Do you ever think things are moving too fast (ex: being asked to be Glen Burtnik's back-up singer for major shows) or have you been able to handle things so far?
I'm pretty sure that anyone would tell you that working with Glen is a blast. He creates these amazing shows, and he makes it fun for everyone, so that you don't mind when it gets crazy, because that's part of the fun. It's like we're all part of this nutty team, and there's a great camaraderie. And I really appreciate these opportunities. I'm glad that people are starting to know me. It doesn't feel like things are moving too fast, because I'm impatient to keep moving forward. I am always looking forward to the next experience.
Tell me about meeting Steve Forbert? What was that like?
It was actually Michael Dante Summonte who met Steve Forbert, haha. In August, I was playing at the Sand Witch (love you, Marnie!), and it was a beautiful night, and we had a large crowd gathered around. Apparently Steve Forbert was heading down the boardwalk with his wife and a bottle of wine, on his way to dinner. According to Dante, Steve stopped in his tracks and asked who I was, and listened for a while, apparently digging it. I was excited to learn this, but we've never spoken, even though we are now Facebook friends!
Personally, I love when I see an artist like yourself that makes such an amazing jump in a brief period of time. Just a few years ago at Twisted Covers you showed great promise but still seemed a bit in awe at people paying attention to you on stage. What has changed for you? Did your experience at Berklee really help prepare you for this?
This is a hard question to answer, because I can't tell if I've changed or if people have just gotten used to me. I mean, I know that I've gotten more experience, but my basic performance style seems the same to me. I've been performing since I was 11, and I used to go to the open mic at Coffee Blue in Belmar when I was 12 by myself (my mom used to drop me off out front) And I won the Big Joe Talent Show at Point Pleasant around that time. And you should know that you are talking to the 2007 NJICON Champion, haha! That was a 13 week contest held in Cape May, and I guess I broke it, because after I won, they never did it again!
I have tapes of some of these performances, and I think you can tell that I'm younger, but I'm not a whole different person today. I've never had that slick, smooth stage presence, but I've never been afraid. I've just been myself, and I like to say whatever comes to mind and be spontaneous, and I like to talk to individuals in the audience and joke around. I especially like it when Michael Brett plays with me, because aside from him being ridiculously talented, I like to think we have a great rapport. I have fun, at least. He's such a great sport and takes my abuse. I think a lot of times people don't expect me to be like that, with my ridiculous stories. I might say anything. Anton Daub said that my audience banter was "awkward, but it works." I guess that's a compliment, right?
I remember that Twisted Covers. The Who!! That was the first time I ever performed an original song for strangers. And it was the first song I ever wrote. I was the youngest one there, and I was definitely wondering if I would be welcomed. I mean, there was George Wirth, Anthony D'Amato, Michael Brett, Joe Harvard, and Lindsey and Keith. Everybody knew each other, and I felt like I was 10 years old. But everybody was so welcoming. It was really great. That was a great idea you had, and I only wish I could have done more of them. I was away at school when you did a lot of my favorite artists.
What do you think you got out of your time at Berklee? Would you recommend it to other young artists?
I'm still processing my Berklee experience. It was great because I was surrounded by fellow musicians. It was also horrible because I was surrounded by fellow musicians, and all their insecurities. I met some great people, and I worked hard, and I got great grades, but I think that I wasn't willing to do what it takes to fit in. Like, you know that little "break" in my voice? I had singing teachers there who were trying to cure me of that. So, I'm thinking Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton are allowed to do that, but I'm not? And you know I like to sing Cranberries songs. One teacher was trying to make me stop doing that yodeling thing. Since Berklee is really big for jazz, pop, and Latin, I felt a little insecure. I think that it's a great school for people who fit in those genres, and especially instrumentalists. If you work hard there, you can get a lot out of it. But I felt that I was losing my individuality, and I really didn't want all of my rough edges smoothed out.
Speaking of Berklee, do you have plans to return or are you in a "wait and see how things turn out mode"?
Definitely wait and see. Berklee is great about letting you come back after you've gained some experience. They have a total open door policy, and some students return years later. I don't think I'd go that far, but I'm learning so much here that I want to continue that.
You've been getting some airplay on 90.5, when can we expect a full release by you? Will it be a full-length record or EP?
Thank you, Jeff Raspe! I have recorded an EP with producer and bassist Jack Daley. He has worked with Lenny Kravitz, Joss Stone, Beyonce and Rob Thomas, just to name a few. Jack brought in some of his incredible friends to record on it. Nir Z (John Mayer,Genesis) played drums. Local guitar god Marc Muller (Shania Twain) played the guitar and Raymond Angry (The Roots) played piano and organ. So, I was in good hands! They are tunes that I've played out all the time, but they are definitely transformed here. I am planning on releasing the EP early this year.
What do you miss of Boston?
I miss my coworkers at the Berklee admissions office. We were a strange little family, and how many jobs have a foosball table in the office? I miss my roommate, Caitlin, and the city itself, which is great. But I am very much a Jersey girl, and the Asbury Park area has been great to me.
Finally, what do you hope to accomplish in 2011?
I'm thinking that I might actually be able do this music thing, so I'm just going to go all out with it.
Join us for McCarter at the Museum - renowned performing artists in one-night only events at the Princeton University Art Museum.
Jason Robert Brown is a four-time Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist of The Last Five Years, Parade, Songs for a New World, 13, The Bridges of Madison County, Honeymoon In Vegas and The Connector, has performed as a soloist or with his band in venues around the world, including sold-out shows at the London Palladium and Carnegie Hall. His albums as a singer-songwriter include Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes and How We React and How We Recover on Ghostlight, and Coming From Inside the House and Live In Concert with Stephen Sondheim on Concord.
With Special Guest Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe. Tony Award-nominated actress Betsy Wolfe is currently starring as Audrey in the acclaimed Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, following her recent Broadway run as Madeline Ashton in the hit musical Death Becomes Her. She previously originated the title role in Joy, the new musical inspired by inventor Joy Mangano, and earned a 2023 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her celebrated performance as Anne Hathaway in & Juliet. Other Broadway credits include starring as Jenna in Waitress, Cordelia in the acclaimed revival of Falsettos, Bullets Over Broadway, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Everyday Rapture, and 110 in the Shade, as well as her critically acclaimed performance as Cathy in the Off-Broadway revival of The Last Five Years. Wolfe made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Die Fledermaus and has appeared as a guest artist with more than 65 symphony, pops, and philharmonic orchestras worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra, with performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Her screen credits include First One In, Estella Scrooge, CBS’s Instinct, and the film adaptation of The Last Five Years. Wolfe is also the co-founder of BroadwayEvolved, the acclaimed musical theatre training program she launched in 2018 to train and mentor the next generation of theatre artists.
A limited number of early access tickets for McCarter Director’s Circle members and members of the Museum’s Partner Circle are available, on sale Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM. General public on sale begins Friday, September 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM.
Please be aware there is no public drop-off or parking at the Museum. For visitors with mobility needs, please contact the Museum at least three business days in advance of your visit to request special access to the Museum via Elm Drive. Call 609-258-3788 and select option 1 to speak to a visitor services staff member, or email Louise Barrett at [email protected].
