You’ve built a career that spans rock, cabaret, classical collaborations, and more. How do you usually describe what you do to someone hearing you for the first time?
I’m a werewolf. Mild-mannered and sweet, and accessible most of the time, with the occasional mad, wild turn. With Pink Martini I am mostly behaved.
You first joined Pink Martini in 2011 and have been performing with the band ever since. What keeps that collaboration exciting for you heading into 2026?
I love the band, individually and collectively. It speaks to something steadfast and sweet in our culture that this partly gay, completely multicultural collection of musicians can still fill stadiums with now three generations of joyous fans, dancing and singing together, low these 30-plus years later.
Pink Martini concerts are known for their wide-ranging styles and global sound. What do you enjoy most about stepping into that world as a vocalist?
I love the challenge of singing in 18-19 languages, it makes me feel like a stud. I also love that I am only one of around 15 soloists on stage. Yes, the singers get a lot of attention, but everyone on that stage is a superstar and can each hold the spotlight, no problem, with talent alone.
You’ve performed everywhere from clubs to concert halls to symphony stages. What feels different, or especially powerful, about singing with a full orchestra?
Orchestras are next-level for me. It feels like tongue surfing across a sparkling moonbeam. Most of my pleasure of performing comes from the audience, but orchestras lift me up and move me in ways I can’t get at. The audience in the front holding me up, symphony in the rear, it’s like Spanx, only with energy.
This performance brings Pink Martini, the Tucson Symphony, and a live audience together in one space. What can audiences expect from this concert?
Anyone reading this who doesn’t really go to the symphony often, or you think it’s stuffy and or boring, you should definitely come. We have dance contests, conga lines, I usually hop off stage and charge into the crowd to dance with people. It’s still classy, but it’s feels a little naughty to party so hard in such fancy surroundings.
You’re known for performances that are both musically rich and deeply personal. How do you connect with an audience in a large concert hall?
Every song is someone’s story. Either personally, or, in the case of Pink Martini, they just have attached meaning to the songs; “This was our wedding song,” “This was my mom’s favorite song…” and there will be about a thousand different emotional moments for people, just within the music. If I’m doing my job and staying with each piece, honestly…those emotions are reflected for the audience. It’s physically easier to get to people in a smaller arena, but the symphony is a magic carpet that gets my voice into faces hiding all the way up in the back nosebleeds.
You’ve had an incredibly varied and unconventional path as an artist. What has staying true to yourself meant throughout your career?
I’m bad at lying so if something feels fake or just easy money for some bullshit, I don’t do it. I actually can’t.
At the end of the night, how do you hope audiences feel after experiencing a Pink Martini concert with you on stage?
They should feel lit up, seen and less alone in these dark, messy times.