Vanessa Littrell

Vanessa Littrell is a vocalist and composer who sculpts in the traditions of folk, rock, popular music and musical theater. Always looking for a new experience, she has dabbled in abstract, choral, spoken word, techno, symphonic, political rant and lullabies.

Proficient on both piano and guitar, she performs either solo or with her band. Her style ranges from Sheryl Crow to Annie Lennox with a little Sarah McLachlan & Tori Amos thrown in. She is often compared to the songwriting divas of the 70's - Carol King and Carly Simon. Her latest live project was working with her band Shotgun Trolley performing rock music in the Reno/Tahoe area. And most recently she has released an EDM album under the name Sugar Addikt.

In addition to performing and composing, Vanessa has taught music and visual art for many years in both private studios and public school. When asked recently what her favorite medium to work with is, she answered "Paper Mache and Sharpie, because it is amazing what you can create with the simpliest ingredients." Vanessa carries this philosophy through life, as well as her compositions, always remembering that we were first storytellers and artists around the campfire. Bells and whistles aside, we still just want to tell our stories.

When not in the studio or teaching, Vanessa can be found gardening, sorting through trash for found objects and bicyling around Lake Washington.

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Education:

BA in Fine Art from CSU, Chico

Music credential from University of Reno, Nevada

MFA in Music Composition from Vermont College of Fine Arts.