Barbara Butcher
Meet Barbara Butcher
Music is Good Medicine
Barbara's musical journey began in her hometown of Detroit, Michigan, where a steady stream of Motown hits served as the soundtrack of her youth. Motown's captivating melodies and rich harmonies had a profound impact on her musical sensibilities and still influence her today.
From a young age, her parents instilled in her a love for classical music, as well as movie musicals and musical theatre. She had a particular affinity for movie theme songs and show tunes from Broadway musicals, as well as gems from the great American songbook. Barbara spent countless hours listening to her parents’ home record collection and welcomed every chance to escape into a sonic wonderland. She was given the opportunity to attend many live music events, including classical music concerts, symphony orchestra and musical theater performances and best of all, rock concerts in downtown Detroit! What cherished memories!!!
Barbara started piano lessons at age six and continued them through high school, where she also participated in musical theater and was a member of the madrigal singers. She completed her undergraduate studies in chemistry at Wayne State University and then obtained a medical degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. It was there that she saw the legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz perform live at Hill Auditorium on several occasions. He performed works of Chopin and was absolutely spectacular! What a source of inspiration!
From Motown to Minnesota
Barbara relocated to St. Paul, Minnesota and completed her medical residency at the University of Minnesota. She attended symphony orchestra concerts (SPCO and Minnesota Orchestra) at every opportunity, and took advantage of the rich Twin Cities musical scene. She was a member of the Dale Warland Symphonic Chorus, as well as the Minnesota Chorale and Plymouth Music Series (now VocalEssence) chorus. She was greatly influenced by the music of Prince and other Twin Cities greats, including Dan Wilson of Semisonic and Peter Mayer, songwriter and guitarist extraordinaire.
She purchased her most prized possession, a Sohmer & Co. Cabinet Grand piano, in 1983, and has since written many compositions for solo piano. She has also written wedding songs and songs of remembrance.
She owes a debt of gratitude to her most influential teachers, Schoen Oslund (guitar and music theory) and Paul Kovacovic (piano composition and music theory).
Today, Barbara spends her time composing and honing her craft. When she’s not writing original music you can find her in the garden, communing with nature and chasing bunnies and squirrels away from their favorite munchables. Barbara and her outdoor friends currently reside in the Twin Cities.
