Biography

Silver, Wood & Ivory

Silver, wood, and ivory are three creations of beauty found in nature. When you add the musical inspirations of Tracy Dietrich and Cindy Wittenberg, “Silver, Wood & Ivory” transform into a celestial musical journey.

Tracy Dietrich, the Silver and Wood of the duo, was born with the gift of perfect pitch. She says that playing music came as second nature to her from the time she was a child. Tracy has played other instruments, but it’s the flute that has captured the passion of her musical voice. Tracy has mastered nineteen different flutes and recorders ranging from the most primitive to the most sophisticated.

These intricate varieties of flutes compliment her unique style.

Cindy Wittenberg, the Ivory of the pair, grew up in a musical family with a classically trained mother. She began playing the piano at the age of four and began formal training by the age of eight. Cindy also learned to play the organ and the bassoon which allows her to draw from a more orchestral experience when composing music.

Together, this two-person orchestra of classically trained artists have fashioned a tapestry of music that stirs the soul. Tracy and Cindy both have instrumental performance degrees: Tracy from Indiana University, Indiana, PA and Cindy from Elizabethtown College, Elizabethtown, PA and Peabody Conservatory, Baltimore, MD.

Whether it’s a familiar song that causes memories to come flooding back or a new melody that creates a sense of calm, Silver Wood & Ivory have a compilation of over ten different works that will fill everyone’s melodic appetite.

One of their latest CDs, “Adagio in the Forest,” is the first of three in their Spa Series. This CD captures the spirit of the forest with a unique interplay between the flutes, piano and ethereal keyboards, woven together with the addition of a harp and contrabass flute to create a dreamlike quality. Splashes of authentic natural sounds will allow you to escape into a different dimension.

” ‘Tis the Season” was nominated as Best Christmas Album by New Age Reporter in 2008. “Wander In,” the duo’s second album is still their most popular with classic songs that have the Silver Wood, & Ivory mystique such as “Unchained Melody,” “Listen to the Rhythm,” and “Yesterday”.

Silver, Wood and Ivory have just finished recording their tenth CD called “Adagio Christmas,” the second of three in their Spa Series. Think new age. Think classical. A beautiful, tranquil, spacious, mesmerizing soundscape, perfect for meditation, relaxation and personal stress release, especially during the holiday season.

Cindy Wittenberg

Cindy Keller Wittenberg, Lititz, Pennsylvania, grew up in Buffalo Springs, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania where her musician mother taught her to play 4-part harmony on the piano at the age of four. Accompanying school and church choirs, instrumentalists and vocalists has been a major part of her vocation since third grade.

She earned a B.S. degree in music education at Elizabethtown College, Elizabethtown, PA and a Master’s degree in Piano Performance at Peabody Conservatory, Baltimore, Maryland. She taught keyboard theory to high school pianists in the Peabody Preparatory Department and public school (middle school) vocal and classroom music Penn Manor School District, Lancaster County, PA.

She was a member of the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra for ten years and also pianist at Manor Brethren in Christ Church in Mountville, PA, where she accompanied choir and created special music and accompaniments with praise band on piano and keyboard for eight years.

Accompanying musicians professionally in concerts, auditions, musicals, and contests have been her main performance avenues. After 35 years of teaching and coaching other pianists, she retired from the pedagogical world to write, record, and perform full-time with Silver, Wood & Ivory.