A Celestial Voice

      Native Ohioan and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Celeste Reichert Friedman is a musical artist, composer and author.  Celeste is a voice of impact and inspiration. Her mission is changing lives through the power of words and music.

A Voice Talent

     In addition to being an accomplished musician and vocalist, Celeste is also a media talent whose voice has been heard over the airwaves across the globe, as a programmer and host for WTVN Radio, WBNS Radio and voice talent for WSYX TV in Columbus, Ohio and program director/ host for WIJY Radio in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

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     She is the recipient of the 2005 Ohioana Library Association's Citation Award in Music and Education for her program, O is for Ohio, celebrating over one decade of touring Ohio's 88 counties.  Her lecture series, "Along the Great Hopewell Road," launched for college students in Ohio History and Early Education in Lima, Ohio in 2013, is endorsed by The Ohio State University.

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The Sound of Her Voice

     Celeste Reichert Friedman has released seven albums within the last decade; scored the music for a Pulitzer Prize-nominated play; composed the score for a cable television suspense-thriller; wrote and produced the theme for a pilot for The Food Network; authored five books; and her work as a film composer has been showcased at The International Cannes Film Festival in France.

     In 2007, she was chosen as one of The 50 Writers of the 50 States by The Music for Troops organization, through which her original music has been distributed to over 50,000 of our U. S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan within the past decade.

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“Everyone should be singing her songs.”

. . . Craig Harris, The Boston Globe

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     Celeste is affiliated with the film and animation departments of The Rhode Island School of Design, Columbia College, The University of Southern California and The New York Film Academy.

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     Celeste is a 2005 Grammy™ Award nominee for her participation in the State of Ohio project, One to Grow On, created by former First Lady Hope Taft. She is the recipient of two Pat Weaver Award nominations for her contributions in television; the winner of two European Indie Music Awards; recognized by The Points of Light Foundation for her musical-reading programs presented across the United States; and she was nominated for the 2015 Ohio Governor’s Award for the Arts.

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     An Ohio historian, Celeste shares Ohio's history in story and song in her inspirational programs.  Celeste is a true ambassador of the Buckeye State.

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National and International Credits

The ESPN Network; CNN Headline News; A Prairie Home Companion; National Public Radio’s Car Talk; Songs at the Center-PBS and American Public Television;  Music Choice; Dimension Magazine; Live! with Regis and Kelly; The Food Network’s French Kitchen; Radio Maria, Austria; Radio 1 Lyon, France; Radio Euro, Italy; and the Starliners Radio Network, the Netherlands.

 

     No stranger to Nashville, she appears as a featured songwriter at the famed Bluebird Café.

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     Celeste’s songs have reached Number One on European music charts. She was recognized by the Office of Queen Elizabeth II of England for her 2009 single, “The Son of a Soldier,” which honored a British soldier who gave his life to save a fellow comrade in Afghanistan. Her most recent work for veterans is “A Knock on the Door,” dedicated to the families of U.S. POW’s and those still Missing in Action in Southeast Asia.

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"Celeste’s ‘The Son of A Soldier’ is quite outstanding. It certainly
pulls at all the heart strings." 
. . . John Poole-Warren, Regimental Secretary, The Rifles, United Kingdom

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Brief Cross-Section of Venues and Sponsors

Media/ Healthcare/ Education/ Business/ Services/ Showcases

ABC Television; Public Radio International; Taft Broadcasting; Chiron Films, Inc.; iHeart Media, Inc.; Clear Channel Communications; Adventure Radio; Dispatch Broadcast Group; The Starliner’s Radio Network; Lyon Premiere; Radio Maria, Inc.

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PRISMS International Conference on Smith-Magenis Syndrome - Denver, Colorado; Nationwide Children’s Hospital; Ohio Eastern Star; Ohio Presbyterian Retirement Services; Ohio Department on Aging; Fairfield County Center for Disabilities; Edinburgh Care Resources; Brookdale Senior Living; Community Mercy Health Partners; Mount Carmel Health Systems; Genesis Healthcare System; Hilton Head Hospital

 

The Ohio State University; Ohio Department of Education; Department of Education for the State of New York; The Ohio Library Council; The Ohioana Library Association; Book ‘Em- Nashville; Columbus Metropolitan Library; Hudson Library and Historical Society; McPherson Learning and Resource Center; Northern Ohio Library Association; Dayton Metropolitan Library; Licking County Veteran’s Memorial and Educational Center

 

Rolls Royce; State Farm Insurance; Kroger; Emeritus Corporation; Wesley Glen, Inc.; BMI; The Center for Science and Industry; Air Force Metrology and Calibration (AFB); Quantico Marine Base VA; All State Insurance; The Columbus Museum of Art; The Bluebird Café; Borders Books and Music; The Taubman Corporation; The Mills Corporation; Ohio Department of Natural Resources; The Ohio State Fair; Esthetique Solutions; Five Star Senior Living; Wexner Heritage Village; National Association of Retired Federal Employees; Kiwanis International; The Ohio Bicentennial Commission; Muskingum County Chamber of Commerce; The Country Club at Muirfield Village

 

Blossoms of Hope for Cancer Survivors; The Muscular Dystrophy Association; The American Cancer Society; The Arthritis Foundation; Voices of Hope, National Cancer Survivorship Day Foundation; The United Way; Licking County Veteran’s Services

Savannah Book Festival; The Dublin Irish Festival; Red, White and Boom!; Greater Columbus Arts Festival; Festival 7 Jours- Reims, France; Festival Della Creativa- Florence, Italy; Rhode Island International Film Festival; New England Student Film Festival; Rebel Planet Film Festival- Los Angeles; The Long Island International Film Festival; Asian Arts Festival- Brown University; Ottawa International Animation Festival- Canada.

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1995 Pat Weaver Award Nominations for Television: “A Home Run”
1997 Pat Weaver Award Nominations for Television: “Take A Little Step”
2005 Grammy Award Nomination for "K.I.D.," One to Grow On compilation with The State of Ohio
2005 Ohioana Library Association's Citation Award in Music and Education
2006 U.S. Postal Service Amber Alert Citation: “How Can We Stay Safe?”
2007 Radio Indy Grindie Award : “Celeste Live at the Bluebird Café”
2007 Music For Troops Selection: One of The 50 Songwriters of the 50 States
2009 Kids First Film Festival Official Selection for Best Music Score
2015 Nominee of the Ohio Governor's Award for the Arts.

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We salute these wonderful organizations who support Celeste's Reading and Ohio History programs!

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Reading Is Fundamental
The Points of Light Foundation
The American Library Association
The Children's Book Council
The National PTA
Ohio Reads
The Hartford Reading Association
The Ohio Literacy Council
Start Smart
Education World
The Keystone Reading Association
Book 'Em of Nashville
The Tennessee Library Association
Wisconsin Family Child Care Association
The Newspaper Association of America Foundation
The Ohio Library Council
The Columbus Metropolitan Libraries
Guess Who's Coming to Read?
The Newark Advocate
The Board of Education of New York City
The Dept. of Education for the State of New York
Read Across America!

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Link to Celeste’s Ohio Veteran’s Page:  ‘Have You Met an Ohio Vet?’
https://freedomwarriors.webs.com/ohio-vets

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