Seay, a 1983 alumna, is in the running for a Hollywood Music in Media Award

Posted on September 01, 2016 by Jennifer McManamay

Seay, known as Melissa Seay Harshaw when she attended Sweet Briar as a member of the Class of 1983, is a 2016 Hollywood Music in Media Award nominee.


Seay
“We Are One,” a track off her latest recording, “In The Garden,” has been nominated in the New Age/Ambient category. The seventh annual HMMA awards will be presented Nov. 17 at The Fonda Theatre in Hollywood.

Seay (pronounced “say”) was born in Charlottesville and traveled the Far East, Korea and Japan with her family growing up. She is classically trained in both music and voice, according to her website. Today, the Nashville-based vocalist and composer is noted for her pop, New Age and world music recordings. She records under the Tuscan Sun Music label.

The nomination is a fulfillment of her work in music, and it has even deeper meaning because of its “message of connection and unity,” Seay says.

“I am a music ambassador with Project Peace on Earth, and it’s particularly exciting to have my music recognized with a song that has a spiritual and universal message. I’m incredibly honored. It’s a thrill to receive this nomination, and to share it with Sweet Briar.”

Seay earned her bachelor’s in art history and completed graduate studies in fine and decorative art at Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London. It was in London that her career in music began, but she says Sweet Briar had a profound influence on her, too.

“It gave me a wonderful foundation and helped me to grow and take risks, work hard and follow a dream. I am still following that dream thirty years later with a lot of discipline and experience.”