Heidi Alina began her piano studies at age four and at ten won the MTNA national composition contest for her piece Beehive. After earning her Bachelor of Music from CU Boulder in 1991 as a top scholarship recipient, she found herself unable to pursue piano while raising her four children as a single mother. Her musical focus shifted to African drumming, where she became one of the top female drummers in the US. She also developed skill as an energy healer. In 2019, after a 30-year hiatus, she returned to piano, inspired by her enduring love of moving listeners through her performances.