Young East Longmeadow singer to release debut CD

Date: 6/8/2009

By Rick Sobey

Staff Intern

EAST LONGMEADOW Most middle school students spend their spring vacation at the beach, amusement park or movie theater. However, Lauran Beluzo of East Longmeadow had a much different experience. She spent her vacation week at a recording studio, and the 12-year-old girl recently completed her first CD.

Lauran thought that spending her spring vacation at Rotary Records of West Springfield was fun. "It was a great experience to perform in a recording studio and work with such talented musicians," she said.

Lauran had help recording her CD, titled "From the Heart." Mary and Kaitlin Beluzo, her 10-year-old sisters, were back up singers for two of the songs. "It meant a lot for me to have them be a part of my CD," Lauran said. "Our voices are all different, but we harmonize well together."

Lauran also sang with Fred Marion for one song on the CD. Marion is a soloist in the Dan Kane Singers choir.

According to Dan Kane, "The CD contains a great variety of pops and standards." Throughout "From the Heart," Lauran does cover songs of popular musicians. These well-known singers include Celine Dion, Kelly Clarkson and Tony Bennett.

Lauran will release her CD during a concert on June 12 at 7 p.m. This CD release concert will take place at the Stanley Park Beveridge Pavilion in Westfield. The concert is free and open to the public and the show will go on rain or shine.

Dave Madsen from ABC40 will host the concert. There will be musical guest appearances from the Dan Kane Singers soloists Fred Marion and Traci Mnich. Also performing will be Bobby Ferrier with Dan Kane.

In addition, the concert will have free refreshments. Mary Ellen Skehan, Lauran's mother, will be making cookies and brownies. The Munich Haus, where Lauran performed during this past Christmas, will provide food for the public.

Lauran, a seventh grade student at Birchland Middle School, started singing at a young age. She began singing for the Dan Kane Singers, a local choral group, when she was six-years-old. Then, she became a soloist in the choral group as a nine-year-old.

Kane cannot recall a 12-year-old ever sounding as unique as Lauran. "Many children are good singers, but Lauran has a special quality in her voice that is richer and deeper than most children's voices," Kane said. "She sounds like she is a young woman of 25-years-old, not a 12-year-old."

Lauran has performed at local sporting venues and community events, such as the Springfield Basketball PRO/AM and the Taste of Springfield. In addition, she was a public radio guest singer. In the last several weeks, Lauran was seen on Channel 22's Chalice of Salvation.

For further information on upcoming events or to purchase her new CD "From the Heart," call 896-4744 or contact Dan Kane via e-mail at dankane@dankanesingers.com.