Site Title
New Age Music Album by Darlene Koldenhoven
with "Cheerful Mohana" single from Traveling the Blissful Highway and "Cheerful Mohana" video
NewEST Release 10/14/22
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Credits
Produced, Composed, Arranged, Performed by
GRAMMY® Award Winner and three-time GRAMMY® Award Nominated Darlene Koldenhoven
Mixing and Mastering by Steve Shepherd
Album & Musicians recorded at TimeArt® Studio, Studio City, California, USA by Darlene Koldenhoven, unless otherwise indicated.
Charlie Bisharat - violin; M.B. Gordy - percussion; Ron Korb - bansuri, Irish, whistle and C flutes; Harry Kim - flugelhorn; Catherine Del Russo - oboe; Mike Miller - guitars; Venugopala Raju – tablas & Indian percussion; Gayle Levant - harp;
Joanne Lazzaro - Native American styled flutes, C flute & bass flute; Lyn Bertles - viola; Courtney Jacob - C flute.
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Total Music Time: 53:46 Minutes
©2022 TimeArt® Recordings
DarSongs Music ASCAP. All Rights Reserved.
Release Date: October 14, 2022
Cover Images - Shutterstock
Graphic Design - Brian Stroh & Darlene Koldenhoven
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Don't Miss Darlene's Travelers' Notes
Tour the Liner Notes, Credits, Stories, Mindfullness Tips,
Recording Sessions' Pictures, Musicians
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DESCRIPTION
Travel with GRAMMY® Award Winner and three-time GRAMMY® Award Nominated Darlene Koldenhoven and her musicians on the blissful highway with her new instrumental album, “Traveling the Blissful Highway” (10/14/22). All twelve of her compositions and arrangements invite us to go out and see the world and have a good rest at the end of an exquisite day. There are 53:46 minutes of sounds and timbres to keep you balanced, focused, and joyfully relaxed. Darlene performs on keyboard synths, creating a culture of calm; half the album has world, ethnic influences to keep you on the road and half lets you exit to the rest areas. Her angelic vocalese graces four of the tracks as part of the instrumentation. Even when real travel is not in the picture, pack these traveling soundscapes for your inner and outer journey. With this album, the only passport you’ll need for these destinations - peace, calm, happiness and bliss is your own mindfulness to visit them and the album as your tour guide.
Darlene says, “After being cooped up so long in Los Angeles, I ventured to London, Las Vegas and Denver during the spring of 2022 for some appearances and was so excited to travel again that when I came home, I started writing to process my emotions from it all and I just couldn’t stop! I hope the listener will enjoy the musical adventure and immerse in the sonic benefits from Traveling the Blissful Highway with me.”
MINI-BIO
GRAMMY® Award Winner and 3 time GRAMMY® Nominee, Darlene Koldenhoven is a vocalist, pianist/keyboardist, composer, arranger, lyricist, speaker, credentialed voice teacher and sonic therapist from Studio City, CA, born and raised in Chicago, IL. Her newest album, Traveling the Blissful Highway debuted #2 on the international ZMR Radio Charts 10/22 and #1 on Australia's SoundsLikeCafe Charts. The Akademia awarded it the Best Ambient/Instrumental Album Grand Award and the Global Music Awards gave it the Gold Award. The single from the album, "Cheerful Mohana" has won several awards including Best New Age Video from Clouzine Awards and the LIT Talent Awards Platinum for Best New Age Song. Also of note, "Cheerful Mohana" became a radio crossover, going from New Age to Smooth Jazz on The Wave KRWV-FM in Phoenix, AZ in the fall of 2022. Her previous two albums, “The Grand Piano Spa” and “The Grand Piano Spa: Legacy” debuted on the prestigious Billboard Classical Crossover Charts at #4 and #8, respectively in May & November 2021. In the spring of 2022, Darlene was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from One World Music Radio and Outstanding Legacy Award from the Akademia Awards. She was inducted to the Indie Music Hall of Fame at the GRAMMY® Museum in 2019 by the Indie Music Channel Awards and the COVR Awards hailed her “Chromatones” as 2019 Album of the Year. Several of her albums ranked #1 on the worldwide ZMR Radio Charts and she has 2 Best New Age Vocal Album and Best Holiday Album from ZMR. Darlene is best known worldwide as the featured soprano in "Yanni, Live at the Acropolis" and for her role as the tambourine-waving choir nun in both "Sister Act" films with Whoopi Goldberg. Darlene has sung on over 1,000 recordings in movies, television, commercials, and albums. She has authored "Tune Your Voice: Singing and Your Mind's Musical Ear," a comprehensive music education and singing book with 7 CDs or downloads and performs her music in concert worldwide.
