Happy Sunny Tuesday!
I must say that this sunshine makes me happy! What make me even happier is that the next Spotlight on YOU Open Mic is coming right up next Wednesday! To get you excited, I am starting with my individual interviews of each of the "Together" sunshine ladies beginning with the fabulous Celia Berk, who's got a show coming up tonight!
For those of you who don't know Celia, here's a bio for starters: Celia Berk
is a Bistro, BroadwayWorld, MAC, and Margaret Whiting Award-winning vocalist with two critically-acclaimed albums (her debut, You Can't Rush Spring, and the 2017 LaMott Friedman Award-winning Manhattan Serenade). Celia has attracted attention from some of the most prominent champions of The Great American Songbook since coming onto the NYC scene. Rex Reed said she's "one of the best singers I've heard in a long time." Stephen Holden wrote in The New York Times that “Ms. Berk makes you feel about New York the same way a Cole Porter song makes you feel about Paris.”
Celia's recordings are played around the world and are available on iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby, and Pandora. Her collaboration with jazz pianist Sean Gough, "Comes Love," is a program of songs about love, including the kinds of hidden gems by great songwriters such as Irving Berlin and Francesca Blumenthal that have become Celia's trademark. Celia has made memorable appearances at Jazz At Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and The Town Hall and, with Gough, is making her Birdland Theater debut on April 23. www.GramercyNightingale.com
I've always admired Celia but I am fortunate to get to know her more when I was tasked to video the "Together" show. Celia is not only a wonderful performer but she is down to earth and warm as an individual!
For this interview, here are the questions I've asked:
1) Can you share with us a couple of interesting facts that most people don’t know about you?
I am a trustee of a small non-profit making micro-grants to the arts, education, children and the vulnerable. I use my next gen friends and family to identify the organizations and causes, and develop their understanding of philanthropy.
2) What fuel your passion for music and performance? How did you discover your passion for it all and realized that it was what you wanted to do?
I abandoned a performing career many years ago -- without consciously noticing that I had stopped everything but my voice lessons. It's taken me a long time to find my way back to performing -- and to realize it is music not acting that is the center of that part of my life.
3) Do you have a particularly interesting story about your musical journey that you'd like to share with the readers?
My whole journey into the cabaret world has been extraordinary. I am very grateful to the community for welcoming me and giving me the space to keep growing, exploring and pivoting.
4) What is your "go to" before a show? It can be a routine, physical or mental space.
My routine starts 24 hours before -- I try to be mindful of what I am eating, that I am getting enough sleep. Everything is packed for the trip the next day. Yoga in the morning. A good blow out at the salon!
5) Share with us what you have in the pipeline for us to be on the lookout for!
I am making my Birdland Theater debut April 23 with jazz pianist Sean Gough and bassist Steve Doyle
If you are free and looking for a wonderful experience, merging jazz and cabaret tonight, check out Celia Berk at Birdland!
STAY TUNED FOR MY INTERVIEW OF THE LOVELY SALLY DARLING, COMING UP NEXT!!