Gina Masland is a three-octave singer, jazz and classical pianist

Gina Masland is a three-octave singer, jazz and classical pianist, and cabaret performer. She's been the Musical Director for Summerstage at Leonia and the Players Guild of Leonia, as well as Music Minister for St. John's School and Holy Spirit Lutheran Church in Leonia.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CAROL KARELS

Gina Masland is directing a cabaret at the Drill Hall Theater this weekend.

She grew up in Thailand and Spain and graduated from Barat College of the Sacred Heart in Lake Forest, Ill., as a theater and music major. She and her late husband Tom, a reporter/editor for Newsweek, raised their three sons, Richard, Bobbie and James in Leoniaand Capetown, South Africa.

After her husband's death in 2005, she and her sons moved back to Leonia. For the past three years, she's directed cabaret singing workshops for the Players Guild. Her fifth cabaret show "Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow" will be held tomorrow night, Dec. 3 at the Drill Hall Theater on Grand Avenue at 8 p.m.

Q: Why did you spend your childhood in Thailand and Spain?

A: My father was an architect/engineer for the U.S. Navy. I've kept in touch with many of my international schoolmates on Facebook.

Q: Where did you start your musical career?

A: Chicago. I started out singing with a jazz trio on Michigan Avenue. I've played in piano bars, The Ritz Carlton, and The Backroom. I was an opening act at the Penthouse, Playboy Club for David Brenner, John Byner, and Henny Youngman. I was a rehearsal pianist for the Chicago Lyric Opera Company, played piano for Second City when Fred Kaz was on vacation, and I've even been a jingle singer.

Q: How did you meet your husband?

A: At Club Manhattan on Rush Street in Chicago. I was performing; he stopped in for a drink after work. At the time, he was the Midwest Bureau Chief for the Philadelphia Inquirer. I was impressed by his adventurous personality and his Pulitzer; he was impressed with my performance. We married two years later.

Q: What brought you to Leonia?

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Here's a sneak peek at SummerStage at Leonia's 2010 production of "A Grand Night for Singing!" This production is a new twist on Rodgers' and Hammerstein's classic hits. Visit www.leoniasummerstage.org for more info.