Remember Us!?

Well, it HAS been a long time! We thought we'd share some pictures, in no particular order, just to get caught up...

 Christmas is our favorite time of year for singing!

 Our first Concert with the Orem Arts in the Park Series. Dr. Christiansen was an incredible sponsor!

Hiking the Timp Caves for Brandy's Birthday. 

Getting our paint on to celebrate Camille's birthday.

Recording our rendition of the National Anthem. We need to record more! 

Visiting Camille in Cedar City, rehearsal was a good excuse! 

Our first Pentatonix Concert, we missed you Camille! 

Pretty girls! Twilight is over! 

We REALLY Love this Venue!

Haunted House Tour for Crystal's Birthday. SPOOKY! 

 Sunday Singing

RED lipstick! 

A Valentine's Concert for a local Music Club. Feel the LOVE! 

Our second Pentatonix concert. They're AMAZING!

There have been many life changes for each of us, but through it all we've continued to build upon our friendships while creating wonderful music to share.

Freedom Festival: Patriotic Service

What an honor it was for us to be asked to sing the National Anthem for the Freedom Festival's Patriotic Service. We've been asked how this came to be. Crystal usually responds, "Cuz we're awesome!" And although this is the truth, the details are kind of fun.  If you've been following, you know that we submitted an audition video for the Stadium of Fire Talent Search. In that contest, we were not even selected to be in the top forty. OUCH! But, this was the first time we put ourselves out there for judgement, so we took it in stride. We were happy we tried and looked at it as a good experience for growth. A month or so passed, and out of nowhere, we received a call from the Patriotic Service's Director/Producer. She said she had seen the video and wanted to know if we were willing to sing for the service. WILLING!?!? Yes, WILLING to BEG for the chance if necessary! Completely floored and excited, we got ourselves ready, while continuing to plan our upcoming concert.

When the day arrived, we weren't sure what to expect.  It was beyond our expectations! They took great care of us.

A dressing room of our own, snacks and dinner served, and the BEST hair and make-up artists we could ask for!

We also got to meet and visit with some of Utah's best talents, such as: Daniel Beck, who taught us that in California, something wasn't just awesome, it's "Hecka" awesome! Kerilyn Johnson, who Brandy mistook for Miss America because she is SO beautiful, was also incredibly nice and funny.  She really helped us to feel at ease. And Rigoletto star Joseph Paur, all we could say was "We loved you in Rigoletto"!
Miss Utah, Miss America, and the Las Vegas The Phantom of the Opera performer Benjamin Hale were also participants we were happy to rub shoulders with.  But our sweet friend for the day was a darling 11 year old who blew everyone away with her rendition of God Bless America. We are sad we can't remember her name, but we adored her as she kept finding us to stay close by.

We sang a National Anthem arrangement that came to us courtesy of Dr. Jason Heald. To his two part arrangement, Crystal added a third part harmony which fit Kismet's sound beautifully. We then did some interpretation and tweaking, which we like to call "Kismetizing a song". We are very happy with the finished product.

After singing we were seated in the special performers section to watch the rest of the show with our husbands and our Camille. Seated just behind us were our close friends and extended family members.  We took in the beautiful messages and music that inspired patriotism and gratitude for this great, God given country in which we live. We truly are PROUD to be Americans.

Road Trip!

Kismet was completely flattered and humbled to be asked to perform a mini concert for a wonderful group of ladies in Lyman, Wyoming. We made the drive to Lyman and performed some of our favorites, such as: Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, Baby Mine (featuring our fabulous friend and piano player Camille Black), and Defying Gravity. We also learned some new material just for the occasion: We Rejoice (an anthem for women of faith), a Jan Anderson arrangement of Love at Home, and the classic O Divine Redeemer were very well received and appropriate for the LDS Relief Society Birthday Event.  The most surprising thing of the night was the turnout!  We were honestly expecting maybe 20 people in a small intimate setting.  When we walked into the large cultural hall filled with banquet tables at which almost every seat was taken, we were FLOORED! I think there was 1 table left completely empty, but other than that it was a full house with awesome women ready to be entertained. I think there was a moment of panic since we had left our sound volunteers at home, and hadn't arranged for any lighting.  But we found a microphone that worked and kept the atmosphere light, fun, and casual! Everyone was warm and welcoming and we felt so appreciated and honored.  Thanks to all who arranged the event and had a hand in getting us there and helping us to feel at home.

