Val Vigoda
Birth nameValerie Vigoda
GenresClassical, pop, rock 'n' roll, electric violin
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, electric violinist
Instrument(s)Electric violin
Years active1994–present
Websitewww.valvigoda.com

Valerie "Val" Vigoda is an American electric violinist and singer-songwriter.[1][2] She is best known for writing and starring in musicals including Striking 12 and Ernest Shackleton Loves Me,[3] the latter of which opened Off-Broadway in 2017,[4][5][6] touring internationally with Cyndi Lauper, Joe Jackson, and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra,[7] and for her one-woman concert "Just Getting Good"[8] which has toured nationally.[9]

Early life and influences

Vigoda was admitted to Princeton University at the age of 14, withdrawing after one year to complete her classical violin training. She returned after a few years, graduating with honors and a degree in sociology.[10]

Career

Vigoda founded the musical trio GrooveLily in 1994, originally naming it The Valerie Vigoda Band, along with Brendan Milburn and Gene Lewin.[11] In the 1990s Vigoda toured with Cyndi Lauper, Joe Jackson, and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.[12]

Vigoda has a one-woman show Just Getting Good in which she both sings and plays the six-string electric violin while utilizing live-looping. Her work has received positive feedback, with The New York Times calling it "exhilarating", The Boston Globe describing it as "a thrilling trip", The Washington Post praising Vigoda for "unleashing a diva-worthy torrent of passion", and Palo Alto Weekly crediting her as "truly amazing, an awesome vision of embodied musicality, moving as one with her violin, making it sing and singing along with it in a voice both smoky and angelic."[13]

She is the lyricist and star of the musical Ernest Shackleton Loves Me, which has been produced at ArtsEmerson,[14][15] George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick,[16] and Seattle Repertory.[17] The show went into previews off-Broadway at Second Stage on April 14 and opened May 7.[18] She has also co-written musicals along with longtime collaborator Brendan Milburn, including Beautiful Poison,[19] Sleeping Beauty Wakes,[20][21] Striking 12,[22][23] Long Story Short (musical),[24][25] Midsummer,[26] Toy Story: The Musical,[27] and Wheelhouse.[28] Vigoda has also co-written and contributed the music for tracks in Disney films and television shows including Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue, Pixie Hollow Games, and Secret of the Wings.[29]

In 2023, La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts presented a staged reading of her new musical Miss Foxhole 1975 with a book by Joe DiPietro and music & lyrics by Ryan O’Connell and Val Vigoda. The show is based on a true story about Jill Morgenthaler who joined the first class of women admitted to cadet training in 1975 at Fort Bragg. The narrative tracks how the women faced different trials than the men - including an order to participate in a beauty pageant.[30]

Teaching

Vigoda is an artist mentor with the "Electrify Your Strings" program, a musical education experience created to introduce and encourage young string musicians and choral singers to perform rock 'n' roll.[31] She has taught at Stanford University, Emerson College, and the Berklee College of Music.[32]

Keynote Speaker

Vigoda began presenting keynote concerts at national conferences in 2018,[33] combining her music with personal stories and an inspirational message of resilience through creativity and connection.[34]

Discography

Albums

Title Year Label Other Artist(s)
Inhabit My Heart 1994 QMR Records GrooveLily
Jungle & Sky 1996
Brendan & The Extenuating Circumstances 1998
Little Light 2000
Folk Appetizer 2001
Just The Three Of Us 2002
The Nutshell EP
Are We There Yet? 2003
Striking 12 2005 PS Classics
A Little Midsummer Night's Music 2007
Sleeping Beauty Wakes 2009
Warner-Chappell Demos 2010 2010 Warner/Chappell
Striking 12: Bonus Tracks PS Classics
Sleeping Beauty Wakes: La Jolla Playhouse Bonus Tracks 2011
Wheelhouse 2013 Independent
While You Were Out
Just Getting Good 2016

[35]

Singles

Title Year Label Album
"Summer's Just Begun" (lyrics, music) 2010 Disney Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue (Soundtrack)
"Summer's Just Begun" – reprise (lyrics, music)
"Come Flying With Me" (lyrics)
"Dig Down Deeper" 2011 Pixie Hollow Games (Soundtrack)
"Wild Moon NYC" Independent Single
"We'll Be There" 2012 Disney Secret of the Wings (Soundtrack)
"The Great Divide"
"The Great Divide" – end credits
"Thaw/Irish Lullaby" Independent Single

