#TAABeauty Young Artist Spotlight: Ensemble Member Kylee Gardner!

There's a truism in musical theater that says "The Ensemble makes or breaks the show" -- and Kylie Gardner is definitely an ensemble member that "makes" it!  Her high energy and every-moment enthusiasm on stage have been an integral part of TAA's first season, in the Nutcracker Ballet, Madama Butterfly (which wasn't even this 8th grader's first opera!), and now we are so happy to have her not only in the #TAABeauty ensemble but also as a featured soloist in the TAAJuniorCo Pre-show!  We asked this young artist about her life in theater so far and the balancing act of school and performing arts... 

You've done a lot of performing projects already in your life! What are some of the things you've been in? Annie, Alice in Wonderland, The Music Man, The Wizard of Oz, Cinderella,

Tosca, The Nutcracker, Madame Butterfly, The Fresno Grand Opera Christmas on Van Ness (twice), Beauty and the Beast, and yearly school Christmas plays since Kindergarten. My favorite play was the Music Man because everyone in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade (at my school) had a part.

Why musical theater?  
I chose to do theater because, I love to sing. It also very interesting to see how other people interpret there characters. I enjoy theater because I can tell a story to people of all ages. 

We've known you long enough now to know that you have an amazing work ethic, not just for your age but for any age!  What drives you, and how do you balance also being a good student?  
What drives me is the fact I can bring joy to people by singing and dancing. Study and practice is a balancing act, but I try to work hard and finish homework at school.

Everyone who has done theater has some stories... what is your weirdest moment so far? 
I have to say that the weirdest thing I've gotten to do on stage was have to pretend that one of my friends was my boyfriend for the Music Man.

What has been your favorite part of the rehearsal process for #TAABeauty?
 My favorite part of the rehearsal process for Beauty and the Beast was when we all came together as a cast and worked on making some of the costumes, painting the sets, and building them.

Who do you think should come and see #TAABeauty? Everyone!

Kylie in the Grace Christian School production of "The Music Man"

Come and see Kylie and the rest of the fantastic Beauty and the Beast cast at LJ Williams theater August 18-21! 
Tickets at 

Brown Paper Tickets: Theater Arts Alliance

Or by calling 559-972-8417

A Singer/Conductor's December........

 It is So Very December!

Fresno Grand Opera Christmas on Van Ness Concert

I saw a post on FaceBook the first week of December that said "ahhhh, December... Holidays, rest and recovery, fun with family, relaxation... OH WAIT! I'm a musician!

Definitely rings true for me.  But what a great month regardless!
First on the performance list was my Students' annual "Christmas Convocation."  We have a public master-class type Convo every month, but twice a year we polish things up, invite friends and family, and perform.  The Christmas one is hugely fun, and this year was as diverse as "I Want a Hippopatamus For Christmas" to Jason Robert Brown's "Christmas Lullaby."

Two days later:  Fresno Grand Opera Chorus' Christmas on Van Ness Concert!
This was fabulous this year!  Not only did I get to conduct a great chorus but also got to bring a group of my best students to perform as a Youth Ensemble.  They FGO peeps asked for something "Fresh and Different" from the kids -- so we gave them one traditional-ish "Christmas Canon" based on the Pachelbel Canon and also sang "Better Days" by the Googoo Dolls.  A bit of a risk in a somewhat highbrow concert, but very well received!

It's going to be aired on Valley PBS the Sunday before Christmas at 1:30 and on Christmas Eve at 11pm -- but here it is on YouTube also!  Fresno Grand Opera Christmas on Van Ness 2014

The second weekend was filled!  Sang and played with Christ Lutheran Church's choir and handbell choir at the Visalia Christmas Tree Auction Friday night.  Swanky event!
On Saturday I got to watch two fantastic performances:  The COS Dance Show, which is the "final" of the students in the dance classes at COS.  My daughter was in Ballet 1 -- and has learned so much!  Very fun to watch her.  We slingshotted out of that theater to Visalia First Presbyterian for the Messiah Sing-Along, conducted by my friend Paul Raheb and bass solos by my favorite baritone.  Highlight of that bit of the evening was my 13 year old son's scandalized face during "The Trumpets Shall Sound," since I had sung a very disturbing rendition of it including the words "and the baby shall be changed" many times a day for three kids!  The music was incredibly enjoyable, too. :)

Last night was my younger daughter's first of two Christmas dance recitals -- she's really growing, too!  Beautiful to watch her and got to see a three year old class as a bonus... wayyyy too much fun!

Coming up: Watching one more dance recital tomorrow...  prepped an amazing group of about 50 kids for the Tulare County Symphony Holiday Concert on the 20th... Friends and Family Concert for a Senior Group on the 21st... and all the music for Christmas Eve at Christ Lutheran.

I love my work, no doubt -- but a musician's December is not for the faint of heart!  Many rehearsals go into every performance, large or small, and regular student schedules go on regardless!

Christmas Day we will sleep in, stay in our jammies, and eat birthday cake for my daughter.  Maybe the day after I'll start score studying Tosca... :) ♥

Brown paper packages tied up with strings... a theater family's Christmas Tree!

Fresno Grand Opera -- Start of Rehearsals!

Monday night was the first men's sectional for the FGO Christmas on Van Ness concert.  What a joy to conduct this group!  Superlative musicians, and ready to try new things and take artistic risks (even Seth Rudetsky's three-ideas-on-a-long note that others might think is reserved for soloists or theater!) in order to bring a fresh, new performance.

Conducting an opera chorus through Christmas classics and other "fun" repertoire is an interesting task.  We are not a traditional choir.  We are a theater-based ensemble -- so in some cases, though we produce things that are very beautiful, entertainment and engaging the audience is a priority before beauty.  Our sound is energized and exciting, articulation is crisp and diction is paramount.

One of this group's strengths is versatility, which will also make this concert very interesting for the listener.  The variety of sound and tone colors is immense, producing a "Panis Angelicus" that could rival any cathedral choir and a hilarious character-filled "Nutcracker Jingles" that will keep an audience guessing -- and laughing!

It's fall and fall means musical projects!  More upcoming!

 Christmas on Van Ness -- click here for more information