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Ryan Alvy Alvarez Send off 2004 I spent 2013 mostly playing with
my cat. Also acting, singing, traveling, camping, hiking, cooking,
and going on Alumni retreat back in April.
Rachel Bearer Send off 2009
ARORA (formerly know as SONOS) released our 3rd studio album,
Bioluminescence, at the end of last summer. We recorded it all in
my apartment in Sherman Oaks and yes, it's all just voices. You can
get it on iTunes or Amazon or Spotify or where ever and give it a
listensy. This year, I'm recording a solo album and am shooting for
a summer release. I'll keep you posted re: LA shows, etc. Love you
dicks. aroratheband.com rachelbearer - instagram
Jennifer (Cohen) Bennett Send off 2005 In 2013, my husband and I
moved from New York City to Studio City, CA. He is a studio
teacher/welfare worker in the entertainment industry. I am a
director and private voice teacher at the Youth Academy of Dramatic
Arts in Los Angeles and I'm also an Admissions Counselor at
Relativity School, a new college that is launching this fall. I am
also a professional singer and actress, and have performed in
musicals and as a concert soloist across the country. My baby girl,
Paige Elizabeth Bennett, was born on February 18, 2014. (2 weeks
early!).
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Ben Bram - Send off 2010 In 2013, I continued working with
Pentatonix as their co-arranger, producer, and engineer. Together
we produced videos such as Radioactive and Daft Punk, which both
Jennifer Garnered over 45 mil views, and albums PTX Vol II and
PTXmas Deluxe Edition, which hit #2 and #1 respectively on iTunes
overall albums. Additionally, I worked on season 4 of The Sing Off
as supervising vocal arranger/coach, and also as a casting vocal
consultant on the road. I continued to do freelance gigs, including
arranging, vocal contracting, recording, group coaching, and
teaching clinics. Last but not least, I started A Cappella Academy,
an audition-only summer intensive in Los Angeles for middle/high
schoolers featuring Pentatonix as the artists in residence. We
received 859 auditions from 49 states and 34 countries! There are
some incredible young musicians out there, Im so excited for the
future of a cappella! Probably some future VoCals in that lot. Love
you all!
Stacy Burcham - Send off 2000 I teach instrumental music at
Lakewood HS and am also busy preparing the pit orchestra and
voice-coaching for Hairspray, which goes up in May. I still sing
and play trumpet professionally (and am still the only VoCal to be
a member of the group and the Trojan Marching Band all 4 years)! In
addition to running the LHS program, I work part-time for the TMB,
and just started taking courses in Vocal Jazz towards my Masters at
USC. I do this in my spare time (none). I live with my brilliant
and badass girlfriend in the ghetto by USC, as she is studying
there also to become a badass doctor. Here is my Soccer Mom/Kimmy
Gibbler headshot for your amusement.
Adam Blain Send off 2003 2013 saw a leap forward for Blain
Artist Management. 3 tours kept me on the road, and pairing up with
Lippman Entertainment (Rob Thomas, Matchbox 20, George Michael)
brought a host of new opportunities. BAM produced, "Rock The
Schools 2013" at NYC's Gramercy Theatre, supporting VH1's "Save
The Music" campaign, and the monthly, "Live! From Ryan's Living
Room" show I produce with client Ryan Cabrera raised thousands in
support of local charity. Momentum has continued in 2014 with the
signing of Cabrera to Capitol Records, new client Steven Fiore, and
expanding BAM's client roster into the worlds of EDM and
theatrical." www.blainartistmanagement.com
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Kenton Chen - Send off 2010 Kenton has been living in Santa
Monica enjoying life by the beach. He performs regularly at WitZend
in Venice and is making the move to more eastside venues this year,
as he finishes his new EP, Independent Soul, this summer.
Photo taken by Mike Hoy
Allie Feder Send off 2008 Allie Feder is really enjoying her
Freshman year! In addition to being a Freshman, she's been doing
lots of singing around LA - recording vocals for commercials, TV,
and film and performing at events with various bands and groups. If
you have small children, or if you are a small child yourself, you
might hear her on currently airing commercials for Barbie and
Monster High toys, as well as on Cartoon Network's LEGO: Ninjago,
and Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse. Sometimes she even sings in a
grown up voice for shows like Sleepy Hollow or for video game
commercials or other movies and things. She's performing with a
bunch of bands, including a couple of indie pop bands, an acoustic
duo, a glee-style quartet, a choir, and an a cappella group
(HEY-O!). Oh and also she leads a double life as a
psychotherapist-in-training. She lives
with her composer boyfriend in LA and they write music together
and stuff. Her website is www.alliefeder.com.
