Monday@JoJo’s is a women’s vocal group dedicated to sharing our love of music with the community. Our repertoire includes standards, pop and jazz, both a cappella and accompanied. We specialize in musical entertainment for all types of events.
Monday@JoJo’s is:
The director and accompanist for Monday@JoJo’s, Diana Tyson has music in her bones! She started picking out melodies on the piano around age 3 and began lessons at 4! Music has been the main theme throughout Diana’s life story: playing and singing at church, with musical theater, and for choral groups. She currently directs two women’s singing groups and accompanies a third! You can also find Diana “in the field” as a Realtor with Keller Williams. She is married, with two adult children, two grandchildren, and a cute Yorkie, Riley.
Beverly Allen caught the singing/acting bug from her parents. She recorded backgrounds on Evanescence’s gold record, “Fallen”; performed featured solos with the Millennium Choir (including performing at the Vatican); and played Cole Porter’s wife in a national tour of “Red, Hot and Cole”. She has also done lots of local theatre. Beverly teaches second grade, and enjoys directing both her students’ musical plays and the staff comedy troupe. In her spare time, she occasionally performs with her jazz pianist husband, Craig, and enjoys spending time with him and their super cute dog, Gabby.
Shawn Kelly was steeped in jazz and classical music from birth. Her mom was a professional choral vocalist, while her dad was an audiophile and collector of classical and jazz recordings. From singing in church choirs since childhood to touring Europe with her high school a cappella choir, performing with the UCLA University Chorus and rocking the jazz, pop and standards with Monday@JoJo’s, singing has always been a passion. A portrait artist and graphic designer by day, Shawn is married and the mother of three amazing adults. She looks forward to many more years of making beautiful music with her good friends in Monday@Jojo’s!
Without Heidi Wood-Brown, there’s no heartbeat. Heidi is our anchor alto. Her voice adds rich tonal bass notes to all of the Monday@Jojo’s arrangements. Heidi’s love of music began as a young child. Music was in her family home. She first studied piano and then moved on to playing the saxophone through high school with concert band, marching band, and jazz band. She sang in her church choir for many years and paired that with community theatre, performing with the Note-able Singers Show Choir in Bloomington, MN prior to moving to LA in 2009 to marry her husband Rick. She is blessed to have found her LA sisters with the Jojo’s and the rest is history. When she’s not making music, she enjoys working as a marketing consultant with 911MEDIA and Toluca Lake Magazine – A division of Trade News International, Inc., and as a skin care consultant with Rodan + Fields. Heidi loves spending time at the beach, enjoys golfing, biking, swimming, boating, walking & hiking with her dog Peanut. Heidi & Rick love to entertain. You might even catch the Jojo’s doing an impromptu gig at the their next gathering! SKOL!
Jean Sommerville grew up in a musical family, playing piano, clarinet, violin, and glockenspiel in school, community, and honor bands and orchestras and listening to her Dad’s jazz records. The daughter of a piano teacher, and granddaughter of a tenor soloist and choir director, Jean sang in church and school choirs and at family gatherings from a very early age. In college she sang with choirs and small a cappella groups, and appeared on stage and in acoustically perfect stairwells. She directed a summer cabaret for five years and a children’s choir. Jean is married and has an adult daughter and two very busy grandsons who sing and dance with her.
Denise Dillard has worked as an actress/singer in many cities in the US and abroad. Favorite roles include Claire in “Fuddy Meers” (Colony Theater, Burbank, CA) Rose Weiss in “A Shayna Maidel” (Colony), Luisa in “The Fantastiks (Edinburgh Festival, Scotland), the title role in “Euridice” (Soho Rep, New York, NY). She received her B.A. from Pomona College, graduated with distinction from the Drama Studio London, and studied and worked in New York for many years. Monday@JoJo’s marks a return to performing for Denise. She is thrilled to be working with such accomplished musicians and powerful women.
The Monday@JoJo’s Story:
Originating from a shared passion for music, Bev, Heidi, and Shawn embarked on a journey together in 2011, paving the way for the captivating ensemble you see today. With the addition of more voices and the exceptionally talented Diana Tyson, our group flourished under her leadership, crafting a unique sound that resonates with audiences far and wide. Though our numbers have fluctuated over the years, our essence remains intimate, with a core group of five to nine dedicated singers. Nestled in the La Crescenta/Glendale area, we bring our melodic magic to a diverse array of venues and events, from lively outdoor festivals to cozy wine bars, from spirited fundraisers to heartfelt church gatherings. Among our cherished performances, the Montrose Shopping Park holds a special place in our hearts, where we’ve serenaded crowds at Wine Walks, festive Christmas events, and bustling Harvest Markets. We have even lent our voices to the La Canada Memorial Day Parade, singing from atop a stakebed truck.
Our repertoire spans the decades, from timeless standards to contemporary hits, encompassing the melodies of Gershwin, the nostalgia of the Andrews Sisters, the swing of Duke Ellington, and the timeless tunes of Lennon and McCartney. Whether singing a cappella or accompanied, as a trio or part of the whole ensemble, we infuse each performance with passion and precision.
Curious about our name? Allow us to unravel the mystery. We rehearse every Monday evening, and two of us share the middle name “Jo.” Thus, Monday@Jojo’s was born, a testament to our shared dedication and musical kinship.
We are a proud member of the California Women’s Chorus, a non-profit group of women’s vocal ensembles from all over California. Their mission is to award scholarships to deserving career vocal music students.