Meet the artists who will make Morristown Onstage THE place to be, Feb. 24

These performers will compete at Morristown ONSTAGE next month. Photo by Katharine Boyle.
These performers will compete at Morristown ONSTAGE next month. Photo by Katharine Boyle.
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The finalists who will compete in Morristown ONSTAGE 2016. Photo by Katharine Boyle.
The finalists who will compete in Morristown ONSTAGE 2016. Photo by Katharine Boyle.

By Rachel Prusso and Kirsten Traudt

They range from 6 to 60-something. Three are back for a second try. One hopes the third time’s the charm.  Two aim to evoke memories of their homeland; another honors the memory of a lost loved one.  A foursome packs big dreams into tiny instruments.

morristown onstage logoWe’re talking about the finalists for Morristown ONSTAGE. Fifteen acts will compete on Feb. 24, 2016, for prizes and bragging rights at the Mayo Performing Arts Center.

Now in its ninth year, the benefit show will strive to eclipse last winter’s mark of $75,000 raised for programs in the Morris School District.  Tara Bernie of NBC’s Access Hollywood returns as emcee. Ticket sales start on Feb. 1.

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND: Tara Bernie of NBC's 'Access Hollywood' returns as emcee. Photo by Katharine Boyle
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND: Tara Bernie of NBC’s ‘Access Hollywood’ returns as emcee. Photo by Katharine Boyle

More than 70 amateur performers who live, work or study in Greater Morristown auditioned last month. The finalists are vying for $1,000 prizes — awarded by judges to the top acts over and under age 19–and $500 for the audience favorite.

A $250 Rossoff Prize, named for former Morris Educational Foundation member Fran Rossoff, has been added this year for an act demonstrating great promise.

The finalists recently gave a sneak preview to the media. Let’s meet this talented bunch…

 


The Sophisticated Steppers. Photo by Paulo Frazao
The Sophisticated Steppers. Photo by Paulo Frazao

Leading off: The Sophisticated Steppers, who fill the stage with an organized and intense drill routine.

The Sophisticated Steppers. Photo by Katharine Boyle
The Sophisticated Steppers. Photo by Katharine Boyle

The group was founded 15 years ago in Essex County by Rasheeda Ziyad and Quadriyyah Sakhu as an extension of the nonprofit People Helping People in Need, to provide safe extracurricular fun for adolescent girls.

Over the years the Steppers have added 40 members and formed a second chapter, which practices at the Neighborhood House in Morristown. The eight girls performing in Morristown ONSTAGE had to try out for the competitive team.

The group includes girls ages 9-18 and is led by Captain Shakira Jackson, a Morristown High School senior who has been stepping for about three years. To her, the job is not just about choreographing routines or calling out commands onstage; she acts as a big sister and mentor to the younger girls. She appreciates the sense of unity and sisterhood that stepping engenders.

As they look forward to Morristown ONSTAGE, the Steppers hope the experience — their first competition — will be a stepping stone to more performances and, if 10-year-old member Kayla Lindsay has her way,  to “go on tour.”

The Sophisticated Steppers. Photo by Katharine Boyle
The Sophisticated Steppers. Photo by Katharine Boyle

Anastasia and the Pit. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
Anastasia and the Pit: Nathan Morla, Anastasia Bergeron, Tyler Amelio and Spencer Butts. Photo by Jeff Sovelove

Morristown High School will be well represented on show night. In fact, Anastasia and The Pit first played together on the very same stage where they auditioned.

Anastasia Bergeron of Anastasia and the Pit. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
Anastasia Bergeron of Anastasia and the Pit. Photo by Jeff Sovelove

Their start came in the high school’s 2015 production of Grease. Lead singer Anastasia Bergeron was a cast member and “The Pit,” juniors Tyler Amelio, Spencer Butts and Nathan Morla, played in the rock n’ roll backup band.

But the group did not coalesce until the summer, after the three musicians heard Bergeron sing at the school year’s final open mic “Coffeehouse.”  As they began looking for gigs in the fall, they stumbled upon the auditions for Morristown ONSTAGE and decided to reprise a crowd-pleaser from the fall Coffeehouse, Tracy Chapman’s Give Me One Reason.

Bergeron’s confident, bluesy alto is perfectly matched by Amelio on drums, Butts on guitar, and the polyphonic Morla (depending on the day, he plays bass, trombone, guitar, and piano).

Although they typically practice only once a week, the students are well acquainted with each other’s styles: Bergeron and Amelio are members of the Praise Band at the Morris Plains Presbyterian Church, and Amelio, Butts, and Morla all play in the MHS Jazz Band.