Emily Goglia Send off 2010 Hey VoCalz! 2013 was a year of change
in the Goglia world. From the gorgeous Voices of Liberty at
Disneyland, to singing on a trolley with Mickey (and KoCal and
Dan/Payson/DPL/PLL) to leading the fierce ladies of ELEMENT on this
past season of "The Sing Off." (We crowd-funded an album that is
now available on iTunes.) I decided on a whim to move to New York
because-why not?! #yolo. I've survived the worst winter New York
has seen in years, and still can't imagine living anywhere else. I
vacationed in sunny places like Cabo and Hawaii, and was featured
in a photography book of up-and-coming actors called "The Field."
Other than that, I'm doing lots of demo singing and gigging around
the city--joined the USO Show Troupe and get to perform with Miss
Catherine Ricafort once again! I also have a puppy. His name is
Sweeney Dog- the demon barker of Fleet Street. And he is the best.
Ever. www.emilygoglia.com
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Ross Golan - Send off 2002 In 2013, I got engaged to my
beautiful fianc, wrote songs on three #1 albums (Keith Urban,
Justin Bieber and Prince Royce) and co-wrote the latest Lady
Antebellum single "Compass." My musical, The Wrong Man, got picked
up for a Feb-Mar 2014 opening. AND my dog, Peter, was featured on
pugsofinstagram
Will Goldman - Send off 2012 Will had a busy year of singing! In
addition to his regular performances with the LA Master Chorale at
Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl, he also got to do some
cool backup singing gigs with Two Steps from Hell (big movie
trailer guys) and the Rolling Stones, which was MINDBLOWING. Will
also started doing Studio session work last year and sang on a
number of films including a featured song in Disney's Frozen and
the upcoming Muppets Most Wanted. (I can't believe I'm typing this
shit) In terms of life things, Will moved out of his teeny tiny
studio apartment in West Hollywood into a beautiful bigger
apartment, also in West Hollywood (shocker) Lastly, but most
beautifully/tropically of all, Will ended 2013 running around the
rainforest in Costa Rica. Looking forward to a bunch of the same in
2014. WOO. FOFY.
Brock Harris - Send off 1998 Hey everyone! I'm living in Silver
Lake, recently divorced, spending a lot of time with my dog and
loving Los Angeles. For a living, I own rental real estate,
including the VoCal House, and buying 2-3 buildings a year. Call me
if you need a place, OR if you have questions about how to find an
apartment in LA, I have lots of hints! And always looking for
projects and how to be a contribution, so let me know if you need
me. Would also like to be remarried by end of 2015, so if you know
anyone... Brock "this Alumni Newsletter is a damn fine idea"
Harris
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Carmel (Heckel) Freeman Send off 2002 I was sent off before
there were sendoffs ;) I joined the VoCals in 1998 and I graduated
in 2002. 2013 was certainly a big year. In December 2012, I married
my most favorite person ever and my best friend, Matt Freeman, so
we spent 2013 combining our worlds. Together we have 3 daughters
(Julia 10, Alexa 6, and Kate 5). Earlier in the year, we went on a
honeymoon in Napa, bought a minivan (ugh), hung out on Irvine
softball fields with Julia and cheered her on to her division
championship, and spent a lot of time negotiating peace between our
youngest girls who most decidedly do not like to share. Later in
the year, both Matt and I changed jobs, and we moved our family to
Aliso Viejo just in time to celebrate holidays with friends and
family in a bigger place.
