Val Vigoda

Last updated

Val Vigoda
Birth nameValerie Vigoda
GenresClassical, pop, rock 'n' roll, electric violin
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, electric violinist
Instrument(s) Electric violin
Years active1994–present
Website www.valvigoda.com

Valerie "Val" Vigoda is an American electric violinist and singer-songwriter. [1] [2] She is best known for writing and starring in musicals including Striking 12 and Ernest Shackleton Loves Me , [3] the latter of which opened Off-Broadway in 2017, [4] [5] [6] touring internationally with Cyndi Lauper, Joe Jackson, and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, [7] and for her one-woman concert "Just Getting Good" [8] which has toured nationally. [9]

Contents

Early life and influences

Vigoda was admitted to Princeton University at the age of 14, withdrawing after one year to complete her classical violin training. She returned after a few years, graduating with honors and a degree in sociology. [10]

Career

Vigoda founded the musical trio GrooveLily in 1994, originally naming it The Valerie Vigoda Band, along with Brendan Milburn and Gene Lewin. [11] In the 1990s Vigoda toured with Cyndi Lauper, Joe Jackson, and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. [12]

Vigoda has a one-woman show Just Getting Good in which she both sings and plays the six-string electric violin while utilizing live-looping. Her work has received positive feedback, with The New York Times calling it "exhilarating", The Boston Globe describing it as "a thrilling trip", The Washington Post praising Vigoda for "unleashing a diva-worthy torrent of passion", and Palo Alto Weekly crediting her as "truly amazing, an awesome vision of embodied musicality, moving as one with her violin, making it sing and singing along with it in a voice both smoky and angelic." [13]

She is the lyricist and star of the musical Ernest Shackleton Loves Me , which has been produced at ArtsEmerson, [14] [15] George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, [16] and Seattle Repertory. [17] The show went into previews off-Broadway at Second Stage on April 14 and opened May 7. [18] She has also co-written musicals along with longtime collaborator Brendan Milburn, including Beautiful Poison , [19] Sleeping Beauty Wakes , [20] [21] Striking 12 , [22] [23] Long Story Short (musical) , [24] [25] Midsummer , [26] Toy Story: The Musical , [27] and Wheelhouse . [28] Vigoda has also co-written and contributed the music for tracks in Disney films and television shows including Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue , Pixie Hollow Games , and Secret of the Wings . [29]

In 2023, La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts presented a staged reading of her new musical Miss Foxhole 1975 with a book by Joe DiPietro and music & lyrics by Ryan O’Connell and Val Vigoda. The show is based on a true story about Jill Morgenthaler who joined the first class of women admitted to cadet training in 1975 at Fort Bragg. The narrative tracks how the women faced different trials than the men - including an order to participate in a beauty pageant. [30]

Teaching

Vigoda is an artist mentor with the "Electrify Your Strings" program, a musical education experience created to introduce and encourage young string musicians and choral singers to perform rock 'n' roll. [31] She has taught at Stanford University, Emerson College, and the Berklee College of Music. [32]

Keynote Speaker

Vigoda began presenting keynote concerts at national conferences in 2018, [33] combining her music with personal stories and an inspirational message of resilience through creativity and connection. [34]

Discography

Albums

TitleYearLabelOther Artist(s)
Inhabit My Heart1994QMR Records GrooveLily
Jungle & Sky1996
Brendan & The Extenuating Circumstances1998
Little Light2000
Folk Appetizer2001
Just The Three Of Us2002
The Nutshell EP
Are We There Yet?2003
Striking 12 2005 PS Classics
A Little Midsummer Night's Music2007
Sleeping Beauty Wakes 2009
Warner-Chappell Demos 20102010 Warner/Chappell
Striking 12: Bonus Tracks PS Classics
Sleeping Beauty Wakes: La Jolla Playhouse Bonus Tracks 2011
Wheelhouse2013Independent
While You Were Out
Just Getting Good2016

[35]

Singles

TitleYearLabelAlbum
"Summer's Just Begun" (lyrics, music)2010 Disney Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue (Soundtrack)
"Summer's Just Begun" – reprise (lyrics, music)
"Come Flying With Me" (lyrics)
"Dig Down Deeper"2011 Pixie Hollow Games (Soundtrack)
"Wild Moon NYC"IndependentSingle
"We'll Be There"2012 Disney Secret of the Wings (Soundtrack)
"The Great Divide"
"The Great Divide" – end credits
"Thaw/Irish Lullaby"IndependentSingle

[36]

Awards and nominations

Along with Brendan Milburn, Vigoda has won the Jonathan Larson Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre, the LA Ovation Award for Best Musical, and the ASCAP Richard Rodgers Award for her work. [37] They were also nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical (Striking 12) in 2006. [38] Vigoda was nominated for an Annie Award in 2012 for Music in a Television Production (Pixie Hollow Games) and in 2013 for Music in an Animated Feature Production (Secret of the Wings). [39]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeanine Tesori</span> American composer and musical arranger (born 1961)

Jeanine Tesori, known earlier in her career as Jeanine Levenson, is an American composer and musical arranger best known for her work in the theater. She is the most prolific and honored female theatrical composer in history, with five Broadway musicals and six Tony Award nominations. She won the 1999 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music in a Play for Nicholas Hytner's production of Twelfth Night at Lincoln Center, the 2004 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music for Caroline, or Change, the 2015 Tony Award for Best Original Score for Fun Home, making them the first female writing team to win that award, and the 2023 Tony Award for Best Original Score for Kimberly Akimbo. She was named a Pulitzer Prize for Drama finalist twice for Fun Home and Soft Power.

