Resilient Women Who Rock

Celebrating Women’s History Month – March 2025
Resilient Women Who Rock

Presented by:

John Philip Shenale and Lisa Torem

Who should attend? Open to everyone!

Event Rundown: In honor of Women’s History Month, Lisa Torem and John Philip Shenale will discuss strengths of successful female acts, with whom they’ve worked, and point out how these “Sheroes” have creatively navigated setbacks. To further illustrate, they will play related excerpts of Phil’s collaborative work (as producer/arranger/composer) and show visuals. Phil has worked in the industry for 50 years, most notably as string arranger for 35 years on almost every studio album by Tori Amos. In addition, Phil has worked with other Grammy-nominated acts: The Bangles, Olivia Newton John, Bette Midler, Janet Jackson, Belinda Carlisle, among many others.

Lisa has interviewed about 200 industry professionals for local and international print and online outlets, including Judy Collins, Janis Ian, Darlene Love, Suzy Quatro, Rita Coolidge, Buffy Sainte-Marie, among others. Lisa co-wrote memoirs with Jim Peterik and Ava Cherry, and wrote solo books about the studio work of Tori Amos, Billy Joel, Suzanne Vega and The Beach Boys.

More About John “Phil” Shenale:
In 1984, Los Angeles-based arranger/composer/producer John Philip Shenale co-wrote the title track for Janet Jacks’s Dream Street album. In 1988, he arranged the strings and played
keyboards, piano and bass on the Bangles’ massive hit, The Eternal Flame. Also in 1988, his keyboards sweetened Belinda Carlisle’s hit single, Mad About You’s and he arranged
and played keyboards on Olivia Newton John’s album, The Rumor.

Moving into the 90s, he played keyboards on Tracy Chapman’s Grammy nominated, five-times platinum record of the year New Beginning.

He also arranged and played keyboards on Bette Midler’s Bathhouse Betty infusing it with a
uniquely sensitive perspective. In addition, Phil has collaborated and arranged strings for
nearly every studio album of the multi-platinum, Grammy nominated artist Tori Amos since her 1994 breakthrough album Under the Pink.