Thomas Henry Send off 2012 Since graduation, I have been working
full-time as an analyst in the LA office of Wells Fargo's
investment bank. They keep me pretty busy, but I try to get back to
SC for the important stuff, like beer-pong and video games--...I
mean alumni rehearsal and major concerts. Can't believe that it has
already been nearly two years since we were staying up late
singing, imbibing certain substances, authoring new VoCab that we
thought was the funniest thing since slapstick, and watching Jim
come of age with landmark feats like finding the resonant frequency
of the bathroom and conquering The Hardest Pull Up. I still listen
to VoCalbums from time to time for moments of nostalgia and am
pleased to see the awesomeness of the VoCals carries on
indefinitely. I am currently living in Manhattan Beach and will
finish up my analyst program at Wells in Summer of 2015, after
which I will look to either stay in LA or move back
to the Midwest, depending on job opportunities.
David Higgins - Send off 1999 David finished his combined PhD in
English and American Studies at Indiana University in 2010, and he
now teaches in the English Department at Inver Hills College in
Minnesota. He is an Associate Editor of the Journal of the
Fantastic in the Arts, and the last year his scholarly work on
science fiction was published in several journals and books,
including Parabolas of Science Fiction (Wesleyan UP, 2013) and The
Science Fiction Handbook (Blomsbury, 2014). His forthcoming work
examines transformations in American science fiction after 9/11.
Check out an example of David's video scholarship here:
http://virtual-sf.com/?page_id=321
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Janel Healy - Send off 2008 In 2013, Janel continued her hippie
journey of living close to the land, but left the commune in
Virginia where she was living for 2 years to move to West Sonoma
County, California--land of Pinot Noir grapes, earthy yoga goddess
types, aspiring young farmers, redneck descendants of Italian
immigrants, and pot growers. She works as the Communications and
Events Manager for a sustainability demonstration center, where she
spends her days listening to colleagues bemoan the inevitable
demise of the human race due to rampant global resource
consumption. Janel still performs often, both as a "musical
storyteller" and a straight-up singer. She is currently in a
funk-rock opera based on the 5,000-year-old epic of Gilgamesh, and
plays the Head sex priestess. Of course.
Mike Hoy - Send off 2008 Following the trend of Dan Payson Lewis
who cleverly dropped his first name in order to stand out above the
crowd, Mike Hoy has not dropped, but added more names to his name,
and is currently professionally going by his full given birth name,
Michael Alan Hoy (most of the time). After over four years at
Creative Artists Agency, Michael Alan Hoy formerly known in VoCal
circles as Mike Hoy, finally grew the balls to pursue his dream of
directing, and photography. Mike recently collaborated with VoCal
alum Ross Golan, shooting most all of the video and photography for
Ross's live show THE WRONG MAN, currently playing at the Skylight
Theater in Hollywood. In the past year, Mike has received attention
with mentions in The Huffington Post for directing web videos,
including the comedy web series The Best of Craigslist featured on
www.funnyordie.com, which was nominated for Best Web
Series by LA WEEKLY at the 2013 LA WEEKLY WEB AWARDS. Michael
collaborated as a photographer and videographer for the Hollywood
Foreign Press at the 2014 Golden Globe Awards, and worked on music
videos for Daft Punks Random Access Memories and Mumford & Sons
"Babel." Mike is currently still using the excuse that he is "on
the freeway" when he is running late, and he is still using his
voice at the occasional karaoke bar, singing back-up vocals for
Kelley Jakle, or with The Westminster Chorus alongside other VoCal
alums, David Rakita, Will Harris, and Brian Maloney. Mike Hoy
misses the VoCals... A lot... Like a whole lot, and welcomes any
and all VoCals past and present to call him at any time for a
hello, or a hang, or whatever!!! www.michaelalanhoy.com
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Lucy Jackson - Send off 2008 Living in LA...one block from
campus..yes I did graduate almost 6 years ago. Still producing West
Coast ICCAs...2014 season is my 6th year. New puppy niece named
Pepper. Quit my job. VoCal Alumni Retreat was amazeballs. Traveled
a LOT - Hawaii. New
Zealand. Mexico. Mexico again. Multiple trips to NorCal, Vegas,
Philadelphia. Got a new job (working with Audra again). I have an
amazing family, boyfriend, friends, etc... Can't complain when life
is sooooo good! :)
Kelley Jakle Send off 2011 My year was, as it tends to happen,
up and down but overall pretty wonderful! Professionally, a film
called 42 that I worked on came out, which led to a lot of fun
baseball games and anthems. I filmed a movie where I smoked a lot
of fake pot called The 420 Movie: Mary & Jane it may (or may
not?) be released around 4/20 of this year (haha). Lastly, fellow
alums Jeff Sontag and I have become songwriting partners! Ive loved
getting back to those roots, and what better way to do it than with
another VoCal? Mike Hoy has been
filming some of our videos, too keeping it all in the family.
