Troy Skinner on Cabaret
Whenever someone asks me what kind of singer I am, I proudly say that I am a cabaret singer. There is sometimes a look confusion on the face of the person posing that question. I think the reason for the confusion is that cabaret is so many things. It is hard to put cabaret into any sort of "box." To me, it is the most intimate of all performance art. I am inviting the audience to share in my life through music and lyrics and stories. How lucky we are to be a part of this thing called "cabaret." Cabaret is thrilling, it is fragile and it is my passion! BIO Troy was born and raised in Sterling, Colorado. A baritone, he began studying voice when he was 15 and initially started college as a classical voice major. He soon discovered, however, that he was more suited to the songs of Porter and Rodgers & Hart than Schubert and Verdi. Says Troy, "I love songs from musicals and the standards of The Great American Songbook. I also seek out new songs written in the same tradition, such as those by John Bucchino and Craig Carnelia." His new CD, entitled "Simple," contains selections by Kander & Ebb, Sondheim, Porter, Bucchino and Boz Scaggs. He has performed two one-man cabaret shows -- "My Shining Hour: The Songs of Johnny Mercer" and "First You Dream." Known well to Palm Springs audiences, he has appeared in four productions of Derrik Lewis' Musical Chairs and was a featured soloist in "A Salute To Frederick Lowe: The Man and His Music" at the Annenberg Theatre. An actor as well, he played the grownup Patrick Dennis in "Mame" at the McCallum Theatre (where he also got to meet the show's songwriter, Jerry Herman, in person). His most recent appearance was in the new "Club Cabaret" series at The Ruth B. Shannon Center for the Performing Arts in Whittier. When Troy first moved to the desert, he worked as an associate news producer for KMIR-TV 6 Palm Springs (an NBC affiliate). When the weather position opened up at the station, "I jumped on the opportunity! My interest in weather started as a kid. My Dad built me my very own weather station in the backyard. I was a total 'weather nerd'!" He held that position for a year and then left to pursue his business ventures as co-owner and manager of four home care agencies that provide in-home nursing and domestic placements. In his spare time, Troy can be found at the gym working out or leading a class in indoor group cycling. His other recreation is cooking. "I am passionate about food and love collecting cookbooks and watching the Food Network." He lives with his partner of eight years and their two pugs, Linus and Wilson.
