Gina Starbuck

Gina Starbuck, a native of Fresno, California, is one of the hottest performers on the scene. Currently, you can catch her in the LA company of the Broadway hit Wicked, as the Witch’s Mother. She has received endless amounts of rewards and recognition for her work as a dancer/choreographer, as well as being a respected and accomplished singer and actress. At the age of 17, Gina traveled and performed with the contemporary dance company MKF Altered Modalities, winners of the 2000 Jazz World Congress. At 18, she was assistant Choreographer for the Miss California Pageant. She attended college at Chapman University, where she was rewarded Freshman of the Year in Dance, and was selected to perform at the Kennedy Center.

Since Gina came onto the scene in Los Angeles, she has worked with artist such as Prince, Lindsay Lohan, Gavin Degraw, Gene Simmons, Josh Kelly, and many more.

Her skills as a teacher and choreographer have taken her around the world, and her work has won awards at numerous competitions and conventions, including NYCDA and CO Dance. She has appeared in television shows, films, and commercials such as Bring It On: All or Nothing, Y & R, Passions, AXE, and Visa- for which she worked with Emmy Award winning choreographer, Mia Michaels . She has assisted many top choreographers, including Brian Freidman, Bobby Newberry, Andre Fuentes, and Blake McGrath. You can catch her strutting her stuff on Blake’s instructional DVD Dance Driven. Gina is currently working on her first album, which is an eclectic blend of rock, soul, and funky dance beats. Wherever Gina goes, she brings positivity, creativity, and drive. She uses her success as an outlet to help others, contributing to many charities. In 2007 she created and founded Art4Life, which is now an annual event involving numerous artists in support of the American Cancer Society and in honor of her father. She will continue to grow and achieve her goals, and will always give back!

See Gina's MySpace Page Here

Capitol Music Group recording artist FERRAS

Ferras (pronounced Fer-AHSS) approaches a big pop hook the way a Formula One driver approaches a straightaway — he floors it. Take the payoff of “Aliens and Rainbows,” the psychological and stylistic centerpiece of the 25-year-old artist’s album of the same name. Symphonic strings are cranked to the max, a vocal chorale summons up a celestial ahhh-ahhh, an electric guitar spins out a quicksilver figure and Ferras’ own elegant piano underscores the grandeur as he sings, “I would rather be with aliens and rainbows / On the other side of the universe / And finally…” — here he slides up into a goosebump-inducing falsetto — “This is me / This is my coup de grâce / My reality.” That urgent, stirring passage is a quintessential example of a risk-taking artist holding nothing back — which is what makes this audacious newcomer such a blast of fresh air.

Produced by The Matrix (Avril Lavigne, Jason Mraz, Korn) with their frequent collaborator Gary Clark (Natalie Imbruglia, Lloyd Cole), Aliens and Rainbows contains undisguised references to the greats — David Bowie on the anthemic “Liberation Day” and the widescreen rocker “Something About You,” Elton John on the narrative opus “Hollywood’s Not America” and Stevie Wonder on the silky ballad “Soul Rock.”

Other songs isolate his own hot-wired psyche: “Dear God” is a prayer of desperation and defiance (“If you’re so full of grace / Then send it / On down”), while the sensual “Take My Lips” is a jaw-dropping expression of emboldened vulnerability. “Because this was my first record, I decided to draw on the artists who’ve inspired me — Elton John, Bowie, Queen, the Beatles — because of the huge impact they’ve had on my own music,” Ferras explains. “But I also wanted to make a record that’s personal and tells a story, and every song is either something I’ve experienced, something I hope to experience or something I can really connect with. These aren’t just random pop songs— they come from a real place; they explore feelings.”

Ferras comes by all of these classic influences organically. Growing up in a small town in southern Illinois, separated by a vast cultural and emotional chasm from his surroundings and contemporaries, the youngster turned to radio and the Internet for companionship and validation, conjuring up a world of his own to inhabit. It wasn’t the first time he’d been rescued by songs on the radio. “When I was 5, right after my parents got divorced, my dad, who’s from Jordan, told me he was taking me to Disneyland,” Ferras recalls. “On the way to the airport, we stopped at a Wal-Mart and he bought me a little Casio keyboard so that I’d have something to do on the flight. When we got on the plane, I began to realize that he was kidnapping me and taking me back to Jordan. I spent three months in a big house in Amman, and his family treated me lovingly, but I missed my mom, and I somehow connected the songs I heard on the radio with my feelings. One day I picked up the Casio, made up a melody and wrote a song for my mom, bizarre as that sounds. When I played it for her over the phone that night, she cried. Three months later, she rescued me and brought me back home.”

But Illinois didn’t feel like home to this self-described alien either, and he continued to take refuge in music. “I was attracted to choruses, melodies and expression,” he says, “especially the emotionality of ballads.” Also around this time, after Ferras got it in his head that he belonged in California, he somehow managed to convince his mom to make the move, and they relocated to Santa Barbara. As soon as he could drive, Ferras was regularly bombing down the 101 to L.A., on a mission to get a record deal.

There were nibbles, but nothing substantive — “They’d always say the same thing: ‘You’re great, but we don’t know what to do with you,’” he says. Then a ray of hope entered in the unlikely form of Limp Bizkit leader Fred Durst, who was so blown away by Ferras’ songs and singing that he put the wheels in motion to sign the kid to his Interscope imprint. But when Durst’s label deal began to unravel, Ferras was crushed, despite the fact that his benefactor vowed to get him signed to a major.