Bree Lowdermilk is an American musical theater composer and lyricist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfred Uhry</span> American playwright and screenwriter (born 1936)

Alfred Fox Uhry is an American playwright and screenwriter. He has received an Academy Award, two Tony Awards and the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for dramatic writing for Driving Miss Daisy. He is a member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellen Greene</span> American actress and singer

Ellen Greene is an American actress and singer. She has had a long and varied career as a singer, particularly in cabaret, as an actress and singer in numerous stage productions, particularly musical theatre, as well as having performed in many films and television series. Her best-known roles are as Audrey in the original stage play and movie adaptation of Little Shop of Horrors, and as Vivian Charles in the ABC series Pushing Daisies.

<i>Violet</i> (musical)

Violet is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori and libretto by Brian Crawley based on the short story "The Ugliest Pilgrim" by Doris Betts. It tells the story of a young disfigured woman who embarks on a journey by bus from her farm in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, all the way to Tulsa, Oklahoma in order to be healed. The musical premiered Off-Broadway in 1997 and won the Drama Critics' Circle Award and Lucille Lortel Award as Best Musical.

GrooveLily is an American musical trio based in New York City notable for creative songwriting in different pop genres, such as rock, folk, jazz, and show tune. The band consists of Valerie Vigoda and Brendan Milburn along with Gene Lewin. A report in The New York Times in 2004 described the group as an "up and coming trio". According to Variety, GrooveLily was founded by Vigoda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LaChanze</span> American actress, singer and dancer

Rhonda LaChanze Sapp, known professionally as LaChanze, is an American actress, singer, and dancer. She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical in 2006 for her role as Celie Harris Johnson in The Color Purple. In 2023, LaChanze received two more Tony Awards, this time as a producer. She served as co-producer on Kimberly Akimbo, which won the Tony for Best New Musical and Topdog/Underdog, which won for Best Revival of a Play.

Rick Crom is an American actor, singer, comedian, lyricist, and composer. He has appeared in numerous television shows and specials, Broadway and off-Broadway musicals, as well as written several off-Broadway revues, and has 3 times been nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wade McCollum</span> American actor

Wade McCollum is an American film actor, stage actor and composer/musician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Jue</span> American actor and singer (born 1963)

Francis Jue is an American actor and singer. Jue is known for his performances on Broadway, in national tours, Off-Broadway and in regional theatre, particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area and at The Muny in St. Louis. His roles in plays and musicals range from Shakespeare to Rodgers and Hammerstein to David Henry Hwang. He is also known for his recurring role on the TV series Madam Secretary (2014–2019).

The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatres and Producers by special arrangement with the Lucille Lortel Foundation, with additional support from the Theatre Development Fund.

Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer is an American singer and musical theatre actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Timbers</span> American dramatist

Alex Timbers is an American writer and director and the recipient of Tony, Golden Globe, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and London Evening Standard Awards, as well as two OBIE and Lucile Lortel Awards. He also received the 2019 Drama League Founder's Award for Excellence in Directing and the 2016 Jerome Robbins Award for Directing. He was nominated for a 2020 Grammy Award. For his work on Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Timbers won a 2021 Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical.

Joe DiPietro is an American playwright, lyricist and author. He is best known for the Tony Award-winning musical Memphis, for which he won the Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score as well as for writing the book and lyrics for the long-running off-Broadway show I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change.

<i>Toy Story: The Musical</i> Musical

Toy Story: The Musical is a rock musical inspired by Disney·Pixar's 1995 film Toy Story. The show was created by Walt Disney Creative Entertainment for Disney Cruise Line, replacing the earlier Hercules: The Muse-Ical. After a year of pre-production and workshops, it had a soft premiere on board the Disney Wonder in March 2008, with an official opening on April 10, 2008. The show was performed in the Walt Disney Theatre, the grand showplace located on Deck 4.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kristen Anderson-Lopez</span> American songwriter

Kristen Anderson-Lopez is an American songwriter and lyricist known for co-writing the songs for the 2013 computer-animated musical film Frozen and its 2019 sequel Frozen II with her husband Robert Lopez. The couple won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Let It Go" from Frozen and "Remember Me" from Coco (2017) at the 86th and 90th awards respectively. She also won two Grammy Awards at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.

