14-Jul-2009 - We've posted our newest tune Do You Remember on our Myspace site. This is a look back to the Woodstock era and also has a nod to the Beatles ;^). Check it out at our Myspace site.

11-Jan-2009 - We've posted our newest tune Sexy Lady on our Myspace site. This is a Beatlesque tune featuring Richard Kneeland on rhythm guitar and vocals, John Witti on bass guitar, James Evans on drums, and Larry "Birdz" on lead guitar. Check it out at our Myspace site.

06-Jul-2008 - Well, it's been a long time in coming but we've finally completed our newest tune called Broken Lies. Like most of our tunes, it defies categorization and is an eclectic mix of influences. Please visit our Myspace site to listen to Broken Lies.

09/09/2007 - Barbara St. Pierre is one of our valued contributors to the Birdz Sessions.  Here's an inspiring interview with Barbara that was recently printed in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette recognizing a milestone in Barbara's singing and acting career.

November 22. 2007 5:17AM

The show goes on

Crash took her voice, but singer perseveres to return to stage


By Richard Duckett TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
The characters in the upcoming Worcester County Light Opera Company production of “Stuck on Christmas” are strangers to each other when they find themselves stuck together at a bus stop in the middle of a snowstorm.

But by the end, chances are they will be like one happy family singing songs together. After all, it is the holidays.

Cast member Barbara St. Pierre of West Boylston has rediscovered a sense of theater family since getting back to the local stage after a 10-year hiatus from performing.

“That’s what’s great about community theater. It’s a family. They don’t simply let you go,” she said.

In “Stuck on Christmas,” which is an original production written by Michael Celularo (who is also the show’s director), St. Pierre plays Lana Doone, the eldest of a three sister lounge act stranded at the bus stop.

The show opens its run Nov. 30 at the WCLOC Clubhouse, 21 Grandview Ave., Worcester.

“It’s a Christmas revue with Christmas carols and songs, but with a little twist,” St. Pierre said. For the past couple of years WCLOC had been presenting “A Christmas Story” as its annual holiday show, but St. Pierre noted that several companies, including Foothills Theatre, are staging the popular comedy this time around.

So time for something different. A large cast will be on the WCLOC stage for “Stuck on Christmas.” “It’s working well and I think it’s going to be well received by the whole audience,” she said.

St. Pierre is perhaps more interested in the broader picture than she used to be. Since rejoining the theater scene, she has become a member of the WCLOC board of directors and has been learning the ropes behind the scene as well as performing out front.

She’s up front but amazingly self-effacing about what had kept her away for 10 years, although at the same time doesn’t want to dwell on it as a central focal point.

Until 1992, she was not only active in community theater, but a familiar face on the local music scene, fronting several bands including Sounds Unlimited, Sapphire and The Milestones.

Indeed the vivacious and outgoing St. Pierre (or the then Barbara Donahue) was probably better known as a band singer than a theater performer, although her theatrical credits included WCLOC, the Westboro Players and the Part Time Players.

“I’ve been singing since I can remember. That’s been my focus.”

Then, as St. Pierre disarmingly put it, she had a “showstopper.”

“It was a dark and stormy night … seriously, it was.”

In 1992 she was in a head-on collision that nearly fractured her larynx. She was in vocal therapy for a year or so, just to recondition her speaking voice. She would not sing again until almost 10 years later.

She tried to come back, but had to drop several attempts.

Of course she missed it.

“I did it vicariously. I went to plays, watched movies, went to shows.” She works for the Protector Group Insurance Agency in Worcester.

Originally from Shrewsbury, St. Pierre’s parents, two sisters and a brother are all arts enthusiasts in different ways.

Also influential was the late Jack Feldheimer, a local theater legend who guided many young people as the music director at Shrewsbury High School. Feldheimer was also the music director of many shows at WCLOC and other theater companies.

In 2002, St. Pierre was attending Feldheimer’s funeral when she saw her old friend and theater colleague Michael Celularo. As they chatted, Celularo asked, “ ‘Are you going to sing again?’ ”

Celularo was going to be directing a WCLOC production of “Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up” and asked St. Pierre to consider auditioning for a role.

St. Pierre noted the irony of this occurring at Feldheimer’s funeral. St. Pierre’s singing voice was back at this point, although she had lacked the confidence and a reason to air it out.

“ ‘OK, I’ll try it,’ ” she told Celularo. She auditioned, and got the part. Feldheimer would have been pleased.

“I was nervous, but it was finally the real person again stepping back into my true love — what I really loved doing. Putting on the old shoes that I loved,” St. Pierre said.

Interestingly, since coming back to theater, “It’s the comedies I thoroughly enjoy. I love to make people laugh, and although my singing voice is not what it used to be, I can still belt out a tune.”