Personally, I celebrated my first ever two year anniversary! Im
super in love, so thats pretty rad. I was able to spend a week at
Camp ReCreation in Northern California, which always fills my soul,
and I recently moved out to Santa Monica! Its been amazing, as
living near the ocean has been a lifelong dream of mine. Love you
all, and I cant wait to read up on all of your lives!
YouTube.com/kelleyjaklemusic Twitter.com/kelleyjakle
Facebook.com/kelleyjakleofficial
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Jeremy KoCal Send off 1999 Back in 1998, when I joined the
VoCals, I underwent an important "name-change" from Kocal (rhymes
with "vocal") to KoCal, and we all know what that rhymes with! I'm
back in SoCal after 11 years of the Broadway & touring life
with meaningful experiences like Wicked,
and a dream of working with George Lucas. AndI got married last
April! Currently holding down the fort with the Dapper Dans of
Disneyland, and now transitioning into journalism, podcasting, and
writing. This is one awesome network! Keep it rockin' VoCals!
[email protected]
2
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Payson Lewis Send off 2008 Yooo VoCals! How the eff is it 2014
already? Who knows? Anyway here's what my 2013 was all about: I
spent most of my time continuing in my pursuit of the old
acting/singing career and did a bunch of shows, notably BARE (for
which I won a BroadwayWorld award...thanks for voting), three
different For The Record shows at Rockwell, The
Rocky Horror Show, and produced and directed a show for the
first time called EDGES. I also appeared on the Dr. Phil show as an
abusive boyfriend (Clearly, I need a new agent). Other than that,
I'm still doing my thing singing and dancing at Disneyland. All in
all things are pretty good and I'm happy and healthy. I didn't hang
out with VoCals nearly enough which sucks...but I'm working on it
for 2014. You can still find me in my cheap yet cozy apartment on
the Silverlake/Mexico border, so hit me up and let's chill.
Katie Lovejoy Send off 2009 As of 2013, I am married, a working
screenwriter, and the proud owner of a lovebird (read: crazy bird
lady). On the professional side of my life, things are going really
well. Since graduating in 09, Ive done a
rewrite on a Disney movie, was the highest ranked woman
screenwriter on the 2010 Blacklist, sold two pilots to ABC Spellman
Files and Trust and one to Bravo, and have been staffed on two
televisions shows. Last year I had my first produced credit of
television air on NBC (DRACULA), which was totally surreal: Oh, and
I finally caved and got on twitter. For work purposes and various
opportunities for snark: @katie_lovejoy. Personally, Ive been
happily married to a long time FOV Ru Sommer for almost nine months
now. Our wedding day was magical in every way. I mean, look at
these TREES... We even had a few VoCals and dear friends perform
out our wedding, and, duh, they fucking ROCKED IT. Were hoping to
go on our honeymoon this spring and then get a puppy (okay, fine,
maybe Im the only one who wants a puppy). And Im currently trying
to teach myself to play the ukulele, which is fun if not totally
hopeless.
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Lexie Lowell Send off 2013 In 2013 I starred as Roxie Hart in
Chicago the Musical at USC and helped fundraise for the $15,000
independent student production. I graduated cum laude from the
School of Theatre. I signed with KMR Equity after performing in LAs
Next Great Stage Star. Started practicing yoga every day. Travelled
to Italy for the month of December with my boyfriend and have begun
to write original music on the harp and guitar. I am currently
beginning the process of producing my first album with JB
Studios.
Ann and Matt MacPhail Both sent off in 1998 In 2013, the
MacPhails continued working out of their home studio in Arlington,
Virginia, just a short hop from Washington, DC. Matt produces both
spoken audio and music, and Ann records voice overs for radio
commercials and narration. "Trust YOUR family's safety with
Vivint!" In addition, Matt serves as outside counsel for Yahoo!
