Musician

Sally Wilfert is a Broadway actress and an amazing vocalist who understands the rigors and demands of performing at the top of her game. In part one of my conversation with Sally, she and I discuss the difficulties, injuries, and self-doubts she’s endured. 
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Unlike other jobs like accounting, engineering, or even medicine, singing is uniquely personal, expressing parts of ourselves that may go unspoken or unknown at any other time except through the music and lyrics that we bring to the stage. But for Sally singing was something that she did in private, a secret enjoyment just for herself. As she slowly began to let others hear it, though, it changed not only that enjoyment but gave her added purpose as well.
Follow Sally - Website / Instagram / Twitter 
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Season 5 offers new ways to connect with me and the guests as well as new opportunities to learn and grow as an artist:
Members-Only Episodes on Supercast, only $3-10/month
Coachings and Consultations
Ask questions to upcoming guests
Monthly WINMI Newsletter
Artist Resources and Offers
Instagram and Twitter 
Why I’ll Never Make It is a Top 25 Theater Podcast on Feedspot, is a part of Helium Radio Network, and is a member of the Broadway Makers Alliance.
 
Music in the episode by Bortexx and Blue Dot Sessions is used under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Other music from YouTube: "Unworthy of Your Love" from Assassins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRD1OJDxC1k, "Anytime" by William Finn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVLV654tUD4  
 

Happy New Year to you! And welcome to the premiere episode of Season Five.
Today’s guest is Justin Guarini, who you probably know from American Idol but has done so much more and has a lot to teach us about becoming an artist, finding our own path, and realizing that fame isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Get Justin's book Audition Secrets or possibly win a signed copy of this book by becoming a member of WINMI as a Maker, Producer, or Artist. Sign up for one of these memberships by January 31, 2021, and one lucky winner will get Justin’s tips and secrets to auditioning. 
 
Follow Justin: Website / Instagram / Twitter
Join WINMI: Website / Supercast / Instagram / Twitter 
Why I’ll Never Make It is a Top 20 Theater Podcast on Feedspot 
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Season 5 brings with it a new ways connect with me and the guests and new opportunities to learn and grow as an artist:
Members-Only Episodes and videos
Coachings and Consultations
Ask questions to upcoming guests
Monthly WINMI Newsletter
Artist Resources and Offers
All this and more can be found at the newly updated website: whyillnevermakeit.com 
Thank you for joining me for part one of my conversation with Justin Guarini. Come back for part two in just a couple of days.
All music used in the episode by Blue Dot Sessions and Borrtex is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

It's been one heck of a year, yet one arts group wanted to come together and make something to celebrate this season. They asked me to be a part of the event by hosting their Virtual Red Carpet. These interviews with the actors and creative team behind BroadwayMania's Holiday Special were first shown Thanksgiving weekend and led up to the hour-long Christmas program.
Amanda Varelakis, singer/director (1:51)
Sean Milas, singer (5:15)
Amber Dickson, singer (9:38)
Toby Blackwell, singer/writer (12:43)
Sadie McCurry, singer (17:46)
Scott Polovitch Davis, singer (22:04)
Gray Norton, singer/technician (26:59)
Cecy Treviño, singer/producer (32:45)
To watch these Red Carpet interviews on YouTube as well as the Holiday Special, go to: https://youtu.be/OyK_xT3tY98 
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Donate to WINMI and gain access to members-only bonus episodes: pod.fan/winmipodcast 
Don't forget to check out all the helpful offers available to you through WINMI guests and partners: resources.winmipodcast.com 
WINMI is a Top 20 Theater Podcast thanks to you!  blog.feedspot.com/theatre_podcasts/  
The instrumental music in this episode: "Christmas" by AShamaluevMusic 

After our conversation on the previous episode, Jaime talks about the process of voting on songs and albums for the Grammys, and then he answers the Final Five. He shares his love of Law & Order and his dream to work with Lin-Manuel Miranda as well as what he learns from those who are humble.
The time and expense needed to bring these guests and conversations to you each week is sometimes challenging but always rewarding. Please consider buying me a coffee to support this work that goes into each episode.
For further insights on the topics covered in Jaime's episodes: twitter.com/winmipodcast/ 
Quotes and unreleased audio clips: instagram.com/winmipodcast/ 

