Notes from the singers

my name is jane bennett and i'm a sophomore at marist. i've been taking voice lessons with erin for three years. i'm in theatre and the honors audition group, marist singers, at my school. i am a very proud alto and low notes are the absolute best. i'm quite possibly the best shower singer you've ever heard and my go-to karaoke song is 'look at me, i'm sandra dee' from grease.

Hi! My name is Aspen, I’m 17, and I’m a senior at Fusion Academy! I’ve been studying with Erin since November of 2023. Once I graduate, I’ll be attending Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania to major in Theatre and Music. I’m a classical pianist and enjoy dabbling in guitar and really any instrument I come across. I’m an actor as well, my most recent plays being Clue as the role of Wadsworth at Woodstock Arts, and Putnam County Spelling Bee as the role of Rona at Atlanta International School. Thank you to my parents, sister, grandparents, and everyone I’ve worked with over the years for inspiring me to create and perform!

Hi, my name is Adaline Bryant! I am 14 years old, and I’m in the 8th grade at David T. Howard. I have been studying with Erin for a little over a year. Some vocal activities I have done are All-State chorus, Honors Chorus, Junior Honors Choir at Carnegie Hall, NATS, and more. I really want to thank my parents for supporting my musical journey, and I want to thank Erin for being such an amazing teacher!

Hi everyone, my name is Abby Cutler and I’m 17 years old. I’m a senior at Holy

Innocents Episcopal School, and will attend the University of Alabama next year, Roll Tide! I have had the honor of studying with Erin since sophomore year, but this is my first, and sadly last, recital. I’m in my school's National Honors Society, Science National Honors Society, International Thespian Society, the HI Cum Laude Society, and I’ve

even been the president of our National Art Honors Society for two years! I have

participated in 18 productions at HIES, but I have been on stage as long as I can remember. I chose to sing Poor Unfortunate Souls since Ursula was my final role on the HIES stage, and was a huge comeback for me after a surgery that took me out of the musical my junior year. Ursula has also been a dream role of mine, so getting to play her this year was amazing.  For me,  this song also represents a lot of strength, as it was a huge uphill battle to perform in a musical following my diagnosis with type 1 diabetes. Playing Ursela was exactly what I needed to feel like I could still do what I loved, despite my new reality. Say The Word also hits close to home, as for me it feels like my final goodbye to everyone before I leave for college next year. It's the final song I'll sing on the HIES stage, and the final song I'll sing at recital.   

I want to thank my family for supporting me through my artistic and academic career thus far. My mom and dad have always been my biggest cheerleaders, and I couldn’t have done any of this without them. I would also like to thank Erin for taking this shy sophomore girl who was

insecure of her vocal capabilities and turning her into the confident singer she always hoped she could be.

My name is Kathleen Dassaboute. I am newly 18 years old and I go to Lakeside High School. I have only been officially studying with Erin since January of this year. I plan to go to Savannah college or art and design to major in theater and illustration. I rediscovered my passion for theater in this school year. I played Lilith in She Kills Monsters, for  which I won best performer at regional competition and all star cast at state competition. I also participated in a monologue competition for the thespian convention and scored a superior rating (19/20). My school's spring musical was Mean Girls, in which  I played Mrs. Norbury as well as being the art director for the production. My most recent production was Sponge Bob the Musical for my theater class, in which I was student director. It was for a grade but I still had fun. I want to thank my director Mrs. Hayes, who gave me a chance and let me see what I’m really good at. I also want to thank my parents, who put up with late nights, fees, and me being an overall grouch during tech weeks. I also definitely want to thank Erin who put a lot of confidence in my voice. 

Hello lovely people. I'm Natalie Graves. I am a senior at Lakeside High School. I have been taking lessons with Erin for 4 years. I will be attending Indiana's Jacobs School of Music to study vocal performance next year. I love all music, but classical, musical theater and 80’s are my favorites. My most recent roles are Jane Doe from Ride the Cyclone and Regina George from Mean Girls. I have also been in Once Upon A Mattress as Lady Larkin, Romancers as Florinetta, Legally Blonde as the Stores Clerk, The Little Mermaid as a Mersister and Maid, and finally Old Man and the Old Moon as ensemble. I sang as the lead singer of a rock band for 2 years and am now doing recording work with a different group. I placed first in the Classical Division at SERNATS this year and made it to the Semi-Finals in Musical Theatre this year. 

I have been a section leader for LHS chorus for 4 years and am the assistant director as well this year. I am the drama club president at Lakeside and won best performer at the Georgia theater conference for my role as Jane Doe this year!

I guess you could say music is kinda my gig, so I have to leave you with a music theory joke: what musical keys do cows sing in? 

Beef flat. 

On a more serious note I want to give a big thanks to Erin, my parents, my sister, and my friends for giving me endless opportunities and support, you all truly make me feel special and like I can be myself. 

Hi, I'm Eleanor! I have been studying voice, dance, acting, and musical theater for many years. I have been training with Erin for 3 years, and have been a finalist at NATS for the past 3 years. I am doing advanced acting at Catapult Acting Studio, and I’m represented by People Store. I am so grateful to Erin for her amazing teaching and being a part of this beautiful singing community, as well as to my family for supporting me in all my artistic endeavors. Love y’all! 

Hello, I'm Hannah,  a 15 year old freshman at Blessed Trinity and I have been studying with Erin for a few months. Outside of voice I  like to participate in musical theater, where I  am currently playing the role of Elle Woods in Legally Blonde. Other than theater I  like to play the instruments violin, guitar, and ukulele in the music honor society at my school. I would like to thank my parents and Erin for supporting her so much! 

