Carrie Zaruba is an emerging singer/songwriter aiming to bring her music to the country music world with her take on life, triumphs, love and loss. Living in Nashville, miles away from her hometown of Baltimore, has given her the freedom to explore her artistic potential. Her rich musical education includes the renowned Baltimore School for the Arts and rigorous classical vocal training as a Lyric Mezzo Soprano in a conservatory setting. She has studied vocal performance in opera and jazz at The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, completing the Bachelors program in Music. The director of the Department of Music, NARAS member and seasoned drummer, Marc Dicciani, became her mentor during the course of her college career instructing and guiding her in everything from singing lead in Bernstein's "Trouble in Tahiti" to jamming with the school's elite Motown Ensemble. In 2001 and 2002 she was the lead singer of the Red Dylan Band, co-writing, recording and playing at city venues Tin Angel and The Grape Street Pub. Graduating in 2003 brought several musical opportunities, including singing background vocals, writing for and touring with teen sensation Katie Neil. On a whim, she auditioned for the 2005 season of American Idol, in which she surpassed hundreds of thousands to finish in the Top 100 contestants. She returned from Los Angeles hungry to complete an album of her own. For her EP debut, she teamed up with producers Seth Costner and Joel Schwamburger in Nashville. They challenged and encouraged her to honestly express her musical soul. The result is a stunning introduction to the world, a brilliant snapshot of strength, vulnerability and love. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.