Until now, the quartet has mostly entertained family members and friends. The most exciting part of Morristown ONSTAGE, Bergeron says, will be performing “in front of people who are not our peers.”

Drummer Tyler Amelio of Anastasia and the Pit. Photo by Katharine Boyle
Drummer Tyler Amelio of Anastasia and the Pit. Photo by Katharine Boyle

Charlotte MacMurray. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
Charlotte MacMurray. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
Charlotte MacMurray. Photo by Jeff Sovelove.
Charlotte MacMurray. Photo by Jeff Sovelove.

Self-taught singer Charlotte MacMurray also knows her way around the MHS stage. The sophomore appeared in Grease and is an ensemble member in the school’s forthcoming production of Once Upon A Mattress. 

She sings with the MHS Concert Choir, too. Her credits include  a “moving company” that brings music and dance to senior citizens, and a Kids For the Arts benefit for the American Foundation For Suicide Prevention last fall.

MacMurray expected performing on Broadway alongside professional young performers “would be really nerve-wracking,” but was pleasantly surprised by the warmth and friendship she found there.  So maybe it’s no surprise that she looked to Broadway for her Morristown performance.

Decked out in a long white dress purchased specifically for the occasion, MacMurray will sing The Wizard and I from the Steven Schwartz musical Wicked, a song she began singing after seeing the show two years ago.

MacMurray credits it with helping her get through a “tough time.” Her larger-than-life voice should have no trouble filling the spacious Mayo Performing Arts Center next month. She naturally conveys a passion for singing, which she loves because “it tells a story.”


Molly McDermott. Photo by Katharine Boyle
THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM? Molly McDermott hopes so. Photo by Katharine Boyle
Molly McDermott. Photo by Paulo Frazao.
Molly McDermott. Photo by Paulo Frazao.

While MacMurray channels contemporary star Idina Menzel (the original “Elphaba” in Broadway’s Wicked), Morris Knolls High School freshman Molly McDermott looks to Barbra Streisand for inspiration as she sings Don’t Rain on My Parade  from the musical Funny Girl.

McDermott lives in Morris Plains but is enrolled in Morris Knolls’ International Baccalaureate program. She has auditioned twice before, accompanying herself on guitar. Hoping the third time’s the charm, McDermott  switched genres at her family’s suggestion.

Don’t Rain on My Parade is a favorite McDermott’s sister and mother, who both came to Media Day. McDermott says this year’s audition “just felt right,” and it appears she made a good call. With a powerful belt and bright ensemble (saved from her 8th grade dance last year), she seems in her element.

When asked if her family is supportive, McDermott gives an emphatic yes, with extra exclamation points. To her, “music is everything,” and she has thrown herself into voice lessons, guitar practice and her school’s theater program, where sings in the ensemble of Les Miserables.

She advises first-time contestants to “be confident” and enjoy the chance to entertain such a large crowd — her favorite part of Morristown ONSTAGE.


Dan Baldan. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
Dan Baldan, making his second appearance, likes the backstage camaraderie. Photo by Jeff Sovelove

Fellow Morristown ONSTAGE veteran Dan Baldan offers similar advice. A finalist in 2014, he recalls that “the behind-the-scenes stuff was just as fun as getting to play.”

His favorite memory is from the dress rehearsal, where played to the enormous empty house from the stage where so many of his musical idols have performed.

Baldan also remembers the good sportsmanship of his fellow competitors, who rooted for each other watching a live feed of the show backstage.

A Morristown resident for five years, music is Baldan’s passion and profession; he organizes open mic nights at local eateries and has played gigs at venues in Dover, East Hanover and Madison, among other places.

The self-taught guitarist will accompany himself on a Bob Dylan tune. He feels that his low-key presentation will allow the audience and judges to “focus on my singing and playing,” which he has honed since his last time on the MPAC stage.

A fan of singer-songwriters like Dylan, Baldan hopes this performance will provide valuable exposure, and introductions to area musicians. It’s why he enjoys organizing open mic nights like the one where he was discovered by MEF Executive Director Debbie Sontupe in 2014.

Dan Baldan sings for photographers on Media Day. Photo by Katharine Boyle
Dan Baldan sings for photographers on Media Day. Photo by Katharine Boyle

James Gedeon. Photo by Katharine Boyle
James Gedeon shares a positive message. Photo by Katharine Boyle
James Gedeon. Photo by Paulo Frazao
James Gedeon. Photo by Paulo Frazao

Once of Baldan’s musical connections is James Gedeon, a fellow guitarist who lives in New Vernon but plays regularly at Provesi on South Street in Morristown.

