Original singer/songwriter creating an eclectic cross betweem Joni Mitchell & Cole Porter with jazz harmony and jazz musicians as sideman.

12 MP3 Songs
FOLK: like Joni, POP: Folky Pop



Details:
In September of 2004 Betina was accepted as a lyricist to the Lehman Engle BMI Musical Theater Program and has been writing quite a few songs with a very talented composer, Denver Casado. They are currently working on a pop album. Their one act musical "Finding The Wonder" won 2nd place in the 2006 BAD Musical Festival. In addition to the many cabaret songs they have written and seen performed, they have written two children's musicals for the Garden Players: an hour long children's musical, "Musicville", and a half hour teen piece, "The Big Leap". Betina also wrote her own full length children's musical, "Lemontales", and an hour long musical with Eddie Guttman, "Finding Home".
Betina Hershey is a summa cum laude Acting Major grad of Marymount Manhattan College, and a Tamaris Dance Award grad of LaGuardia HS of the Performing Arts. As a performer, teacher, and choreographer, she has toured the country and the world. Favorite roles include Meg in Phantom of the Opera (National Broadway Tour), Anybodys in West Side Story (LaScala Opera House, Italy), Fleta in Iolanthe (City Center, NYC), Luisa in The Fantasticks, Hilda in Plain and Fancy, Mrs. Popov in The Brute, Jackie in Pump Boys and Dinettes. She is also a singer/songwriter and has played live on WFUV radio, peformed at the legendary Bottom Line, and has a CD of her music. She has written 3 childrens musicals and countless songs. Betina is a member of the Dramatist Guild and also a lyricist in the acclaimed BMI Musical Theater Writing Workshop ("Avenue Q" on Broadway was developed in this workshop.).
"Wish I Could Stay," the first project on Betina's new label, Loping Raven Records, was recorded at John Guth's studio, north of the city. Jeff Ganz on bass, Jeff Berman on drums, Scott Kuney on guitar added their musicality to Betina's songs while she sang and played guitar. There were horn appearances by Shawn Hershey, Lowell Hershey, and Bruce Bonvissuto, and John Guth added ideas and played guitar and various instruments on a few songs, especially Childlike Lover, on which he is the only other musician besides Betina.