RACQUEL ROBERTS - radio vinilemania web-radio Latin - Jazz

RACQUEL ROBERTS (JAZZ SINGER)

Born in Los Angeles in 1978, Racquel has loved the City of Angels since her beginning. Having grown up in the south bay of LA, surrounded by beach cities and chillaxed people, she has kept her peaceful, loving nature in the forefront of her life. While in the children's choir at Holeman United Methodist Church, singing surpassed Racquel's shyness and she quickly volunteered for a solo - although she had no idea what a "solo" was. She was quick to learn though, and quick to be bitten by the performance bug. When the 5th grade talent show rolled around, she dove into a Debbie Gibson dance number with her friends Megan Kawashiri and Linda Goya.

Following in the footsteps of her shining sister, Racquel volunteered for the 7th grade talent show, this time solo and singing Mariah Carey's "Someday".

High school was a playground of performances for Racquel, who made her way from Drama Club Member to Thespian President. Academic Decathalon was where she earned medals for speech and writing which increased necessary competence skills for entertainment, while Pep Squad's Songleading gave her needed dancing skills to flesh out her resume.

After going through an Expensive ordeal of buying classes and pictures from a company called John Robert Powers, she signed with an agent and quickly landed a job for Disney's Afternoon Cartoons.

Racquel's final performance in high school as Helen Keller (and lots of love from her man and family) gave her the confidence to launch into University life with a Musical Theatre Major at UC San Diego as her goal. While at UCSD Racquel began professional private-vocal training from a wonderful jazz-inspired teacher, Linda Vickerman.

After her second year away from home, and slightly dissatisfied with the undergraduate Musical Theatre Program at UCSD, Racquel spent the summer in Oxford, England studying Shakespeare's work and visiting his home country. She returned to The States in time to catch a short summer photography course at the University of California at Irvine where she would begin her third year. Irvine's well-established undergraduate Musical Theatre program appealed to Racquel - as did the fact that it was one hour closer to home AND her Honey also was attending UCI.

At the end of her first quarter however, auditions for a Broadway show called RENT were taking place. Mostly for fun, she went with her friends from a Broadway Preparation class and landed the job! In a matter of weeks Racquel was off touring with the Benny Company of RENT, visiting cities, performing on large stages, learning the art of makeup, photographing this beautiful country, visiting Canada and Japan with the show, and learning some of the most fundamental pieces of how large-scale theatre is run.

While with RENT, she was an understudy swinging five roles - which gave her the inside scoop of a show's motion from the perspective of five different characters. This blessing allowed Racquel to watch the amazing work of the stage hands and orchestra members, stage managers, and company managers. This is priceless experience that would only make Racquel a more valuable member of any company.

Racquel rode this RENT train for a year and a half, coming home in 2001 to begin the race of auditioning once more. While auditioning in LA, she also helped her man begin his web development company which is now a strong success: Ender Technology Corporation.

Hairspray was the next big job to come her way a few years later and Racquel was off to Broadway! This was an intense quick-learning experience for Racquel was temporarily replacing a girl who had become sick. Within three weeks of work, Racquel had learned three tracks and had been onstage for two of them... Meanwhile, she was also auditoning for the next gig, which happened to be "The Lion King".

The auditioners loved her and there turned out to be an opening in the Hamburg, Germany company of The Lion King. Racquel accepted and began work for them at the end of 2003. Hamburg was an otherworldly experience mostly due to the fact that she was immediately immersed in a new culture with a different language. The chamelion that she is, Racquel immediately began learning the language and speaking with natives in simple conversation.

Racquel was an ensemble singer with The Lion King and she understudied Nala which she had the opportunity to perform quite a number of times due to an illness by the girl with the role.

While with the cast of Der König Der Löwen (The Lion King), Racquel learned well why she would return to LA - the weather. She never complained about the constant grey sky while she was there - for she was a guest in their country and knew that if she disliked it so much she could leave. Eventually, thirteen months after joining the company and meeting another incredibly talented group of people, Racquel was on her way home to be with her family in LA's South Bay.

Since she's been home, Racquel's business ventures have led her to perform the National Anthem at the Staple's Center for the LA Clippers, she won the honor of being within the top 1% of auditioners to be one of Mariah Carey's backup singers.

RACQUEL ROBERTS - THE SECRET OF CHRISTMAS (2007)

Fresh, spontaneous, and epic arrangements of a dozen holiday favorites. You're sure to find something to enjoy, be it a tip of the hat to modern and classic jazz, the dusty back room horns of Motown, anthemic rock, or evocative world music.

RACQUEL ROBERTS - THE SECRET OF CHRISTMAS (2007)