In the beginning...I am a "Joisey" girl who grew up in the shadow of THE CITY. My home town is Hawthorne, NJ. One day I woke up and found myself residing in St. Petersburg on Florida's Suncoast. Hmm... Had I traded one asylum for another? Why, yes I had. After more than 20 years living in "God's Waiting Room," my husband Joe and I now live in "God's Country" - Presque Isle County, Michigan. |
||
|
||
|
What Got Me Started?I first picked up the guitar at age 10. The following year my family moved a lot and good ol' Mom suggested that I try out for a talent show at the new school. After strumming and singing for the audition, silence filled the room. Was humiliation was on the way? Nah, I'd just stunned them with a big, clear voice! I was hooked on performing from the first round of applause. |
|
|
||
Under the InfluenceMuch of my high school years were spent learning David Bowie songs by ear (much to the horror of my parents and teachers). Although my compositions are vastly different than his, I've tried to emulate what I like best in his writing. |
|
|
|
||
Style!A variety of styles go into creating my songs. After all, variety is the Spice of Life! Folk, Blues, Rock, Pop, Metal and Jazz are just a few of the flavors to savor. Together, we explore philosophy, relationships, the human condition, humor, global and environmental issues... Satisfying and deliciously different! Comments include Progressive, Dynamic and Alternative Acoustic. Some characterize it as Americana. I've received several awards for the quality of my songwriting. |
|
|
|
||
PerformancesThrough the years, I've appeared at many venues in the state of Florida. Among them: Skipper's Smokehouse, First Night St. Petersburg, the Will McLean Festival, the South Florida Folk Festival, and the Wings & Strings Festival. 1997 marked my first festival performance featuring national acoustic acts at the Suwannee Springfest in Live Oak, FL. This festival presented such notables as the Austin Lounge Lizards, Iris Dement, Peter Rowan, Pierce Pettis, and Richard Gilewitz. I've been involved with Ruth Eckerd Hall by presenting a lecture on folk music in America combined with a performance of my compositions. This took place before a Peter, Paul and Mary concert. For three seasons I produced, hosted and performed in Keeping Company... with Donna Klein where three other songwriters join me in an interactive round-robin performance. Now that I'm becoming established in the community, I look forward to creating a new concert series. |
||
|
||
Where am I?I spent five years tending to the needs of the Women Musicians' Alliance as its founder and president.
I'm also teaching music, forming a guitar orchestra, and am presenting an informance program in schools. The lure of the footlights has drawn me back to the theatre like a moth to the light. I've become involved with the Rogers City Community Theater, performing in three musicals since 2007. Roles include Soupy Sue in "Urinetown, the Musical," Domina in "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," and most recently, Ronnette in "Little Shop of Horrors" (for which I was also the music director). This summer, I will be directing the summer youth theater production of Disney's "Alice in Wonderland." |
||
Get a printable version of my biographical brochure! Get a printable version of the informance program brochure! Available in .pdf format now! |
||
I've
got a recording titled "Sail Beyond the Sunset" ready for listening.
Its formal release is still to be determined.
