CWMP 2023 Team, East and West
Chris Wade
Executive Producer and Creator
Chris has been involved in the Entertainment and Music Industry and the Theatrical Production business since he was a young boy. From age 10-16, Chris sang with the All-American Boys Chorus in Southern California, where he made his friends sing harmony and formed the first version of “The Accidentals”, accidentally, of course! Leading roles in musicals followed in high school, college and regional theatre. Directly out of college at Wagner College by way of California Lutheran University, Chris was placed on Holland America Line as production cast lead singer/dancer and went on to perform throughout his 20's on nine different cruise contracts as production singer (Carnival and HAL).
Chris moved [back!] to NYC and attended the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop. His original musicals include: Great Leap Forward (music and lyrics), seen at 59E59 Theatres, Such Sweet Sorrow / Scenes from a Balcony (music, book) at Theater for the New City (and then in 2018 produced by Riverside Unified School District for 1st Honors Musical at The Fox Riverside/Live Nation), and 29LIVES at various off-off bway NYC and Los Angeles locations, which is now an online original musical song-cycle, adapted to film by Chris, called 29LIVES the series. (www.29LIVEStheSeries.com)
In 2008, in NYC Chris began singing with Definitely Dickens Holiday Singers as well as with the East Coast division of The Yuletide Carolers. In 2010, Chris began musical directing The Yuletide Carolers, and in late 2011, was appointed as Director the NY division. Chris returned to ships, but this time as Piano/Singer Entertainer and played and sang in the ships piano bars and lounges as Principal Musician on NCL's Getaway and Breakaway, as well as P&O Australia.
In early 2013 Chris was contacted by a country club in NY that had seen a performance of his on The Late Show with David Letterman with the group “The Beltway Bunch” (By way of Martz Company). Chris created and produced an original political satire musical song and dance revue called “National Nonsense" for the country club and Chris Wade Music Productions was officially born. Soon after, October, 2013 brought forth The Jolly Holidays Caroling Company and CWMP was off and running. Shortly thereafter, Chris received requests from repeat Clients and Event Planners for Barbershop Quartet and Chris revived The Accidentals (now, #TheAccidentals!) who hadn't sang their tunes since the early 90s! #TheAccidentals have gone on to appear in a National Commercial for GEICO, playing basketball and singing barbershop, and appearing on the 2021 Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade, singing an original Barbershop arrangement of by Chris (per Macys request for parade), to celebrate the return of Toys R Us, singing "Toys R Us Kid".
Another repeat Client in early 2014 was looking for a Gospel group to sing at a party (where they met Don Cheadle!) and Chris called on his singer friend from his cruise ship production singer days, and RAISE was formed! The past few years has seen RAISE as official singers for ABC's David Ono's "Defining Courage", on the Academy Gala with Vogue, singing with Daybreaker on tour with Oprah nationally, on Oprah's 2020 Vision Tour and appearing on numerous TV shows and music videos.
Oh, and that initial first thing Chris produced and wrote National Nonsense? Just last July we were flown to perform in Boston at the JFK Museum to perform the updated version! And The Jolly Holidays Carolers in NYC just performed their 10th Season!
Chris is incredibly grateful for the adventure of making new fresh Live and Recording Music and performances for our valued Clients, and is also honored to work with such fine vocal musicians and collaborators all right here in our amazing little music company called CWMP.
Shawn Farrar
NYC and East Coast Director of Operations
Shawn Farrar has been working with Chris since joining the cast of 29LIVES in NYC back in 2008. Since then, Shawn has been a part of multiple CWMP endeavors as a performer, including Such Sweet Sorrow at Theatre for the New City, B-twix’d, NÜMZ, The Belmont Four, The Jolly Holidays, and numerous special projects over the years. Notable recent CWMP Management Credits: #TheAccidentals on Macys Parade 2021, NÜMZ (Music Supervisor & Management) at The Met 2021, National Nonsense at JFK Library & Museum 2022.
In addition to her work with CWMP as a performer and Company Manager, Shawn is a classically trained Mezzo-Soprano who is at home in a variety of genres. She particularly enjoys interpreting the works of Mozart, Kurt Weill, and Stephen Sondheim. Shawn has performed all over the country, including with Knoxville Opera Company, Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Des Moines Metro Opera, Clarence Brown Theatre, and here in NYC with Utopia Opera, dell’Arte Opera, Opera on Tap, and Camerata Piccola. Highlights of her performance history include Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, Second Lady in Die Zauberflöte, La chatte in L’Enfant et Sortilèges, The Witch in Into the Woods, The Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd, and Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Shawn is also a Master Teaching Artist with The Metropolitan Opera Guild.
Janelle Portman
CWMP West Company Manager
Janelle met Chris in the first regional production of Miss Saigon (FCLO 2005) as he flung her high into the air while standing on a table top in the opening number "The Heat is On in Saigon" (!!!) and together they're still singing and dancing and sharing their passion of performance together!
In 2009 Janelle was in Chris' 29LIVES musical song-cycle in Hollywood and in 2016 began singing with RAISE, and can be heard on the Gospel recordings RAISE did for BMI Sync Placement (our Amazing Grace from that session was recently placed in Medea's Funeral ads!!) Janelle has also performed in CWMP groups The Jolly Holidays, Country Phunk and National Nonsense, and often as a Dance Captain.
Speaking of Dance Captain, Janelle was seen on Broadway in "Allegiance" with George Takei where she served as Dance Captain!
Sonia Harley
CWMP Brands Consultant
Sonia has been singing with Chris as an original member of RAISE, since the first rehearsal in 2014! Sonia can be seen in the media with RAISE in a New Balance commercial, featured soloist and guest with RAISE on Oprah's 2020 Vision Tour (via Daybreaker), Fox's Game of Talents, Nat Geo's Brain Games on the Road, and CW's Christmas Caroler Challenge and more!
Sonia is a recording artist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and currently also serves as lead singer for Fishbone's Angelo Moore's The Missing Links (recent 3 month residence with Revive at Viviana, and has been heard on the radio on ads for Ross, Google, Orange Vanilla Coke and more
David Albulario -
Custom Lyricist,
Music Supervisor & Copyist
Dave and Chris first worked together musically as singers in The All American Boys Chorus, and then later in NYC in Chris' off-off-bway developmental musical series 29LIVES. An actor, musician and director, David is the creator of his own theatre production company, New Heights Production in Orange County.
Josh Munnell,
Sound & Recording Engineer, Vocal Mixer
Josh Munnell joined CWMP in 2016 singing with #Accidentals. He’s enjoyed the privilege of singing with them in a GEICO commercial, Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade and around Southern California! When he’s not singing with CWMP, Josh is a professional live and studio singer and vocal producer.