Lori Ecker is known for her versatility and wide vocal range in addition to her love of many styles of music. “Incredibly Eclectic” highlights and showcases these three qualities. In addition to many popular and well-loved tunes, this CD also includes songs that are fairly unknown or very seldom performed or recorded, and Lori does them all in a style uniquely her own.
Listeners and audience members frequently comment on the clarity of her voice and ability to go from one extremely different style to another seamlessly and with ease; this has kept them coming back again and again for that unique experience she delivers.
Lori became a professional singer almost by accident. She started out acting and graduated with a theater degree from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. As a senior in college, she started taking private voice lessons because she knew she “could carry a tune and had a pleasant voice” and wanted to be more marketable as an actor. After college, she continued private voice lessons with a teacher that kept encouraging her to audition for roles in musicals. Her first role was that of Lady Larkin in “Once Upon a Mattress”, and she has been singing ever since!
Still focusing on acting, she received her master’s degree in fine arts in the Professional Actor Training Program at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. She then went on to live in New York City for four years and did numerous concerts and cabarets there before returning home to the Midwest where she now entertains audiences throughout Indiana.
Lori performs regularly with the Indianapolis Opera and has recently appeared in productions of The Merry Widow (Franz Lehár) and Turandot (Giacomo Puccini), and their upcoming production of Falstaff (Giuseppe Verdi) in May, 2007.
She also works frequently with her close friend and performing partner, Tim Spradlin. In addition to many concerts and cabarets together, they were both seen in the TimBru production of the 2-person Off-Broadway hit musical, The Last Five Years in October, 2006. They have also paired up together on “The Last Night of the World” from Miss Saigon, which can be found on Lori’s CD and on Tim’s CD(“Belt, Ballad and Blues”).
Outside of New York City and Indiana, Lori has performed in Quilters at the Commonweal Theatre (Lanesboro, Minnesota), as Laurey in Oklahoma!, Irene Molloy in Hello, Dolly and Mrs. Manningham in Angel Street – all three at the Monomoy Theatre (Chatham, Massachusetts). She has also worked at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park (Cincinnati, Ohio) in productions of A Christmas Carol and Miss Julie.
Other favorite roles include: Marguerite St. Just in The Scarlet Pimpernel, Johanna in Sweeney Todd, Low-Dive Jenny in The Threepenny Opera, Rosamund in The Robber Bridegroom, Lizzie in The Rainmaker, and Wilhelmina in The Passion of Dracula.
Because of her passion for virtually all styles of music, she felt it fitting and appropriate to celebrate that in her first CD, “Incredibly Eclectic”. Enjoy!! There is something for everyone on it.
MEET SOME OF MY MUSICIANS:
Loesje Chandler: Musical Direction and Piano
Loesje is a native of Amsterdam, Holland and came to the United States at the age of 10. She studied piano with James Kantarze and Dorothy Munger before graduating from the University of Indianapolis. She received her master’s degree from Butler University and taught music for Indianapolis Public Schools for 24 years. She became a church organist at age 14 and has been serving as choir director, bell choir director and organist for Centenary Christian Church since 1977. She has also been Music Director at the Indianapolis Liederkranz since 1980 – conducting both the Men’s Choir and Damenchor as well as the Liederkranz Cabaret series. Loesje plays professionally in the Indianapolis, Indiana area and accompanies singers including Lori Ecker, Tim Spradlin, Brenda Williams and Patrick Grant.
TJ Hartman: Saxophone
TJ has been playing saxophone since he was 11 years old. It first started as a hobby during school. However, he has worked hard and has been blessed to play with or for some of the best musicians in the world. He has played private parties for Grammy winner Diane Schuur. TJ has also had the honor of playing alongside jazz giants like Ernie Watts and Dick Oatts. In 2005, he played with the band Living Proof (www.livingproofmusic.com) to open for the world famous Chicago and Earth, Wind and Fire. TJ currently resides in Indianapolis, Indiana and continues to work with Living Proof. TJ is also currently sponsored by the Sam Ash – Indianapolis music store (www.samashmusic.com).
John C. Smith: Acoustic Guitar & Harmonica (“Home on the Range”)
John is a singer/songwriter/guitarist and harmonica player who has been a musical performer since he was 14. During the early 70s, John toured the Midwest as a rock singer and lead guitarist. In 1994, he studied songwriting and embraced the Rock-a-Billy sound while working in Nashville. Today he continues to perform for Christian and secular audiences and has recorded four CDs of his own original music.
Tim Spradlin: Backing Vocals (“The Last Night of the World”)
Tim Spradlin does a wide variety of music; pop, show tunes, R&B, spiritual and cabaret. All of that can be found on his CD, “Belt, Ballad & Blues”. Tim is best known for his ability to belt out the high notes but on this CD you will find that Tim can also bring it way down and sing soft and sweet. Tim has had starring roles in Jesus Christ Superstar, The Pirates of Penzance, Evita, Godspell, and The Last Five Years. Tim was also a regular with The American Cabaret Theatre for five years. Along with his partner Bruce McLaughlin, Tim helped produce his own shows including Motown Sound and Motown and More (with Brenda Williams) along with two one-man shows, Spradlin Sings Streisand and Spradlin Sings Manilow. Nuvo paper listed Tim as one of the top mail singers in Indianapolis.
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