Tonya Ridgley (aka TBirdLuv)

Tbird Luv, aka Tonya Ridgely, is a great integrator of many talents.

As a musical shaman, she transports others into transcedent experience through a whole range of movement, flute playing, vocalizations and combinations of the above. On flute, Tonya has moved well beyond even the adventurous terrain of the modernist, avant-garde, and created a sound that is utterly unique. Throughout high school, she performed in various bands and youth orchestras eventually leading her to collaborate with multi-disciplinary artist, Michael Pestel, at the Pittsburgh National Aviary, (www.michaelpestel.com) and began incorporating sounds of birds and experimental tonality into her improvisations and compositions. Building on a solid classical European foundation at Carnegie Mellon University and a World Music and Dance foundation at Cal Arts, she has learned to simultaneously integrate and master a broad vocabulary of extended techniques for flute and voice. She has worked with great artists such as choreographer Nia Love, and master musicians, Ry Cooder, Ustad Hossein Alizadeth and Nyoman Wenten. Currently a core ensemble member of Kiah Keya (www.kiahkeya.com), Tonya recently traveled to Mali, Africa, where she and a caravan of filmmakers and artists lived, studied, and documented the Tureq nomadic people of the Sahara desert.

As Reiki Master and Light Ascension Therapist, Tbird Luv is known for her sensitivity and ability to nurture those in need of care. She trained in bodywork in Bali, Indonesia, Reiki and bioenergetics at The Children of Light Center for Personal Healing in New York City and has integrated sound therapy learned at The New School in the Music Therapy Program, NYC, under the direction of Dr. Louise Montello. Her intention to create an overall balance of health within herself and others, has also lead her to train in other healing modalities such as shamanism and movement therapy. She treats private clients of all ages and has assisted in groups and workshops. She has collaborated with organizations like kiahkeya.com, parashakti.org, bodytemple.info. When she's not traveling the world performing, teaching and healing, Tonya lives in Brooklyn, NY.