Emily and Tessa Trahms have been singing together for as long as they can remember. Family legend has it that each of them came into the world not crying but singing. Music was always a major priority at home. For more than a decade Em and Tess have been singing at family gatherings, church services, weddings, and important celebrations that call for beautiful melodies, meaningful lyrics, and heart-warming harmonies.
There is a sweet "girls-next-door" charm about the Trahms Sisters, about the Trahms Sisters, while at the same time their delightful harmonizing reflects the meticulous precision of gifted professionals. This brief bio can't describe their tremendous visual and aural appeal. They must be heard and seen to be fully appreciated. One of the most significant factors in the singing sisters’ music is their sincerity, beginning with their billing (they really are sisters) and carrying through to the enthusiasm and warmth they put into each song.
The girls first performed for friends and relatives and then went "on stage" at church benefits and civic functions. They look sweet, sing sweet, and have a certain intangible spiritual quality. Among the musical genres in which they specialize are sacred music, contemporary Christian, and American pop standards—those great songs that made their mark on the American musical culture beginning in the 30's. This trio has always shared an interest in the great tunes of the past.
Emily sings, plays violin and piano. Tessa, when not harmonizing, plays flute, piano and guitar. She has also composed a number of songs. Among their musical experiences over the years, the girls both played in the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras, traveling and performing for four consecutive seasons.
And then there is pianist Teddy Stempo, which is actually a nickname given by Tessa to her uncle Jim Lueptow a/k/a Jim Gregory. Teddy is at home on almost any instrument, as his resume indicates. In the 70's he was the drummer with The Original Dirt Rag Dixieland Jazz Band and The Steele Trio. In the 80's he was bassist with a 60’s cover band called the Conservatives, and he was keyboardist with Ivory Library. As Jim Gregory, Teddy recorded and released a number of singles in the 70's, one that featured jazz flutist Tim Weisberg. His session work includes playing keyboards for singer songwriter Robert J.
Teddy, like the Trahms Sisters, was a church musician as a kid, and has been performing music of one kind or another for over thirty years. His favorite musicians have always been his nieces, whom he has accompanied since they began performing as children. Teddy, Emily, and Tessa recently released "Songs That Made The Hits Parade", a CD featuring their favorite 40’s songs. They plan to compile an inspirational CD in the near future, which will include several well-loved hymns, as well as some of Tessa's original compositions.
People, who enjoy the American pop standards of the 30's, 40's, and 50's along with unique arrangements of more contemporary tunes, are finding great pleasure in the live performances of the Trahms Sisters with Teddy Stempo. They’re also enjoying music from the "Songs That Made The Hit Parade" CD on Music of Your Life Radio stations from coast to coast.