The 51-year-old musician’s day job is at a New York company that does post-production work for TV shows.

Gedeon’s repertoire ranges from the Beatles to Billy Joel; he chose James Taylor’s Shower the People, he says, because its positive message of love is particularly important in these “difficult times.”

The tune suits Gedeon’s soulful voice and the instrumentation highlights  guitar skills he’s been perfecting since age 14, when a concert by the band Chicago set him on his musical path.

Nearly 30 years later, Gedeon continues to find joy and inspiration in music.

“It’s still fun,” he says. Gedeon was surprised by his selection for Morristown ONSTAGE,  and “very grateful” for the opportunity to share the music and the message of his song.

“It’s easy to get caught up in our lives,” he says, and to forget to remind loved ones why they are special.


Leah Humphrey. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
Leah Humphrey says music is a link to her late father. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
Leah Humphrey. Photo by Katharine Boyle
Leah Humphrey. Photo by Katharine Boyle

Morristown High School junior Leah Humphrey also is a self-taught guitarist, and she, too, emphasizes the transformative power of music.

Like the members of Anastasia and the Pit, Humphrey started playing Morristown High School’s Coffeehouses as a freshman. By then, she already had six years of singing and strumming experience.

Humphrey describes music as a connection to her dad, musician Jeff Humphrey, who passed away in 2014. Humphrey played her piece for Morristown ONSTAGE, Slow It Down by The Lumineers, at his funeral.

Although she considered choosing a more upbeat number, Humphrey felt “the way to connect to an audience is to play something where they can see your real emotions.”

Her stripped-down delivery allows her passion to come to the forefront. Morristown ONSTAGE will be her largest audience so far.

Leah Humphrey. Photo by Katharine Boyle
Leah Humphrey. Photo by Katharine Boyle

Amber Alyse. Photo by Katharine Boyle
SHE NEVER GAVE UP: Amber Alyse. Photo by Katharine Boyle
Amber Alyse. Photo by Paulo Frazao.
Amber Alyse. Photo by Paulo Frazao.

The talent pool includes Morristown High School alumni. Singer Amber Alyse, ’12, is set to perform an original composition, Unlock My Chain.

The Morristown resident is a Morris School District substitute teacher, and a senior at Montclair State University. She began songwriting when she was  16; it flowed from the poetry she had grown up writing.

A biology major, Alyse had envisioned becoming a psychiatrist. She only grew serious about music when it was too late to change her major.

Alyse writes mostly pop and R&B- influenced songs, drawing inspiration from her life. She cites Mary J Blige, Aaliyah and Toni Braxton as idols.

Working with her producer and mentor in a studio, she lays down a beat, improvises a melody and adds lyrics; the process gives her great control over the final product.

In the years since she auditioned unsuccessfully for Morristown’s Got Talent in high school, Alyse has performed at venues in New York, Philadelphia, and New Jersey, and released a mixtape, Untitled, featuring work spanning her songwriting career.  After college, Alyse plans on becoming a full-time musician. She hopes someday to “affect the whole world” with her songs.

Amber Alyse. Photo by Katharine Boyle
Amber Alyse. Photo by Katharine Boyle

The Uke-A-Likes. Photo by Paulo Frazao.
DARING TO THINK SMALL: The Uke-A-Likes. Photo by Paulo Frazao.

The Uke-A-Likes also are performing original music, a four-part ukulele piece entitled Like Me, which spoofs conventions of social media. It’s written by Morristown Green editor Kevin Coughlin.

The Uke-A-Likes: David Codey, Beth Bachmann, Kevin Coughlin and Lisa Martin. Photo by Katharine Boyle
The Uke-A-Likes: David Codey, Beth Bachmann, Kevin Coughlin and Lisa Martin. Photo by Katharine Boyle

Originally a guitarist, he got hooked on ukuleles while covering the annual  “Uke New Jersey Festival.”

He met band mates Beth Bachmann, Lisa Martin, and ukulele bassist David Codey through that festival and the monthly Morristown Uke Jam.

Soon, the four were jamming on the Green and in each other’s homes. The four seek to embody the cheerful, wacky, irreverent nature of their instruments.

Although they typically play covers (often arranged by Codey, who takes delight in adapting unexpected music), the Uke-A-Likes decided to audition Like Me for Morristown ONSTAGE at the very last minute, after noticing the application deadline had been extended.

