Rock
conor standish
Front and Center Standish, the lead singer for the alt-rock band Burning River Ramblers, won the grand prize in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest for Valentine's Day love song with "Stranger on the Street" in 2012. The band performs Sept. 19 at the Sparx Music Hop, where it will debut several new songs. Pie Times Standish learned to play guitar in high school by watching YouTube videos and listening to the Dave Matthews Band, but Burning River Ramblers was cooked up in the apartments at Ohio University. "Our first drummer used to deliver pizzas," Standish says. "Once we learned he could play drums, he was in and we had a band." Getting His Mix The band mixes musical styles to keep things interesting and fresh. "We'll be introducing some new songs at the Sparx Music Hop that incorporate some jazz, funk, reggae and hard rock," Standish says. Wing Man While the band does approximately 40 to 50 shows a year, Standish still gets nervous before taking the mic. "These are the good butterflies," says Standish, "the kind that give you energy for the stage." // Roxanna Coldiron
Classical & Jazz
Amanda forsythe
Song Book A soprano who has performed with the Boston Baroque and London's Royal Opera, Forsythe sang "Euridice" on the Grammy Award-winning recording of Charpentier's La descente d'Orphe aux enfers by the Boston Early Music Festival. Her debut CD, in which she sings George Frideric Handel's arias, will be released at Apollo's Fire's Power of Love concert Nov. 15. Body of Work The New York native had taken singing classes in high school, but entered Vassar College as a marine biology major because it was practical. She switched to music as a sophomore because it seemed more glamorous. "I hadn't considered pursuing [music] as a career until college," she says. "Biology really wasn't my thing." Handel Bars She loves the arias of Handel because of the musical freedom they provide. "It's absolutely gorgeous music," she says. "There are two sections and when the music repeats, you can add your own ornamentation and embellishment, which I love." Sing Song Forsythe didn't get her first professional job as a singer until after graduate school. Since then, she has been to opera houses throughout the world. "There's been a gradual rise to my career," she says. "It's been great, and I look forward to what's to come." // Roxanna Coldiron