<i>Disney Fairies: Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust</i> 2012 compilation album by Various Artists

Disney Fairies: Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust is a compilation album featuring songs from and inspired by the Disney Fairies film series. It was also used to promote the Secret of the Wings film. The soundtrack was released on October 16, 2012, and contains "The Great Divide" by the McClain Sisters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BroadwayHD</span>

BroadwayHD is an on-demand digital streaming media company. Based in New York City, the company records and distributes live theater performances and previously recorded theatrical productions through its platform.

Rachel Chavkin is an American stage director best known for directing the musicals Natasha, Pierre, & The Great Comet of 1812 and Hadestown, receiving nominations for a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for both and winning for Hadestown in 2019.

Sleeping Beauty Wakes is a musical with book by Rachel Sheinkin, who won a Tony Award for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and a pop score by composer Brendan Milburn and lyricist Valerie Vigoda, two members of the indie music trio GrooveLily. The show is a twist on the classic Charles Perrault fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty. In this modern-day version, Rose is brought to a sleep-disorder clinic to wake her from her 900-year nap.

References

  1. ↑ "Valerie Vigoda Official Website". Valerie Vigoda Official Website. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Valerie Vigoda | Music Videos, News, Photos, Tour Dates | MTV". MTV Artists. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  3. ↑ Sommers, Michael (May 2, 2015). "Review: A Zany Version of the Romance 'Ernest Shackleton Loves Me' in New Brunswick". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Ernest Shackleton Loves Me at Second Stage Theatre Midtown – Tony Kiser Theatre". New York City Theater. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Antarctic Adventure Musical Ernest Shackleton Loves Me Headed Off". Broadway.com. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Home". Ernest Shackleton Loves Me. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Embracing Improvisation: A Conversation with Val Vigoda". Violinist.com. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Just Getting Good (music & film download), by Val Vigoda". Val Vigoda. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Sounds of a Summer Night with Val Vigoda & NJDTE". Upcoming Events in NJ – NJ Local Events Calendar. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Valerie Vigoda: (1967 – ) :: Young Exceptionally Gifted Students". yegs.org. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Groovelily | Music Videos, News, Photos, Tour Dates | MTV". MTV Artists. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Valerie Vigoda". Wood Violins. December 23, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Cadence Arts Network, Inc. – Valerie Vigoda". cadencearts.com. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  14. ↑ "A Season of Strong Women". ArtsEmerson Blog. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  15. ↑ "ArtsEmerson: Media Kit – Ernest Shackleton". Emerson College (ArtsEmerson). Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  16. ↑ Sommers, Michael (May 2, 2015). "Review: A Zany Version of the Romance 'Ernest Shackleton Loves Me' in New Brunswick". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  17. ↑ "'Ernest Shackleton Loves Me': a modern expedition to romance". The Seattle Times. April 22, 2014. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  18. ↑ BWW News Desk. "Prospect Theater to Continue 2016 IGNITE Series with 35MM and STRIKING 12 in Concert". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  19. ↑ "26th Annual Festival of New Musicals | NAMT". NAMT. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Rockers move into live theater". tribunedigital-chicagotribune. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  21. ↑ "McCarter Theatre: Sleeping Beauty Wakes". mccarter.org. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  22. ↑ Isherwood, Charles (November 13, 2006). "Striking 12 – Theater – Review". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  23. ↑ "GrooveLily Musical, Striking 12, Will Play NYC Dec. 26–31; Film Project Planned | Playbill". Playbill. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Theater Listings for March 27 – April 2". The New York Times. March 26, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  25. ↑ Soloski, Alexis (March 12, 2015). "Review: 'Long Story Short,' Till Death Do Us Part". The New York Times. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Valerie Vigoda Official Website". Valerie Vigoda Official Website. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  27. ↑ "Valerie Vigoda Official Website". Valerie Vigoda Official Website. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Valerie Vigoda Official Website". Valerie Vigoda Official Website. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  29. ↑ "Valerie Vigoda Official Website". Valerie Vigoda Official Website. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  30. ↑ GANS, ANDREW (May 3, 2023). "Playbill". Playbill.com.
  31. ↑ Neubaum, Tierra. "Look Around Lubbock: LISD Orchestra" . Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  32. ↑ "Val VigodaORCHESTRA/CHOIR " Electrify Your Strings". electrifyyourstrings.com. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  33. ↑ Hostutler, Mark (July 17, 2018). "Peak Aliveness: A Musically Uplifting Keynote on Living a Fearless Life This Evening in West Chester". VISTA.Today. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  34. ↑ "Keynote Presentation by Val Vigoda: Overcoming Fear With Optimism, Resilience, and Courage". Staffing World 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  35. ↑ "GrooveLily". GrooveLily. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  36. ↑ "Valerie Vigoda". IMDb. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  37. ↑ "Valerie Vigoda Official Website". Valerie Vigoda Official Website. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  38. ↑ "Valerie Vigoda – Lortel Archives". lortel.org. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  39. ↑ "Valerie Vigoda". IMDb. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.