The group hopes primarily to “make it out alive,” as Coughlin quips, and to spread the joy they derive from the ukulele– an instrument which, contrary to popular belief, originated in Portugal, not Hawaii.

The Uke-A-Likes. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
The Uke-A-Likes. Photo by Jeff Sovelove

Oscar and Jorge. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
Oscar and Jorge hail from Colombia and are construction workers when they’re not tearing up dance floors. Photo by Jeff Sovelove

Like the Uke-A-Likes, Oscar Caldero and Jorge Rascos want to share their joy.

Oscar Caldero and Jorge Rascos flank their instructor, Daniel Herrera Lasso. Photo by Paulo Frazao.
Oscar Caldero and Jorge Rascos flank their instructor, Daniel Herrera Lasso. Photo by Paulo Frazao.

Recent immigrants from Colombia who work construction jobs, Caldero and Rascos (or Oscar and Jorge, as they are billed), spend evenings at Daniel Herrera Lasso’s Dreams Dance Studio in Morristown.

The pair specialize in Colombian salsa,  served in a rapid-fire, comic routine that they choreographed.

“Dancing is in my blood,” says Caldero, who started at 14. Rascos, a dancer since age 16, says it’s his passion as well.

They cite Michael Jackson as their inspiration, and it’s easy to see his influence in their agile, precise footwork and bright costumes — white suits with fire-engine red accents, hats, and shoes, specially made by a Colombian company.

The duo practice at Dreams every day after work, and sometimes sub as teachers for Lasso. They view dance as a way to reconnect with their native culture, and hope their performance communicates the happiness they feel when they dance.

One half of the duo Oscar and Jorge. Photo by Katharine Boyle
One half of the duo Oscar and Jorge. Photo by Katharine Boyle

JP and Allyson: JP Medina and Allyson Rambal. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
BIG TALENT: JP and Allison: JP Medina, 6, and Allison Ramirez, 8. Photo by Jeff Sovelove

Caldero and Rascos face some pint-sized competition from a pair of fellow students at the Dreams Studio.

Allison and JP. Photo by Paulo Frazao.
Allison and JP. Photo by Paulo Frazao.

Six-year-old JP Medina and 8-year-old Allison Ramirez already are seasoned performers: The pair have competed in Puerto Rico and Baltimore, and Medina’s solo routine won third place at the World Salsa Championships in Miami.

The duo met in class and began dancing together when Medina’s partner left the studio.

Medina and Ramirez practice a variety of Latin American dances, but split their time onstage between the cha-cha and salsa: Medina performs solo, then Ramirez joins him.

Although Ramirez is developing her own solo routine, she prefers partner dancing. “There’s someone to help out,” she explains.

The pair’s lightning footwork is dazzling; adult dancers would struggle to master steps Ramirez and Medina have been doing since they were toddlers.

Friends outside of dance class, these two certainly are in it to win it. Ramirez wishes for dancing fame and Medina aspires to be “like a star.” When they heard they were finalists in Morristown ONSTAGE, “one of my dreams came true,” Ramirez says.

Allison Ramirez and JP Medina. Photo by Katharine Boyle
Allison Ramirez and JP Medina. Photo by Katharine Boyle

Wild Carly Nicolai. Photo by Katharine Boyle
Truly Brave: Peyton Wild and Carly Nicolai. Photo by Katharine Boyle

JP and Allyson are not the only miniature stars who will take the stage on Feb. 24.

One half of the duo Truly Brave. Photo by Katharine Boyle
One half of the duo Truly Brave. Photo by Katharine Boyle

Truly Brave, a duo act composed of Peyton Wild, 11, and Carly Nicolai, 12, are students at the Frelinghuysen Middle School.

Wild and Nicolai met on the sidelines at their brothers’ basketball games, and bonded while taking performance classes at MPAC.

They enjoy singing together, and Morristown ONSTAGE seemed like the logical next step. While searching for a song, they stumbled on Truly Brave, a mashup of Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors and Katy Perry’s Brave  by artist Hoda Kotb to benefit pediatric cancer research.

The other half of the duo Truly Brave . Photo by Jeff Sovelove
The other half of the duo Truly Brave . Photo by Jeff Sovelove

Inspired by the song’s message, they began to practice, crafting complimentary pink-and-green ensembles– even the colored rubber bands on their braces match.

When they learned of their selection as finalists, Wild screamed while Nicolai “silently jumped up and down.”

