Mike Rowland & Christa Michell

New age composer Mike Rowland was born in London in 1958. As a youngster, Rowland showed a natural affinity for composing and playing the piano. After his schooling, he ran an antique shop, where he grew to appreciate the treasures that passed through his hands. He played the church organs at Albert Hall and St. Paul's Cathedral; while at home, he created dreamy compositions at his piano and synthesizer. One day in the early '80s, he heard an otherworldly, yet humble, melody while walking through the forest. Back in his living room, Rowland set up a tape recorder and played the music as best he could remember. After mixing in some orchestral strings with a synthesizer, Fairy Ring was complete. Rowland made duplicates on his home tape recorder and casually distributed them to friends and stores. From this innocent beginning, Fairy Ring spread worldwide to become one of the most enduring new age albums of all time; Shirley MacLaine immortalized the music on her video Inner Workout. Rowland occasionally gives public concerts, and during a 1986 tour in The Hague, he signed on with Oreade Music, thus assuring his recordings worldwide marketing and distribution. Rowland, however, has never lost that mystical innocence and charm. His album roster includes Piesces (1990), Within the Light (1996), and My Elfin Friends (1999). Land of Hope and Dreams followed in early 2001.