ALUMNI NEWS
This page will feature accomplishments, comments, contact info, and basically “What’s Happening” with any of the Bedford High School Choirs/Theatre Alumni!
Please send me your “News”.... pictures.... what you are doing now, anything about yourself. It is my hope to make this website a means of communication and a way to keep in touch. Email me: [email protected] Alumni in NYC - the 1st bi-annual meeting at the Heartland Brewery. What an AWESOME get together!!! Jenny Shrader, Dave Neely, Lindsay Jones, Joe Neely, Maria Portaro, Mark & Sue Smith Lucas Wells (2006 graduate) has made it to “THE BIG SHOW!!” Well not Broadway yet, but the next best thing. Lucas auditioned and got a part in the new upcoming National Tour of “Spring Awakening” Lucas heads to NYC for rehearsals in June and the show opens in San Diego on August 15. “Spring Awakening” will be in East Lansing in February and Cleveland in March. Check back here if you would like to go with our group!! Below is a link to Lucas’s blog! http://lucaswellsblog.blogspot.com www.springawakening.com EMAIL FROM JASON BLAGEC (1999 Grad) I just found the BHS Choirs webpage and it looks great! I wanted to give you an update on what I've been up to in NYC since I saw you a year and a half ago. I started auditioning in January of 2007 and left in April to do a string of seven regional shows. They included a new operetta called "Madness of May" in Wilmington, NC, "Singin In the Rain" and "42nd Street" at Reagle Players in Boston, another "42nd Street" at the New Bedford Theatre Festival on Cape Cod, "Crazy For You" and "Fiddler" both in Phoenix, AZ and "White Christmas" in VA Beach at Virginia Musical Theatre. While I was finishing up my last regional production in Feb of 08, I got a call and joined the National Tour of Gypsy as a replacement playing the role of L.A.!!! It was such a great experience and I can't wait to tour again....... I got back to the city in March and auditioned for the summer season. I'm going back to Reagle in Boston to play Napthali in "Joseph" which starts this coming tues. I'm also returning there at the end of the summer to play the lead of Tom Trainor in "No No Nanette", and DONNA MCKECHNIE is playing my Aunt Lucille!!! I'm so excited to work with someone that I've looked up to for most of my life. Should be an amazing experience.... Other than that, I'm living happily here in NYC. I just had final callbacks for "Showboat" at North Shore Music Theatre (they try out a lot of B'way stuff there) and made it to the very end of the Radio City auditions for their Christmas show. Maybe I'll have a radio city gig in the city when you guys come to visit in November? That would be cool. Otherwise, I couldn't be happier here. I would love to keep in closer touch. Write back when you can....and have a great summer!! Jason Blagec [email protected] Kari Nichole karinichole.com Kari Nichole who considers herself a crossover artist performs and writes a mixture of pop, rock and country music. She is a very familiar artist in her hometown and has professionally performed for the past five years. In addition, Kari has performed throughout Northwest Ohio and Michigan. In 2006 she opened for Lisa Marie Presley and the rock group Bad Company as part of their Toledo tour. The Bedford High School graduate began her musical career early on at the age of five when she began singing. By second grade she had secured a part in the musical 'Annie.' Throughout school, she was highly involved in the Bedford Theater. Expressing her feelings through music, Kari is a self-taught guitar player and also plays piano. For smaller venues, Kari performs solo or with her Lead guitar player. Larger shows are performed with a band. Following her CD release party, Kari traveled to Mackinac Island for performances there as well as at other northern Michigan locations. Christy Clayton christyclayton.com Fusing strong rock beats, innovative guitar riffs and earnest, home-hitting lyrics, Christy Clayton brings a new expression to the changing face of country music. The product is a fresh sound with enough depth to satisfy true country fans and enough edge to interest those on the fence. The debut album, Devil's Paradise, brings to the forefront a sometimes harsh reality that reinvents itself with every track. It's not the happy ending, but rather the wild ride along the way. A common thread is Clayton¢s clear and honest delivery, amped with a healthy dose of Texas attitude. No tear in your beer heartache here. Her sultry and unbridled voice is instantly recognizable, akin to the likes of Melissa Etheridge and Janis Joplin. A collaboration with industry veteran and Texas native Greg Stricklin, Devil's Paradise explores the forgotten realm of round, full-bodied country music. After spending nearly a year on the Stricklin family ranch in Rio Frio, Clayton and Stricklin shaped the album to reflect Texas unique musical landscape. Stricklin, formerly prominent on the rock scene with Unsigned Music Network, has masterfully integrated an arsenal of instruments including a full orchestra, piano, sax and more. Clayton's lyrical contribution is the perfect complement. The result is 