People I Admire..........

All of the follwoing are inspirational in their on right and regardless of what each has achieved for me they have enabled me to gain a clear focus as to where I want my life to go and how sometimes you have to fight against the norm in order to get it.

1. Barbra Streisand
This woman for me is truly sensational and a very inspirational figure in my life. Her career has spanned decades and has she has been lucky enough to achieve so much in almost every performing arts genre. Not only has she been in the limelight she has over the years cleverly developed her roles off screen and out of sight. I think as an artist Barbra has challenged the norm but not adhering to all the general rules of what people should look like, how people should act, and what roles in life should be undertaken if you are male or female. Barbra has pushed the boundaries with her talent yet recognised those who have helped her to get to where she is. Her determination and passion for the arts is amazing and this was shown the other evening in her laid back approach to her interview with Jonathan Ross on BBC1. She was very humble and calm which for me, a lady of this calibre is a true inspiration to all performers everywhere. So at the moment for me to have the opportunity to sing Streisand songs is a dream come true whether it be at big theatres or small theatres I feel this is a chance in a lifetime to tell others through song and dance about this marvellous loved "Greatest Star".
I have learnt from her that determination with a little bit of quirkiness can go along way. It's about also how you market yourself and network so you make sure you are out there in every format possible. Demos and voicereels help as well as live gigs and shows where possible. Sometimes if you aren't lucky enough for the good old West end jobs to fall at your feet you have to go and find them and make it happen, doing whatever possible within reason to achieve your goals.


2. Stephen Sondheim, Stephen Schwartz and Jason Robert Brown

As musicians go, these three in the 20th & 21st Century are worth their weight in gold. All three have had an influential change on Musical Theatre.

Sondheim's complex tunes with awkward phrasing has created some of the world's greatest musicals of all time. Not only that his music is being re-born with new versions both on Westend and Broadway but on screen aswell. His impact on theatre as a whole always has me gripped to my seat as I find his music challenging but in a wonderful musical sense rather than in difficulty to learning it. Sunday in the Park with George is a wonderful score which has such melodic tunes whilst normally sending a accompanist in overload. A musical genius amongst the greatest who have lived enabling more musicians to test their boundaries of music and skills enabling the theatre to progress to what it is today. 

Schwartz has recently had the most success with WICKED which is famous around the world for telling the story of Elphaba the Wicked Witch of the West. With amazing, dynamic songs and wonderful dialogue this show has encaptured the world by storm.Schwartz with his music has pushed female vocal demands to a new level with chest belt numbers rainisng the roofs of packed houses all over the globe. A simple concept but by no means a difficult score to tackle with a very powerful atmospheric feeling to it again modernising theatre bringing it alive for the 21st century theatre goer. I know those that adore Wicked are looking forward to his next triumph in the land of musical theatre.

Jason Robert Brown
Having personally being lucky enough to watch him play live in London this is one man that I expect can wear down piano keys like a pair of pointe shoes. As a pianist he is phenomenal. Coming from a musical background I know my grandmother a concert pianist in her time would have loved how his fingers barely stopped moving for 3 whole hours. Three changes of shirts proved how his sweat and perspiration was passion and nothing else. He reminds mind of Sondheim and Schwartz with his clever melodies and atmospheric ability when it comes to creating his individual sound. Full of energy and vibrance, his work over flows with a true star quality with everything he writes and plays. Not only can he play he can sing too with a great natural ability he clearly deserves a place here for his determination and passion for the arts as we need more new musicals that have this edgy up to date quality about them although don't get me wrong the classics are still fabulous as well.

These three individuals have taught me it's okay to push the boundaries and try something new. Ok so dying your hair is different from creating interesting melodies but change is a good thing and upgrading yourself to be noticed and recognised for your skills helps promote yourself within the business. As I love their difference in styles I have a wide selection of their music in my repertoire most of which shows my ability to its full potential and I am lucky that with my musical ear I can achieve their complex music. They have also encouraged me to look at other talented songwriters that don't always feature so heavily on West End or Broadway, this search has led me to come across some great music which I can almost guarentee no one has attempted or used before in an audition, always allowing to be heard as myself rather than comparing me to the five hundred other On My Own's that have walked in earlier that day.

3. My Parents

This may come across as seeming very trivial yet sentimental but both of them have always been an inspiration to me as well as enabling to see what a lot of hardwork can amount to over the years.
My mother a fully qualified principal of a dance school and my father a maths teacher by day and a pianist by night gave me all the wonderful gifts i.e talent and balanced upbringing enabling me to be who I am today. Neither forced me or pushed me hard in the way of performing arts but with influences being at home and me not being able for eyesight reasons to have careers in medicine, banking, and other areas due to safety etc, the arts cared and supported me for being a little different. Both have worked all there lives to get a better life for themselves and have certainly worked through experiences of thick and thin. Both make me incredibly proud, and for me to say they are mine. Full of life and energy at both 61 years of age I only hope that I can achieve atleast half of what they have so far in their lifetimes and more.It's clear that the two of them have rubbed their skills off on me both as a performer and as a educator that I now follow as a career. Meeting them both you would immediately see where I take after each of them. However with their determined natures, passion and drive linked with skill and dedication they truly are a pair I will admire forever. I'm lucky that they support me with everything I do as I realise some others in the industry aren't as fortunate as I. Yet I am grateful they have taught me self worth as well as not taking things for granted, as you never know "when the tides will change". Friends and family comment on what a remarkable pair these crazy two are but for me I am just truly grateful that they are mine and they are able to share my life experiences with me in the world of the arts.