Grace McLean
is a New York based actor, singer, songwriter and vocal coach.
News
Grace McLean Lives in Concert, ANT FEST at Ars Nova
Wednesday, November 3, 8pm
t's the (almost) solo show you've all been waiting for! Follow Grace as she tackles what it means to love and live in New York City in a time of oil spills, volcanoes, and Justin Beiber. With the help of two backup singers, a bassist, a percussionist, and a mystical shaman, the audience finds themselves existing somewhere in threshold between concert theatre and nirvana.
Tuesday, August 31, 9:30pm
Back in town and facing the ch-ch-ch-ch-changes, Grace joins up with the band to wring out the old and sing in the new.
Googie's Lounge (21+)
154 Ludlow between Stanton and Rivington
FREE
The Last Goodbye
August 5-20, at the Williamstown
Theatre Festival
Grace will be performing in the world premier of "The Last Goodbye", a musical adaptation of Romeo and Juliet using the music of Jeff Buckley. If you're in the Berkshires this summer, come by and get your face melted.
WTF website
Tickets
Judd Hardy & Friends _ The Cherry Pit
Saturday, July 10, 8pm
The fierce, fearless, and adorable Judd Hardy hosts a cabaret night and Grace is among the special guests lined up for the evening. She may break out some antics from her interactive music/theater piece, "Grace McLean Lives In Concert"...Stay tuned for developments!
155 Bank St.
Tickets: $15
Reserve: 646-472-4579
Sticky _ Bowery Poetry Club
Friday, June 11th, 7pm
It's the Bowery Poetry Club. It's a bar. It's a series of new 10 minute plays that take place in a bar. And Grace sings and plays her music throughout the evening, because people play music in bars. dig it.
308 Bowery between Houston and Bleecker. To learn more about Sticky: www.blueboxproductions.net
Lily & James _ Googie's Lounge
Tuesday, June 8, 8:30pm
Grace and Jay Stolar of rock/funk band Julius C have been working on a side project together for the past few months. The first week in June is their first public performance as Lily & James.
154 Ludlow between Stanton and Rivington.
Googie's Lounge with Kate Ferber and Liana Stampur
Saturday, May 22, 8:30pm
Grace, Kate, and Liana join forces to collaborate on original tunes and spruced up covers. FREE :)
Meditations on the End of the World
Tuesday, May 25, 10pm
The latest batch of hauntingly beautiful songs from composer Stephanie Johnstone, to be performed in concert at Playwright's Horizons Theater School.
440 Lafayette below Astor Place.
As You Like It
The month of May has seen Grace (Rosalind) workshopping the second half of As You Like It with New York Neo-Classical Ensemble. In this play, to love is "to be all full of sighs and tears."
Alice In Concert
Grace embarks on another recording project with Liz Swados, this time revisiting her adaptation of Lewis Carroll's classic. Originally produced by the public in 1981 starring Meryl Streep as Alice!
April Residency at Googie's Lounge
Every Tuesday in April
Each week features a different musical guest to perform a song or two with Grace, Justin and Matsu. Old standbys and new creations promise to tickle your ears and your fancies :) April 6, 20, 27 at 8:30; April 13 at 7:30. 154 Ludlow betwen Stanton and Rivington.
Friday, March 12, 2:00pm
After a successful first stint at The Wild Project and a sold out run at Joe's Pub, Grace is involved in another staged reading of "The Last Goodbye", an adaptation of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" set to the music of Jeff Buckley. Read Variety's write up of the project here.
NOU SE ZAMNI "We are Friends"
A Benefit for Haiti
Friday, March 12, 11:30pm, Joe's Pub
This benefit (in association with Partners in Health) will feature performances by New York theatre companies including At Play Productions, The Movement Theater Company, EST/Youngblood, New Gorges, The Living Newspaper, Hoi Polloi, 13P, Mai-Yi, and New York Neo-Classical Ensemble of which Grace is a founding member. NYNeo will perform a song from their upcoming production of "As You Like It" (music by Melissa Lusk and Matt roi Berger). The evening is curated by Eric Louie. Click here for tickets.
