The Voice - The Official Linda Eder Newsletter

By Heather Hunt

Miss Brainerd Pagent, 1979

“I had a lot of fun in high school, had a lot of friends, also had a lot of teachers who were friends…big, big impact that they had on me.”

-Linda Eder, BHS Hall of Fame Acceptance Video, 2000

High School…..For some, the mere mention of these two words is enough to send shivers down the spine.

Brainerd High School

But ask Linda Eder to talk about her high school years, and you get a surprisingly animated, upbeat response.

As Linda’s fans are well aware, Star Search was the connection that jump-started Linda’s career and led to her all-important collaboration with “the genius,” Frank Wildhorn. This partnership eventually led Linda to Broadway where she starred as Lucy in JEKYLL & HYDE. The Star Search story is well documented, but what was the foundation that prepared Linda for her amazing success on Star Search and for her future career? This is exactly what I set out to explore.

Linda & Heather Hunt

Being from Brainerd, MN myself and having walked in the same high school hallways as Linda, I wanted to learn more about her earliest experiences with music and art, and more importantly, with life. Linda’s concert in Minneapolis, MN and a trip home to Brainerd afforded me the opportunity to talk with some of Linda’s former teachers, classmates, and acquaintances from her high school years, her brother and nephew, as well as those who knew her when she was just starting out on the path that eventually led her to Broadway. From them, the picture emerged of a shy, but very talented young woman who was quietly driven. Linda seemed to have a strong set of ideals guiding her, even back in her high school years.

The majority of Linda’s time at Brainerd High School was spent in the choir room. If you couldn’t find her there, she was most likely working on a painting in the art room. Surprisingly, not everyone knew of Linda’s musical talent in high school. Even her brother, Hans, told me that he didn’t realize the magnitude of his sister’s talent during high school. It wasn’t until Linda started performing in clubs around Minnesota that he began to realize the special talent she possessed. To him, Linda was just his sister during these years. The fact that she was in the high school choir wasn’t a big deal to him because so many other kids were also in choir

.

Brainonian, Acapella Choir 1978

(Linda’s nephew, Nick, was so excited to see his Aunt Linda on this night in Minneapolis. He never stopped smiling the whole time he was backstage. Although he couldn’t discuss Linda’s high school days like the others I spoke with, he definitely wanted to contribute something like his dad. Nick told me that he loved hanging out with Linda in New York. One of his favorite memories, though, was walking the dogs down the aisle at the wedding.)

Many people knew of Linda’s artistic talent and her love of painting horses. One such person was her high school art teacher, Bill Grange. Mr. Grange (he was my teacher too) reports that he didn’t pay much attention to Linda’s singing abilities in high school. Instead, he knew her from the tremendous amount of time that she spent painting in his classroom and from her involvement in Art Club. Art was her forte at the time, and she excelled at it and was passionate about it.

Mr. Grange saw Linda not only as a student, but also as a friend. He recalls that Linda was very comfortable in his classroom and was one of the rare students who “stuck around and made the effort.” He also remembers Linda’s dedication to her painting. He states, “Linda was interested in art and really put her heart into it.” One trait of Linda’s that really stood out in the art room was her sense of humor and her ability to pick up on anything and make it funny. Apparently, the good-natured humor between teacher and former student continues today. Mr. Grange wanted to relay the message to Linda that she still owes him “an assignment.” Linda?

Brainonian, Acapella Choir 1979

We all know that Linda’s talent did not stop in the art room. In fact, (I’m stating the obvious here) it seemed to flourish in the choir room. Linda’s high school choir director, Tom Rossin Ph.D., remembers Linda as a very shy student who was uncomfortable singing in front of anyone until she started her voice lessons. During voice lessons, Dr. Rossin worked with Linda to help her gain confidence and to find her range. What was most surprising to him was that even at the age of 17, Linda’s range didn’t seem to have a limit. The only limit to her range was her shyness, but with a little encouragement and sometimes a little trickery (i.e., Dr. Rossin not telling Linda what note she was on), she grew more confident.

The next challenge for Dr. Rossin was getting Linda to showcase her talent for people instead of the lucky horses who were the first to know of her talent (they could not be reached for an interview). In order to help build his students’ confidence, Dr. Rossin employed the “point and shoot” technique during practices. He recalls that this method worked especially well for Linda because she didn’t have time to get nervous about singing in front of her classmates when she was forced to sing on the spot.

Another important aspect of Linda’s early training was developing breath control. Much like his surprise at Linda’s seemingly limitless range, Dr. Rossin recalls being surprised by her amazing lung capacity. He often worked with Linda and his other students on this area by having note-holding contests. One can only imagine the blue faces as the other members of the choir attempted to outlast Linda!

