In my singing career, I’ve realized that the most important thing to discover is the truth within a song. When a singer connects to a song and feels compelled to tell the story behind it, more so than making it sound pretty or impress with riffs, it’s a real chance for the music to transcend the moment, and really connect with the audience. I’ve made that the focus of my singing throughout my recent years singing in New York, or on the road around the world when I sang backup for Gloria Gaynor, and most recently this past year while often guest appearing at The Jazz Kitchen.

I recently dove into the songbook of Cole Porter, and while many of his songs are very well known, his story isn’t necessarily. The ups and downs of his life reveal themselves within his lyrics, and there’s an honesty present that’s often glanced over. There’s a beautiful, sometimes desperate, and always vulnerable quality to his music that revealed itself to me, and I would love to share that with an audience at the Artsgarden.

I have a fresh take on Cole Porter’s songs and some creative arrangements I’m developing with the help of local heavyweights Rob Dixon, Mina Keohane, and a few other friends.