ABOUT TAMRA HAYDEN

Tamra Hayden is a celebrated vocalist, accomplished multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter whose heart-centered music has touched listeners all over the world. Whether she is captivating Broadway audiences with her stunning soprano or sharing her soulful original songs in an intimate club, Tamra infuses "peace, love, and hilarity" -- her personal mantra -- into every performance.

Born and raised in Colorado, Tamra comes from a long line of wild women who play multiple instruments. Grandmother Ellene from Oklahoma had a way of playing piano that was like kneading bread, earthy and natural, and she could also play the marimba and ukulele. And her great-grandmother, Burdie Chesnut, was a one-woman band in Asheville, North Carolina. “My first instrument was an accordion that was purchased from a door-to-door salesman, and then a guitar my mother bought from the janitor at school,” Tamra recalls. “I had a natural ‘play by ear’ ability making it easier to learn violin, viola, and piano. Well, anything with strings.”

Tamra began writing songs at age 10, inspired by artists ranging from Joni Mitchell to Paul Simon to Neil Diamond. "The first time I heard 'Play Me,'" she says, "I had a premonition that I would spend my life traveling and performing.” Tamra’s other musical influences include the Electric Light Orchestra, Barbra Streisand, Joan Baez, and Sting.

Tamra earned a scholarship to study viola and voice at the University of Northern Colorado. After graduating with honors with a BA in vocal performance, Tamra began touring with "Les Miserables." She quickly found that she missed playing and singing her own music, so she bought a travel guitar and a 4-track recording system to take on the road.

Tamra experienced early success on stage, but had to face heartbreak in her personal life. “I fell in love with my first husband, Ben Hayden, and we married after only three months.” she shares. “Everything was wonderful, but then he was suddenly diagnosed with a brain tumor just before our first anniversary, and passed away within a year.” Although Tamra is now happily remarried to her husband, Glenn, the experience has taught her the importance of connecting deeply and being truly present.

Tamra has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in musical theater. She has appeared on Broadway as Cosette in "Les Miserables" and Texas in "Cabaret," and toured nationally as Cosette, as well as Christine in "The Phantom of the Opera," and Hodel in "Fiddler on the Roof" opposite Theodore Bikel. Her off-Broadway performances include "Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris," and regional theater roles include Aldonza in "Man of La Mancha" and Sarah Winchester in "The Haunting of Winchester." She has performed Broadway Pops concerts with orchestras all over the United States, and reaches audiences all over the world via live shows in virtual reality.

Tamra has released five solo albums that encompass diverse genres from folk/singer-songwriter originals to Broadway, cabaret, and traditional Celtic. She performs and records with FunkyFreddy as the duo August Moons, and collaborates with songwriters across the globe.

Tamra was touring with “Anastasia” when theater and live performances ground to a halt in March 2020. She returned to Colorado and her musical roots, and is currently releasing new music. With her new songs, Tamra hopes to help bridge the rivers that divide us, promote creativity and empathy in a safe space, and build genuine human connection through the power of music.