This Woman’s Work
“If you wanna make a change…do it! Prove it! Coz you can…with peace, and with love, and with gentleness, and kindness, and gratitude and charity. All of these things…they work.”
- Nina Leilani Deering
VOICES OF OUR CITY CHOIR
San Diego’s Homeless Choir
VOICES OF OUR CITY CHOIR
Co-founded by Nina Deering and Steph Johnson in 2016, Voices of Our City Choir is a collaboration between professional musicians, people experiencing homelessness in San Diego, and a larger community support network. Coming together in a collective attempt to chart a course through the harsh realities of homelessness and austerity politics, the choir is an ambitious performing group, appearing at major music venues across Southern California. Their work has received regional and national press, including coverage on PBS NewsHour and NPR.
CHOIR DIRECTOR + EDUCATOR
Nina has served several communities with her musical ministry work as a pianist, organist. She served as musical director for the Kensington Community Church UCC, the Rancho Bernardo Presbyterian, The Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Youth Theater, the Elijah Minyan Synagogue and the Mission Hills United Methodist Church where she carried out extensive ministry for seniors and those facing homelessness.
A TEACHER
Nina loved sharing her passion for music with students of all ages. She was a phenomenal teacher who put her heart and soul into every present moment with her students and taught countless children and adults alike at Mission Hills United Methodist, Music Pillars, Avant Garde Music Company and Kalabash School of Music + the Arts.
BABY BUSHKA
The Kate Bush experience of your dreams
DARK BUSH
Nina was one of the eight women in Baby Bushka, a powerhouse troupe performing the music of Kate Bush. Her performance of This Woman’s Work transformed audiences across the West Coast and the United Kingdom time and time again. Tears were shed and lives were changed forever.
ORCHIDxMANTIS
A BLUSHING BOSSOM
Nina Leilani was the blushing bossom and soulful voice behind the band OrchidxMantis. Hatched on the corner of 30th & Thorn Streets, at the intersection of where operatic vocal stylings and jungle drum n’ bass borrow from 3rd stream and avant pop. Listen and watch Nina perform her cosmic gifts within their debut and sophomore album and all the accompanying music videos.
LuNi TuNes
Just Beautiful Songs
LuNi tuNes is more of phrase than a band name per say. It's what happened when Nina Lelani Deering and Louis Valenzuela played together. It came out of the two playing jazz standards together and loving it. Lu-Ni. Lou and Nina. LuNi tuNes. Get it? These two had great musical chemistry together and as time went on it only developed more. Louis started a youtube series called LuNi tuNes that feature Nina and him playing in a duo setting doing jazz standards, but the forth episode featured below is one of Louis's compositions.
SWARMIUS
Joseph Martin Waters and SWARMIUS
To Nina with Love
“For me it’s like curling up on the couch with Nina, settling into a kind of shared vibe about the complexities and beauty of life... it provides me with a kind of solace, that I hope others can share.
Over weeks following Nina’s death, I coped with her passing by by finishing these songs of mine that she sang over a period of years. I keep hearing her voice and keep revisiting that she’s no longer here. It’s a reality I have to play back over and over again in my mind. She was a steady force in my music, an underlying ballast who was always there, always reliable. “
THE RED NOTES
THE RED NOTES
The Red Notes was a Bossa Nova musical project between Nina Leilani Deering, Leah Bowden, Phil Bowden and Nico Hueso. Between 2016 - 2018, The Red Notes performed every Thursday at Cafe Sobaka where they spoke of philosophy, politics, russian food, brazilian music and love. The band recorded an album while Nina was alive. It will be released soon. Stay tuned.
WALLRUG
WALLRUG PRESENTS
WallRug was a duo project between Nina Leilani Deering and multi-instrumentalist Brandon Wallace and featured guest musicians. They performed frequently at Basilio’s Cafe Bar Europa where they presented different offerings of themed music from different places and times from around the world. From Background Music (Kmart 1989 October Edition) to Habibi Disco Bangers at Balkan Fest Europa Roots 2018 to Appalachian Songs and Sad Sunset Speakeasies in the style of Schubertiads from the past.
In May 2018, WallRug performed at Balkan Fest Europa Roots and featured guest musicians Dusty Brough, Natasha Kozaily, Talia Ceravolo, Chad Farran and Ricky Giordano. They were spontaneously and lovingly presented with “Best Band at Balkan Fest” by impresario extraordinaire, Basilio Ceravolo.
