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Biography
Tara's immersion into music was almost instant! She was just a toddler of 3 when she first tickled the ivories and joined the family's vocal group that performed publicly in Minnesota and Canada at age 6. About the same time, she started composing her own songs.
Her musical pursuits widened in her teenage years where she branched out with older brother Jeff in a duo that continued through college. During these years, she received a classical field of study both in voice and piano. Yet she pursued her popular stylings with her brother,Jeff, starting a funk, rhythm and blues band called IS U IZ. That band, under her direction, performed for 8 years together, releasing a self-titled CD. Eventually they parted ways to all pursue other musical genres.
Tara launched a solo career in the mid 90's, venturing into the new styles of inspirational, folk, jazz and pop rock. In 2002 she teamed up with fellow IS U IZ drummer/producer Tim Zhorne to release her first solo CD “How Can I Keep From Singing”.
As time went on, she started singing the old Broadway and jazz standards. Her focus shifted towards being a singer for the over 55 population. . She combines the clarity and purity of a Julie Andrew's style (one of her mom's favorites) with the infectious and creative improvisations of the crooners and big bands (influenced by her father's love of them).
Tara has found a place in music she can call home through the beautiful rich old songs of Irving Berlin, the Gershwin brothers, Duke Ellington, Rodgers and Hammerstein and many others. She released her second full length solo CD "Those Timeless Vintage Melodies" featuring these great songs of the past.
Tara found another musical friend who was perfect to collaborate with - Carol Zimmerman. They formed a duo aptly named The BZ Girls in the spring of 2009, and performed together till early 2018. The BZ GIRLS released two CD's.
She teamed back up with her brother Jeff to form a duo again under the name The Brueskes. They are continuing the tradition of classic crooners, singing the old songs of the past with sibling harmonies and being accompanied by upright bass and the piano.
Tara also through the years has been a pedagogue in voice and piano, teaching private lessons to musicians of all ages. Her commitment to classical training (through studying with other teachers) and her love of learning help give her students a solid foundation. In voice, she is committed to being a voice preserver and loves to help performing musicians sing in the healthiest of ways. And as a piano instructor, she combines her love of classical and movie music with building a strong foundation of note reading, as well as improvisation based on music theory!