[36]

Awards and nominations

Along with Brendan Milburn, Vigoda has won the Jonathan Larson Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre, the LA Ovation Award for Best Musical, and the ASCAP Richard Rodgers Award for her work.[37] They were also nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical (Striking 12) in 2006.[38] Vigoda was nominated for an Annie Award in 2012 for Music in a Television Production (Pixie Hollow Games) and in 2013 for Music in an Animated Feature Production (Secret of the Wings).[39]

References

  1. ↑ "Valerie Vigoda Official Website". Valerie Vigoda Official Website. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Valerie Vigoda | Music Videos, News, Photos, Tour Dates | MTV". MTV Artists. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  3. ↑ Sommers, Michael (May 2, 2015). "Review: A Zany Version of the Romance 'Ernest Shackleton Loves Me' in New Brunswick". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Ernest Shackleton Loves Me at Second Stage Theatre Midtown – Tony Kiser Theatre". New York City Theater. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Antarctic Adventure Musical Ernest Shackleton Loves Me Headed Off". Broadway.com. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Home". Ernest Shackleton Loves Me. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Embracing Improvisation: A Conversation with Val Vigoda". Violinist.com. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Just Getting Good (music & film download), by Val Vigoda". Val Vigoda. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Sounds of a Summer Night with Val Vigoda & NJDTE". Upcoming Events in NJ – NJ Local Events Calendar. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Valerie Vigoda: (1967 – ) :: Young Exceptionally Gifted Students". yegs.org. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Groovelily | Music Videos, News, Photos, Tour Dates | MTV". MTV Artists. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Valerie Vigoda". Wood Violins. December 23, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Cadence Arts Network, Inc. – Valerie Vigoda". cadencearts.com. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  14. ↑ "A Season of Strong Women". ArtsEmerson Blog. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  15. ↑ "ArtsEmerson: Media Kit – Ernest Shackleton". Emerson College (ArtsEmerson). Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  16. ↑ Sommers, Michael (May 2, 2015). "Review: A Zany Version of the Romance 'Ernest Shackleton Loves Me' in New Brunswick". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  17. ↑ "'Ernest Shackleton Loves Me': a modern expedition to romance". The Seattle Times. April 22, 2014. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  18. ↑ BWW News Desk. "Prospect Theater to Continue 2016 IGNITE Series with 35MM and STRIKING 12 in Concert". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  19. ↑ "26th Annual Festival of New Musicals | NAMT". NAMT. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Rockers move into live theater". tribunedigital-chicagotribune. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  21. ↑ "McCarter Theatre: Sleeping Beauty Wakes". mccarter.org. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  22. ↑ Isherwood, Charles (November 13, 2006). "Striking 12 – Theater – Review". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  23. ↑ "GrooveLily Musical, Striking 12, Will Play NYC Dec. 26–31; Film Project Planned | Playbill". Playbill. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Theater Listings for March 27 – April 2". The New York Times. March 26, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  25. ↑ Soloski, Alexis (March 12, 2015). "Review: 'Long Story Short,' Till Death Do Us Part". The New York Times. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Valerie Vigoda Official Website". Valerie Vigoda Official Website. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  27. ↑ "Valerie Vigoda Official Website". Valerie Vigoda Official Website. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Valerie Vigoda Official Website". Valerie Vigoda Official Website. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  29. ↑ "Valerie Vigoda Official Website". Valerie Vigoda Official Website. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  30. ↑ GANS, ANDREW (May 3, 2023). "Playbill". Playbill.com.
  31. ↑ Neubaum, Tierra. "Look Around Lubbock: LISD Orchestra". Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  32. ↑ "Val VigodaORCHESTRA/CHOIR " Electrify Your Strings". electrifyyourstrings.com. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  33. ↑ Hostutler, Mark (July 17, 2018). "Peak Aliveness: A Musically Uplifting Keynote on Living a Fearless Life This Evening in West Chester". VISTA.Today. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  34. ↑ "Keynote Presentation by Val Vigoda: Overcoming Fear With Optimism, Resilience, and Courage". Staffing World 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  35. ↑ "GrooveLily". GrooveLily. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  36. ↑ "Valerie Vigoda". IMDb. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  37. ↑ "Valerie Vigoda Official Website". Valerie Vigoda Official Website. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  38. ↑ "Valerie Vigoda – Lortel Archives". lortel.org. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  39. ↑ "Valerie Vigoda". IMDb. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
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