“I grew up on a farm in Womboota, so I caught the bus into town everyday for school, firstly to Moama Primary, then Echuca High School,” Ms Stewart said.
“I have a musical family, my mum always played and sang with us from a very young age, so music was obviously in my blood.
“When I was seven I said ‘I am going to be a violinist’, as I wanted to play the violin.
“So, my mother found me a violin teacher, which was difficult, as they kept leaving town.
“I had a beautiful piano teacher, who worked at the Catholic school, Mrs Edwards, who helped me learn to play the piano.
At the age of 18, Ms Stewart moved to Melbourne to study a classical degree at university, with the aim of being in orchestras.
Being an adventurous person at the end of university, Ms Stewart moved to London to continue to work, and undertake vocal training.
“All the time I was doing that, I was singing in musicals, like I had sung in musicals in high school,” she said.
“I grew up with my grandparents living in the same house and they used to listen to jazz.
“My grandmother was a singer and she sang a lot of beautiful jazz songs.
“I have been lucky to have such a musical family that loved any kind of music.”
She has been working with her husband Leigh Barker for 15 years.
“He is a jazz double bass player originally from Canberra.
“We met in Melbourne and together we play early jazz, called ‘hot jazz’, blues and ragtime.
“A mixture of beautiful old songs is what the concert is going to be.”
Together they are bringing a six-piece band to the region for two shows, one at the Echuca Moama Uniting Church this Saturday night, as well as a show in Ms Stewart’s home venue, the Womboota Hall, School of Arts on Sunday afternoon.
“No matter where I was living, I have to come back and get a band together of musicians that I love and bring them back home to share my music,” Ms Stewart said.
“It is really lovely to see the community again and still get to be part of that life that I grew up with.”
Ms Stewart and Leigh Barker have lived in Paris for the past six-and-a-half years.
“We moved there to try our lives in reverse, because before we were touring in America, Europe and Britain and living in Australia and only touring Australia once every couple of years,” she said.
“We wanted to flip that and do it the other way and come back and tour Australia every year.
“We are living in a highly populated part of the planet and giving it a go, to be near the musicians we had met over the years, and have new formations and possibilities for our music and experiences.
“At one of my gigs, Mel Brooks was at the gig and I ended up having a three-hour chat with him after the concert about music and life, and other amazing things like that have happened since we moved over there.”
The concerts coincide with being able to come back after a couple of years away and the band’s new album.
Heather Stewart with the Leigh Barker Band plays the Echuca Moama Uniting Church on Saturday, December 3 at 7pm and the Womboota Hall — School of Arts on Sunday, December 4 at 3pm.
Tickets to both concerts, as well as Heather Stewart and the Leigh Barker Band’s new album can be purchased at the door with cash or card.
For more information visit: https://hezzjazz.com/shows