You wouldn’t really know that St. Pierre is shy, but she said she’s happier singing or performing to strangers from a stage than sitting with people in a small room.

Still, she was sitting with her husband, Richard St. Pierre, at a restaurant last summer when she saw another old friend, Bob Wilson, who knew her from her days fronting bands. He put St. Pierre back in touch with Larry "Birdz" and Rick Kneeland of The Birdz Sessions — a group of rock, blues and jazz musicians from former local bands. St. Pierre’s vocals have now been added to the mix.

“It kind of came back full circle,” St. Pierre said of her various families.

Back at WCLOC as a board member, people like Linda Johnson have introduced St. Pierre to running the light and sound boards for a performance, or the pleasures of building a set on a Saturday morning.

And these have become pleasures for St. Pierre. “I had taken that (people working behind the scene) for granted for some time. But that’s almost more gratifying for me than having a part on the stage.”

Would she consider directing?

“I wouldn’t attempt to do it without proper guidance, but I would. I’d love to learn about it.”

The accident and the aftermath of getting back into the arts scene has been an eye-opener in several other respects, St. Pierre said. “It put a lot of things in perspective. There are so many wonderfully interesting, talented people putting themselves out there in the visual and performing arts. So much is available right now, right here in Worcester for everyone and anyone to become involved with at some level. There’s a huge need for support — and awareness. I’m just truly beginning to throw myself into it all now.”

That’s one way of expressing her enthusiasm — and thanks.

Another was, “I was blessed not to be killed, and here I am back. It was a lucky break.”

“Stuck on Christmas” will be a family affair in yet another sense. “For starters” on her husband’s side there will be 13 people in the audience on the first Saturday of the run, she said.

“And 15 or so on my side,” she said. “Between them, we’ll have quite a good turnout.”

09/09/2007 - We've finished our latest song called Hypnotic Eyes, a brooding progressive rock tune.  In keeping with the Birdz Sessions tradition, this tune is totally different than anything we've done before. Credit goes to John "Woody" Witti, a core BzS contributor for writing this one.  Special thanks to John Soloperto for tackling the vocals on this one! Visit  Myspace page to listen to Hypnotic Eyes.  Let us know what you think! If you're not already one of our MySpace friends, we'd like to be your friend so send us a request.

06/01/2007 - We've finished our newest song called Paradise, a mellow grooving tune.  We'd like to thank all who contributed with a special thanks to Eric "Snake" Gulliksen from Orpheus Reborn.  Visit our Myspace page to listen to Paradise.  Also, here's a new tune from Orpheus Reborn.

02/26/2007 - We've posted some news pics from the Paradise and Hypnotic recording sessions.  We have the basic tracks down for two new, very different tunes, Paradise and Hypnotic. Stay tuned, we'll keep you posted on our progress. 

02/16/2007 - Lots of interesting things going on with the BirdzSessions, though progress is a little slow.  We've written a new tune called Paradise and we are scheduled to record the basic tracks with Eric from Orpheus Reborn on Saturday 2/17/07.  Also in the works is another new tune called Hypnotic which was written by John "Woody" Witti, a core Birdz Sessions contributor. It will likely be several more weeks before we complete the tunes, so stay tuned in the meantime.

Larry "Birdz" will be one of the judges for the "Best Blues Guitarist" at the Millbury, MA Guitar Center. The competition begins Tuesday March 13th at 6:00pm at the Guitar Center.  For more details, contact the Guitar Center.

01/27/2007  - We're also located on MySpace.com now. Click here to check it out.

10/30/2006  - We're pleased to announce the release of our 2nd tune from the next Birdz Sessions CD.  The song is titled "Somebody Help Me" and features Barbara St. Pierre on vocals.

08/20/2006  - We're pleased to announce the release of our 1st tune from the next Birdz Sessions CD.  The song is titled "Two 2 Go " and features Larry "Birdz" and Worcester MA guitar legend Joe D'Angelo.

03/23/2006  - The interview with Gary Osbrey from WINY Radio 1350AM is now available for your listening pleasure.

03/22/2006  - Added a message board feature. We love to hear from our fans, so feel free to chat with us via our message board/guestbook.  Profanity, abusive and derogatory comments, and spam will not be tolerated and will be deleted without notice.

 02/17/2006 - Our new CD High Above Manhattan is now available at CDBaby, order your copy today! If you click on the "Buy The CD" link, you can listen to 2 minutes of each song on the CD. Priced at a very reasonable $10 per CD.

Our sincere and utmost thanks to the following folks for their assistance with High Above Manhattan:

Quickstop Printing, Shrewsbury MA - Graphic arts, layout and design.
Dmitrii Zagorodnov - front cover photo of Manhattan at sunset.
Faith Nickolas - rear cover photo of the Verrazano Bridge shrouded in fog.

Last Updated: Tuesday, July 14, 2009 08:19 PM