Palisadian Vocalists Sing with Dana Greene

Palisadian based vocal coach hosts two youth concerts,

By ALLISON VREELAND Palisadian-Post Contributor Sparkling vocals filled the room at Venice’s Electric Lodge on June 6. Many young Palisadians shared their singing talents with an audience full of family and friends as they performed in Dana Greene Vocal Works ‘Songs of Hollywood’ concert. Greene, who is based in Pacific Palisades, has been training vocalists for 25 years and especially enjoys working with young talent. ‘There’s something in their spirit that I try to coax out of them and when it finally comes out, it’s really magical,’ Greene said about her approach to working with youth. The concert was fun and upbeat as Greene sat behind the piano and provided a quick introduction to each performer mixed with her own personal keyboard flair. Then a student would enter the stage and dive right into his or her performance. From Palisadian Lizzie Edel’s ‘Take Me To The River’ to Palisadian John Alexander’s ‘The Way You Look Tonight,’ students made their song their own. Alexander even included an audience member as he grabbed a fellow singer and started dancing with her in the middle of his performance. The performers seemed confident and comfortable singing on stage and sharing their talents, and the audience was not shy about letting them know how great they were. The 100-seat venue was packed and there were even people standing in the aisles to watch the show. The audience was just as warm and welcoming as the vocalist needed, clapping along to the beat and cheering after every ballad. Dana Greene and her vocalists spent many hours preparing for ‘Songs of Hollywood.’ However, all of this hard work was well worth the effort when afterwards there was a standing ovation. The bassist even came up to Greene after the show and announced, ‘This was the best gig I’ve played at in years.’ Although there will not be another concert just like this scheduled in the near future, Greene’s summer camp, Kids Kabaret, allows vocalists to sing with a band and learn performing tips from a vocal master class to a rhythm jam; their first performance was July 13. Many friends and family filled the small studio in the Adderley School in the Highlands to watch the seven campers perform songs that they chose specially and had practiced carefully with Greene. The dance studio was made to look like a jazz club with tables and chairs arranged in a candlelit room, setting the mood for a great show. The performance began with an all-camper group song-and-dance routine. Then after a quick spur-of-the-moment stand-up comedy performance by the youngest camper, Lizzie Edel started off the show with a contemporary piece, ‘The Sweet Escape’ by Gwen Stefani. After each performance, singers would give a personal, well-rehearsed introduction for the next performer. The studio was filled with a very lively audience. People swayed to Avril Lavigne’s ‘Keep Holding On’ and clapped with the rest of the performers to Creedence Clearwater’s ‘Joy to the World.’ The show ended with a performance by Tierra Church, a student of Greene’s who helped work at the camp, teaching the kids tricks that had helped her in her vocal classes.