Member Since: 03/10/2007
Band Website: www.lacasasena.com
Band Members:
Benjamin Callan: Born in Austin, raised in Dallas, and following a 3 year vacation with the U.S. army, Ben moved to Santa Fe on a spiritual quest. From the stage to the tops of the mountains he hasn’t stopped moving. In his free time he runs a musical troupe called “Live Without A Netâ€, has a digital recording production studio called Imagine Santa Fe. He is also well on his way to matching Dane Cook’s record number 2,000,000 friends on MySpace. See him there at: www.myspace.com/benjamincallan.com
Richard Peters: Richard, from St. Louis, attended Southwest Baptist University as a vocal performance major. After toying with many aspects of music and performance, he has realized his forte is actual composition. Richard still loves musical theatre and performs in local productions when given the opportunity. He also plans to continue working at La Cantina where he has worked for 5+ years that is until the sale of his original music allows him to retire!
Julie Trujillo: After two attempts at The Big Apple, Julie, a Santa Fe native, finally decided that there really is “no place like home.†She made her Santa Fe Opera debut in the 2005 production of Turandot and was last seen in “Headlines and Heartaches,†a one –woman show about the life of Judy Garland. When not in the Cantina, Julie spends her time teaching voice and singing as well as hiking in the beautiful mountains of Santa Fe with Byron and Rocksee.
Juli King Royea: After first attending Carnegie-Mellon University, Juli moved to Santa Fe while finishing her BFA in Acting at the College of Santa Fe. In between then and now, Juli spent three and a half years in NYC pursuing her dream, spent a year and a half in San Francisco pursuing nothing in particular, and then finally gave in and moved back to beautiful Santa Fe. Juli has performed roles such as Adelaide in Guys and Dolls, Ilona in She Loves Me, and Rizzo in Grease. Being a native of Texas, Juli also holds a fondness in her heart for folk and country music. Now after settling back into Santa Fe life, Juli has returned to the Cantina as manager. Juli just completed her Certificate in Screenwriting online through UCLA’s Writers Program. She continues to hone her skills to pursue her dream of becoming a working screenwriter.
Kenny Brown: Born in Harbor City, CA, he grew up singing to the records of Jane Morgan, Petula Clark, and Barbara Streisand-secretly dreaming of working as a river guide on The Jungle Cruise at Disneyland. He has performed in various shows including Annie Get Your Gun, Godspell, and The Crusible. Ken also sang in many L.A. clubs; The Rose Tattoo, Carlos and Charlie’s and Gazzari’s on the strip. Vocal training was under opera singer Mara Baygulova, with performing technique coached by Bob Corff. He’s lived in Santa Fe for the past 13 years. He loves singing at La Cantina and loves lemongrass ice cream. He dreams of singing in a Disney animated film and plans to retire as a popcorn vender at Walt Disney World.
Amada Morris: Amanda first started singing at the Cantina in 1993 shortly after finishing her B.A. in international Relations at a (very) small college called Principia. Since then she has moved away three times for various adventures to NYC, Aspen, and Portland. None could measure up to Santa Fe however, so now she’s happy to be back home. Her plans for the future include obtaining her real estate license and of course more adventurous travel.
Greg Grissom: Greg is a returning veteran of the Cantina with 11+ years under his belt. After a five year visit to Minnesota, Greg is honored to be home with his friends in the Cantina. He attended Interlochen Arts Academy, the University of Texas and Baylor University. Past endeavors have included musical director at the County Dinner Playhouse in Austin working with the Santa Fe Concert Association as well as the Santa Fe Opera’s winter education program. He currently produces and directs various shows in our lovely city.
Katy Ronshausen: Katy was born in Houston, TX, and has enjoyed performing since early childhood. She attended The College of Santa Fe, where she performed in such shows as Into the Woods, once Upon a Mattress, Dames at Sea, and Closer Than Ever. After graduation, she moved to Austin and found herself climbing the corporate ladder. By 2006, Katy needed to escape the business world, and quickly moved back to Santa Fe, which she feels is her true home.
Ronald F. Grinage: Ron Grinage is the ‘de-facto’ musical director “emeritus†of La Cantina, having served in that capacity since 1984. During that time he has prepared and accompanied the cast in more than 30 ‘cameo’ performances of Broadway shows in the Cantina, including The Producers, A Chorus Line, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, My Fair Lady, and Into The Woods. Since the 2000 season of the Santa Fe Opera, Ron has operated the Electronic Libretto System for three of the five operas performed each summer, broadcasting the translation of the text to help patrons keep abreast of the action on the stage. Ron has appeared in many solo piano, chamber music, and concerto performances in the Midwest and Southwest. He also lectures for Elderhostel on Opera and Broadway, and maintains a piano studio of thirty students.
Influences:
Sounds Like: