My passion for benefit recitals

I have a deep interest in organizing and performing recitals that raise money and awareness for charities or causes. I especially enjoy collaborating with other artists who are willing to donate their time and talent.

My first benefit recital was in 2001 in Baltimore, Maryland. I collaborated with pianist, Eric Conway, to raise funds to support therapy for an autistic child. At the time I was working as a behavioral therapist, and was a witness to the burden and financial cost those therapies placed on families.

Since that first recital, I have enjoyed planning and performing in recitals to benefit groups such as The Autism Society of Central Texas, The Lymphoma & Leukemia Society, Susan G. Komen, The Ross Lynn Foundation, Imagine A Way, and the Stephen C. Broy Scholarship Fund. I am always on the lookout for additional opportunities to organize or participate in future recitals with worthwhile groups and/or causes.

ERA Song Cycle Project

In the Fall of 1992, the Belmont-Paul House in Washington D.C. held a reception for the dedication of a new painting to add to the museum. The painting was of Cecil Norton Broy, my grandmother. Cecil was the political chairperson for the National Women’s Party for 25 years, working alongside Alice Paul to pass the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). I was a sophomore in college at the time earning degrees in Vocal Performance and Women’s Studies. After I graduated, I focused on my career as a singer while keeping involved in social movements through volunteer work. When I became involved with the One Ounce Opera company here in Austin, and found myself working with composers writing brand new works, an idea that had been simmering in my mind for quite some time, emerged. In the fall of 2017, I approached a local composer, Rain Nox, and asked if she would consider working with me on a new set of songs for soprano and piano about the National Women’s Party, the Equal Rights Amendment and my grandmother. She agreed and our work on the project began.

We ended up with a brand new song cycle consisting of six songs. Song #1 “Be Joyful Today” is a celebration of the 100 year anniversary of Women’s Suffrage. (It’s important to remember that although the law didn’t say so, women of color were excluded from this privilege until the 1965 Voting Rights Act.) The second song “The ERA” is about how Alice Paul moved on from the issue of suffrage to craft the Equal Rights Amendment for the US Constitution. The third song, “Cecil” introduces my grandmother, Cecil Norton Broy and gives a very abbreviated account of her life and work for women’s rights. The fourth song is titled “the National Women’s Party - the Fight Continues” and focuses on the tireless work that the National Women’s Party did while also trying to pass the ERA. The fifth song, “Too Many Reasons” expresses to a new generation of people that, despite advances made in our country towards equal rights, we still need an amendment to protect women in our constitution. Finally, song #6, “Moving Forward”, asks why we are still working for equality, and begs us to come together in unity to make that equality a reality.

Passion for Volunteering and Social Activism

I’ve had an interest in social engagement since I was in high school. I took particular notice of inequalities throughout societies around the world and wanted to contribute whatever I could do make change. My interests ran from speaking out about gay rights and mental health issues to genital mutilation in Africa. For a few years, I worked as a trained therapist for autistic children and a singer in nursing homes. After earning my Master’s degree in Vocal Performance and having my first (and only) child, I have continued to do volunteer work in many areas.

Common Ground Voices / La Frontera

In March of 2019, I was fortunate to be able to participate in the inaugural residency of Mexican and American singers that made up Common Ground Voices / La Frontera.

As their website states, “Common Ground Voices / La Frontera brings together a diverse group of artists in community music and peace-building projects situated at the border of Mexico and the United States. Through its signature programs, weeklong residencies and two-day encuentros, Common Ground Voices / La Frontera considers forced migration, identity, place, belonging, and shared humanity in this politically charged and historically contested region.” See https://www.cgvlafrontera.org for more information.

Together, we made music, educated ourselves and each other and brought music and theater to refugee shelters in Tijuana, Mexico.