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Joy Yandell (San Diego, CA): She is a homegrown California Girl born and raised in San Diego. She sang before she talked and danced before she walked. Growing up in the theater from age five when she did her first play with the late John Caradine, she has worked with great artists including Academy Award winner Linda Hunt, two-time Tony Award-winning director and writer Des McAnuff, Christopher Hampton, Don Black, Frank Wildhorn, Tom Hewitt, and Michael Greif. She left San Diego in 1996 to get a second degree in theater from Eastern Oregon University. She was brought back to San Diego by the La Jolla Playhouse to teach musical theater during their 1997 hit season that included the West Coast Premiers of RENT and Barry Manilow's musical HARMONY. During the Playhouse's 2001 season, she took to the stage at a moments notice while understudying the female ensemble in DRACULA, THE MUSICAL. Nominated for an Irene Ryan award as well as an Aubrey, Southern California audiences will remember her as Antonia/Fermina in MAN OF LA MANCHA and the Teacher in select performances of DEFYING GRAVITY at North Coast Repertory Theatre. West Coast credits include: DANCING AT LUGHNASA (Christina), CRAZY FOR YOU (Polly Baker), THE MIRACLE WORKER (Annie Sullivan), BRILLIANT TRACES (Rosannah Deluce), BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS (Nora) and in the world premiere of THE SERVANT'S RING (Mandy). Currently living in San Diego, she is a Teaching Artist for the La Jolla Playhouse and the San Diego City Schools. Recent productions include 300+ performances in BEEHIVE at the Theatre In Old Town, and I LOVE YOU, YOU’RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE for Starlight Musical Theatre. http://joy.tl3.com/
Andy Z (Redwood City, CA): He delights kids and kids-at-heart with his musical adventures. But, Andreas Zamenes didn't set out to be a children's music artist. A singer-songwriter from the San Francisco Bay Area, he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music from San Francisco State University. Along the way, he played in various bands including CD releases with his own Tinman™ and a solo project. And, to supplement his income, he worked in the computer industry while performing and recording as much as possible. When a Silicon Valley downturn forced him out of the tech industry, he saw it as a sign to devote his time to his passion for music and performance. It was during this time that he was approached by a fan at a coffee house to fill in for an ailing music teacher at a San Francisco preschool. It would be easy – just sing and play for the kids. On that day, the children, parents, and teachers were captivated by his easy-going, fun, and infectious musical style – and he loved it! He was able to, at last, combine his passion for music with his love of storytelling, character voices, and performance. And, so, "Andy Z" was born. http://www.andyz.com/index.htm
Robin Zackery (United States): She is the co-writer of "Little Town Christmas" in My Christmas Fun Book Level Two.
Betsy M. Zavell (So. Orleans, MA): She began composing in 1983. Her compositions range from gospel, R&B, and patriotic songs to special occasion songs, instrumentals, and holiday pieces. Her song “Christmas Magic” was published, recorded, and released in 1990 by Oak Street Music. Between 1999-2001, she scored two musicals by play write/lyricist Libby Hughes as well as twelve of the nineteen songs for her third musical. Her songs “U. S. of A.” and “It's Party Time” appear in The Music Box and Other Delights.
Gerald Zipper (New York, NY): Author of the play A Little Madness, produced at the Provincetown Playhouse in New York, he produced two seasons of Shakespeare at New York's Cherry Lane Theatre and Eugene O'Neill's Desire Under the Elms at the Barbizon Theatre. Rivercross Publishing published a collection of his poetry, Wounded Hopes. He served as Admin. Sgt. Major in an infantry division during the Korean War, later becoming active in social and political issues. He was appointed by New York's governor as Deputy Commissioner of a New York State Agency and then as “Consultant on the Arts” to the New York State Senate. His poetry appears in over 200 poetry, literary, and university publications throughout the U.S. and Canada. He has managed a successful career in business, is married and lives in Manhattan. Several of the publications that have published his poetry over the 1997-01 period include: The Pegasus Review, VA; The Pointed Circle, Portland Community College, WA; The Poet's Pen, GA; Skylark, Purdue Univ.; AURA, Univ. of Alabama; ICON, Kent State Univ., OH; The Amherst Review, Amherst College, MA; Piedmont Literary Review, VA; OYEZ Review, Roosevelt Univ., IL; NEBO Literary Journal, Arkansas Tech Univ.; Maryland Review, Univ. of Maryland E.S.; Bay Area Poet's Coalition, CA; Ellipsis, Westminster College; Sounds of Poetry, MI; Parnassus Literary Journal, GA; Apropos, PA.
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