The flute and violin, as well as acting and singing, all followed in quick succession and are still part of her life today             

She studied theater at Northwestern University and earned a Cum Laude Bachelor’s Degree at the University of Washington in Seattle in ethnomusicology. She performed in many ensembles ranging from jazz to funk and reggae, and for five years was a member of the Seattle –based African music band “Dumi and the Minanzi Marimba Ensemble,” where she played marimba, rattle and drums and was a featured dancer. The group’s widespread popularity found them on the stage almost every night with performances at The Kennedy Center and opening for artists such as Taj Mahal, Grover Washington, The Neville Brothers, and John McLaughlin.            

Margie moved to Los Angeles to expand her career in show business, began teaching piano, and became known as “Piano Teacher to the Stars.             

Balter’s film coaching career took off when she coached Holly Hunter for the film ‘The Piano’. Hunter earned an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance.  Following the success of ‘The Piano’, Balter went on to coach Tom Cruise for ‘Interview With A Vampire’, Scarlett Johansson for ‘The Man Who Wasn’t There’, Sandra Bullock for ‘The Net’, Greg Kinnear for ‘The Last Song’, Barbara Hershey for ‘Portrait Of A Lady’, Sanaa Lathan for HBO’s ‘Disappearing Acts’, Kevin Spacey for ‘Beyond The Sea’, and many more.                   

Balter has six credits in the film ‘Beauty Shop’, in which she coached Paige Hurd and Djimon Honsou. She also composed a piece featured prominently in Hurd’s piano recital scene, and played and arranged solo piano segments for the film.            

Other composing credits include US Olympic Committee film ‘City Of Gold’ and the entire score for the Sci-Fi Thriller ‘Lightspeed’, starring David Carradine and Karen Black.

Margie has acted in numerous films, television shows and theater pieces, was in an improv comedy troupe for 10 years and still performs a one-woman show. At the piano she has performed for countless audiences, including performances for Dustin Hoffman, James Garner, Michael Keaton, Michelle Pfeiffer and David E. Kelly.

Shea Welsh

Baltimore born, East Coast raised, West Coast transplant, Shea Welsh, currently resides in Los Angeles California. Shea has been actively recording, performing, writing, producing and teaching music on both coasts for the past decade. His masterful command of the guitar in Rock, Jazz, R&B, Blues, Latin and Classical styles keeps him in high demand with the industries top producers and artists. He is featured on recordings with Britney Spears, Mya, Raven Symone, Penelope Magnet, Slim Man, Christa West, EZRA and many others. He has worked with producers Tricky Stewart, (Britney Spears, Madonna, Mya), Darryl Swan, (Macy Gray), LeMel Humes, (Whitney Houston, Miki Howard), Ron Nevison, (Heart, Ozzy Osbourne), Daniel Lanois, (U2, Peter Gabriel) and Charles Dockins, (Slip & Slide Records, London). He has logged numerous session hours in the top studios all over the country including. The Record Plant in Los Angeles, Red Zone Studios in Atlanta, Manhattan Center Studios in New York, Omega Studios in D.C. and Raleigh Studios also in LA.

Shea is also a consummate live performer. He leads his own highly acclaimed jazz/rock group, The Shea Welsh Group , which has performed at Los Angeles’s world famous club, The Baked Potato, The Jazz Bakery in LA and the 2001 EMMY Awards. He is also quite active as a sideman. He has toured the country with the jazz groups Slim Man and Bonafide. He works with R&B Artist Warrior, Bohemian Soul act Ezra and singer/songwriter Christa West with whom he co-wrote her latest record Nothing Is Not Enough.

Shea has also distinguished himself as a top notch educator, having written two books for the National Guitar Workshop that are distributed worldwide by The Alfred Publishing Company. The books are entitled Blues Guitar Lessons Volume I & II. He is currently writing a book for Mel Bay Publishing that will help guide high school students into The USC Thornton School Of Music’s Jazz and Studio Guitar Program. This will also serve as the textbook for the USC Summer Guitar Program that Shea designed and teaches. Shea received his Bachelor of Music Degree from Towson University in Baltimore and his Master of Music Degree from The University of Southern California.