Outside the singing, some of the favorite parts of the evening were just driving together and laughing and talking about any and everything! The after hours stop at a local diner to wind down was incredible fun.  So deliriously tired and giddy, we laughed more than we talked and really took in the fun and spirit of what we do together. We were blessed to uplift others with song, which in turn uplifted our souls and enhanced our friendship with one another. More, more, we want MORE!

Kismet (National Anthem).mov

So Long, Farewell, Good-Bye 2010

We enjoyed an incredible year of ups and downs, starts and stops, and eventually positive momentum and courage that inevitably brought about some exciting successes for Kismet.  We will always look back at 2010 as our year of rebirth, growth, and firsts for the three of us.

In 2010 we decided to be brave and began planning our first concert.  People who had heard us sing had been asking when it would happen. The encouragement of one of our sweet friends convinced us to try. Stepping away from the sacred music we were accustomed to singing for local LDS Church services, we expanded our portfolio and brought together our different styles and likes to create a set list we thought would be enjoyed by any audience member.  It was in the beginnings of our concert plans that we settled on the name KISMET.  A name Crystal had found and suggested, Jan and Brandy loved it immediately!  Before - a singing group, Now - KISMET!  Rebirth


The fire was lit! We went into full, long, and productive rehearsals.  It started to feel real when we had our pictures done. (Thank you again Candace) Then we faced: encountering fatigue, battling fear and criticism, balancing family and Kismet, dealing with dissapointment, then recognizing miracles and opportunities one after another.  The night of the concert came and as we performed, we were cheered on by our close friends, family, and some fans we didn't even know we had.  WE had done it!
We immediately turned our rehearsal time to preparing a Christmas program to be performed for a few LDS Relief Society dinners.  We recognize that this slowed down the KISMET momentum as far as becoming more well known and working on our own original and cover songs for future concerts.  But for us as individuals and as a group, singing sacred music keeps us centered and reminds us that we are blessed, not only that Jan had put us together, but that we had stuck together over the years.  Even as some hard times for our group hit, we three remained committed to singing together. And that commitment and faith has brought us here.  Growth


In 2010, Jan heard herself on a playback for the first time.  Finally, she could know first hand what her audience was hearing, and began to recognize her gifts.  Crystal, for the first time, shared her beautiful, original songs. Not just with the members of KISMET, but with our audience and fans as well.  Brandy, a long time stage performer, for the first time felt like she had found her place in that world of performance.  With friends who helped to strengthen her love for music.  Together, we had a name, got pictures done, sang whatever style we wanted to, performed entire set lists, sang with a sound system and lighting, and did it all professionally and with a lot of HEART.  Firsts  
(But definitely not lasts!)  Here's to what may come in 2011!

Introducing Kismet

Meet our bass/alto: Jan is an incredible talent, her four octave range blows us away. Her technical abilities are, to say the least, quite impressive as well. She is a very strong and determined person. Being the wife of a good man and the mother of five adorable children, she knows how to get things done. She is the reason this group is together. Her passion for music draws us to her. And her warmth and compassion keeps us close by. Jan has a beautiful voice, beautiful personality, beautiful soul........ Jan's just beautiful!

Our tenor/1st soprano: Crystal has many gifts she brings to the group. Besides her striking beauty, her vocal talent never ceases to impress us. The sweet tone and quality of her voice soothes and inspires the soul. Consistently pushing for more, she is our motivation for greatness. Her ambitious creativity inspires us to reach higher and stretch ourselves. Thus, only making us better for knowing and singing with her. With the support of her awesome husband and two great kids, she's destined for great things.

Our lead soprano: Brandy is amazing. Her beautiful voice has such a clear, controlled tone we become entranced every time she sings. Her desire for excellence, gives us so much motivation, to continue this journey. Brandy's genuine sweet nature is a trait that draws everyone to her and once you're in her presence you don't want to leave. Brandy and her sweet, supportive Husband have their hands full with three beautiful children. Brandy is love. Brandy is kindness. Brandy is gorgeous inside and out. Brandy is Kismet.