People Who Inspire Me

Kerry Ellis

http://www.kerryellis.co.uk/

I first became aware of Kerry Ellis in 2002 when i was 15. I had come to London with my family for a holiday weekend and we had tickets to see the brand new show "We Will Rock You." I have always loved Queen so was mega excited to see the show, but at 15 I wasn't particularly interested in who were playing the parts, more just in the music.

I remember how high energy some of the numbers were and the audience buzzing with excitement. Then, when Kerry Ellis took centre stage as her character Meat to sing her solo ballad "Only the Good Die Young" the atmosphere changed and my mood changed from upbeat, to completely awestruck and whole heartedly absorbed by every word and note she sung.

 It was the first time i'd ever hear that song, and the arrangement with Kerry hitting phenomenal high belts and breath taking emotional lyrics, i couldn't help but cry. It was the first time i'd ever been so moved in a theatre and it was the final push I needed at that age to know that singing and performing was what i wanted to do.

Kerry Ellis has also played Fantine in Les Misarables, Ellen in Miss Saigon and of course Elphaba in Wicked in the Westend and on Broadway. Her career is a clear inspiration to any aspiring British female singers, and her voice is now  globally appreciated and one of the finest in Musical Theatre history. To me, Kerry Ellis will always be Meat and when I listen to the original cast recording of Rock You, I still get the same goosebumps and watery eyes I did when I was 15. 

Jason Robert Brown

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GHa-doxUfg

Jason Robert Brown is a New York based composer and lyricist. His work, both theatrical and personal albums, are now world renowned and has been dubbed as the modern day Sondheim. The works of his that i am familiar with include "Songs for a new World", "Parade" and "The last Five Years". His composition style is rhythmically and unconventional. I have a few of his songs in my repertoire and  I recall my singing teachers face of concentration as he mildly successfully sight read the complex piano score. The singing melodies are by no means simple either. The lyrics are writing in a conversational style, strongly noticeable in "I'm climbing uphill" from his show "The last five years". When I first heard this song I knew i had to give it a go, for a female singer with a strong belt i it a perfect sing, with challenges in breathing and in character portrayal. His lyrics cover everyday life and relationships is such a raw and realistic way it's like nothing i've ever heard before.

Brown's most famous composition and now a broadway standard is "Stars and the Moon" which again offers a female performer a new challenge of reality acting and vocal ability.

I will continue to sing and appreciate Brown's music and style, however as far as using his songs for audition purposes, it is highly recommended never to take a JRB piece as the pianist will definitely not thank you for doing so!!

 

Dame Julie Andrews

http://www.julieandrewsonline.com/

As much as my preferred theatrical taste and personal singing style are both reflective of the more modern, americanized works current today, I am also in admiration and love watching the early, quintessentially British classic performances, most clearly represented by the works of Dame Julie Andrews. 

Just before her 19th Birthday Andrews made her Broadway debut in "The Boy friend" and continued her stage career playing Eliza Dolittle in "My Fair Lady". Of course next came what Julie Andrews is world famous for, her role as Mary Poppins, Disney's 1964 classic. Her next ground breaking part was that of Maria in "The sound of Music" which made her a national treasure and a household name. These are films my mum and grandma have loved and we have watched far to many times to count. I would never want to analyze Andrews performances in these childhood favorites and her sweet sugar coated performances and stunning vocals need no higher praise. All I know is that she got me singing and dancing infront of the television from a very young age, and surely that is grounds enough for inspiration!