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JANET RACHEL
Janet is a founding member of Out on a Clef. There was no way she could escape a passion for the performing arts. Between her mother, Bonnie Hyndman, who was an accomplished coloratura soprano in southern California, and her aunt, Beverly Roberts, a film star for Warner Brothers in the 1930’s, it was in her blood. She started out as a small child playing "fortress" under the family’s grand piano while her mother rehearsed her opera arias. Janet made her debut as a solo vocalist at age 5 for a community fundraiser, urged on by her mother. She moved on to torture her playmates by making them star in her neighborhood theatrical productions.
Janet got hooked on a cappella singing in high school where she sang with a 50’s-style (it WAS the late 50’s, after all) trio, "the Three Femmes." They entertained all over San Diego County for 4 years, including performing on local television shows. Through this experience she developed her fine ear for improv harmonies.
After immersing herself in classical concert choirs all through college, Janet became a "born again a cappella singer" in the late 60s when she discovered Sweet Adelines, an international organization of women barbershop singers. She joined the San Diego Chorus and was a member of the California Carousels quartet that went on to win regional awards. In addition to traditional barbershop, this group also became known for rich, jazzy arrangements of pop tunes. After a move to the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1970’s, Janet was a founding member, singer, and musical arranger in the Berkeley-Oakland Women’s Chorus. During this time she also acted and sang in "The Whole Works" theatre collective.
The a cappella and barbershop bug bit Janet again in the 1980’s when she joined the lesbian satire quartet, Alternative Measures. Their spoofs on standard tunes delighted audiences throughout Northern California for 12 years. This group became the inspiration for Janet and June Bonacich to form Out On A Clef, which was born in 1997 and has been going ever since.
Janet has performed in a variety of choral groups such as the Bach Chorale, the Jazz City Singers as scat soloist, the San Francisco Lesbian and Gay chorus, and has been a solo vocalist in weddings and celebrations. Her "Let’s put on a show!" childhood energy has never stopped, so she enjoys working as a backstage volunteer for Barbara Price Productions’ local concerts. Janet has taught barbershop harmony singing classes at Judy Fjell’s Women Making Music camps, and offers her home for "harmony circles" to teach and enjoy harmony singing with others.
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