Dr. Rossin was fortunate enough to witness Linda’s transformation from shy choir participant to lead soloist and actress in school plays. The parallels from her high school career to her present career are unmistakable. Linda’s first choir solo, “Silent Night” is now one of the most popular and beautiful songs on her Christmas CD, CHRISTMAS STAYS THE SAME. Since her high school career, Linda and Dr. Rossin have worked together at two of Linda’s Minnesota Christmas concerts. Dr. Rossin directs an esteemed choir in Minnesota called “Exultate,” and when Linda came to Minnesota for her concerts, she called on Dr. Rossin and “Exultate” to perform with her. Reflecting on his earliest experiences with Linda, Dr. Rossin recalls that Linda was like a sponge, open to advice and willing to take as much as she could get. In his most recent experiences with Linda, he was struck by the seasoned performer she’s become. He reports that the role reversal was not awkward at all when working with Linda. He states that Linda “knows what shewants and knows her voice,” and it was easy to take advice and suggestions from her.

Linda at Miss Brainerd Pagent
(Courtesy of Caroline "Chuck" Olson)

Linda’s teachers were not the only ones who saw her talent despite her shy exterior. Leisha (Hammer) Tietz (’78) sat next to Linda in choir. She remembers Linda as being “a little on the shy side, gorgeous and tall.” As first sopranos in the choir, Leisha remembers that Linda was one of the few who could truly hit the high notes. One of Leisha’s most poignant memories of Linda occurred during a “contribution” day in choir that served as a way for choir members to get to know each other’s interests outside of music. On that day, Linda brought in one of her paintings (specifically the painting of the race horse that was shown in the Bravo Profile). Everyone was impressed by her artistic talent and began “oohing and aahing” in amazement. Leisha recalls that Linda handled being the center of attention with grace and modesty. Instead of letting the attention go to her head, Linda started laughing as the compliments started flowing. Leisha remembers hearing Linda’s rich hearty laugh a lot during choir practices. Leisha also participated with Linda in the Miss Brainerd Pageant. Having been in choir with Linda, she was not surprised by Linda’s talent when it was showcased publicly for the first time.

Miss Brainerd Pagent
(Courtesy of Caroline "Chuck" Olson)

Another pageant participant, Caroline “Chuck” Olson, remembers Linda as a very nice person who mostly kept to herself during the pageant. One of Chuck’s funniest and most endearing memories of Linda was that she tried to remember everyone and made such an effort to do so. One time after a concert at the Decathalon Club in Minneapolis, Chuck and Leisha stopped in to say hello to Linda. Upon seeing Chuck, Linda attempted to get her name right and said, “Butch, isn’t it?” Never fear! Chuck wasn’t offended. Instead she still laughs about it today and was touched that Linda attempted to get it right.

A friend of Linda’s, Carol (Davis) Lorentzen, remembers the first time Linda performed in a nightclub setting. During the winter, a local popular bar called Bar Harbor hosted “Jam Sessions” on Sunday nights. Carol reports that on the night of Linda’s performance, the place was roaring with activity. No one was really paying attention to the singers until Linda stepped on stage. Once she sang her first note, the place went dead silent. People were captivated by the voice!

One recurring theme from just about everyone I interviewed was that even though Linda may be in the limelight, she is still the modest Linda Eder they knew in high school. Each person I talked with mentioned that in their most recent encounters with Linda, they were struck that despite her success, there was nothing “put on” about her. She was still the Linda Eder they remembered from high school. Despite her amazing talents, people who knew Linda in her younger days remember and respect Linda’s most human qualities, namely her ability to just be herself and to relate to the people she encounters.

In her Brainerd High School Hall of Fame acceptance video, Linda offered some heartfelt words of encouragement to students of Brainerd High School: “I was going to be an artist. I had a great art teacher in high school and was going down the road to being an artist, but fate took me by the hand and led me in another way. You never know what your life is going to bring. Don’t brush off anything. Everything you learn will come back to you at one point and will be important in a way that you might not begin to realize. So stick with it, and if you have a dream, even if it seems silly to you, just keep going for it because you never know what might happen. It happened to me, and if it can happen to me, it can happen to anybody.”

As Linda prepares for the role of Camille Claudel at the Goodspeed, and hopefully after that a return to Broadway in the role, one thing is for sure. Linda was destined for this role. Her earliest foundation has prepared her for this role. Fate may have led Linda away from her life as an artist, but in a strange twist, it has brought her another opportunity to merge her two worlds and perhaps live out her dream to be an artist.