WILLIAMSBURG — Tunes in Town is an occasional series that catches up with some of the local musical talents that call Hampton Roads home.
Eileen Byrne recalls growing up to her family’s go-to cleaning artists.
“My parents are children of the ’70s and ’80s. I didn’t discover ’90s music until the early 2000s. My dad is from Queens, so Billy Joel was a staple of my childhood. My mom, despite being from a very small town in Kansas, is one of the biggest Motown fans you will ever meet,” Byrne said.
With music being a big part of her childhood, Byrne began taking piano lessons in the second grade. She then picked up the flute in the fourth-grade band and never put it down.
When Byrne went away to college, she joined the University of Kansas marching band, where she played the piccolo.
“I wasn’t majoring in music, it was just purely something I always enjoyed doing. A lot of people take band when they are in grade school and then lose the ability to play. I didn’t want to lose the ability to play even when I wasn’t playing in a band,” Byrne explained.
While most of her life has been involved with music, Byrne also found an outlet through dance. Combining her love for both music and dance, she has since branched off into the musical theater community.
“Auditioning is something that I’ve never had great experiences with or positive feelings about. Many a panic attack has occurred in an audition room. I kept telling myself that I couldn’t begin considering auditioning until I had some sort of vocal training,” Byrne said.
Byrne joined a local vocal training program and found her way to Melissa Cartwright. Cartwright, who is a bilingual singer and songwriter, helped coach Byrne in vocal performance. She also gave Byrne a shot to sing backup vocals for her in a female empowerment cabaret.
“I was so happy to be included in helping to tell her story. As a person who is not from Latin culture, to be asked to help tell a story that’s not mine but just as poignant is really special,” Byrne said.
Byrne will be performing locally as part of the cast of Pippin at the Williamsburg Players this spring. Playing the role of Fastrada, Byrne is excited to take on a villain role.
“I was not originally auditioning for her role because she’s the evil stepmother. I associate the evil stepmother role with Cinderella, and she is old and not cool. In researching a little bit more after I got the part, I saw that she’s in a big dance number and she’s a young, hot, stepmother. She’s the one who stirs up all of the drama and I was so on board,” Byrne said.
Pippin will open at the Williamsburg Players on May 30 and will run through June 15. For more information or to buy tickets, visit WilliamsburgPlayers.org.