Celeste grew up and was educated in the Boston area, under the auspices of Berklee School of Music.  Valedictorian of her high school, she went on to graduate (along with John F. Kennedy, Jr., Billy Mondale, Prince Faisal Hussein of Jordan, and country artist Mary-Chapin Carpenter) from Brown University, the coolest college of the Ivy League.  Austin, New Orleans, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Florida are among the places that Celeste has called home.  She has performed on cruise ships and toured throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Latin America.  

In her 20’s, Celeste served as a loan officer and Vice President of a Boston bank.  In the evenings and on weekends, she performed at local venues, starred in community theater, hosted “Swinging Pearls” jazz radio program for WICN, and wrote for an independent rock magazine.  She once found herself onstage presenting Tito Puente with his birthday cake!  She was invited, impromptu, to sing with bluesman Bo Diddley on his Boston tour.

By 1994, Celeste left her Vice president’s desk and became a full-time musician.  In the spring of 1995 Celeste played the Kerrville Folk Festival. Later that year she gave a Thanksgiving performance in New Orleans’ French Quarter with other artists including Michelle Shocked.  By Mardi Gras 1996, she was a fixture at Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop on Bourbon Street, tickling the same Steinway ivories as Herbie Hancock.  She has written and performed alongside the multi-platinum hit songwriter, Stan “Doc” Penridge (who co-wrote “Beth” with Peter Criss of Kiss.)

Celeste sang at the star-studded spring 1997 wedding of Tary Owens and Maryann Price (Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks, The Kinks, and Asleep at the Wheel).  Later that year, she pounded out a honky-tonk piano for the Austin Lounge Lizard’s Thanksgiving bash, and appeared in a Texas-based independent film. The summer of 1998 found her performing on a Caribbean cruise ship with jazz recording artist, Nathen Page (guitarist for Roberta Flack, Jimmy Smith, and Herbie Mann). By 1999 she was in Hollywood singing with “Thunder Thumbs” Louis Johnson (Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, The Brothers Johnson) for the filming of VH-1’s “Where Are They Now?”

In 2000 she appeared as the Queen of Seoul, playing the high profile Grand Hyatt in Seoul, Korea, for foreign dignitaries like the first female Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright; Governor of New Jersey, Christine Todd Whitman; and the Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard.  After another successful tour of Japan, in 2001 she opened the Celeste Center studio at Pacific Beach in San Diego.  She continued to perform along the West Coast while presiding over her beach-front performance, teaching, and recording studio.  Celeste soon became Fox 5 News’ American Idol voice expert.  She worked with California Music Studios, where American Idol’s Adam Lambert trained.  In 2008 she founded the Academy of the Stars to foster young aspiring artists.  She has recorded and produced music for herself and for various other artists.

Her first CD, entitled “Dedicated To You”, was released in 1996 with the help of song-writer, author, illustrator, Shel Silverstein (“A Light in the Attic”, “A Boy Named Sue”).  Wink Tyler, known for his work with Dolly Parton, Lyle Lovett, and Hal Ketchum, engineered this beautifully simple piano-and-vocal recording, which received international airplay.  Celeste’s next recording, “Big Star” was recorded in 2000-1 at EMG Studios in Hollywood, home of Kim and Ronda Espy, publishers of Mariah Carey, Huey Lewis, Bonnie Raitt, and Bruce Hornsby.

Celeste’s “Big Star” band comprised an all-star line-up of the top musicians on the West Coast.  Bandleader and legendary guitarist, John Beland, played with Linda Ronstadt’s breakout band, as well as Dolly Parton and the Flying Burrito Brothers.  Jay Dee Maness, the number one pedal steel player in the world (and a fine human being), played on Celeste’s album and on Eric Clapton’s “Tears In Heaven”.  Bass player Paul Marshall worked with Strawberry Alarm Clock and appeared in the film “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls”.

Celeste has worked with the best in the business, including John Braheny, author of “The Craft and Business of Songwriting”.  Her background vocalists include Darlene Koldenhoven (Yanni, Clare Fisher, “Sister Act”), Andrea Robinson (Paul McCartney, the voice of Sister Mary Robert and Queen Athena in Ariel’s Beginnings), and Laura Creamer (Bob Seger, Glenn Frey, Cher).

World champion Frisbee player, John Tallent, worked with Celeste for 18 years, as her sound tech, after a stint with the Allman Brothers.  Celeste was selected to perform at the 2007 film opening of Louise Hay’s “You Can Heal Your Life”.  In 2012, Celeste appeared at the Greenbrier, congressional bunker and Golf Classic in West Virginia, along with Tiger Woods, Rod Stewart, Lionel Richie, and Jon Bon Jovi.  After playing a Pat O’Brien’s Mardi Gras gala in 2013, a Latin American tour in 2015-6, Celeste returned to Carnival Cruise Lines to play the Freedom in 2017.

 

P. O. Box 700013, Wabasso, FL 32970  858-380-6594 or 772-480-7181 celestecan@hotmail.com

Internationally acclaimed singer, songwriter, pianist, recording artist.  Toured around the world:

1.         Carnival Cruise Lines, the Freedom 2017, the Sensation and the Tropicale 1998

2.         La Marina, Baja California, Mexico 2015-6

3.         Seasons 52 2013-4

4.         Pat O’Brien’s Mardi Gras Gala 2013

5.         The Greenbrier, America’s Resort, Home of the Greenbrier Classic (Tiger Woods, Bon Jovi, Rod Stewart, Lionel Richie) 2012

6.         The Grand Hyatt, Seoul, Korea 2000

7.         The Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA 1999

8.         The Ritz-Carleton, Pasadena, CA and Marina Del Rey, CA 1998-9

9.         The Elounda Mare Hotel on the Mediterranean Sea, Crete, Greece 1997

10.       The Century Plaza Hotel, Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA, and many more…..

Released two full length recordings and many demos:

1.         “Big Star” Country Pop Album, written by Celeste, featuring Andrea Robinson of the hit film, “Sister Act”, John Beland, guitarist to the stars, and Jay Dee Maness, steel guitarist for Eric Clapton, among many other renowned musicians

2.         “Dedicated to You”, beautifully simple piano and vocal renderings on Universal Records, released with the help of Stan “Doc” Penridge of Kiss and Shel Silverstein

Performed for many luminaries:

1.         Madeleine Albright, First Woman Secretary of State

2.         Kim Dae Jung, President of South Korea and Nobel Laureate

3.         John Howard, Prime Minister of Australia, and many more….

1998-present Voice coach and piano/music educator, Fox News American Idol voice expert 

2002-15 Instructor with California Music Studios, where American Idol’s Adam Lambert trained

2008-present Owner/President of the Academy of the Stars, pro training for aspiring artists

2008-11 Music Producer for various independent recording artists

Education:  1984 B.A. Brown University (Ivy League)

                    1980 Valedictorian – West Boylston High School

                    Private Training – Worcester Performing Arts Academy, Berklee-trained instructors