Inc. making sure their all sweepstakes rules say stuff like, "No
purchase necessary" and "Void where prohibited". At church, Matt
plays bass and Ann plays piano. They both serve as Cub Scout
Leaders. They have two sons: Gabriel (9) and Lucas (7). Travel
highlights of 2013: VoCal Alumni Retreat in Santa Barbara, Disney
World, South Carolina, Chicago, London, NYC (to see VoCals in
shows), San Jose and LA. They love to have guests, so let them know
if you're coming to the DC Area!
Kelda (Nelson) Hartman Send off 1998 This picture says it all.
The year 2013 was all about my first child, the amazingly precious
Haven Shanelle Hartman. She was born in October 2012 and I spent
last year just getting to know her more and more. I am so looking
forward to watching her continue to grow. I also continued to write
songs, play my grandmother's piano and, of course, sing, but I have
to admit, she is really my main focus right now. My advice? If you
don't have a kid, have one! ;)
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Eric Petersen - Send off 2005 2013 was a year of change for me
career-wise, leaving Caesars Entertainment after five years where I
was the Director of New Media and led mobile and social media
strategy for 40 casino resorts across the country. I moved to the
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino where I'm currently leading their
Digital / Interactive Marketing team and absolutely love it mainly
because of the
hotel's deep musical roots and culture. Besides that, I was a
part of three weddings, a best man for two of them, and traveled to
Cabo, New York, San Fran, LA, Chicago, and Seattle. If anyone is
ever in Las Vegas let me know! Would love to meet up and grab a
drink.
Brian Michael Malony Send off 2007 After leaving the VoCals and
graduating from USC in 2007 with a BFA in Acting, I decided to
leave the acting world to spend more time with my wife, Lindsay,
and start a family. I got a job in entertainment lighting and now,
after various stages, am the Marketing Manager at Stonewood Center
in Downey, CA. In the year after performing with the VoCals on the
1st season of The Sing Off in 2009, my first daughter, Lillian
Elise, was born. Last spring, in April of 2013, my second daughter,
Caitlin Noelle, joined the family. Keeping the music alive and
quelling my performance addiction, Ive been singing with several
other VoCal Alumns in the Westminster Chorus since re-joining in
2010. I am the current VP of Marketing for that group as well and
have also been the head of the music department at my church for
several years. I spend my days working at a job I enjoy and coming
home to a family that I love. Life has been very good to me and Im
thankful for my experiences with the VoCals that led me here.
Wishing you all well, and Ill see you at the next Alumni
Rehearsal.
Olivia Peet Send Off 2011 I grew up in CT and made the move to
Los Angeles after falling in love with all that USC has to offer. I
moved to NYC right after graduating and I've been working in the
exciting world of advertising as a copywriter on cool accounts like
Colgate. I currently live in the Financial District and am loving
the Big Apple - but I really miss USC and the VoCals! I'm long
overdue for a trip back West, so maybe look for me at the next
alumni rehearsal :)
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Matt Pollard Send off 2008 2013 in a nutshell: This was a big
year for me! I matched at UCLA for my residency in Urologic Surgery
in February. March brought more great news, and I got engaged to my
wonderful boyfriend, Josh, who is also a urologist (currently
finishing his residency in New York). I graduated Mount Sinai
School of Medicine this summer (finally Dr. Pollard!), and moved
back to LA in July. Residency has been pretty much all-consuming so
far, but it's going well! Glad to be back on the west coast and so
excited to be closer to all the VoCals still in CA. :)
DP - David Patton Send off 2006 2013 was the best year yet! It
included getting married in April to my best friend Marissa and a
major move up to Northern California. I now live in San Francisco
and work as the Department Manager of Men's Clothing for Nordstrom
Valley Fair. I also run a side business of custom furniture called
84 Classics. I love to always be working with my hands on inspiring
projects. DBPII
David Rakita - Send off 2008 2013 was the best year yet! It
included attending the marriage of DP to his best friend Marissa
and not making a major move up to Northern California. I now live
in Los Angeles and don't work as the Department Manager of Men's
Clothing for Nordstrom Valley Fair, but I do dabble as a session
musician, choral musician, background singer and adult beverage
partaker. I also play a fair amount of World of Warcraft with Will
Harris. I love to always be working with my hands on inspiring
projects.
