What is your earliest memory of singing or making music?

​Music hit me in elementary school. The exposure to voice and instruments was a blessing for me. I started a simple recorder, a noise my family just loved! That led to reed instruments including clarinet, bass clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax, baritone sax and percussion.  I joined the church marching band and realized I had found my thing. That eventually became my love of seeing and performing in Broadway shows.

 

Is there a song or piece of music that feels especially meaningful to you?

​“A Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke is a song that reached me the first time I heard it.  This song has a beautiful melody – and the words send a message of hope that our country needs, more today than ever. 

 

Do you have a favorite Diversity chorus memory so far?

​The moment that touched me first is the greeting I received from Michael and Deb (two of Diversity’s tenors). They were past friends and extended a hand of friendship the second they saw me.

 

What might surprise people to learn about you?

Some people might be surprised to learn that, at one point, I was a music minister at a Catholic church.  By the way, I was also the 3rd-grade catechism teacher.   

 

When you’re not singing, how do you like to spend your time?

​I like to spend my time bowling, attending musicals, and doing DIY projects at home. I installed a kitchen and flooring. Number one on my home improvement list is to never do that again. Lesson learned!

 

If you could describe singing in one word or short phrase, what would it be?

​The word would be LIBERATING. Singing brings me to a world in which the burdens of the day vanish, the constraints from society are released, and the messages in the songs make me feel free.