REVIEWS
To Read Full Reviews Click on Name of Reviewer
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"This will make a superb soundtrack for your next road trip or even a staycation. Wherever you are, you'll end up relaxed, renewed and rejuvenated after "Traveling the Blissful Highway."
– Jeanne Kataoka, Science of Mind Magazine Sept. Issue 8/13/23
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"Traveling the Blissful Highway" is like a travel audio journal depicting a magical beautiful place of love and joy. Smooth melody lines and graceful progressions enhance the experience."
–Dimitri Kovachev, DimitriK Publishing and Radio Show 9/28/23
"Traveling the Blissful Highway is adventure music at its best, bravely abjuring the monotonous regime of reality to illuminate a magical new realm of possibilities. Darlene Koldenhoven's meticulous attention to aesthetic makes each song a lavishly emotional composition unto itself."
–The Akademia Awards 2/17/23
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"Award-winning music artist Darlene Koldenhoven presents Traveling the Blissful Highway, an original album that showcases her prowess in synthesizer composing, arranging, production, and engineering. Her beautiful vocals enhance the music, although Traveling the Blissful Highway is primarily an instrumental work. Seamlessly combining new age, ambient, and world music elements, Traveling the Blissful Highway is a choice pick for listeners in need of songs to ease stress, and also makes a wonderful gift year-round. Highly recommended! The tracks are Cheerful Mohana, Time Traveler, Jade Dreams, Gentle Soul, Birds in Paradise, Dot Calm, Tropical Chill, Sweet Peace, Osmium Glow, Native Star, Highland Mist, and Blissful Highway.
– James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief, Wisconsin Bookwatch Magazine - The Music CD Shelf. 11/14/22. Also appearing in Cengage Learning, Gale interactive CD-ROM series "Book Review Index" and archived on Midwest Book Review website
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“A stunning work with a stellar supporting cast. Darlene’s synths and keyboards work the most magic. To me it sounds like an homage of sorts to the golden days of the New Age genre. Wow! In my humble opinion, this may be the best album of her career!”
– Bill Binkelman, Wind and Wire 10/19/22
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"Traveling the Blissful Highway by Darlene Koldenhoven is one of those rare albums that you could listen to a multiple of times over and enjoy the 10th as much as the 1st! Here is an album that emphasizes all the good in our world, the colours, textures and indeed bliss, it is a constant heavenly narrative throughout this amazing new album, one that I personally rate as the best instrumental release ever created by the musician, and as such, you would be crazy not to purchase a copy of Traveling the Blissful Highway by Darlene Koldenhoven, it is a veritable sanctuary of the soul."
–Steve Sheppard, One World Music Radio, 9/26/22
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"Absolutely uplifting musical magic will provide you with hour upon hour of healing and inspiration."
–Rotcod Zzaj, Contemporary Fusion Reviews 9/1/22
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Darlene Koldenhoven's instrumental new-age world release Traveling the Blissful Highway, will be another significant achievement to add to her impressive catalog of releases. It is some of the most relaxing and dreamy music you will have the pleasure of enjoying – a slice of heaven.
–Keith "Muzik Man" Hannaleck, New Age Music Reviews, Founder 7/18/22
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Leave your cares and worries behind. You’ll barely have time to pack as you begin Traveling the Blissful Highway on the latest album from New Age composer and GRAMMY® Winner and three-time GRAMMY® Nominee Darlene Koldenhoven. This imaginative creator takes you in a dozen delightful directions as the memorable music restores and renews your spirit.
