Artists:Melanie Joy Hall

Born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska, singer/musician/actor Melanie Joy Hall brings her natural Midwestern warmth and openness to her music. By turns sweet and sultry, her alto voice slides smoothly from folksy classics to jazz standards to rootsy rock. Part of a creative, musical family (father Gary is a professional musician, while mother Linda is a talented visual artist with an ear for harmony and a joy for the mandolin), Melanie's been singing for most of her 27 years.

Piano came at an early age, followed closely by choir-singing, flute-playing, and eventually guitar-picking. Through college and her early 20s, Melanie worked almost exclusively in musical theater: acting, singing, and playing piano with theater companies all over the U.S., from New York City to South Carolina to Denali Park, Alaska. Melanie recently shifted her focus from theater to music – recording and finding musicians to play with as much as possible.

In January 2007 she moved to Portland, Oregon to take advantage of the creative atmosphere and thriving live music scene there. Melanie's first CD, Falling to the Moon, includes original songs by Melanie and Gary Hall, as well as newly recorded versions of songs by Joni Mitchell, Sarah McLachlan, Stephen Sondheim, Dolly Parton, and others. It features acoustic and electric guitars by Gary, piano by Melanie, and backup vocals by the whole family.

The summer of 2008 was Melanie's fourth summer working in Denali National Park, Alaska, this time playing piano and singing at the Music of Denali Dinner Theatre. In the summer of 2007 she appeared as Fannie Quigley in the Alaska Cabin Nite Dinner Theare.
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