Shawna Carol is an internationally recognized composer, recording artist, sound healer, and author. She served as the musician-in-residence at the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies for five years, and has performed from coast to coast, including serving as the Song Weaver at many major conferences including, the Women of Wisdom Festival, and the Body & Soul Conferences. Carol has shared the stage with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Michael Jones, Jennifer Berezan, Babatunde Olatunji and Ubaka Hill among others. She is a top selling artist on Ladyslipper Records with her most recent CD, Goddess Chant.

In addition to her work as a composer/performer, Carol founded and directs The Way of Song Center at Riversong Sanctuary, in Kauai, and is the author of The Way of Song: Freeing the Voice Sounding The Spirit, St. Martin's Press.   She has facilitated SpiritSong Workshops at the Omega Institute, The New York Open Center, Julia Cameron's "Creativity Camp", The Glastonbury Goddess Conference, and at Paul Winter's "Living Music Village". "People come from all walks of life, most without previous singing experience, to sing in community and allow their spirits to find a voice," comments Carol. "Witnessing people finding their true 'Spititsong' has been one of the most profound experiences in my life." And meaningful it has been to its thousands of participants. Carol notes that within a year of coming to SpiritSong many have left dysfunctional jobs or relationships, or made other life-altering changes. "I hope people leave SpiritSong workshops or concerts with the sense that they have an authentic and unique voice, with important work to do and to offer."

Carol has done other spiritually-centered recordings as well. She has also recorded VOWS: A Songwriters Sketchbook, which features a rich array of her own songs and includes a setting of Deena Metzger's poem, "Vows"; and Chakra, an instrumental work Carol composed for the purpose of opening the chakras. She has recently released a folk/rock CD, Gaia Rocks, which offers catchy progressive message music.

For the past several years, a major focus of Carol's artistry and attention has been the development of live Ritual Performances of Goddess Chant. Since its premiere in 1998 Goddess Chant has been performed in New York City, in Rochester, New York, at the Omega Institute; in San Antonio, Texas; and in one of the country's oldest cathedrals, Arlington St. Church in Boston. Goddess Chant received its West Coast Premiere in Seattle at the WOW Festival in February 2000 and its European Premiere at the Goddess Conference, Glastonbury England, 2003. Choirs from all over the United States have expressed interest in performing Goddess chant.

Carol is driven by a conviction that the reemergence of the Goddess is a reflection of the readiness of our society to restore the balance of power between men and women after centuries of cultural bias against the wisdom of the Divine Feminine. She explains, "I have come to understand that recognizing and honoring the Divine Feminine, the Goddess, is one of the most powerful healing tools available to us." It is Carol's intention that the recorded and live performances of this sung liturgy to the Goddess provide both healing and celebration.

"All who hear [Shawna] cannot help but be moved by her gift."
- Joan Halifax, author & co-founder, Zen Peacemaker Order