-R J Lannan, Artisan Music Reviews 7/19/22
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"If ever there was a perfectly-titled album, Traveling the Blissful Highway is it! The music overflows with calming gentleness and warm optimism and is sure to brighten your spirit any time of day or night!" –Kathy Parsons, MainlyPiano.com REVIEW 7/23/22
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“We are excited to be adding Traveling the Blissful Highway to our music library of Darlene Koldenhoven’s music that we play at Vie Aesthetics to enrich the multi-sensory approach we use at our clinic. Her music has a huge impact on the way people feel when they are met with the therapeutic calming sounds before their treatments with our practitioners and creates a beautiful environment for our staff as well.” Read Blog Post with Pics
–Vicky Grammatikopoulou, Owner, Vie Aesthetics,
Harley Street, London, England 7/27/22
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The music of "Traveling the Blissful Highway" is colored with many colors, as if you are enthusiastically leafing through a color album of a wonderful photographer who captured the most beautiful landscapes that he met on his way. And each new page is even more beautiful . . . There is sophistication and a lot of the smallest nuances in its perfect sounding music. A wonderful end to a hard day, bringing peace to the soul and clearing the mind of worries.
–Serge Kozlovsky, Minsk, Belarus SKozlovsky.com 7/30/22
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From Norway, BT Fasmer's New Age Music Guide 7/19/22
Read Cheerful Mohana Description on Site
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"Traveling the Blissful Highway is an album you will want as your musical companion, to help make your life journey a more enjoyable and beautiful discovery. Darlene's experience and exposure to varied cultures, countries and traditions have contributed positively to her broad and diverse vision of humanity and our world which comes through in her musical compositions and especially shines on this album."
–Lizzette Cascante, Aurelscapes 8/3/22
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"Traveling the Blissful Highway" is a sensational album by Darlene Koldenhoven. Lay back, un-wind and dream-way as you listen to all 12 recommended tracks. Lady Hawke and I enjoyed the album immensely." Hawke Rating: 10/10!!!
–Terry Hawke, Hawke CD Reviews, England 8/8/2022
Cheerful Mohana Video • Darlene - music • Andreea Petcu - visuals
Listen on Spotify to full album here
Sound Clips Below in Player
VIDEOS
Time Traveler Video • Darlene - music.
The New Age Music Planet - video editing
Osmium Glow Video • Darlene - music, video editing
Osmium Institute - images & videos
Birds in Paradise Video • Darlene - music, video editing
Jeff Gresko - photography
Cheerful Mohana Video Awards
"Cheerful Mohana" Best Instrumental Video Under $5,000
Indie Music Channel Awards 9/3/23
Darlene Koldenhoven - director, producer, music
Andreea Petcu - director, video editor
"Cheerful Mohana" Video 2023 One Earth Awards
Gold Winner Best Music Video Narrative/Montage Based 5/19/23
Darlene Koldenhoven - director, producer, music
Andreea Petcu - director, video editor
Articles
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Scenstr Magazine, Australia
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Whats My Scene Magazine, Australia
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INTERVIEWS
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Aparna Vats Point of View Show on Alive 90.5 FM Sydney, Australia
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New Thought Radio, USA
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Traveling the Blissful Highway
ALBUM AWARDS & NOMINATIONS
WINNER
"Jade Dreams"
Best in Pangea New Age
Intercontinental Music Awards, 8/26/24
"Cheerful Mohana" Video 2023 Better Earth International Film Festival
Outstanding Achievement Music Video Award Winner 3/15/23
Darlene Koldenhoven - director, producer, music
Andreea Petcu - director, video editor
"Cheerful Mohana" Video wins Clouzine International Music Awards Spring 2023 Best New Age Music Video Award. 2/23
Darlene Koldenhoven - producer, music & Andreea Petcu - video editor.
"Cheerful Mohana" Video wins Silver Medal from Global Music Awards Best Music Video.