Rock It Out: A Night to Benefit New York's Farm Animal Sanctuaries
Grace performs in a fundraiser for The Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary in Woodstock, NY and Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY. Also performing: Jay Stolar (of Julius C.), Cristin Milioti (of Broadway's Lieutenant of Inishmore and Coram Boy), Kaylin Lee Clinton, Whitney Wolf, Melissa Lusk and Matt Roi Berger , Shaina Taub, Lindsay Wolf and Neimah Djourabchi. Saturday, March 6th _ 7PM at Reidy Hall at All Souls Church , 1157 Lexington Ave at 80th St. (Basement Level). $10 pre-sale; $15 at the door (cash only). Pre-sale tickets can be purchased at: https://www.mycommunitytickets.com/event_info.asp?eventid=26496
Read a review of Grace's show at The Flea here!
Sunday, February 7, 3:00pm
Dreams, space, mixed metaphors, minimalism...Grace presents her music as part of Music With A Viewat The Flea Theater. Part concert, part transcendental meditation, this event is not to be missed! Preston Martin directs.
Thursday, February 4, 7:00pm
Grace plays Emma Smith, Joe's wife, in a reading of "Dash Dexter and the Space Saints," a new space-fantasia musical of Mormonic proportions! Book and Lyrics by Gordon Cox, Music by Kris Kukul, Directed by Suzanne Agins.
Sunday, January 24, 8:30pm
Grace shares an evening with the illustrious Shaina Taub (www.myspace.com/shainataub) at Googie's Lounge. 154 Ludlow, no cover, 1 drink minimum.
Friday, December 18, 10:00pm
Kick it dive bar style the Friday before Christmas at The Local 269! What happens on the 8th day of Christmas? Some serious music happens, dudes. 269 Houston at Suffolk.
Monday, December 14, 7:00pm
Grace is back at The Delancey for another set at Zeitgeist (www.myspace.com/zeitgeist). Good friends The Hey! join the lineup. 168 Delancey between Clinton and Attorney.
Sunday, December 6, 2009, 7:30pm
Want to hear something different?Come out to SIP Lounge 998 Amsterdam between 109th and 110th Sts. for Grace's set at the Lounce's Something Different series. No cover.
Monday, November 30, 2009, 9:00pm
Still stuffed from Thanksgiving? Come out for a smaller portion of Grace at MISC's Lyrical Mondays at Haven (244 E. 51st St.). It'll be taped and streamed online here!Also, it's free. Booyah.
Thursday, November 19, 2009, 6:30pm
Grace performs a few ditties as part of Cooper Union's Great Evenings In The Great Hall: Women's Suffrage and Women's Rights. Also on the bill are Karen Finley, Richard Kind, Brenda Wehle, and Andre De Shields. Go Susan B. Anthony!
Saturday, November 14, 2009, 9:00pm
Grace plays at The Local 269 with Mike Tuccillo (bass) and Hiroyuki Matsuura (percussion). 269 Houston between Avenue A and Essex. No cover - so bring a blanket. Get it?
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
FM102x will feature Secret Song as their Song of the Day! Listen.
Friday, October 30, 2009, 7:30pm
Grace returns to Googie's Lounge for a pre-Halloween, anti-costume show. 154 Ludlow, no cover, 1 drink minimum.
The Flea Theater has announced its line up of musicians participaitng in the fourth season of Music With a View ,a free music series devoted to the discovery of new, fresh sound created and performed by contemporary musicians. Grace will be performing in February as part of the "singer/songwriters?"edition. Stay tuned!
