MacPhail Presents: Faculty Spotlight – It Takes Two: Broadway’s Greatest Duets
Join these dynamic duos of MacPhail Faculty Members and active Twin Cities musical theater performers (with 2 at the keys!) as they wrestle with the passions, dilemmas and frustrations of life, love and the clinging-to-hope pursuit of happiness. In an evening of Broadway duets, “It Takes Two” features the diverse works of songwriters Leonard Bernstein, “Fats” Waller, Jeanine Tesori, Jason Robert Brown, Stephen Sondheim to name a few. This event is free and open to the public.
Performers
Timothy De Prey, pianist, has been a Piano Instructor at MacPhail Center for Music since 1995. In addition to his work at MacPhail, Timothy has been the Principal Accompanist for the well-respected Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus since 1991. Mayor Betsy Hodges proclaimed December 5, 2015 as “Timothy De Prey Day” in the City of Minneapolis honoring his work at MacPhail Center for Music and the Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus.
Timothy is an active performer in the Twin Cities and has performed on six MacPhail Spotlight Performances including “By George” – the music of George Gershwin and most recently as the pianist for “Flirting with Sondheim”. As principal accompanist for the well-respected Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus Timothy has had the opportunity to work with Michael Feinstein, Ann Hampton Callaway, Holly Near and Harvey Fierstein. Timothy can be heard on all 17 of TCGMC’s CD’s, on “Proud and Peaceful”- a CD of solo piano music from the pianists within GALA (Gay and Lesbian Choruses of America) and on his own CD’s, “in the evening air” – a collection of nocturnes, lullabies and night songs and “I Love a Piano” – a recording commemorating his 20th year accompanying the Twin Cities’ Gay Men’s Chorus and “this is the wonder” a holiday CD celebrating his 25th anniversary with the chorus.
Joey Clark is a musical theater and cabaret performer, director and teaching artist. His work has been seen on the stages of The McCarter Theatre, Syracuse Stage, Nautilus Music Theatre, Bloomington Civic Theatre (Artistry), Park Square Theatre, Theatre Mu, Skylark Opera, Frank Theater, Theatre Latte Da, and the Ordway. Joey’s cabaret work began at NYC’s Duplex Cabaret Bar, and he has since gone on to direct, musical direct and perform in over 100 cabarets. As an educator, Joey teaches in MacPhail’s Music for Life Program working with older adults and people who have been diagnosed with dementia. Additionally, he produces senior cabarets through his partnerships with The History Theatre and the Minnesota JCC. He teaches virtual courses for Encore Creativity in Washington, D.C.. In 2022, Joey became the leader of the St. Paul Giving Voice Chorus for persons living with Alzheimer’s and their care partners. With over 20 years of teaching artist experience, Joey has taught and directed students age 3-106, serving as Musical Theatre Department Chair for Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists (SPCPA) and as an instructor at Children’s Theatre Company amongst many other artist training programs in the NYC tri-state area.
Jerry Rubino was appointed music director of Voices of Experience in 2011 and serves on the MacPhail faculty in the voice and piano departments. He holds degrees in piano, voice, music education and conducting from Temple University and the University of Minnesota, and has taught at Northwestern, Augsburg and Carleton Colleges. A native of Philadelphia, he attended Curtis Institute as a cellist. He currently serves as Minister of Music at Spirit of Hope United Methodist Church in Golden Valley, Minnesota and is a staff conductor and professional singer with the Minnesota Chorale. Rubino worked for twenty-three seasons with the Dale Warland Singers as associate conductor, director of special projects and music education, pianist, singer, and arranger. His credits include honors choirs in Australia, Taiwan, Hawaii, and Europe, and he is series editor and workshop presenter for Oxford University Press and the Hal Leonard Corporation.
Anna Hashizume (she/her) is a Japanese-American singer-actor and voice teacher based in the Twin Cities. After receiving both her Bachelors and Masters degrees in vocal performance, she is equally comfortable on opera and musical theatre stages, as well as onscreen. She’s performed with companies such as the Guthrie Theater, Theater Latté Da, Artistry Theater, Minnesota Opera, and Fargo-Moorhead Opera. On screen, she’s worked for Best Buy, Target, Founder’s Brewing Co., and the Minnesota Lottery. Anna is also a two-time honoree of the Schubert Club Scholarship Competition. Alongside performing, Anna is a passionate teacher. She’s a teaching artist with both Theater Mu and Minnesota Opera. She runs her own private voice studio and cocoordinates the Prelude Program at the MacPhail Center for Music.
Melody Mendis is an inspired and versatile vocalist, tribute artist and voice instructor. She performs a tremendous range of music including, jazz, R&B, Pop, Blues, International Songs and belts with extreme athleticism.
As a performer, exciting vocals and iconic looks are two tools that Melody Mendis uses in her tribute to Barbra Streisand and Lady Gaga. Using her classical training and background in performing in various venues, Melody performs as Barbra and Gaga, sounding so like her that some may think she is lip-syncing. Melody uses her passion for lyrics to create and build an honest and real connection with her audience. While her shows are original, the writing style is such that they feel like a true Streisand or Gaga concert. Add amazing costumes (in the style of Streisand and Gaga) to her incredible vocals, her hair, her nails and you have a tribute worthy of the artistry and passion of Streisand and Gaga. Melody is an extremely giving performer and anyone who experiences her shows will leaving feeling more filled than when they arrived. She has also performed with Mid-Michigan and Detroit Opera Companies.
Bradley Greenwald has performed opera, theater, music-theater, concert, and recital repertoire with several Twin Cities’ arts organizations, including Jungle Theater, Theater Latté Da, Open Eye Figure Theatre, Theatre de la Jeune Lune, Guthrie Theater, Children’s Theatre Company, 10,000 Things Theater, Nautilus Music-Theater, Minnesota Dance Theatre, James Sewell Ballet, VocalEssence, Frank Theatre, and Skylark Opera. He adapted Madeleine L’Engle’s novel A Wrinkle in Time into a libretto for Libby Larsen’s opera, and wrote the book and lyrics for C.,an adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac (Robert Elhai, music), produced by Peter Rothstein and Theater Latté Da. Bradley is the recipient of a Minnesota State Arts Board Fellowship in music, the McKnight Fellowship for Theater Artists, and a 2006 Ivey Award.