Darlene Koldenhoven - producer, music & Andreea Petcu - video editor
WINNER
Traveling the Blissful Highway
Best New Age Album
World Entertainment Awards, 2/2/24
3 WINNERS of the Year 2023
Best Ambient Album Traveling the Blissful Highway
Best Ambient Song Cheerful Mohana
Best Ambient Video Cheerful Mohana Video,
Best New Age Album
Traveling the Blissful Highway
Clouzine International Music Awards 9/23/23
Nomination "Cheerful Mohana" from Indie Music Channel Awards 2023 Best Instrumental Producer Darlene Koldenhoven
7/29/23​
Cheerful Mohana Song
Awards and Nominations
WINNER
Best Instrumental Music "Cheerful Mohana"
World Music Festival 12/2/23
Best New Age Recording
"Time Traveler"
Indie Music Channel Awards 9/3/23
Best World Music Recording
"Jade Dreams"
Indie Music Channel Awards 9/3/23
WINNER
"Cheerful Mohana"
Best of Pangea - New Age
Intercontinental Music Awards 8/27/23
GOLD WINNER
"Cheerful Mohana"
Best New Age/Ambient Song
One Earth Awards 5/19/23
PLATINUM WINNER
"Cheerful Mohana" Best New Age Music
LIT Talent Awards International, London 10/22
WINNER
Cheerful Mohana" Best World Music Recording
Indie Music Channel 9/4/22
GOLD WINNER
Traveling the Blissful Highway
Best Visionary Music
COVR Visionary Awards 6/10/23
GRAND AWARD WINNER
Traveling the Blissful Highway
Best Ambient Instrumental Album
The Akademia Awards 2/15/23
GOLD WINNER
"Traveling the Blissful Highway"
Global Music Award for Excellence
Darlene Koldenhoven, Producer/Production 9/29/22
WINNER
"Cheerful Mohana" Best New Age Contemporary Instrumental Song
New Age Notes Radio Awards 3/15/23
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NOMINATION
"Cheerful Mohana" Best Ambient/New Age
Hollywood Music in Media Awards 9/15/22
NOMINATION
Best Instrumental Producer
Darlene Koldenhoven "Cheerful Mohana" 9/3/23
2nd Place WINNER
Traveling the Blissful Highway
Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
One World Music Radio Awards 5/29/23
WINNER
Traveling the Blissful Highway
Best New Age Album
World Entertainment Awards, 2/2/24
Cheerful Mohana
RADIO
(to date, of which we are aware)
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Auralscapes, FL Episode 4
Guido's Lounge Café, Netherlands
Journeyscapes, FL
New Age Music Guide, Norway #6 on July Chart
New Age Notes, Phoenix, AZ 8/20/22 & #6 September Chart • #5 in The 22 Best New Age Songs of 2022, Winner Best New Age Contemporary Instrumental Song 3/5/23 • "Cheerful Mohana" Video appears on
New Age Notes Radio Featured Videos page. Spring 2023
New Age Radio, Belarus
One World Music Radio - Playlist #109 & Kaleidoscope #44 • Debuts #13 on October '22 Chart.
Peaceful Currents Radio, Marshall, MO July, 2022
Peaceful Radio Show 1502, The Netherlands 8/6/22
The River of Calm, Nashvillle, TN
SoundsLikeCafé, Australia, Debuted #2 on Charts 10/4/22
KAOI-FM, Maui, HI
KCSN-FM, Northridge, CA
KDNK-FM 88.1, Carbondale, CO Wholly Bozos
KPBX 91.1FM, Spokane, WA Soundspace with Zan New Music
KRWV-FM 99.3, Phoenix, AZ The Wave Smooth Jazz & More since 9/29 MEDIUM ROTATION! 2-3 times daily
WFCF, St. Augustine, FL, 8/2022 Wings
WHYR-FM, Baton Rouge, LA
WUWF-FM, FL
NOMINATION
Traveling the Blissful Highway
Best New Age Album
New Age Notes Radio Awards 1/15/23
NOMINATIONS
Indie Music Channel Awards (9/5/22)
Traveling the Blissful Highway
Debuted #1 on SoundsLikeCafé, Australia
Chart for October, 2022
NOMINATION
"Jade Dreams"
Best New Age/Ambient
HIMA 6/21/23
NOMINATIONS 7/29/23
