Shara Nova (of My Brightest Diamond)

Born in "The Diamond state" of Arkansas to a family of musical traveling evangelists, Shara Nova (formerly Worden) moved across America throughout her youth, then went on to study classical voice at The University of North Texas. After moving to New York City, she assembled her chamber pop band, My Brightest Diamond in 2001, subsequently releasing four albums on Asthmatic Kitty Records and most recently releasing A Million And One, a dance pop tribute to Detroit where she currently lives. In Feb 2020 Nova music directed & produced a gala for Laurie Anderson to celebrate Laurie's induction to Joe's Pub Vanguard Residency.  Nova has composed works for yMusic, Brooklyn Youth Chorus, Young New Yorkers' Chorus, Brooklyn Rider, Nadia Sirota and Roomful of Teeth among others. In 2019 she composed an "opera for a city" with director Mark DeChiazza and over 600 musicians along with the Cincinnati Symphony entitled "Look Around."  

Her orchestrations have been performed by the Aarhus Symfoni, North Carolina Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, American Composers Orchestra and the BBC Concert orchestra. Her baroque chamber p’opera “You Us We All” premiered in the US in October 2015 at BAM Next Wave Festival. Many composers, songwriters and filmmakers have sought out Nova’s voice, including Sarah Kirkland Snider, David Lang, David Byrne, The Decemberists, Bryce Dessner, Steve Mackey, Sufjan Stevens and Matthew Barney. Nova is a Kresge fellow, a Carolina Performing Arts Creative Futures fellow, a Knights Grant recipient and a United States Artists fellow.