I’m counting down the days until December 27th and the annual Kennedy Center Honors broadcast.  While I look forward to it every year, I’m especially excited because the legendary Barbara Cook will finally get the recognition that's long overdue.

For those who follow cabaret, classic musical theatre, and Sondheim, Barbara Cook is the big time, among the crème de la crème.  Her career spans 60+ years.  She was the original Marian in “The Music Man”, has a host of musical theatre roles to her credit, and is now one of the most in-demand entertainers on the concert/cabaret circuit.  She literally reinvented herself later in life and is still soaring.

Now in her 80s, her voice is a little bit richer, though still angelic, and she interprets a song in a way that leaves you forgetting you're in the audience.  Many critics would say that she’s only gotten better with age. 

There is much a singer can learn from Barbara Cook, when watching her perform or reading accounts of her master classes.  She coaches young students not in technique, but in getting at the emotional core of a lyric and singing from a true and authentic place.  That’s her thing and she’s literally the master.  It’s something many of us strive to do or think we are already doing, when in fact we probably aren’t. 

I’ve seen Barbara Cook perform live twice, once in Omaha at the Holland Center and then in the intimacy of Feinstein’s in New York City.   And I had the honor of meeting her following her engagement in Omaha. 

As one can imagine, it was a thrill beyond belief for this singer.  In just 10 short minutes I felt as if I had been a participant in one of her master classes.  

When I asked her what advice she would give to someone like me, her insight into performing with authenticity, understanding the concept of “you are enough”, changed my approach to singing.  It was, for me, the “a-ha” moment.  And today, while I know I’ll never stop learning, I’m by far a more authentic and better singer than I was before that backstage meeting.  That’s what 10 minutes can do.

I can’t wait to hear, during the Kennedy Center Honors broadcast, what legends in their own right have to say about Ms. Cook.  I can’t wait to find out who will perform what songs to represent her remarkable life and career.