Holly Pyle

Pyle had little exposure music in her youth but taught herself piano at a young age. Years of school choirs, musical theater and a handful of voice lessons set Pyle on a path to Northern Arizona University to pursue opera vocal performance. A few years later her attention shifted to jazz and psychology, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2010. Pyle spent a few years exploring psychology-related careers until working at a behavioral treatment center for troubled youth; their encouragement ignited her mission towards being a career musician. Pyle now teaches voice in Tempe and West Phoenix and performs full time in a full spectrum of projects. The Stakes, a six-piece hip-hop collective, just released their debut EP, featuring all original material sung and co-written by Pyle. Holly also has a jazz-based group called House of Stairs that draw from funk, soul and pop influences to create a distinct progressive soundscape. Inspired by the visual innovations of M.C. Escher, House of Stairs approaches composition and performance in a parallel sense, exploring multi-faceted interactions between harmony, meter and lyrics that are both compelling and imaginative. Pyle also has a vocal looping project, both in a solo setting and a collaboration with multi-instrumentalist Shea Marshall. Pyle stays active in the Jazz community as well, performing with many of Arizona’s finest jazz musicians and has been added to Jazz in AZ’s annual Jazz Divas lineup.

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