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Audra Levi Priluck (VoCal #2) Send off 1997 2013 was a year of
change. I changed jobs, and we moved from Northridge to Woodland
Hills. I'm hoping 2014 is a year of non-change. I have been with
GfK Custom Research North America for almost a year, as Vice
President, Media & Entertainment. My hubby Jason and sons
Justin (7) and Garrett (2) are wonderful. Justin started piano
lessons last Fall, and is an expert Nintendo 3DS player. Garrett
sings to us all the time, and loves everything "Elmo". Jason has
his own talent management firm called The Priluck Company, and his
blog GenXDaddy.com was named a Top 50 Dad Blog by Babble.com. I
sing when I can - not as often as I'd like - but for the past two
years I have been a featured performer at The Home Entertainment
Show in Newport Beach. As part of T.H.E. Show last June, I was
invited to perform two songs with legendary pianist Mike Garson.
I've got some performance clips on YouTube, just search "Audra
Lee". My first self-produced album called "I'm All In" was released
in August 2012 and still remains on iTunes, Amazon, etc. I'd love
to record another album one of these days anyone wanna help me with
song writing? [email protected]
April (Jones) Ray Send off 1998 Since graduating from SC almost
fourteen years ago (Wha??), April has enjoyed every VoCal's dream
life of traveling to 4 continents, performing before thousands of
people, and being lauded by critics around the world. Totally not.
She has travelled as far as Nashville, changed thousands of
diapers, and is lauded mostly only by her amazing husband. But it
is her dream life (well, except for the diapers). She and her
husband Nick moved from LA to Nashville where they enjoy running a
business called ModerNash and raising their three kids. It's not
glamorous, but it is good!
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AL RAHN - Send off 2006 Hello friends. After much prodding from
Goglia, I reluctantly submit to you my 2013 Year In Review. While
it seemed near impossible to top April's VoCal Alumni retreat to
Santa Barbara, in which I was honored to play the role of lead
sommelier, I filled my year with much more traveling, and it seems
no matter where I went, VoCals inevitably appeared. Two trips to
NYC brought me into the company of Sara Benjamin, Rebekah Melocik,
and Geoffrey Lind (all of whom are well and send their love). I
also attended SIX weddings, most notably the nuptials of fellow
VoCal alum Katie Lovejoy and my hetero-lifemate and FOV Ru Sommer
in beautiful Sonoma County. Ree-Bee Bearer, Chris Harrison and I
had the honor of
providing some of the pre-ceremony music. Also I cried like a
bitch. Speaking of music, I continued rocking strong with Sixstep.
We founded our own studio in Orange, released a new EP in
September, did a few touring stints, and got some FM airplay! (And
many thanks to those of you who made it out a show!) The year ended
with a glorious return to the theatrical stage as part of "A
Harmony Boys' Christmas", an all-original debacle I co-starred in
with our own Michael Hoy & Will Ajax Harris. We are fairly
confident the show will return, and it is our hope to develop a
cult following around this ridiculous show. I also began work on a
new musical to premiere at the Hollywood Fringe Festival, so keep
your eyes peeled for an update. That's it. Oh, and I quit smoking.
High fives all around. Let's drink soon, yeah? www.sixstepmusic.com
@sixstepband
Catherine Rica Ricafort - Send off 2009 2013 (in New York City):
I started off the year touring the country with the USO Show
Troupe, which is a small singing group that performs for the troops
in tight harmony with matching choreo (obviously, someone was going
through VoCals withdrawals...). I also had a DREAM come true, and
got to originate the role of "Mahi" in Jason Robert Brown's new
Broadway-bound musical "Honeymoon in Vegas"! (Backstage pic
attached). The show starred Tony Danza, who was a riot to work
with. There was also much USC love here as Jason Robert Brown had
taught many of my friends at USC, and Emily Goglia and the
Macphails came to watch the show! I rounded out the end of the year
performing in another new musical called "Nerds", which is a
hilarious 2.5 hour musical romp about Steve Jobs and Bill Gates (I
finally put my Industrial and Systems Engineering Degree to use!)
