WomenSing is very excited to present two outstanding vocalists at our upcoming Gala. We recently caught up with Karen Anderson and Jessica Deardorff Elder to learn more about them.

WomenSing: Where were you born and raised?
Karen Anderson: I was born in Salt Lake City Utah in the cold of winter in December.
Jessica Deardorff Elder: I was born and raised in Castro Valley! My husband, three children and I relocated to Phoenix four years ago. We miss the Bay Area dearly.

WS: What is your first musical memory?
KA: My first memory of music is sitting by my mother at the piano singing church hymns with my Dad and three brothers and four sisters. Not sure why I carved my name in capitol letters into that nice piano. Woops. Grew up listening to country-western music and Lawrence Welk. Didn’t even know that opera existed.
JDE: My parents are both professional musicians, so I can’t remember a time when I was not surrounded by music! There were always piano lessons going on in the next room, or a guitar serenading me during dinner. My parents will tell you that I was singing even before I was talking.

WS: What do you enjoy most about performing…and what scares you the most? Halloween is coming, after all.
KA: The true enjoyment of performing is the shared energy and the healing that goes both directions. So powerful.
The scariest part is that my nightmare will come true. I am going onto the stage to perform an opera. I hear the orchestra and have never heard this music in my life and then the evil conductor cues me. Oh wow!!!!
JDE: I enjoy sharing music. Whether it is with an audience, my students or a church congregation, I think music draws people closer together in an unforgettable way. The scariest part of performing is the moment right before I begin to sing! There is always a flash of doubt just before I sing the first word. It’s amazing how quickly that fear gives way to enjoyment.

WS: What do you love besides music?
KA: I love my dear sweet husband who is the most courageous person I know. My two beautiful daughters who have blessed and filled my life. I love to teach singing. Nothing better than to watch a student perform their own solo show with true artistic ablility and vocal purity. So great.
JDE: I love my beautiful family. My husband Joshua, son Ian, and daughters Emma Jean and Alice are truly the light of my life! I also love my work as a Certified Health Coach. Assisting others to create the healthy lives they desire and deserve is an incredible honor, and it also keeps me true to my own health journey.