An artist crossed with an academic, Holly completed dual undergraduate degrees in classical voice and cognitive science, co-currently, at Peabody Conservatory and Johns Hopkins University with graduate studies at The Curtis Institute of Music and NYU Stern School of Business. As a soloist, she’s toured Brazil, Argentina, the UK, Canada, Germany and the Czech Republic and performed with opera companies and orchestras across the US in repertoire ranging from Handel to Berg, Bach to Bernstein. Her forays into operetta and contemporary art song have led to performances at Carnegie Hall, Philadelphia’s Verizon Hall and Boston’s Symphony Hall amongst others. Favorite roles include: Die Konigin der nacht, Zerbinetta, Marie (Fille du Regiment), Cunnegonde and Amina (La Sonnambula).
For 8 years, concomitant with her musical career, Holly curated content and negotiated brand partnerships for institutions world over representing leading public intellectuals and artists including Salman Rushdie, Neri Oxman, Steven Pinker, Margaret Atwood, Patti Smith, Jared Diamond and Spike Lee. She also collaborated with major Hollywood firms on ventures for: Peyton Manning, Tina Fey, Dan Ariely, Kal Penn, Sir Bob Geldof and Anderson Cooper amongst others.
Self-Knowledge liberates people from their biggest nemesis: themselves. Vedic Meditation provides direct access to self-knowledge daily. This ultiamtely allows one to get out of her own way, to learn to human-merely-be (herself) unencumbered by stress, fear or doubt. For joy and wonder are our birthrights: not fleeting, temporal, object-oriented sensation or transient post-accomplishment high. Joy is who we are underneath the costumes we’ve donned in an effort to armor ourselves against life’s (perceived) slings and arrows.
The (poetic) daughter of ee cummings and Teresa Stratas, Holly is fundamentally a human-merely-being learning, evermore, to say yes—damn straighter than straight—yes to LIFE.
Holly’s gnostic education includes completion of the 3-year Alexander Technique Teacher Training (1600+ hours) at the American Center for Alexander Technique in NYC with advanced certification through master teacher John Nichols. In 2015, Holly learned Vedic Meditation from Thom Knoles—one of the preeminent masters of Vedic knowledge globally—who also graduated her as an Initiator (teacher) of Vedic Meditation upon his intensive teacher training in India in 2020. Upon graduation, she was inducted into the Shankaracharya tradition by Shri Shri 1008 Mahamandaleshwar Swami Kailashanand Brahamchari, Supreme Authority of Vedic knowledge in India.
© 2020 Human-Merely-Being