BIOGRAPHIES
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SHANNON BROWN
West Virginian by birth, but New Yorker at heart, Shannon fled the beautiful hills for the urban jungle a long ten years ago. She was armed with $2000, a pile of sheet music and 85 pairs of shoes. She promptly got sucked into Corporate America.
But her love of music was hard to suppress. At age five Shannon began piano lessons, and found that piano was made all the better by singing at the top of her lungs simultaneously. With an uncanny ability to memorize lyrics, she set her singing skills to work at the piano, in the shower, at the playground, in the car, on her Aunt Sharron's back porch swing, at school and in church where her rendition of "Something Barked on Christmas Morning" remains a legend even today.
At age 12, Shannon won a role as a Munchkin in a community theatre production of the "Wizard of Oz". She will never forget the words of the director at the audition, "Whew, those are some lungs!" Shannon would forever be bitten by the acting bug and over the next 10 years she performed as Tzeitel in "Fiddler on the Roof", Lucy in "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown", Elsa in "The Sound of Music", Shelby in "Crimes of the Heart" and in other shows too numerous to mention. Eventually she came full circle, performing yet again in The Wizard of Oz, this time portraying the Wicked Witch of the West. No one can melt like Shannon.
Shannon graduated from Marshall University in Huntington, WV, with a BFA in Theatre. While at Marshall, she performed in "South Pacific", "Carnival", "1940's Radio Hour", "Noises Off!", "Red Peppers" and "Autumn Garden". During the summer months, Shannon would perform in regional theatres including the Lost Colony and Lincoln Amphitheatre, and toured Japan wearing cowprint hotpants in a country review show called "Country Western Jamboree". Japan has never been the same since.
Immediately following graduation, Shannon turned her attentions back to the piano and worked as music director for productions of "Big River" and "Oklahoma" at Lincoln Amphiteatre, and as pianist for productions of "Little Shop of Horrors" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory".
Since moving to New York in 1997, Shannon's pursuits have been varied. Her relocation coincided with the tech boom of the late 90's, which lead to a career in web design and running her own firm, Shannon Brown Web Design. In 2006, Shannon became the Design Director at Coleman Research Group, a primary research firm servicing the financial community, where she oversees the design of their corporate websites, user interface and marketing materials.
Throughout this period, Shannon has kept her love of performing alive by acting in productions with Goldmine Theatre, Terrapin Troupe and 13th Street Repertory Theatre. She has also performed stand-up comedy at Gotham Comedy Club and Broadway Comedy Club. Shannon has participated in the summer choir for Marble Collegiate Church and has performed as pianist for productions of "Into the Woods", "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat", "No, No Nanette" and various cabaret performances in New York.
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JONATHAN SEGAL, Music Director / Pianist
www.jonathansegal.com
Jonathan L. Segal is a pianist, singer, entertainer, songwriter, and music educator. He's had a diverse career. He has written music for television, including themes and songs for "Monday Night Football", "Another World", "Mighty Mouse, the New Adventures", and "One Life To Live" (for which he received an Emmy-nomination). He has starred in theatrical tours of Broadway shows ("Pump Boys & Dinettes"), music-directed on TV ("Afterdrive" starring Denis Leary, two Tom Brokaw specials), accompanied a number of music greats (Chuck Berry, Dizzy Gillespie), entertained as a singer/pianist at hundreds of events (events for Broadway’s Tony Awards, the British Consulate, Al Gore, Mayor Bloomberg, The Discovery Channel, many major corporations), concertized ("The Great American Songbook on the Jazzy Side") played jazz in Tokyo, worked in industrial theater for many more corporations, music directed off-Broadway ("Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah") and worked on Broadway (teaching the Von Trapp children their songs for "Sound Of Music" and playing in The Radio City Music Hall Pit Orchestra).
He has been a blue ribbon judge at the Emmy Awards, and appeared in Who's Who in Entertainment and Who's Who in Emerging American Leaders. He has acted in film ("Baby It's You") and on radio. He has also taught music and music directed theatrical productions in camps, public schools and private schools. He teaches piano privately and coaches singers.
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STEVE TARSHIS, Guitarist
www.stevetarshis.com
Steve Tarshis holds a B.A. in Composition Berklee College of Music and has performed live and in the studio with artists incuding Bo Diddley, the Joffery Ballet, John Sebastian, Chico Hamilton, Carl Wilson, Robert Lamm, Mamas and the Papas, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Nora York and Bucktooth Johnson.
The author of over fifteen books including published by Music Sales Inc. and Hal Leonard, Steve's titles include The Complete Rock Guitarist, Original Hendrix, Teach Yourself Lead Guitar, Teach Yourself Rock Theory. Steve is an accomplished Musical Director for such groups as The Triplets (incuding three albums and several national tours), Phil Ramone Inc. Management, and several Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, most recently Rent, Tick Tick Boom, Johnny Guitar. Steve was a featured lead guitarist with the New York production of They Wrote That, musical revue featuring legendary songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil performing many of their hits (2004) and for People Be Heard, at Playwrights Horizon (2004).
Currently Steve is an instructor in Blues Guitar and Slide Guitar, Theory, Theory for Songwriters, and Blues History, Rhythm and Blues History at The New School. He is also a lecturer and consultant on Blues and Rhythm and Blues subjects (ABC News, UN Special Projects, Players Magazine). As a private teacher for over twenty years, Steve's students have included Harper Simon, Lisa Loeb, Conan O’Brian, Garland Jeffries, Paul Rudd, Stanley Crouch, and hundreds of others of all levels including beginners, hobbyists, serious avocationalists, and professionals.
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RAY HESSELINK, Director
www.rayhesselink.com
Ray Hesselink is a Director and Choreographer currently working with the
creative team of Billy Elliot (Broadway 2008) as a Tap Dance Trainer and
Consultant. Ray's work has been seen at the Duke Theater (Off-Broadway), Yale
University, New York Musical Theater Festival and many other venues. Ray is on
faculty at STEPS on Broadway and Broadway Dance Center teaching Tap Dance.
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