Broad Perspectives

Originally from the Washington,  DC area, Lisa Falk has lived and traveled many places and their colors, designs and rhythms make their way into her creations. Lisa has been doing pottery on and off since she was a teenager. In Tucson she picked it up again 20 years ago when her son wanted to learn pottery. She did a parent-child class at the Tucson Clay Coop. While her studio is at home, she glaz...

Denise Marsa is a multi-talented and very versatile musician and businesswoman. She has spent decades building a fiercely independent path through the music world, starting with creating her own record label, KeyMedia Group back in the 1990’s. Denise has received much recognition and awards in the US, the UK, and across Europe. In 2021 her one-woman show THE PASS won the Best Concert Award at the...

Sarah Vitort, from Portland, Oregon, is 1/2 the duo, Fox and Bones. The other half is Scott Gilmore.  You may know Fox and Bones as the winners of the Tucson Folk Festival Stefan George songwriting contest in 2023. They also won second place in the International Acoustic Music Awards, as well as other accolades. Their fourth album titled “Long Time Honey” was awarded Best Folk/Americana Album of 2...

Betsy Kruse Craig  is an experienced actor, director, and educator with nearly three decades in the performing arts. Renowned for her innovative approach and passion for storytelling, she has directed acclaimed productions across genres, including  Enemy of the People ,  Violet ,  Buried Child ,  The Lion King ,  Legally Blonde , and  Twelfth Night , among others. As a performer, Betsy has appeare...

Krystal Popov is the founder of Futureprenaur, an organization that teaches children how to start their own businesses. Now before founding this company, Krystal already had a long history of business and entrepreneurship. In 2019 she founded The L Offices in Tucson, a community events and workspace for Tucson businesses.  The space is designed to foster health, wellness and closer community engag...

Hilary Van Alsburg serves as the Executive Director at Children’s Museum Tucson|Oro Valley, where interactive accessible learning is the core mission. She holds a Juris Doctorate degree from University of Arizona College of Law and a BA in Sociology from Northern Arizona University, as well as having earned state certification as a K-12 educator. Hilary serves on the board of directors of the Asso...

Oboist Erin Hannigan is the newly appointed Professor of Oboe at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music in Houston. She has been the principal oboist of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra since 2001 and, before coming to Dallas, she was a member of the Rochester Philharmonic. Erin has been a member of the Southern Methodist University faculty since 2002, where she is adjunct associate professor of...

Gabrielle Pietrangelo, (aka “Gabby”) is a Tucson-based multi-instrumentalist,  award-winning songwriter, harmony group leader and teacher of school age students and adults. You may know her from the many groups she has performed with in Tucson including “Silver Thread Trio”, “Blue Skies Trio” and a variety of choruses she directed.  Gabrielle won the John Lennon Summer Song Contest with her Tucson...

Mel Blumenthal is the President of Bloom Wealth Alliance, a boutique investment advisory firm dedicated to helping women and marginalized communities better plan for their financial futures. She has been a sought-after public speaker on multiple areas of expertise for over 25 years. She has been a guest lecturer and speaker at several colleges and corporations. Mel is passionate about storytelling...

Errin Mendibles is the founder of Una Bella Vita Tucson, a non-profit organization offering resources and peer support  to adolescents with eating disorders  and their families. Errin was motivated to establish this organization when her daughter was diagnosed with an eating disorder and she discovered there was no treatment in Tucson they could turn to for help. Errin also serves on the Board of ...

In a life-saving attempt to flee El Salvador’s civil war in 1980, Dora Rodriguez was one of thirteen survivors found near death while crossing the border through the Sonoran Desert. By bravely publicizing her story of migration and through her unwavering support for migrants rights, Dora’s image has been propelled to the forefront of the sanctuary movement in Tucson, AZ. Through her public speakin...

Aubyn Philabaum is a professional actor and coach based in both Los Angeles and Tucson.  She holds her BFA in Acting from  Boston University  and her MFA in Acting from  The Yale School of Drama .  Aubyn also studied in London and worked on New York stages for many years before moving west. Aubyn founded  Book The Room Coaching  in Los Angeles in 2019 – acting coaching and self-tapes for the profe...

Margo Newhouse has lived through 48 hot Southern Arizona summers.  She is a retired special education teacher and elementary school librarian.  When she isn’t busy with The Raging Grannies she keeps active with the International League for Peace and Freedom, political activism, her church social justice council and many hours in her church kitchen.  For the past ten years she’s spent time planning...

