We’re excited to introduce you to the creative team of The Big Bad Musical starting with the musical director, Liz Rosa!
Liz Rosa maintains a busy schedule in the tri-state area as an instrumentalist, teaching artist, music director, and composer/arranger. She earned her Bachelor of Music in Bassoon Performance and Music Education at the Eastman School of Music, and her Master of Arts in Music and Music Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Liz has performed with renowned artists that span a wide range of styles including Béla Fleck, Renée Fleming, Alexander Markov, and Nargiz Aliyarova, and RZA. She is currently a teaching artist with the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark and Disney Theatrical Group in NYC. Liz now resides in Manhattan, but never forgets that she was born and raised right here in New Jersey. She is proud to be back home at The Growing Stage as a music director for The Big Bad Musical!
We recently sat down with Liz to learn more about her current and being back at TGS for The Big Bad Musical!
Tell us a little bit about your career!
Hi there! I am a musician and teaching artist. My main instrument is the bassoon, but I play many instruments including piano, voice, and the saxophone family. I taught music for a few years in New Jersey schools before moving to New York City, and now I do many things as professional musician like recording sessions, live performances, music directing and teaching, and writing and producing my own music.
What is your job in The Big Bad Musical?
I am so excited to be the music director for the Big Bad Musical! My job is to teach the songs for the show, and make sure that our cast uses their best singing voice to bring the songs to life.
What has it been like working on this production?
Working on this production has been so much fun! The cast is so talented and the songs are in many different styles of jazz, so it has been fun to explore these different styles all in one musical and see our cast bring the music off the page with so much energy and their own unique style.
Why should audiences see The Big Bad Musical?
I mentioned it before, but it’s worth repeating how talented this cast of young artists are! Everyone in the cast has an important and unique role to play in the story, and everyone tells it with their own style and flair. Especially with all of the upbeat music in the show, you will be toe tapping the whole way through this jazzy and exciting story. And even more fun than that, you’re also going to be a part of the story, because YOU decide what happens in the end!
As someone who grew up at TGS, what are some of your favorite memories?
I have MANY, but I’ll pick a few:
The friends I made while doing shows at TGS are still some of my closest friends today. TGS has always been a place where we could reunite, and that means the world to me!
I was ten when I was in my first show at The Growing Stage. I was a munchkin in “The Wizard of Oz”!
I still have vivid memories of being in “Babes in Toyland” and shouting HERE YE, HERE YE! And singing “I can’t do the sum”
Seussical and The Secret Life of Girls were the hardest shows I was in at The Growing Stage, but I learned so much from those experiences!
I was a comic relief part in Frosty the Snowman, and I learned that I LOVED making people laugh.
The first place I drove after getting my drivers license was to The Growing Stage so I could run lights for one of the shows (I think it was the Nutcracker!) I remember being so excited to show Steve Fredericks my license.
Also, there are still days where all I want to snack on is the popcorn from The Growing Stage.
What advice do you have for a young TGS performer who wants to pursue a career in the arts?
Pursuing a career in the arts can mean many things, so my advice would be to learn about as many different roles within the arts as you can. Having a wide skill set as an artist is going to open so many doors for you, and you never know what you might really like until you try it! I started a career in the arts thinking it would be very different from what it is now. I explored many things, and through exploring I found what I liked the best and what made me the happiest.
Fill in the blank: The Big Bad Musical is…filled with joy and laughter!
Don’t miss our All Youth Production of THE BIG BAD MUSICAL, playing January 18-21. For tickets, visit www.growingstage.com