At that point, Ferras did what any self-respecting prodigy would do — he applied to Boston’s Berklee School of Music, which accepted him despite the fact that he couldn’t read a note of music. But the academic life didn’t suit Ferras, so he was elated to find out that Durst had set up an audition with Capitol Music Group Chairman/CEO, Jason Flom, during spring break. “We met Jason at the Beverly Hills Hotel,” says Ferras, “and I played him two songs on the piano in the lobby. Right away he seemed different — he was actually listening rather than messing with his BlackBerry. Then Fred told me to play ‘Take My Lips,’ this ballad I’d written when I was just 17, and when I finished, to my amazement, Jason said, ‘That’s brilliant — why didn’t you play it first?’ Four days later I was in New York doing solo demos, and he signed me right after that.” “From the start, all I wanted to do was write and sing songs that would make people feel something,” he says, “and I’m grateful to have gotten the opportunity to be who I am. At this point I can truthfully say that I’m proud of what I’ve done, the person I’m becoming and the journey that led me to this moment.”

It’s already been quite a journey for Ferras, and after listening to this album, you get the distinct impression the adventure is just beginning.

Ugly Betty's star, Michael Urie will once again host this years Art4Life event. Michael hosted last years event along with Carol Kane. See video from last years event by clicking here.

Adam Lambert

Adam Lambert is currently appearing in WICKED at the Pantages Theatre > understudying the role of Fiyero.

He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Joshua in The Ten  Commandments at the Kodak Theatre in 2004. His tour de force  performance became a press and crowd favorite with the New York Times calling him “the most consistent crowd-wower” and the LA Times stating that his “personal sound and style…(was) the best.” In addition to his work in the theatre, Adam has made countless appearances in the Hollywood music scene. He has performed at The Knitting Factory, The Cat Club, Upright Cabaret, Club Makeup @ the Key Club, and The Zodiac Show @ the Henry Fonda.  He is front man of alt rock band, The Citizen Vein, formed with guitarist Monte Pittman (Madonna) and is working with a handful of producers co-writing tracks for his upcoming debut album. Adam is constantly on the hunt for fresh musical collaborations, so step up!!

For Tracks, video and updates please visit www.myspace.com/adamlambertmusic

Brooke Wendle

Brooke can be seen most recently on the 2007 Video Music Awards opening number with Britney Spears. She is currently performing in the Los Angeles company of Wicked the Musical at the Pantages Theatre. She has been seen on Broadway in Wicked, Aida, and as a Radio City Music Hall Rockette. Brooke has performed with Mia Michaels’ Reality At Work in New York. She was the Dance Supervisor for Cirque Du Soleil’s Delirium in 2006.

Brooke has performed live with P-Diddy and Pink. She was seen in National Commercials for E-Trade and Joe Boxer and on Saturday Night Live and Guiding Light.

See Brooke's MySpace Page Here

Erica Michelle Sobol is a Los Angeles original, born and raised in the city.  After high school, she moved to New York City to pursue a career in the performing arts.  There Erica earned a BA in dance-theater from Barnard College at Columbia University.  While in school, she began her professional dance training at Broadway Dance Center, working most often under Wes Veldink, David Marquez, Michele Assaf, and Rhapsody James.  Later, she would complete the BDC Intern Affiliate Program, continuing her intensive and fabulous training. While in New York, Erica worked as an instructor at several dance studios in Brooklyn and Long Island.  And she was a faculty member at Manhattan’s Peridance.  Erica has contributed works to the Broadway Dance Center Performance Outlet, Carnival: a choreographer’s ball (in New York and Los Angeles), and many many others…
She is thrilled to be back home in Los Angeles now, continuing to train.  Erica has worked with so many brilliant choreographers, including but not limited to:  Gil Duldulao, Kevin Maher, Victor Rojas, Anthony Garza, Matt Cady, and Tucker Barkley.

She is the founder and artistic director of collidEdance, an ever-evolving professional dance company dedicated to blurring the line between dance and theater.  The company’s Brooklyn, NY debut in 2004 received rave reviews and enjoyed five straight soldout performances.  collidE is now based in Los Angeles. 

And thriving! Erica Michelle Sobol is on faculty at the Edge Performing Arts Center, with Muse Dance, at The Basement Dance Center, and Debbie Reynolds Dance Studio. 

She feels lucky, so lucky, to be inspired everyday.

One of the hottest all girl crews and top competitors on "America's Best Dance Crew"

Melissa Fahn

Melissa is thrilled to be a part of ART 4 LIFE again this year! She just got back from NY, having sung in the acclaimed AVENUE Q SWINGS benefit at The Metropolitan Room and will be doing her solo show on June 19^th at Tangier in Los Feliz. BROADWAY: WICKED (Original Cast, Cast Album, U/S Glinda). WICKED L.A (Original Cast, U/S Glinda).  MTG’s LIL’ABNER (Daisy Mae), SONDHEIM’S 75^th (Hollywood Bowl), VOX LUMIERE (Coloratura Soloist), Stephen Schwartz’s SNAPSHOTS, Hal Prince’s 3HREE @ The Ahmanson, GREASE (Marty), SWEENEY TODD (Johanna), WEST SIDE STORY (Maria), Anything Goes (Hope). TV: PASSIONS (Young Esmeralda). Voice of Betty Boop, Hello Kitty, Gaz on  Nickelodeon’s INVADER ZIM, Edward on COWBOY BEBOP and so much more in the voiceover/studio singer world.

Melissa’s debut CD “AVIGNON” and more at www.melissafahn.com

Brian has donated some items from his B-Free clothing line for the silent auction, and he will be in attendance at the event. He is the artistic director for London's "The X-Factor" and he is a judge on "Rock the Cradle". He also has choreographed and danced for Janet Jackson, Britney Spears, Pink, etc. he was previously a judge on "So You Think You Can Dance?"