Serenity Stewart is the powerhouse vocalist behind  Serenity Brings The Storm (SBTS) ,  a dynamic band that revives the best of Classic Rock and Country while keeping the dance floor alive with R&B and funk favorites. A classically trained soprano turned jazz and standards artist, Serenity is known for her sultry voice, commanding stage presence, and fearless style. With a career spanning musi...

Hannah Clyde Taylor is the Director and Choreographer of the play Six – Teen Edition that played at The Rialto Theatre this week – on June 17 & 18. Hannah is a local director, choreographer and actor here in Tucson and has worked on several productions.   Grace Christian (Anne of Cleves) is 14 years old and an incoming freshman at Ironwood Ridge High School. SIX marks her sixth production and...

Bianca Caruso is a dynamic singer, songwriter, and performer best known as one half of the Americana-soul duo Freddy & Francine, alongside her husband Lee Ferris. Raised in Maine and Austin, Texas, Bianca brings a rich blend of folk, soul, and theatrical flair to her music. They have played at the Tucson Folk Festival and are now residing in Tucson.   Freddy & Francine and RISO   –   Hotel...

Lauren has a B.S. in Watershed Hydrology and Management from the University of Arizona. As a Tucson native, Lauren has a passion for the environment and the community in this area and wants to continue spreading this excitement for nature, water and people through her work with the River Run Network. Billie Eilish – all the good girls go to hell….was played on our music break.

After decades of working in the fast-paced but occasionally scandalous apparel industry, Dana sought more control of her life and returned to her early love of story. She created a new female protagonist, Andrea Kellner, and an accompanying mystery series born out of the long-lived, albeit amplified, desire to shed light on shadows. The series, commencing with the gripping Lies in High Places , re...

Syndenn Sweet is a hearing impaired creator living in Tucson, AZ. She owns Hanner House Records located in the heart of Tucson. She is a singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, Foley artist, luthier, published author, visual-artist and poet. As a musician she has appeared with: Mr. Natures Music Garden, ESP, and The Sapiens Music Collaborative, Sunny and the whisky machine, Random anim...

Virginia Cannon is a music industry consultant from Nashville with decades of experience working as a consultant, talent manager and live performance coach.  While working in Nashville, Virginia hosted a popular weekly Songwriter Showcase for over eight years on Nashville’s historic Music Row.  When she moved to Tucson, she began hosting a monthly Songwriter Showcase at Monterey Court that went on...

International touring artists Diane Van Deurzen & Lisa Otey are a dynamic duo, a perfect blend of hot jazz, sultry blues and boogie-woogie. They take their act to festivals, clubs and theatres around the world and are known for creating an atmosphere of intimacy with their humor and joyful interactions with the audience. Diane and Lisa  have both been inducted into the Arizona Blues Hall of Fa...

Hailey Dukart and Sharly Scannell, the founders of Blk House Mrkt. Sharly Scannell is a transplant from South Carolina and moved to Tucson to pursue her education at the University of Arizona. Aside from Blk House Mrkt, Sharly is an SEO content writer, the proud owner of Clever Stitches, and a loving mom to her two small children. Sharly aspires to create spaces for her children to grow up where r...

Eliza Hitch, originally from Atlanta, Georgia, is playing the role of Meg March. During her time at U of A, Eliza has appeared in Bright Star , Sweeney Todd , Jesus Christ Superstar , and Legally Blonde . Eliza is a College of Fine Arts student ambassador, Medici Art Scholar, and a member of the W.A. Franke Honors College. On graduation this May, she plans to move to New York to pursue her dream o...

Chris O’Dell left Tucson in 1967 to begin her life in Los Angeles. Through synchronicity and, perhaps, fate, she met people who propelled her life into the highest echelon of Rock and Roll. She worked for The Beatles in London in the late 60’s at their company Apple. After a stint as a personal assistant to The Rolling Stones in LA, she became the first female Tour Manager, working with many of th...

Libby Tobey, a native of Tucson, has a deep-rooted affection for the desert flora and fauna that define her hometown and the tight-knit community that inhabits it. Her academic journey led her to study psychology and sociology at the University of Arizona. Libby’s career path has been as diverse and vibrant as the landscapes she cherishes.  These experiences formed roots for her passion for the ar...