Feature: The Days Of Cabaret Gratitude - Day Twenty-Three - The Woman For The Ages

The Days Of Cabaret Gratitude

Day Twenty-Three: The Woman For The Ages - Lisa Viggiano

It’s an interesting point of fact that Lisa Viggiano’s favorite singer is Nancy LaMott because the first time I heard a recording of Lisa, I thought it was a lost Nancy LaMott recording rediscovered and polished up for release.  Upon closer inspection, I could tell, of course, that this wasn’t Nancy LaMott to whom I was listening.  There are similarities, but they are most definitely different voices, different artists, different women.  But it is appropriate that they are mentioned in the same sentence, for they do, in fact, share many of the same qualities.  Lisa Viggiano, though, stands on her own.  What is more, Lisa Viggiano deserves to be acknowledged for standing on her own.

An almost assertively active member of the cabaret community and industry, Lisa has been around for, shall we say, a minute.  She has built up a reputation informed by quality and professionalism, a reputation that backs up one successful musical cabaret show after another, and a recording or two.  With her smooth, mellifluous voice and her genial, good-natured onstage personality, Lisa brings audiences into her metaphysical living room, sharing jovial stories, heartfelt observations, passionate pursuits, and exquisite vocal performances.  It is because of those shows and those recordings that Lisa has taken home trophies and accolades.

But at home there is something much more important than the ribbons and roses: there is a woman who teaches, and the teachers of the world are everything.

Lisa Viggiano is a speech-language pathologist working with young people.  The specific age range of her students (as listed on her resume) is eleven to twenty-one, and even though the top age of her pupils is an age at which one can vote and order a cocktail, her charges are still young people.  And the young people of society in need of a teacher like Lisa Viggiano will often find their lives changed by the work of this educational guide.  With a compassionate nature reminiscent of your favorite school teacher or that neighbor lady who always had a cookie for you (and a puppy to play with), Lisa Viggiano approaches her work as a speech-language pathologist with a serious focus on the technique of talk, as well as the metaphysical meditations that relax the mind into a place where anything is possible.  She has mastered the balance of wellness and proficiency and passes it on to her students, official or personal, in an effort to help.  Every minute of every day is spent in the act of service, whether it is in one of those private sessions, giving a solo performance, joining in on group shows, participating in the community, or simply caring for her family.  One might say that it is all heart with Lisa Viggiano… but that just isn’t true.  There is also an abundance of intelligence and a wealth of talent, all of it layered in with the heart that informs her every action.  And, like her idol Nancy LaMott, Lisa Viggiano has come to give the world a chance to listen to her heart.

Read a Broadway World Cabaret review of Lisa Viggiano HERE.

Lisa is excited to share the following bullet points about her life and work:

1) New show: THESE THINGS FIRST with Wells Hanley at Chelsea Table and Stage on March 3, 2024 at 7 pm. I am SO excited about this show and this collaboration!

2) I am teaching voice privately, and at Young Actors’ Theatre Camp (YATC) in Ben Lomond, CA in July

3) Currently doing several recording projects: 
--MAYBE A SONG, Volume 1: the first EP a series of studio & live recordings of pop and American Songbook selections
--A song for a children’s book about mindfulness
--Ruminessence: a recording of original meditations and mantras inspired by the poet, Rumi; all compositions by written by myself and Wells Hanley 

4) Ruminessence Music & Meditation Experience: an interactive experience which will take place in spiritual and holistic study centers that includes guided meditations, poetry, writing, and music/mantras inspired by Rumi (all compositions written by Lisa Viggiano & Wells Hanley)

5) I completed my Sounds True Meditation Teacher Certification in February and currently completing my Cloud Sangha Meditation Mentor Training (which supports the Ruminessence experience detailed above)

6) Loving playing monthly at Vue180 Rooftop with the Empire State Building as the backdrop - so much fun!

7) Grateful for my beautiful students at my day job who put up with my avant-garde  musical approach to speech therapy

8) Regular participation in FABULOUS FIRST FRIDAYS with Yasuhiko (Yaz) Fukuoka MD, Gerry Geddes, Director and Producer, and the Fabulous First Friday family including Andre Montgomery, Karen Mack, Matt DiPasquale, Wells Hanley & Brian Childers. 

9) Regular participation in MUSIC AT THE MANSION, directed and produced by NiCori (Nicholas Adler and Corinna Sowers Adler).

10) Saved the best for last: I am overjoyed for my sons: my 21-year-old graduates from UW Madison in May and begins his first job at Dell Technologies; my 17-year-old is playing varsity basketball this year!! And most importantly, they have the biggest hearts in the world. SO GRATEFUL!!!!

Lisa’s pronouns are she/her/hers.

Lisa can be found online at the following links:

Website:  HERE 

Instagram:  HERE 

Facebook:  HERE  

TikTok:  HERE  

YouTube:  HERE

Photos by Stephen Mosher

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