Benefit Dinner To Be Held Before ‘Phantom’ Production

Benefit Dinner To Be Held Before ‘Phantom’ Production

Altus Times

Teri Bibb played the role of Christine Daaé in “the Phantom of the Operat” more than 1,000 times on Broadway and with the national tour, singing a command performance at the White House for both former Presidents Clinton and Bush and earning a Helen Hayes Award nomination and a Carbonell Award along the way. 

On Monday, Nov. 21, Bibb will perform show tunes at the Altus High School cafeteria for the Lasagna Dinner before the Altus High School’s All School Production of “Phantom of the Operat” at 7 pm. The dinner will begin seating at 5 p.m., with Bibb performing at 6:15 p,m. Proceeds from the dinner will benefit the AHS Choir program.

Bibb’s father was a flight engineer at Altus Air Force Base when the family moved here. She attended Roosevelt Elementary School and Southeast Junior High. While at Altus High School, she made All State Band and All State Choir two years and was an alternate to the McDonald’s All American High School Band her senior year.  Teri played Carrie Pipperidge in “Carousel” her junior year and was Dolly in “Hello Dolly” as a senior. 

She not only excelled musically, but she was also the Co-Valedictorian for the Class of 1978. She graduated from Oklahoma City University where she majored in music and was classically trained as a soprano. While attending college, Bibb won the title of Miss OCU and finished in the top 10 for the 1982 Miss Oklahoma Pageant. [Nancy Chapman, also from Altus won the title that year.]

A veteran of over 50 musicals, her professional credits playing the title role in “Fanny” the late José Ferrer and starring in the world premieres of two new musicals:  “Songs from the Tall Grass” at the Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. and “Children of the Night” with the Katselas Theatre Company in Beverly Hills, for which she received a 2009-2010 Ovation Award nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Musical.

Bibb has been a featured soloist in gala tributes honoring Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stephen Sondheim, and Harold Prince, including "The Broadway Prince" at Carnegie Hall and seven annual "The Night of 1,000 Voices" concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall. She sang duets with tenor José Carreras at Radio City Music Hall, and starred in "One Enchanted Evening" in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She has sung with orchestras across the US, including the Santa Fe, St. Louis, Cape and Pacific Symphonies, the California Philharmonic and the New York Pops; and can be heard on the recordings "Unsung Irving Berlin" and "A Gala Concert for Hal Prince.”

In Los Angeles, where she lives with her husband, fellow performer Andy Umberger, played Clara in the LA concert premiere of Sondheim's “Passion” and was featured in “Rodgers & Hammerstein” for the Reprise Theatre Company. She has sung on several film scores including “Ice Age” and “Polar Express.  She has been a supporting player on film, guest starred on television, and been a featured soloist on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.”  She currently performs in concerts across the country with The Phantom’s Leading Ladies,a trio of Christines from Broadway’s “The Phantom of the Opera”.

“What makes all of these accomplishments even more meaningful is that Altus is where she got her start,” observed Maurice King, retired drama teacher at AHS who directed her in “Carousel” and Hello Dolly.”

In the days before opening night, Bibb will perform and speak to the cast of “The Phantom of the Opera” about her experiences in pursuing a performing arts career. Her talk will focus on encouraging them to be self-confident and to continue to their skills and talents and to increase their respect and appreciation of and for the performing arts.

Patti Ray, AHS Choir Director, will be the accompanist and King will introduce Bibb at the Lasagna Dinner Benefit. Tickets for the dinner maybe purchased in the lobby of the Eula B. Peterson Auditorium from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Nov. 14 through Nov. 21. Tickets are $15 each with discounts for multiple ticket purchases. Separate tickets for “The Phantom of the Opera” may be purchased during the times mentioned also.

Special thanks to the Shortgrass Arts and Humanities Council, Ken Ferguson of NBC Bank and the Hampton Inn.