You've performed with some pretty big names -- Barry Manilow, Bobby McFerrin and Carmen MacRae, to name a few. What have you learned from these distinguished entertainers?

Showmanship and professionalism from Barry Manilow. A true love of the voice as a musical instrument from Bobby McFerrin. I have a very deep respect for Carmen McRae's impeccable phrasing and lyric interpretations.

Tell us about the show at Don't Tell Mama...

I am very excited to be making my NYC cabaret debut at Don't Tell Mama. When I lived here from 1988 to 1994, Don't Tell Mama was a safe haven for me. The show's goal is for me to introduce myself to cabaret lovers of this city. It has a variety of music, from Broadway anthems not generally associated with a male singer, such as "Gimme Gimme" from THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, to the Rodgers and Hart standard "I Wish I Were in Love Again". Really new for me has been the addition of some fun novelty numbers such as the Marshall Barer song, "Billions of Beautiful Boys". The partnership I've had with my musical director, Christopher Marlowe, in creating this show has been a dream of mine, and very rewarding. Those people who know his work will recognize his ability to create beautiful, unusual arrangements, and as a musician to provide amazing support to a singer.

Will any of these numbers be included on your upcoming CD?

Four of the numbers from the show will be included on the upcoming CD, including "On My Way to You", "Love Changes Everything", and "Soon It's Gonna Rain". We will have a new show focused on more of the album material at The Metropolitan Room October 22, 29, and 30.

What inspired you to go into cabaret?

Six years ago, when I was living in San Francisco, I met a vocal coach named Richard Nickol. I had stopped singing for a number of years to pursue my business career and was really out of shape vocally. Richard helped me re-build my voice and confidence. He is an amazing performer and vocal technician and the focus of his academy is on musical theater and cabaret. He provided me with many opportunities to sing cabaret in San Francisco. I'm also a huge fan of Nancy Lamott's recordings. I never got the opportunity to see her perform but from the moment I heard her recordings I knew this was something I wanted to do.

Were you into this type of music as a child?

I was surrounded with music as a child. My earliest memories of music in our home focused on the voice. My parents have very eclectic tastes in music, to name a few performers: Johnny Mathis, Vicki Carr, Mario Lanza, Enrico Caruso, Engelbert Humperdinck, Petula Clark, Judy Garland, and Karen Carpenter.

When choosing material for your act, do you start with a concept in your head or does the concept occur organically from the material?

As this is a new partnership between Chris and I we spent months exploring new music. Some of the material is from past shows I've done, some of it is from new arrangement ideas that Chris has been exploring. The process happened organically with us gravitating toward music that feels good in my voice, expresses what I want to convey, and we both enjoy performing. Scott Barnes joined us later in the process as my show director to help us edit and shape our ideas into a show.

Have you done any acting or musical theatre?

I've been performing since I was 8, starting with musical theater. I did a lot of theater when in High School and College and then moved into studio singing.

Any final words of advice for aspiring cabaret artists?

I am learning so many new things about cabaret myself. Cabaret is a great way to express yourself very personally to an audience and can be great fun. You have to really want to do this. Watch and Learn from as many people as you can.