Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Scarlet Rivera. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Scarlet, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
My Climate Music project Voice of the Animals is a collaboration of top climate scientists, visual artist and my original music resulting in an 18 minute video to highlight the climate and biodiversity crisis in the Amazon and Congo as an example of what is happening around the globe. It was premiered Sep 27 culminating Climate Week at the historic Explorers Club in NYC with live performance to the video and a panel discussion with myself, a top climate scientist and head of the Zebra Trust from Masai Mara Africa. The event added gravitas to my Voice of the Animals project which will be an ongoing live performance / panel event with audience participation at other prestigous venues in the coming year, sponsored by ClimateMusic.org and WCN Wildlife Conservation Network.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My career started was catapulted when I met Bob Dylan through a simple twist of fate walking on 13th St. NYC on a hot Summer day 1975. Some would call it a chance encounter, but I believe it was a date with destiny with the most unreachable star in the world with the highest expectations of musicians he could tap to work with. It led to an impromptu audition, an invitation to sit in with himself and Muddy Waters band, and several days later a call to show up at CBS Studio to record and become the featured soloist on the Desire album, the NBC John Hammond Special and Dylan’s first female band member on the Rolling Thunder Tour, and years later the Martin Scorsese Netflix movie Rolling Thunder.
After Dylan I recorded two solo Rock Fusion albums on Warner Brothers, New Age album, Journey With an Angel, on Polygram International and multiple original Celtic Music albums and Christmas albums as well as countless recordings as a session musician.
As an animal / environmental activist I dedicated years volunteering at Exotic and Native animal rescue sanctuaries training volunteers, educating the public, public tours, animal handling, bringing native animals to schools, brush clearing, fundraising committee and performing with my band at major fundraisers at the Mayor’s mansion and others.
I am moving into film scoring and have Screen credit this year 2024 on a Viggo Mortensen film ‘The Dead Don’t Hurt’. that wrote, starring in and Directed.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Touching and leaving a positive influence on people I may never meet, as well as moving through artificial societal boundaries with ease in order to bring people together seeing not what divides us but what we share in common
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I left my home and state of Illinois knowing there was no future for me there…I had no family support
and with little finances and no family or friends on the other side, I bought a one way flight to NYC
with the idea I would try to make it in the toughtest city in the US as a musician….It was a great risk
with no guarantee of success…
Contact Info:
- Website: https://scarletriveramusic.com
- Instagram: Scarlet Rivera
- Facebook: Scarlet Rivera
- Linkedin: [email protected]
- Twitter: [email protected]
- Youtube: scarletrivera
- Yelp: [email protected]
- Soundcloud: [email protected]
Image Credits
none