sonic alchemist. composer. Performer. producer. healer.
Zera Bloom (she/they) is an artist, healer, and educator based in unceded Lenapehoking, aka Kingston, NY. She has performed & composed music for concerts, theater, and dances including Washington Square Park, Signature Theater, and the Queens Museum of Science. She has worked extensively with Grammy-Award-Winning Brooklyn Youth Chorus, producing concerts and recordings and teaching digital music classes. She has also written and produced scores and songs for several award-winning independent films (Los Angeles Film Festival, Harlem International Film Festival, Lift Off Film Festival).
As an educator, Zera has been a teaching artist for over 8 years and has taught music in schools and summer camps throughout the country and internationally. She has facilitated classes and workshops at the Lower East Side Girls Club, Queens Museum of Science, and Win NYC. Whatever the age of the student/participant/collaborator, Zera’s approach to education & mentorship is rooted in a belief in the inherent curiosity and creativity of every individual. She draws from practices of Applied Theatre and has worked with leaders in that field including the Los Angeles Poverty Department and the San Francisco Mime Troupe.
As a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, Zera lends expertise and versatility to both live and studio projects. Under the moniker low rey, she practices songwriting as an art of divination and healing, manifesting in a psychedelic and soulful blend of jazz and indie.
Zera grew up in northern NJ, raised by a holistic healer and a mask-making composer. From a young age, the confluence of nature, healing, art, and community were apparent. One of her earliest and most visceral musical influences was Pauline Oliveros and her friends & collaborators who instilled an ethos of Deep Listening into Zera’s life & practice. Zera attended Pauline & IONE’s events and performances as a young child and performed, improvised, composed, & dreamed through many Deep Listening gatherings throughout their youth and adolescence.
After studying Theatre and Social Science at Bennington College, Zera spent time in New Orleans working with theater groups such as Cripple Creek, Goat in the Road, and Southern Rep. She then spent 6 years in NYC, building a body of work in event production, performing, and scoring, before finally settling in Kingston.
Through it all, Zera has pursued the path of a healer, finding the healing modalities embedded in music-making, and exploring other pathways to collective and individual healing. Tarot was one of her earliest and most enduring tools. Currently she is further expanding her approach with certifications in Somatic therapies, including parts work, embodiment, and trauma-informed practices.