Holiday Family Sing-Along December 13, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Evelina Laserna
November 3, 2011 [email protected]
(760) 666-1810

FanFaire Foundation and the Escondido Public Library Celebrate the Holidays with a Free Family Sing-Along December 13

FanFaire Foundation partners once again with the Escondido Public Library in celebrating the 2011 holiday season with a Free Family Sing-Along co-sponsored by the Friends of the Escondido Public Library. Open to the public, the community event takes place at 6:30 p.m. in the Library’s Turrentine Room and features soprano Nicole Thordsen, piano accompanist Sheldon Rosenbaum, and harpist Alexandra Tibbitts.

There will be a special pre-event performance at 6:00 pm for those who wish to come early, showcasing the talented kids of FanFaire Foundation’s “Kids Playing for Kids” program, among them 13-year old prize-winning pianist Adrian Liu.

In keeping with the Library’s tradition, the hour-long program opens with a theatrical reading of the much-loved poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas” by Clement Clarke Moore (1779 – 1863) introduced by celestial strains from Ms. Tibbitts’ harp, setting the mood for the sing-along of popular holiday carols which will be led by Ms. Thordsen. Interspersed with the singing will be solo numbers on the harp by Ms. Tibbitts.

The stage is set for a festive holiday evening that family members of ALL AGES will surely remember.

Artist Profiles:
Los Angeles-based soprano Nicole Thordsen holds a B.A. in Theatre from Chapman University in Orange, and has been a long-time student of the piano, cello and voice. She has been seen in numerous musicals around Southern California including Guys & Dolls, Pippin, South Pacific, She Loves Me, Cinderella and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way

to the Forum. She has also performed in Red Ball at the New Play Development Workshop in New York and as a soloist for various non-profit organizations.
Currently an accompanist for the choirs at the Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Encinitas, Sheldon Rosenbaum performs solo concerts and accompanies singers and instrumentalists throughout San Diego. He has played on the Gluck Chamber Music Series at Scripps Green Hospital, the Osher Institute Concert Series at the University of California, San Diego, the Sunday Concert Series at the Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church, and the Carmel Valley and Encinitas libraries. Before moving to San Diego, he performed numerous solo and group concerts in the Chicago area for more than 20 years. His programs include classical, jazz, popular, and Jewish music. Sheldon has a Masters degree in Music from Northwestern University where he received a fellowship as accompanist in the opera department. He was a faculty member of the Hartt College of Music of the University of Hartford where he earned his Bachelor’s degree.
Alexandra (Alex) Tibbitts’ musical journey began in Davis, California, where she was exposed to musical theatre at age four and quickly learned to sing the songs she loved from that genre. By the age of six she started playing the piano and became increasingly involved in performing. Though she still enjoys singing and playing the piano, the harp has been her main instrument since she first started playing it at age twelve. Alex serves as the Principal Harpist for the Wind Symphony, Symphonic Band, and Symphony Orchestra of San Diego State University (SDSU) from which she will receive her Bachelors of Music degree with an emphasis in Harp Performance at San Diego State University in 2013. She has spent the last three summers studying with mentors across North America from California to Washington, Utah, Georgia, New York, and Vancouver B.C. She is thrilled to be able to share her passion for music with audiences of all ages on her harp, Francis (named after a certain Francis Albert Sinatra). Alex is continually excited by the new places her passions take her, whether it be classical music, jazz, composition and arrangement, or solo and symphony work. Her experience as a performer has recently inspired her to explore composing classical as well as experimental works and has collaborated with a broad spectrum of musicians in a variety of genres.