Interestingly, the show was written by two guys (Jordan
Allen-Dutton and Erik Weiner) who also write for The Sing-Off, and
we realized we had been on set at the same time during Season 2
when I was in The Backbeats but never met. Small world. Anyway,
I've been so happy here in New York seeing that the VoCal community
is growing here, and representing!! I got to see Donald Webber Jr.
kill it in Motown on Broadway as Berry Gordy Jr, and literally
laughed out loud watching Bryce Ryness in First Date. Can't wait to
see what 2014 brings for the VoCals!
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Rachel Saltzman - Send off 2011 I can't remember what I ate for
lunch yesterday, so remembering what happened in 2013 is no easy
task at my ripe age of 24. I made it past my one year mark at my
full out post-grad job, which is exciting. I'm an Executive
Assistant to a Talent Manager at Schachter Entertainment. I work
all day every day, literally, but I'm having a good time learning
the entertainment industry ropes. I went to some incredible
concerts -- Beyonce (my IDOL), Justin Timberlake TWICE, Fleetwood
Mac, etc. I also spent a lot of time focusing on my health and
happiness after a difficult 2012. I do these intense workouts at
6am like a crazy person... not the Saltzy Balls you once knew. I
did some singing too! Kenton, Ben, Allie and I are singing with our
a cappella group LEVEL, and I also sing backup for Kenton at his
solo gigs. 2014 has started as busy as ever, but I'm looking
forward to a good year.
Katie Sims Send off 2012 2013 was a good un. Met a fellow named
Jon Swan while working an intolerably bad front desk job at Golds
Gym and discovered he played guitar and was also an esteemed USC
alum. Needed a demo done next day and asked Jon Swan to play with
me. Jeff Sontag (formerly and presently known as Ffej) recorded us.
We continued to play together and decided playing together should
become a thing. I am now part of a guy/girl duo, called Her
Electric Fur. We go into the studio (with producers Will Baldocchi
and Rob Nagelhout, also of USC) beginning of June to record our
first five song EP. Our kickstarter kicks in May. Really stoked
about it. Also, kept busy playing gigs all over LA (and one in SF),
nannying an amazing family in Hancock Park to feed myself, and was
cast in a slam poetry showcase at Da Poetry Lounge by a gentleman
named Dante Basco (formerly and presently known as RufioKing of the
lost boys in
Hook). Really missing my VoCal family and excited to share the
EP with you this summer! Check us out on le social media
Facebook.com/herelectricfur Youtube.com/watch?v=MjxZSHX0zyE
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Joe Sofranko Send off 2009 I spent the year (or 3 years) locked
in a cave (my apartment) working on a feature-length original
comedy series (Complete Works) that I was never sure would find a
home. Thankfully, in March, Hulu told us they loved and wanted our
show. It's about a collegiate Shakespeare competition, and so Hulu
had the idea to premiere the show on Shakespeare's 450th birthday
(April 23). Dear William Shakespeare, Happy Birthday. I got you a
web series. I hope you like it. You can't return it.
hulu.com/complete-works I still beatbox in the shower and while
driving.
Corey Slutsky - Send off 2005 In 2013, first and foremost, my
wife and I conceived our first child, a boy, to be born in spring
2014 (VoCal babies)! My a cappella company, Voices Only, continued
to grow -- in addition to the 9th annual Voices Only collegiate a
cappella compilation and 3rd annual Voices Only Forte professional
a cappella compilation, I recorded and/or edited projects for the
USC Sirens, USC Troy Tones, UCLA Signature A Cappella and
professional group Vocal Motion Six via my recording studio, Voices
Only Productions.
John Vermeer - Send off 2005 After finishing my MBA in 2012 I
left the cozy apartment I shared in NYC with Rebekah Melocik and
took a job doing Global Strategy related to media and entertainment
for Samsung Electronics based in Seoul, South Korea (gasp). 2013
was spent simultaneously missing NYC, having ridiculous expat
adventures and gallivanting around Asia. I invite any VoCals to
visit and promise to treat you to endless soju, Korean BBQ and a
free place to stay.
-
Mike Villegas Send off 1998 Worked my tail off. Travelled to
Europe, South America, and the Caribbean. In a relationship.
Prepared to move to Siberia AKA Princeton, NJ. It was a crazy, good
year.