The origin of Westwind Farm Studios

To tease out the very beginnings of this extraordinary place, you have to go back ten years. In the mid 1990s, Maryellen was attending a multimedia user group meeting in Portland, Oregon, and was fascinated by one particular presentation, on audio recording and engineering. She was most impressed by the session leader, independent recording engineer Larry Schaeffer.

When asked, Larry agreed to give a tour of his studio to an eager Maryellen, and there a meeting of the minds occurred. On the wall of Larry’s studio Maryellen spied a picture of Yogananda: the famous yogi who brought many westerners to understand the ancient practice of yoga. Larry had come to know Yogananda’s teachings as he’d studied with Self Realization Fellowship (SRF), and coincidentally Maryellen’s own yoga teacher represented a part of Yogananda’s lineage. And even as they explored the inner workings of Schaeffer’s studio, the two formed a deeper bond based on these common spiritual teachings.

Cut to two years later. When she was pregnant with her first child, musician Maryellen hatched a plan to record a CD of lullabies. The project was only intended to reach several of her friends, all of whom seemed to be having babies at the same time. Her husband Bill, who had always been supportive of Maryellen’s creative pursuits, wanted to find the best person to produce and arrange their project.

Larry was a natural fit. In a highly creative collaboration, Larry created arrangements and lush orchestrations to Maryellen’s tunes. The two printed less than ten copies of what was essentially a small personal project, and that seemed to be the end of it.

After Bill passed away unexpectedly, Maryellen acquired a grand piano to help her express new emotions. She decided to throw a party in honor of the instrument. Larry and his wife were in attendance, and he took the opportunity to urge Maryellen to move forward by putting her energy into her creative pursuits. Together they came up with the idea for a studio.

Today Westwind Farm Studio encompasses a working family home, a small organic farm that is also a periodic home to a migrating herd of elk, a serene open-air yoga temple, an outdoor recordable performance and celebration space, and a recording studio for artists such as jazz legend Nancy King, guitarist Kelly Jo Phelps, vocalist Heidi Krenn, pianist and yogi Carol Biel, and more.

Stop by often and see what we’re doing!