Indie Music Channel Awards
Best Instrumental Album of the Year
Traveling the Blissful Highway
Best Instrumental Producer "Cheerful Mohana"
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NOMINATION
"Osmium Glow" – Traveling the Blissful Highway
Best New Age Song
Indie Music Channel Radio Music Awards 3/21/23
traveling the Blissful Highway
RADIO
(to date, of which we are aware) ​
Traveling the Blissful Highway
Debuted #1 on New Age Music Guide, Norway
Chart for November, 2022
Traveling the Blissful Highway Debuts #2 October 2022
Top 100 Radio Airplay Chart - ZoneMusicReporter.com
NOMINATION
Traveling the Blissful Highway
Album of the Year
Elite Music Awards 1/28/24
Cheerful Mohana
Debuted #1 on Clouzine International Radio
10/2023
"Gentle Soul"
from Traveling the Blissful Highway
Selected for Track 6 on Compilation CD: Relaxing Collection 4/28/23
Now playing on Peaceful Radio Show #1547, The Netherlands
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Alive 90.5-FM Point of View with Arparna, Australia NSW - with Interview
KTEP, Audiosyncracy, El Paso, TX. spins
Jade Dreams, Tropical Chill, Osmium Glow,
Sweet Peace
Max FM, Australia spins Blissful Highway, Highland Mist, Jade Dreams, Tropical Chill, Gentle Soul
WDIY 88.1 The Blend. Allentown, PA. spins Osmium Glow
WESS A Fist Full of Dust spins Blissful Highway, Dot Calm
WFIT, Florida, Future Echoes spins Highland Mist, Sweet Peace, Osmium Glow, Native Star, Birds in Paradise
WHYR-FM 96.9, Baton Rouge, LA spins Native Star, Highland Mist, Time Traveler, Jade Dreams, Tropical Chill, Blissful Highway, Osmium Glow
WMSE -FM, Milwaukee, WI spins Birds in Paradise
WMNR-FM, Monroe, CT & WGRS, WGSK, WRXC
covering CT & NY New Music Gallery spins Cheerful
Mohana, Gentle Soul, Dot Calm, Native Star,
Highland Mist, Blissful Highway
WMUH-FM 91.7 Though Radio, Allentown/Bethlehem,
PA spins Blissful Highway
WPKN-FM 89.5 Bridgeport, CT Del in Transition spins
Highland Mist
WUWF-FM, FL spins Birds in Paradise, Native Star,
Highland Mist
WVUD-FM 91.3, The Morning Fog, DE spins Blissful Highway, Jade Dreams, Tropical Chill, Native Star, Gentle Soul
WWSP, Stevens Point, WI, spins Time Traveler, Dot Calm,
Native Star, Birds in Paradise, Highland Mist
WYSO-FM 91.3 Yellow Springs, OH. spins Dot Calm,
Osmium Glow, Jade Dreams
Accuradio, Chicago, IL
Auralscapes, FL Episode 5 spins Jade Dreams
Cultuurmania, The Netherlands
Got Radio - New Age Nuance
Guido's Lounge Cafe, In the Zone, Netherlands spins
Jade Dreams
New Age CD, Belarus spins Osmium Glow & Tropical
Chill
New Age Music, Netherlands
New Age Notes, Phoenix, AZ:
#3 on October Radio Chart spins Osmium Glow.
#3 on November Chart spins Tropical Chill
Northern Lights, Canada. Music Lake spins Time Traveler
One World Music Radio Playlist #458, Playlist #478, The
Album Show, New Age Music Show #11, Piano Garden #1, Show #462 spins Blissful Highway, Tropical Chill, Highland Mist and more. Debuts #7 on October Chart
WINS 2nd Place Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
Peaceful Currents, USA
Peaceful Radio, The Netherlands, Show ft. album on #1512, #1513 - spins Time Traveler, #1514 - spins Jade Dreams, #1515 spins GentleSoul
#1529 spins Birds in Paradise
Radio Nature, France
Sequences Magazine - Sequences Podcast No 222 spins Sweet Peace & Time Traveller
SoundsLikeCafe, Australia. #1 on Instrumental Album Chart & Jade Dreams #2 on Singles Chart for November, 2022 • #2 on Instrumental Album Chart April, 2023 !!!