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	THE MISSING PEACE is a hero's journey which sends out a young woman in search of her missing mother, and the missing feminine face of God. JUDY MALLOY sings us the story, a single performer who takes on all the roles: THE STORYTELLER who narrates much of the tale BRIANNA, a young woman from a barren land BRIAN, her brother, an authoritarian priest a CRONE, goatwoman, who gifts Brianna for her journey the FERRYMAN who takes Brianna across the water the DRAGON Brianna meets Brianna's missing MOTHER a talking ROSE THE STORY: The Land is in need. A hero, Brianna, arises, whose "faults" turn out to be strengths. Something makes her willing (although unequipped) to act. A fantastic creature provides gifts and instructions to help her on her journey. A trip is taken in order to bring back something from a powerful being. She successfully wrests the "something" from the being. Transformed, she returns to The Land. Her gift is received in The Land, and The Land is healed. RON MELROSE wrote the words and music of these twenty-four songs. The "sound" is contemporary Celtic, for voice, flute, oboe, horn, cello, harp, piano, drone, guitar, bass, and percussion.   Many people are becoming aware of the need for a feminine face of God to balance the masculine face which has held sway, essentially alone, for over two thousand years. THE MISSING PEACE hopes to inspire, illuminate, comfort and entertain anyone who seeks. Let Judy sing you a story...
	Photograph ©1998 Steven Speliotis, used by permission
	"As a way of moving out of childhood and entering the world of women, adolescent girls need to come to know their mothers in a more realistic fashion than that which is available to them in childhood. THE MISSING PEACE is an astute allegorical description of this discovery process. In it, Brianna, a girl at the brink of womanhood, follows her own heart and spirit on a quest to discover a deeper, truer sense of herself through a search for her absent mother, despite danger and the repeated admonitions of those around her. Judy Malloy's astounding artistic versatility and Ron Melrose's stunning poetry and music make this a musical journey that is not to be missed. It is a pleasure to listen to, imaginative, wise, and profoundly moving." Marsha H. Levy-Warren, Ph.D. Psychoanalyst Author, The Adolescent Journey "THE MISSING PEACE is a sonorous coming of age fable that is rich in both its music and message. Brianna overcomes the pressures to abide by the rules of the patriarchal world in which she lives, and learns to follow her own mind in search of the truth. In this feminist quest tale, Brianna's finding her own distinctive voice is vividly realized in both Ron Melrose's poetic images and Judy Malloy's musical artistry." Carol Gilligan, Ph.D. Patricia Albjerg Graham Chair in Gender Studies, Harvard University Author, In A Different Voice "Judy Malloy's voice is as beautiful and soulful as the tale she tells. Her vocal range and her uncanny ability to transport listeners to a magical place and time is extraordinary. THE MISSING PEACE is a musical experience not to be missed and to pass along to others you love." Jane Startz, producer of the upcoming Miramax film The Mighty, and of Scholastic Productions' The Indian In The Cupboard, The Babysitter's Club and The Magic Schoolbus. "I enjoyed reading the incredible story, and I was enraptured by Ron Melrose's heart-wrenching poetry. His presentation of the story reveals his depth of passion for and knowledge of the archetypal mythic journey. I was an instant fan of his storytelling abilities." Tamara Gerard, Cultural Mythologist Lecturer and Author, The Dragon & The Feminine   "The combination of Ron Melrose's words and music and Judy Malloy's voice has a power and magic, a spiritual wisdom that taps into a deep collective yearning for the return of the missing Mother, goddess, and feminine aspect of divinity."   Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D. author, Crossing to Avalon and Goddesses in Everywoman "Ron Melrose has created an extraordinary work, transcendent, buoyant, intelligent, absorbing and richly lyrical in its poetry and music. This apparently simple story of a girl's journey to find her mother and revive her ailing land is embedded with a deep understanding of folklore, Jungian psychology and feminine spirituality. The score is delightful -- a tuneful combination of Celtic, folk and show biz music, and the talented performer-storyteller, Judy Malloy, who sings 6 distinct parts, is nothing short of amazing."   