I started performing at age 11, singing with my dad and two older brothers in an a’capella quartet. We learned some songs to sing on a local barbershop show in southwest Michigan. When we finished everyone cheered and  I knew what I wanted to do with my life. That same year I performed in Cheaper By The Dozen and tagged along with my older siblings to rehearsals for Oklahoma!, Once Upon a Mattress and Damn Yankees.

Since then I’ve done more shows than I can count. I’ve been leads, supporting characters, in the chorus, in the pit, back stage, in the booth, behind a spot light, you name it. I’ve toured in Europe, been a drummer in a rock band, sung at weddings and birthdays and through my tears at funerals. I’ve performed in grand halls, cathedrals and hospital rooms, even on a subway train.

It’s more than 40 years later and even though my dad is 90 and his voice has lost some of its vigor, we still sing when we get together. I’ve had a lot of wonderful teachers and learned not only how to sing and dance and act, but what a privilege it is to be allowed to perform for others, to share in the moments of their lives.

I finally found my way to New York at the age of 49. It took a long time, but here I am. I couldn’t be happier or more humbled. Two and a half years down and I have had some of the most amazing experiences I could have hoped for. After a national tour, a regional show, cabarets, workshops and more auditions than I could have imagined I know I am in the right place.