Hello everyone!
Happy sunny Monday! I hope that your week is starting on a good note! I know that you are all waiting for this! I am honored to present to you, my exclusive interview with the New York Times Critic's choice, multi-award winning celebrity performer, Jeff Harnar.
For those of you who don't know Jeff, I'll start you off with a short bio:
JEFF HARNAR is a award-winning cabaret, concert and recording artist. His Carnegie Hall appearances include both the Cole Porter and Noel Coward Centennial Galas. His PBS televised concerts include “The 1959 Broadway Songbook” and “American Songbook: Stephen Sondheim” with KT Sullivan. Jeff has won multiple MAC, Bistro and BroadwayWorld Cabaret Awards, The Noel Coward Foundation Cabaret Award and has released four solo CD's.
You can read about more details at jeffharnar.com
I've known about Jeff a long time but my first encounter with Jeff was in his capacity as a director for the wonderful show "Together", consisting of all the MAC best female vocalist nominee (Celia Berk, Sally Darling, Josephine Sanges and Lisa Viggiano). Between his amazingly inspirational speech at the 2018 MAC awards, his subsequent performances that I've had the pleasure to watch and photographically document (Cabaret Convention & Sondheim Montage with the Beauteous KT Sullivan), I became a fan!
For this interview, I asked Jeff the following questions:
1) Can you share with us some interesting facts that most people don’t know about you?
In the 1980’s, I was a room service waiter at the Regency Hotel and waited on The McGuire Sisters. Phyllis McGuire hired me to be her houseboy for the two years before I launched seriously into my cabaret career. She later hired me to be their opening act on their comeback tour.
2) You are an amazing performer, director, teacher and so much more. What kick started your passion for music and performing? How did you discover your passion for it all and realized that it was what you wanted to do?
I loved Broadway cast albums as a child: the clever lyrics; the rich melodies; and vivid and varied voices. I was nine years old when I saw my first Broadway show,”The Happy Time,” which had children my age in it. That really lit me up. Later that year I was cast in a community theater production of “The Music Man” in Chicago, was spotted by an agent and had all my union cards by the time I was ten. I had a good run as a jingle singer as a boy soprano. The onset of the baritone years was the bigger challenge.
I went to a great high school that nurtured both my performing and directing dreams. In fact, my senior year I directed Liz Callaway in a big student production. A nice first directing credit right out of the gate!
3) Do you have a couple of particularly interesting stories that you'd like to share with the readers?
They are all in my shows ... come on down! :-)
4) What motivates your creativity and passion for life? Name three things that never fails to put a smile on your face!
- my mother - pets - and loving friends
5) Share with us what you have in the pipeline for us to be on the lookout for!
KT Sullivan, Jon Weber & Sondra Lee have a new Leonard Bernstein show in the works.
Currently I have several Directing projects underfoot.
I don't know about you but I am definitely looking forward to hearing. seeing and finding out more!!
NEXT FRIDAY! DECEMBER 14TH!
COME AND BE ENTRANCED BY JEFF HARNAR!
PICK YOUR FAVORITE SONG OR A NEW SONG YOU'D LIKE TO WORK ON AND SING WITH THE FABULOUSLY TALENTED AWARD WINNING MUSICAL DIRECTOR JON WEBER (STAY TUNED FOR HIS INTERVIEW, COMING SOON!)