Belleruth Naparstek, author of Your Sixth Sense and creator of the Health Journeys audiotape series, from The Guided Imagery Resource Center at http://www.healthjourneys.com   "Judy Malloy's voice contains multitudes. And here those multitudes tell a wonderful story. Her ability to create a character instantly with her musical instrument and then transform into a new one even faster astonishes me. But her astounding technique wouldn't be nearly as meaningful without the generous spirit which informs it. This musical story combines breath-taking talent with true feeling, a rare combination which is a treasure to experience."   Bill Russell, Lyricist and Book Author of Side Show "Bravo! A gift to all women. I was touched and inspired by this powerful piece of music and this moving tale of a woman's search for something missing from her life. Bravo to the creators of this beautiful and impressive work! It is a gift to women everywhere that will enable them to tap their inner strength."   Karen Page, Chair, Harvard Business School Network of Women Alumnae and James Beard Award winning Author of Dining Out: Secrets from America's Leading Critics, Chefs and Restaurateurs "A tour de force! I have a predilection for great mother-daughter stories, but The Missing Peace is more than that. It's a great mother-daughter story and captivating music rolled into one. And Judy Malloy is a marvel. As she convincingly sings every role in the album, from ingenue to crone, she displays a range of style and emotion that's hard to imagine from any other singer. She's like a hybrid of Karen Akers, Bebe Neuwirth and Bernadette Peters --and Zelig, too."   Melissa Balmain, author of Just Us: Adventures and Travels of a Mother and Daughter "Standing outside of any fixed creed, The Missing Peace uses its freedom to plait together into one strand of shimmering beauty the ageless yearnings of our human experience. Malloy's voice is as haunting as the lyrics she renders, and the poignancy of the libretto as a whole is fully realized within the range of her obviously accomplished and inspired talent. By blending traditional theology with the insights of human mythology, Melrose and Malloy have created in art a union of dark memory and luminous hope that, so joined, give voice to our contemporary longing for a Missing Peace."   Phyllis Tickle, Contributing Editor, PublishersWeekly
	QUESTING Judy Malloy, a talented singer, actress, and healer, who thinks of herself primarily as a storyteller, gives a tour de force performance on this two CD-set. Singing the parts of eight characters she tells the engrossing story of Brianna, a young woman from a barren land who goes on a quest to find her missing mother, a.k.a. the Mother. She receives gifts for the journey from a crone, is tested on a passage across the water, encounters a dragon (whom she heals rather than fights), and returns home to bring "the greening" to her land and a message of balance and hope to her patriarchal society. The melodic music is contemporary Celtic, an apt genre considering that the Celts reverenced the earth and incorporated elements of Goddess religion into Christianity. Ron Melrose, the composer who has worked as a musical director for local churches and on Broadway, plays all the instruments on the CDs. In writing the lyrics, Melrose has covered a wide range of spiritually literate themes, including the importance of asking questions, the strength that comes from experiences in nature, the need to learn our inner wisdom, the reality of pain and suffering, the value of embracing opposites, and the joy of renewal. There are promises, prayers, and mantras in these lyrics: "If you lost your dream, and I had the gift of vision, I would remind you." "Open my soul wider than my fear." "I only flow with power when I find the grace to yield." Thousands of people today yearn for an image of God more encompassing than the one put forth by the traditional patriarchal system that has dominated western religion for two thousand years. The "missing peace" for many is the feminine face of God, known as both nurturing and mystery. Melrose, however, believes that we must honor both Mother and Father--"We need not trade one for another." Above all else, it is this expansive vision that makes this musical quest a gracious gift for women and men alike. Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, authors of Spiritual Literacy, Media Editors, spiritualrx.com, Spirituality & Health magazine
	If you would like to purchase a recording of THE MISSING PEACE, you can find out more by clicking here... If you would like to hear Judy sing songs from THE MISSING PEACE: I Was Born A Woman The Water's Edge Unready and Rising Shockwave Audio