Wild hopes the experience will help them grow as performers. She is determined to join Nicolai in the Frelinghuysen Select Chorus, an audition-only choir for top middle school singers.

 


Julia Rangel. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
Julia Rangel is a finalist for the second time. Photo by Jeff Sovelove

Julia Rangel is a choir singer going solo at Morristown ONSTAGE.

Julia Rangel. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
Julia Rangel. Photo by Jeff Sovelove

The 18-year-old senior at Morris Catholic plans to sing If I Ain’t Got You, by Alicia Keys with a live band (substituted for on Media Day by her older sister Nina, Rangel’s “musical role model,” on piano).

Music connects the sisters. They run a children’s choir together, and Rangel only selected her song after it came to Nina “in a vision.”

Rangel competed in the talent show as a freshman; she auditioned again at the suggestion of her dance teacher. She has developed as an artist, after all, and she felt this opportunity was too good to pass up.

Rangel has been chosen to close the show,  “her favorite thing to do” because it challenges her to end the evening on a high note, both literally and figuratively.

After Morristown ONSTAGE, she plans to study music technology in college and, of course, to continue singing.

Julia Rangel is accompanied on piano by her sister, Nina Rangel. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
Julia Rangel is accompanied on piano by her sister, Nina Rangel. Photo by Jeff Sovelove

Joe Van Loon. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
Joe Van Loon is back as a finalist; the first time, he competed as a musician. Photo by Jeff Sovelove

Twenty-two-year-old Joe Van Loon also will grace the MPAC stage for the second time.

Van Loon sang in 2013, but this year returns to his first passion: Tap dancing. Van Loon was drawn to Irish step dance when he saw Lords of the Dance at MPAC.  “My parents didn’t have a babysitter,” he says.

That led to tap, which he says has become his whole life, bringing him “back to reality.”  He dances at a Bloomfield studio, where he choreographed a routine set to Frank Sinatra’s Something’s Gotta Give.  

The performance calls to mind mid-century musicals full of impossibly graceful and impeccably-dressed men; the delight he feels onstage is palpable.

Although Van Loon has played to large crowds — he did a stint in the New Jersey Tap Ensemble — he is especially excited for the chance to tap alone.

“Most of my solos have had no audience,” he says.

Joe Van Loon . Photo by Jeff Sovelove
Joe Van Loon . Photo by Jeff Sovelove

Gainsboro: David Dones and Pete Lepore. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
Gainsboro: David Dones and Pete Lepore. Photo by Jeff Sovelove

The two members of Gainsboro also are channeling tried-and-true hits, performing Frankie Valli’s Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.

David Dones of Gainsboro is the third member of his family to compete in Morristown's annual talent show. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
David Dones of Gainsboro is the third member of his family to compete in Morristown’s annual talent show. Photo by Jeff Sovelove

Pete Lepore, a bartender by day, and David Dones, a Morristown High alumnus who works at a recording studio, favor more punk-ish fare. But they believe this song’s familiar quality will score with the audience.

The pair met when Lepore interned at Dones’ studio; Dones invited Lepore on board when his duo partner left a year ago. The two play covers and original music, specializing in Top Ten hits from different decades.

The name Gainsboro refers to a Boston street that was home to the best friend of Dones’ previous partner. Lepore and Dones like the name because it does not pigeonhole them into one genre or style.

Both men took up guitar in high school, but their musical backgrounds differ. Dones grew up surrounded by music– his father and younger brother are veterans of Morristown ONSTAGE– while Lepore believes he is the first one in his family to play an instrument.

He started making guitars — out of tissue boxes — from the time he could toddle. Morristown ONSTAGE will be the biggest crowd Gainsboro has played.

Lepore and Dones welcome the exposure. While neither seek fame, both dream of making a living as performers.


So there you have it. The judges and spectators alike will face a tough challenge choosing winners. But really, who can lose on such a night? Tickets go on sale starting Feb. 1.  Don’t delay — tickets go fast every year.

And keep checking Morristown Green for more coverage of Morristown ONSTAGE!

Rachel Prusso is a sophomore at Morristown High School. Kirsten Traudt is a senior.

MORE ABOUT MORRISTOWN ONSTAGE

Kim Pistner and Molly Servais of the Morris Educational Foundation, which organizes Morristown ONSTAGE as a fundraiser for the Morris School District. Photo by Katharine Boyle
Kim Pistner and Molly Servais of the Morris Educational Foundation, which organizes Morristown ONSTAGE as a fundraiser for the Morris School District. Photo by Katharine Boyle

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