Hi, I'm Camila Hernandez! I'm 17 , and a junior at Westminster. I have been working with Erin since I was 12 years old, and have  been in 4 recitals. I  won second place in SERNATS in 2023 and fourth in 2024. I played  the Witch in Into the Woods in the fall, and Ethel McCormack in Footloose this spring.  I loves reading, goodreads, and pinterest. I also love Frank Ocean, Fiona Apple, Fleetwood Mac, and Radiohead. I have two pets, a dog (Paco) and a cat (Shaki). I will be one of the leads for my school's women’s acapella group this coming school year, and co-editor in chief of the literary magazine. I also love to cook--my most recent craze has been cooking salmon. 

Hi! I'm Sam, a 13 years old eighth grader at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School. I have been studying voice with Erin for just under a year, and I love every minute of it! I’ve been cast in three musicals at school, as well as singing a solo in a play at school. I’ve have played cello in the student orchestra for 6 years, and I play piano at home. I competed at NATS last year and won 1st place for my category. I want to thank Erin, for constantly helping me improve and challenge myself. Also a special thanks to my parents, who give me everything I need to succeed and have fun!

Hi y’all! My name is Meera Laskar. I am 18 and go to The Westminster Schools. I just started taking lessons with Erin in the fall of 2023, and I have loved every minute of it! Next year I plan to attend the University of Texas at Austin. 

Most recently, at Westminster, I have been in Footloose (as Urleen), Into The Woods (as Baker's Wife), Clue: The Musical (as Mrs. Scarlett), and Les Miserables (as Eponine). As you can tell, I LOVE theater. I also love making music whenever I come up with a good idea! 

I want to thank my parents for supporting this wacky dream of mine, my friends for always hyping me up, and my little sisters for being my rocks. Also, thank you to Erin for absolutely helping me grow into and elevate my voice. This experience has truly taught me so much. Thanks guys!!

My name is Audrey Lyons. I’m 15 and I’m a sophomore at Midtown High School. This is my second year studying voice with Erin, and I also play guitar and piano. I’m in mastery chorus, have done all-state for three years, and have been in six theater productions since I started high school. Outside of music, I love baking, traveling, reading, and journalism. I love how singing requires your full focus and pulls you out of everything going on in your life. It’s so fun and I plan to keep singing for the rest of my life.

Hi! I'm Sophia Meszaros, an 8th grader at Holy Innocents Episcopal School who has been studying with Erin for one year. I have been to both NATS and placed first in SERNATS this past spring and hope to be involved in Nationals. I have also been involved in many shows and plays and hope to be involved in many more. I would like to thank my parents for supporting me in my musical journey, Erin for always understanding my wants and needs, and my best friend Samantha who I  could have never made it here without.

Hi, my name is Kayley! I am 16 years old, and I am a junior at Paideia High School. I have always had a deep-seated love for the arts, and I do almost all of them! I paint, draw, dance, sculpt, and so much more, but singing has always been my favorite. I have been a performer since I was a child and I plan to do it for the rest of my life. To further that journey, I have been studying voice with Erin for around four months. I just want to thank my mom and dad for supporting me through the very difficult journey of learning my voice. It has been one of the most vulnerable and scary things I have ever done, but it is also the most amazing thing I have done, thanks to my parents. 

Ella Jane Ward, age 16, is a junior at Oak Meadow. Ella has been studying voice with Erin for almost 3 years and is an aspiring singer and songwriter. Ella plays guitar and bass, performs vocals, and has additional dance and musical theatre training. Alongside music, Ella enjoys painting, astrology, and anything fashion-related. Ella is a music aficionado and is influenced by singers Stevie Nicks, Beabadoobee, Jeff Buckley, and Amy Winehouse, and bands like Fleetwood Mac, No Doubt, The Cure, Paramore, Blondie, and more. Her diverse musical tastes directly result from her amazing Mom, Dad, and sister, Avery, who all love and support her always.

Hi! I'm Carolina Wood.  I'm  18 years old and  preparing to graduate from Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School. I have been studying voice with Erin for 15 months, and am so thankful to Erin for helping her to come so far in my vocal ability. My most recent theatrical credits include HIES Theatre’s Eurydice (Eurydice), Steel Magnolias (Clairee), Pippin (Manson Trio/Dance Captain), and The Little Mermaid (Flotsam/Dance Captain). I look forward to attending Belmont University in the fall for my BFA in Theatre Performance. I would like to thank Erin for being so supportive and instrumental in my vocal training, as well as the HIES Theatre faculty for fostering my love of performing and for being such wonderful mentors. Additionally, I am so grateful to my family and friends for coming to watch me sing and for their constant support and love.

Hi! My name is Ellie Ziglar, I’m a sophomore at Whitefield Academy, and I’ve been singing since I can remember. My parents say they still have vivid memories of me singing myself to sleep at night at age 5, and while the habit may not have stuck, the passion certainly has! This past year I was a both a semi finalist for lower high school musical theater and the first place winner of lower high school classical music in Georgia NATS! In addition, I was a finalist for the Southeast region NATS classical category. I sing in my school choir, my church festival choir, and my youth choir. When I’m not singing, I enjoy doing the musicals, cheering (don’t worry I’ll save my voice), and working at Talbots. I’ve been taking lessons with Erin for 3 years, and I’m so grateful for all the growth I’ve seen in my voice.