13 gripping and hook-laden songs, effortlessly moving the listener through deep layers of instrumentation and a broad range of emotions. From the striking poignancy of Ain't Worth What it Used to Be to the universally relatable One More Bottle (the latter is destined for sing-alongs in country bars across the land) Clayton pulls no punches in personifying each. While a true musical production, Devil's Paradise still allows the music's raw beauty to shine through. Simple storytelling is where it started, and a seamless union of blues, rock and country is where it went. Cool kids hang with Mr. & Mrs. Smith after Adam Duckworth’s wedding at Crossroads Church! Brittany Hernandez, Elise Gatt, Emily Rahman Matt Cox - Graduated in 1994 ~ Matt was very involved with the Choral/Theatre program at Bedford! He was in Soiree and an officer for the Choirs. He was in; Phantom of the Soap Opera, Music Man, Grease, Joseph... Oklahoma, and played the lead in Little Shop of Horrors in 1994. Matt was high strung and always enthusiastic about music. He sang bass in choir and truly was a leader within the section. He was a choir officer and played the lead role in Little Shop during his senior year. Matt and I talked many times after graduation about many aspects of choral music and I always appreciated his insight on how he would do things. He was truly one of the best that has come our of Bedford and he will be missed. RIP Matt Josh Zink Hello Mr. Smith, How are you? I just bumped into the Bedford High School Theatre Arts page online. Currently I am in New Jersey performing with Opera New Jersey in their summer festival season. There is a lot going on here. I'm in "Lucia di Lamermoor" and "Die Entführung aus dem Serail." They are both first time opera's for me. Last season I was closer to home at Dayton Opera and we did lots. I covered the role of "Belcore" in L'elisir d'amore. Next season I am going to be at Nashville Opera doing the title role in "Don Giovanni" in student performances, also singing "Marullo" in Verdi's Rigoletto. I also did a couple of recitals around the country with my teacher and mentor from Illinois, John Wustman. A few nights ago, here at Opera New Jersey we did a concert of musical theatre pieces. I sang "If I can't Love Her" from Beauty and the Beast. It's really not an easy song to sing well in some ways. People seemed to like what I did with it. The orchestera parts are kind of big too! I have not been in a musical for a long time... It reminded me of how fun it was, etc... I actually recorded the final rehearsal with a new little toy I have (a little mini-digital recorder). I'm going to try to attach it so you might listen if you can. I'd love to come back to BHS and visit sometime. I'm in New York quite a lot for auditions etc... Last year I participated in the Marilyn Horne Foundation's "The song Continues" which promotes and is devoted to the art of song recital.It was given at Lincoln Center. What a woman!!! She does nto mess around! I like that! I might be in the city over Thanksgiving for a series of auditions for the 2010-2011 season. All the best to you, your wife, and children. Sincerely, Joshua Zink Kelly J. Fox Kelly Fox class of 2003 got her first job outside of college, (Adrian College, 4 yrs) as a singer for a Holland America cruise ship. She was on the MS Statendam for 6 months. The ship started in New Zealand and hit Australia, Japan, China, Korea, some South Pacific Islands and Russia, before returning home in Alaska. It was a whirlwind of feathers, wigs and site seeing, and well worth it. Kelly was a member of the Soiree Singers, Varsity Choir, BHS Golf Team and involved with every show during her high school years with leads in Once on the Island and Children of Eden. Kelly will be heading to NYC to audition for different work and then possibly get back on the boat! |
Matt Cox
Dec. 30, 1975 -Dec. 22, 2008 Matthew “Matt” T. Cox, age 32 years of Henderson, NV and formerly of Lambertville, MI, died unexpectedly Monday, December 22, 2008. Born December 30, 1975 in Toledo, OH, he was the son of Debra (Graham) and Timothy Armstrong. Matthew was a 1994 graduate of Bedford High School where he was active in Soiree, Choir, Drama, plays and musicals. He was also the first Bedford High student to win the Michigan Solo Performer award two years in a row. Matthew then received his bachelors of Education from Western Michigan University. He was a member of Phi Mu Alpha Fraternity, American Choral Directors Association, Nevada Music Education Association and Music Educator National Conference. As a member of Phi Mu Alpha, Matt sang with them at St Petersburg and Moscow in celebration of the 50th anniversary of World War II. He was a member of the A'capella group "VII" who performed in many venues, including Epcot Center. They produced a self-titled CD containing popular favorites and original music. Matt was entirely responsible for composing the arrangements for all the songs. For the past 2 ½ years, he was the choir and music director for Basic High School in Henderson, NV. Prior he was Hopkins School Choir Director in Hopkins, MI and started their first choir program for grades K-12. |