Sheldon
Forrest, born in Hollywood, California, started
at the piano at the age of 3, and has never stopped.
Privately trained in classical repertoire (Allen
Giles, Long Beach, CA) during his early childhood,
as a teenager he discovered classic rock and jazz
and turned his attention to interpreting popular
music, studying jazz theory and arrangement with
Andrew Charlton, Fullerton, CA, jazz theory and
improvisation with Alan Rowe, Santa Ana, CA, and
learning about ensemble playing in the Doc Rutherford
Big Band at Orange Coast College and the David Hardiman
Stage Band at City College of San Francisco. |
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In the 90s, through long apprenticeships as staff
accompanist/vocal coach/rehearsal & orchestral pianist
for the Music and Theater Departments at City College
of San Francisco (1993-1998) as house pianist for
the landmark Caffe Trieste Saturday Concert Band,
and as pianist/musical director for Chuck Largent's
"Joe Sent Me Club" during the same period, Sheldon
fell back in love with classical music via opera
and art song, while at the same time developing
a new love for musical theater(performing in productions
of The Fantasticks, A Day in Hollywood/A Night in
the Ukraine, Guys & Dolls, Kurt Weill's Street Scene,
Stephen Sondheim's Assassins & Into the Woods and
many others). |
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Over time, Sheldon realized that collaborating
with singers in intimate venues was his favorite
mode of working and honed this skill working
in San Francisco piano bars such as Martuni's,
The Swallow, The Gate, Café Venus, Julie Ring's
Heart & Soul, Finocchio's, and Piaf's. He
also accompanied classical singer Shannah
Timms (now with New York City Opera) at Grace
Cathedral, at Caffe Trieste, at the Clift
Hotel, and on Hornblower Yachts.
Sheldon moved to New York City in 1998 and
embarked on a series of piano bar gigs at
Ecco L'Italia Restaurant, Danny's Broadway
Piano Bar, Marie's Crisis Café, Elysee Café
Theater, Buona Sera Ristorante, and La Rivista
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| Ristorante.
Sheldon also musical directed numerous cabaret shows
throughout the NYC circuit (Helen's Cabaret, Mama
Rose's Cabaret, Danny's Skylight Room, Don't Tell
Mama, The Triad Theater, The Duplex, Cornelia Street
Café, West Bank Café, Dillons) honoring artists
from Barry Manilow to Peggy Lee to Nina Simone to
Edith Piaf to Cole Porter. Meanwhile, Sheldon has
also found time to volunteer for the groups such
as Artists Who Care, Vocal Ease and Hearts & Voices,
to play keyboards for rock bands (JC Bosco & Unique
Duo), to compose & record for film (The Letter,
by Enjai & Amnau Eele), to create a TV commercial
jingle for Time-Warner Cable, to play for the cabaret
trio "The Kitchenettes" in "Festival Dallo Sciamano
Allo Showman" in Darfo-Boario Terme, Italy, play
for the "Piano in the Park" summer festival in Bryant
Park, and work as a supernumerary in La Boheme,
Tosca, Don Carlo, & Aida at the Metropolitan Opera. |
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