A classically-trained pianist and flutist raised by two piano teachers in southern Wisconsin, Charity moved to the Left Coast in the late 80's in search of balance. She set her compass due West, not looking back until arriving at the triple junction of earth, sky, and sea. Here, where the intricate forests of the Santa Cruz Mountains meet the wild shores of the Pacific, she planted seeds and put down roots.

Charity immersed herself in the Bay Area worlds of folk, rock, and bluegrass, and began writing music. She played and sang in Berkeley- and San Francisco-based bands Buffalo Roam, Night of the Iguana, A Rare Thing, and The Great Highway Band, composing and poeting all along. She eventually embarked on a solo journey, and firstborn came into being.

Charity's first solo effort, firstborn captures a subset of music composed over the last decade, including two instrumentals. The songs explore the existential, the mystical, and the real in raw and mesmerizing poetry. Her voice is simultaneously angelic and haunting, and her piano playing is emotional and technical. The result is music that is at the same time relaxing and compelling.

Charity's experiences as a mathematician, an extreme rock climber, an author, a teacher, and a mother inform her songwriting and performance.

On songwriting: "I am continually in awe of the process through which songs are born...a letting go...an opening...and then a visit from the muse. A surge of rhythm, melody, harmony, and poetry flows into my hands and voice, manifesting in a song."

On inspiration: "Bach, childbirth, Joni, Peet's coffee, the mountains, Chopin, Shawn, Gershwin, the van, the Rockfellow Group, candlelight services, Sarah, chaos, Black Buttress, the forest, Beethoven, my core (you know who you are), red wine, Rickie Lee, the beach out front, Brahms, Table, and yoga, in no particular order. Thanks for facilitating my opening to the muse."