Theresa Rochelle-Ross is a folksinger, songwriter, and arranger offering a vast wealth of experience from decades of creating and performing in the professional arena. For the last thirty something years she’s been involved in the performance of Irish and classic folk music in pubs, coffee houses, and concert halls across the southwest. Her multifaceted voice easily dances over a wide range of notes – being at times dramatically powerful, or lilting with a pure, ethereal grace. She gives elegant accompaniment on the pennywhistle, recorder, Celtic folk-harp, and ethnic drums in compelling interpretations, unique and unforgettable. Theresa began her musical endeavors as a young girl in school choirs and ensembles. Being very involved in her high school dance and theater arts, she began to formulate her dreams as a performing artist and by the mid 1970s; she was dancing and singing as a member of the quartet, The Everyman Gypsy Band. It was at this point Theresa began trying her hand at the pennywhistle and recorder as well as all manner of percussion. In ‘77 the foursome moved their show to San Francisco, California, and there performed in countless folk clubs and Irish pubs in the Bay area. As headliners or sharing venues with the likes of Dave Bromberg and Robin Williamson (and the Merry Band), they worked such 70’s hot spots as The Inn of The Beginning, Freight and Salvage, and The Plough and Stars. During this time they also gave many performances for the newly formed charitable outreach organization, Bread and Roses.
In 1978 Theresa returned to her hometown of San Diego, with husband and musical partner, Jim Hinton. Jim and Theresa were part of the Celtic folk boom that began its slow ascent in San Diego around that time, and were an enormously popular featured act at O’Hungry’s in Old Town, as well as Irish music venues including The Blarney Stone, Rosy O’ Grady’s and the legendary, but now defunct, Patriot Game.
In 1982 she and Jim co-founded Celtic group, The Paradise Street Band, and for five years were the mainstay on Saturday nights at restaurant/folk club, Drowsy Maggie’s. Also during that time the group played numerous concerts in folk houses, local and touring music festivals, and a variety of concert venues.
After 10 years with The Street Band, Theresa and Jim went on to a new musical incarnation as The Strange Woods*. For 16 years, (within the two band formats) Theresa was the featured vocalist on Friday nights at The Camelot Inn in San Marcos, CA, until she retired from playing pubs in 2002. During these years she continued to perform for a wide array of functions from the sublime to the ridiculous all over California, Arizona and Nevada.
Since 2003, Theresa has performed with The Strange Woods and also with singer/songwriter/artist Roy Ruiz Clayton, at coffee houses, private house parties,
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Patrick’s Day shows, large civic events, and many charity functions. Other performances from 2003 until now include a multitude of concert series all over the San Diego County area, as well as the Adams Avenue Street Fair, The San Diego Roots Festival, The San Diego Folk Festival, and The Americana Series in Fallbrook, CA.