For the next few weeks WINMI is going to be highlighting some amazing Hispanic artists, ranging from composers and dancers to actors and singers. And it's all in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month. 
In addition to these interviews I’ll be showcasing important creatives in Hispanic history. It’ll be a chance for us to learn about the wonderful artists who have made such an impact not only in Hispanic communities but to our nation as a whole. 
And so we begin Hispanic Heritage Month with Jaime Lozano, a native of Monterey, Mexico. As a composer his works have been produced Off-Broadway, regionally here in the US, and internationally in France, Germany, England, and of course his home country of Mexico. Jaime has also taken on the roles of arranger, music director, and orchestrator, in addition to adapting, producing, and directing the Spanish world premiere of Jason Robert Brown’s THE LAST FIVE YEARS in 2006 and SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD in 2005.
And it was around that time that Jaime came to New York to study at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. He's been on quite the journey and it's a fascinating story of an immigrant artist here in America.
Follow Jaime: Website / Instagram / Twitter 
Follow WINMI: Instagram / Twitter / Website 
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Donate to the podcast: https://ko-fi.com/winmipodcast 
Don't forget to check out all the helpful offers available to you through WINMI guests and partners: resources.winmipodcast.com 
WINMI is a Top 20 Theater Podcast thanks to you!  https://blog.feedspot.com/theatre_podcasts/  
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Music in this episode:
"Yellow Light District" by Lobo Loco."Kitty in the Window" by Podington Bear."Basketliner" by Blue Dot Sessions.Savage, a musical by Tommy Newman and Jaime Lozano, performed and recorded at University of Alabama in Birmingham."Una Historia sin Final Concierto" by Jaime Lozano."Smooth Actor" by Podington Bear."Night Emotions" by Lobo Loco."Ayer" by Gloria and Emilio Estefan (Karaoke Track).

Featuring the third composer of the season, Brian Lowdermilk is a fantastic contemporary songwriter who's found a great deal of success from the internet. And in this day and age where not much theater is happening onstage, that bodes well for both Kerrigan & Lowdermilk. 
Brian (they/them, she/her) shares the nuts and bolts of writing and collaborating on musicals (and is joined by Kait for part of the interview). Then we get into more personal matters of gender identity and theater's place in the LGBTQ community. It's an in-depth, personal conversation with a talented and insightful composer. 
Follow Brian: Instagram / YouTube / SoundCloud 
Follow WINMI: Instagram / Twitter / Website / Medium 
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WINMI is a Top 20 Podcast thanks to you!  https://blog.feedspot.com/theatre_podcasts/ 
Reach out with any questions or comments: contact.winmipodcast.com 
 
The time and expense needed to bring these guests and conversations to you each week is sometimes challenging but always rewarding. Please consider buying me a coffee to support the work that goes into each episode. 
 
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Brian's music featured in this episode: 
"Run Away with Me (Instrumental)" - "How to Return Home" - "Avalanche" - "Say the Word" - "Five and Half Minutes" - "Not a Love Story" - "Run Away with Me (sung by Brian at 54 Below)" 
 

Samantha Figgins is currently in her sixth season with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. But what many people don't know is that this gorgeous dancer suffers from single-sided deafness. As a baby, Figgins contracted spinal meningitis, which caused her to lose all hearing in her right ear. She never gave up on her dance dreams, though, and fought her way through uncomfortable situations, never missing an opportunity to learn and grow. In this episode, she shares her love of dance, her passion in telling stories, and the discipline that makes it all possible.
Listen to the previous episode all about Alvin Ailey.
Dance Spirit cover in 2013 
Watch Samantha dance in Revelations on TED: https://youtu.be/0f4wtD8eXNk 
Follow her: Instagram / Twitter 
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WINMI is a Top 20 Podcast thanks to you! https://blog.feedspot.com/theatre_podcasts/ 
More episodes: listen.winmipodcast.com
Join the WINMI community: Instagram or Twitter (@winmipodcast) 
Reach out with any questions or comments: contact.winmipodcast.com 
 
The time and expense needed to bring these guests and conversations to you each week is sometimes challenging but always rewarding. Please consider buying me a coffee to support this work that goes into each episode.
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"I Been 'Buked" and "Fix Me, Jesus" arranged by Hall Johnson. G. Schirmer, Inc., publisher and copyright owner.
"Kitty In The Window" by Podington Bear is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License. Based on a work at http://soundofpicture.com

Welcome back to my talk with Andrew Lippa as he answers the Final Five questions. This is a bonus episode to the conversation we had previously, covering topics we didn't get to last time. From political aspirations to advice he gives to aspiring artists, this is a deeper dive into a talented composer and performer.
Do you have other ideas for Final Five questions? Let me know at contact.winmipodcast.com.
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May this podcast be a resource for you as you discover more ways to pursue a career in this industry and sustain it through the many ups and downs that follow. 
For further insights on the topics covered in this episode: https://twitter.com/winmipodcast/ 
Quotes and unreleased audio clips: https://www.instagram.com/winmipodcast/ 
WINMI is supported through kind donations of listeners like you: https://ko-fi.com/winmipodcast