Heather O’Donnell
Heather O’Donnell has supported artists for over 25 years, first as a colleague and for the past decade as a mental health consultant.
She is a psychologist (M.Sc.), an Artistic-Systemic Therapist (cert.: DGSF), and the founding director of TGR The Green Room. With a diverse background as a former professional pianist who experienced career-disrupting injuries, she developed over the years innovative methods aimed at accompanying performing artists on their lifelong journey towards health recovery, self-actualization, professional development, and sustained well-being.
While transitioning from her career as a musician, she studied Psychology (B.Sc.) at the Freie Universität in Berlin and received a M.Sc. in Prevention and Health Psychology at the SRH Hochschule, as well as a certificate in Musicians’ Health at the Kurt Singer Institute / Universität der Künste in Berlin. She is trained as a MTTC Mindfulness Teacher (teachers: Christopher Titmuss and Ulla König) and as an Artistic-Systemic Therapist (cert.: DGSF).
Heather O'Donnell is dedicated to helping musicians who grapple with playing blockages and disorders. She also places a strong emphasis on educating artists about the critical aspects of health development, maintenance, and recovery. Moreover, she is a trusted resource for musicians and other artists navigating career transitions and professional restructurings.
Heather's work extends beyond individual engagement- she advises arts organisations on issues such as systemic change and leadership models. She presented at the International Symposium of the Performing Arts Medical Association (PAMA) at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City (2017, 2021), the European Network of Cultural Center’s (ENCC) conference in Orihuela, Spain (2022), at OTM On The Move’s conference on Mental Health, Well Being, & International Cultural Mobility (2023), at the World Piano Conference in Novi Sad (2016), and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Rheinsberg (2015). She has served as a guest lecturer at the iArts School in Hangzhou, China, the New England Conservatory in Boston, and the Ostrava Music Festival in the Czech Republic and as a jury member at the Concours international de piano d'Orléans in 2012.
Heather O'Donnell has given workshops, lectures, and masterclasses at renowned institutions including Columbia University, Manhattan School of Music, Cornell University, the Robert-Schumann-Musikhochschule, the Lebanese Higher Conservatory of Music in Beirut, and Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa. From 2017 to 2019, she was a faculty member in the Humanities Department at the Eastman School of Music, where she regularly gave workshops on musicians’ health and practice strategies at the Eastman Institute of Music Leadership.
Offerings at The Green Room:
website: www.heatherodonnell.info
Photo: Marion Koell