Broadway divas lend their voices for the VOICELESS CD, released July 15, 2013, as an anthem song for the welfare of suffering animals. "Voiceless" anthem song was written for animal protection by animal loving advocates Ann Crumb, Judy McLane and Olga Merediz.
"Voiceless" features lyrics by award winner (Stage KINDLY-London; VSARTS-Kennedy Center) June Rachelson-Ospa. Member of The League of Professional Theater Women, National Association for Professional Women, Dramatist Guild, and ASCAP. With music by composer and director Daniel Neiden (writer of ALL WASHED UP, THEY SAY for Grammy Legend, Dr. John); and a new musical version of The Tempest (www.thetempestmusical.com).
Ann Crumb www.anncrumb.com has performed classical and jazz concerts throughout the USA and Europe, having recently appeared in Austria at the Salzburg Festival, in Holland at the Nederlandse Programma Stichting, in Germany with the Bochumer Symphoniker and in Italy with the Lirico Sinfonica Petruzelli e Teatri di Bari. An internationally known actress and singer Ms. Crumb has created numerous leading roles on Broadway and London's West End. She starred in Aspects of Love, The Goodbye Girl, Nine, Les Miserables, Chess, and
Anna Karenina, for which she received a Best Actress Tony nomination, the recipient of a Barrymore Award, a current Barrymore nominee, a Broadway National Theater Award nomination for Best Actress, and an Arts Recognition Award.Her extensive list of credits includes classics to post-modernist theater, Shakespeare to Shepard. Ann has appeared on numerous television shows including Law and Order, One Life to Live and Criminal Intent. Her first jazz recording "A Broadway Diva Swings" with
Harry Allen and his All Star Jazz Band was on the national charts, and her recording of her father's "Three Early Songs" was on the Grammy Award winning "George Crumb's 70th Birthday Album." At Ann's urging, her Father George Crumb wrote the first of his American Songbook series, "Unto the Hills", dedicating it to Ann and Orchestra 2001. Subsequently, the third Songbook, "The River of Life", was also dedicated to Ann. Both cycles were recorded by Ann for Bridge Records' "Complete Crumb Edition" which received a 2003 Grammy Award. Critic David Hurwitz writing that "these song cycles are masterpieces, plain and simple, and you must hear them.
Ann Crumb has a beautiful voice that's just perfect for this music." An avid animal advocate, Ms. Crumb is intensely committed to the cause of animal rescue and adoption. In December, 2009, she co-coordinated a "doglift" of over 50 dogs, all slated for euthanasia at shelters in the Midwest, to no-kill rescues in the Northeast where homes could be found for them. She is currently completing her first novel tentatively titled "Eben, Chronicles of a City Dog".
Judy McLane www.judymclane.com is currently starring on Broadway, playing the role of Donna, in the hit musical, Mamma Mia! after 7 1/2 years as Tanya. She received critical acclaim for her performance as Vienna in Johnny Guitar Off-Broadway (Drama Desk Nomination and a Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance in the Theater) and recently starred as Donna in the feature film Were the World Mine. Ms. McLane has appeared on Broadway in Kiss of the Spider Woman, Aspects of Love and Chess. Her national and international tours include the Baker's Wife in Into the Woods, the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with
Donny Osmond, Mrs. Baskin in Big and Side By Side By Sondheim, Diana in Next to Normal, Phyllis in Follies (
Helen Hayes nomination), Eva Peron in Evita,Victor/Victoria, Aldonza in Man of La Mancha, Luisa in Nine, Nancy in Oliver!, Florence in Chess, Lily in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (
Paper Mill Playhouse), Milly in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (St. Louis Muny), Mrs. Walker in Tommy, Rebecca in Rags (American Musical Theater of San Jose), Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar (Sacramento Music Circus),1940's Radio Hour (Repertory Theater of St. Louis) and Wildhorn's Jekyll & Hyde (Casa Manana). Ms. McLane has performed as soloist with symphony orchestras including the Bolshoi Orchestra in Moscow, the National Orchestra of Lyon, France, National Symphony of Canada, National Symphony Orchestra, Naples, Chuatauqua Symphony Orchestras and Chess in Concert at
Carnegie Hall. Television include Guiding Light and Another World. Can be heard on the recordings of Johnny Guitar and Sundance the Musical. An avid supporter of animal rights, Judy sings to raise money for the Cheetah Conservation Fund, and she is spokesperson for
Sean Casey Animal Rescue. She is Mom to her three cats, Smudge, Bruno and Petunia.
Olga Merediz www.olgamerediz.com Broadway, TV, and film actress is probably best known for originating the role of Claudia in the Broadway musical In the Heights where she received a Tony Award nomination. She played the role for the show's entire Broadway run. In addition to In the Heights, Broadway credits include Reckless alongside
Mary-Louise Parker, Man of La Mancha, and LES MISERABLES. She also appeared as Rosie in Mamma Mia! Merediz has appeared off-Broadway in Women Without Men, The Human Comedy, and
The Public Theater's NYSF The Taming of the Shrew in Central Park. Merediz won a 2007 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance for her role in the off-Broadway run of In the Heights, as well as a 2007 HOLA Award from the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors for Outstanding Performance by a Featured Female Actor. At the 2008 Tony Awards, she received a nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for the Broadway incarnation of In the Heights. Ms. Meredez film works include The Place Beyond The Pines with
Ryan Gosling,The Angriest Man In Brooklyn alongside
Robin Williams and
Mila Kunism, in Mr. Popper's Penguins with
Jim Carrey,
Robert Pattinson in Remember Me,
Kevin Spacey in K-Pax,
John Leguizamo in Fugly,
Meryl Streep in Music of the Heart, Madonna in Evita, and
Samuel L. Jackson in Changing Lanes. Her TV show credits include Royal Pains, Blue Bloods, Law & Order SVU, The Jury (recurring), Hope & Faith (recurring), Pan Am, Law & Order (recurring). Merediz also appeared on the pilot episode of the FOX TV series Past Life, as well as an episode of Throwdown with
Bobby Flay as a judge. A dedicated animal advocate, Meredez can be found at the forefront performing for major celebrity animal lovers fundraisers and her signature on petitions for the protection of our voiceless wonders.
The musical tracks for "Voiceless" have been produced by
Charles Czarnecki &
Daniel Neiden, recorded at M&I Studios
www.mirecordingstudios.com, engineered by Three Time Emmy Award winners Mitch & Ira Yuspeh, mixed & mastered by Nick Messitte.
Joining this fine team of musical creatives are an array of prestigious Musicians:
Charles Czarnecki (arr, orch, piano- JERSEY BOYS)
John Miller (bass-
Patti LuPone,
Mandy Patinkin)
Jared Schonig (drums- PIPPIN)
Larry Saltzman (guitars- PIPPIN,
Paul Simon, SNL).
Proceeds from the "Voiceless" CD will be donated to
Charles Henderson Animal Rescue
www.charleshendersonanimalrescue.org and The Rescue Express
therescueexpress.org.
For more information, visit
www.broadwayvoiceless.com. Our goal: to offer the "Voiceless" song as an educational anthem for all animal organizations, children's educators and to the general public to help raise awareness and funds to benefit and rescue needy animals.