Monday, October 12, 2009 9:30 pm
Grace plays a solo show at Googie's Lounge. No Admission, 1drink minimum.154 Ludlow St www.livingroomny.com/googies
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 7:00pm
Grace plays a solo show at Joe's Pub with jazz-punk rockers ILAD. $12.00. For more information and tickets, visit www.joespub.com
Read the review of Grace's show at The Delancey on August 18 here!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009 8:30pm
The Delancey 168 Delancey, LES
Grace will play a set of her original music as part of Zeitgeist, a new monthly series held the 3rd Tuesday of each month. Part of the set will be devoted to songs by The Licks (www.myspace.com/thelicks), featuring Grace McLean and Matthew roi Berger.
About Zeitgeist: Zeitgeist is born of the desire to help create more collective conditions within the New York music and arts community. To this end we see Zeitgeist as an artist run monthly vehicle encouraging collaboration among the bands and other artists participating. While the focus will primarily be on music, some events include participants from visual arts, fashion design, comedy and performing arts.
www.myspace.com/zeitgeistnyc
Reviews
"...like Streisand with a graduate degree." --lucidculture
"McLean...is an innately charming performer with sharp comic timing and an ease that makes her irresistible." --Cassie Newman, As Cassie Sees It
"Grace McLean has a voice that could launch a thousand ships filled with historys greatest jazz musicians." --broke-ass stuart
Bio
Born to musicians in Southern California, Grace McLean showed early interest in jazz voice and studied under Carmen Bradford, protege to Ella Fitzgerald, in Los Angeles and later with singer Melba Joyce, Carmen's mother, in New York. She earned her BFA in Drama from New York University and has since worked with a variety of artists including country singer Mary McBride, bluegrass band Jones Street Station, singer/pianist/composer Gabriel Kahane, avant garde theatre artist Taylor Mac, and composer/director/author/theatrical giant Elizabeth Swados. Grace accompanies herself on
piano and electric bass.
Having no formal training on either instrument, she has developed a sparse, plunky style that underlines her often irreverent, always truthful lyrics and highlights the main instrument: her soulfully honest voice.
Doanload Music
Grace sings Other People's Music too
War Gets Old from Dispatches,
based on the book by
Michael Herr.
Music by
Elizabeth Swados
Lyrics by
Michael Herr
Judiths Prayers from Judith
Music and Lyrics by Elizabeth Swados
Finally Me
Music and Lyrics by
Daniel Mate
Boomerang from Everyone
Is Different
for Forward Face
Music and Lyrics
by Elizabeth Swados.
It Aint Easy from Caravan Man
Music by Gabriel Kahane
Lyrics by Gabriel Kahane and Tommy Smith
Find Your Voice: Vocal Coaching
Find Your Voice with Grace McLean is a singing class tailored uniquely to you. This is not about putting on a "technique" to sound a certain way - it's about discovering, understanding, and embracing your own singing voice. The class includes physical, writing, and traditional and jazz influenced exercises, as well as some acting technique to find the way YOU tell the story of the song.
This is a space for people who consider themselves non- or tentative-singers to discover and become comfortable with their voice, as well as for people who consider themselves singers to deepen their understanding of their voice.
For more information or to schedule a session (solo or group) please contact Grace at mclean.grace_gmail.com
"Grace Mclean brings terrifically motivated sass to the Nurse."
---newyorkcool.com, The Last Goodbye
"Grace McLean is particularly outstanding as Olivia"
---Curtain Up, Twelfth Night
"Grace McLean as Olivia imbues an easily disagreeable character with a sense of warmth and inner conflict."
---MusicOMH, Twelfth Night
"R and G, two androgynous guardians of memory, [are] played with nuanced physicality by Grace McLean and Preston Martin."
---NYTheater.com, Twelve Ophelias
"...(Preston Martin, Grace McLean) strike a chord as a charming and lively chorus."
---Time Out New York, Twelve Ophelias
"Some other characters from Hamlet flit through..., most interestingly Rosencrantz (Grace McLean)"
---New York Times, Twelve Ophelias
"The cast was uniformly outstanding, with...McLean having some amazing moments."
---onlytheblogknowsbrooklyn.com,Twelve Ophelias
Resume
Grace is a founding member of the New York Neo-Classical Ensemble
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Photos by Michael Bartelle
