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Classified Chestnut Hill Local Webmaster Don't Miss an Issue, Tell us what you see or ©2006 Chestnut Hill Local Winner of Three |
Wrote ‘Sex and the Single Singer’
It would not surprise any of her growing number of fans if Chestnut Hill’s cabaret singer/songwriter/pianist, Karen Gross, eventually became a household name, like her former high school classmate, Justin Guarini. (You may recall that the cute, mop-haired Guarini came in second to winner Kelly Clarkson in the first go-round of the mega-hit, American Idol, three years ago.) “Justin was a very talented performer and a nice person,” said Gross, 26, echoing the sentiments that many have expressed about her as well. (Karen has a personality so sweet, you could put it in your iced tea. And at Central Bucks East High School, Class of 1997, she had leading roles in theater productions with Guarini. Both were voted “Most Likely to Win a Grammy.”) Gross will be performing her original comedic cabaret show, Sex and the Single Singer, on Saturday, July 8, 7:30 p.m., in its Philadelphia premiere at the Tin Angel, 20 S. 2nd St. Karen will be accompanied on piano by John Conahan, a Philadelphia singer-songwriter, pianist and educator who has performed at the Kimmel Center, Cabaret at Odette’s, Tin Angel, Chris’ Jazz Café and World Café Live. He has shared the stage with musicians such as Jeffrey Gaines and the Squirrel Nut Zippers, and John is the director of choral & musical theater activities at Wissahickon High School in Ambler. Karen was born in Chestnut Hill, but her family moved to Doylestown when she was just seven months old. Her father, Dr. Michael Gross, is a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology who practiced at Chestnut Hill Hospital from the late 1970s to the late 1980s. When Karen was born, the family was living in the Chestnut Hill Apartments, right next to the Wyndmoor Train Station. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Wesleyan College in Connecticut, Karen moved back with her parents in Bucks County. Late in 2004, however, the bubbly singer/songwriter decided to move to Philly, and her mom suggested that she check out the real estate rental ads in the Local. After doing so, Karen moved to Chestnut Hill in December, 2004, and lucked into an apartment she thoroughly enjoys. “I just love my landlord, Bill Madway,” she said. “I am very lucky.” After college, Karen, an American Studies major, landed a job as news editor at the weekly Bucks County Herald for two-and-a-half years. She has also been a freelance contributor to Philadelphia magazine, covering dance and art galleries, and is currently doing public relations for Arden Theater. Gross began writing songs at age 14. She has recorded one CD, Navigating (it cost more than $5,000 to produce 1,000 CDs), and she has performed at several local music venues such as World Café Live, Grape Street Pub and John & Peter’s (New Hope) as well as at Lincoln Center in New York, the Whitaker Center in Harrisburg and Musikfest in Bethlehem. She has been invited to perform as a guest for nationally known artists Lisa Loeb, Jeffrey Gaines and John Eddie, who asked Karen to appear on several of his shows after he attended one of her performances. But one of Karen’s most exciting experiences was having her own composition, “Late for Love,” played on local radio station WXPN-88.5 F.M. early in 2004. It was played right after “Round and Round,” by Neil Young, which blew Karen away. “Neil Young was one of my earliest and most important musical influences along with Joni Mitchell and Carole King,” she explained. “To have one of my songs played anywhere near a Neil Young song was just overwhelming. The only negative part was that I did not hear it myself. A friend called me and told me about it.” Karen’s current passion, however, is Sex and the Single Singer, a “musical journey based on my own experiences and those of my friends.” In the scripted show, which combines comedy with pop standards, show tunes, contemporary music and original compositions, Karen plays herself plus two other characters, a Jewish grandmother and a married, pregnant woman. The show premiered in November, 2005, at Odette’s in New Hope, one of the nation’s top cabaret venues. Karen was invited to return to Odette’s in May, 2006, which resulted in a sold-out audience with a waiting list. Karen is constantly updating and trying to improve the show. She has workshopped the show with Philadelphia solo performance artists including Jennifer Blaine (a Mt. Airy native who was also the subject of a front-page feature in Local Life) and Tony Lawton. The bittersweet 90-minute show is about both the positive and negative aspects of the single life. “I am single, completely and utterly,” said Karen, who is currently not involved in a relationship, “but this show is not about being desperate. It’s about being independent but also being lonely and searching for love. It’s about wanting a career and independence but also wanting a great partner. The songs capture that tension.” The music in Sex and the Single Singer spans the last 65 years. Some of the songs in the show are: “Lover Man,” a standard that has been sung by Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn and many others; “Arrow,” a song by singer-songwriter Cheryl Wheeler; “Passionate Kisses,” a song by singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams; “Walk Alone,” an original song by Karen Gross, and “It’s All Right With Me,” a standard sung by Ella Fitzgerald and many others. Karen’s own composition, “Walk Alone,” contains these lyrics: Maybe I am meant to walk alone for a while Like a child it’s too easy, get attached too fast Maybe I am meant to comb the sands of my soul Seeking the treasure Half can be whole Wondering what the sky will look like Up above the highway Wondering the rivers I will taste The mountains I’ll go climbing Maybe I am meant to walk along for a while With a smile, this freedom Travel east or west Maybe I am meant to know the depths of alone Seeking my future Half can be whole ©Karen Gross. Karen’s ultimate goal, as one might expect, is to make more original music and bring her music, her show and her subsequent work to a wider audience. “I would love to play cabaret rooms in New York,” she said. “I love to articulate experiences that people can relate to. Moving people and making them laugh is just an amazing feeling, and I believe this show can reach people of all ages. My own grandfather saw it and loved it ... It’s been a dream of mine to become a popular artist ever since I was dancing to Madonna’s music as a little girl.” For ticket information to the July 8 show, call 215-928-0770 or visit www.tinangel.com For other information, visit www.karengross.com |
