Hailing from New Jersey and currently residing in California, singer-songwriter Beatrix’s musical journey includes Wabash.

An alum of Honeywell Arts Academy, Beatrix released her debut album, Vertigo, in July. 

“I released this album independently and was lucky enough to get playlisted on some major playlists on Apple Music and Spotify,” Beatrix said in a phone interview. “That exposed me to a whole new audience.”

She will get more exposure when she stops at Eagles Theatre in Wabash on Saturday, Feb. 15, for an intimate show as The Parkview Ballroom is converted into a “club-like atmosphere.”

Unexpected journey

Growing up in Short Hills, New Jersey, Arielle Beatrice Kasnetz had a strategy when applying to get into Vanderbilt University.

“When I went to school, I thought I wanted to be a doctor,” she said. “I only applied to one school for music, and that was Vanderbilt. I happened to get in early. So, I had to go there, because it was sort of an early decision binding agreement. 

“I auditioned for the music program because I honestly thought it would set me apart as an applicant. I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I could get into this school if I show my music major talents, but it might be more difficult to get in as just a regular biology major.’ So, I kind of fell into it.”

College rekindled a passion in music that wasn’t necessarily there when her parents enrolled her in piano lessons at a young age.

“I did start playing piano at 6, but honestly, my parents took me to the lessons, and I was not really paying attention,” she said. “I was playing with the cats that my teacher had. So, I didn’t really start playing piano again until college, because it was a requirement for my degree to learn some piano.”

Graduating from Vanderbilt in 2020, Beatrix quickly added to her musical portfolio.

“Guitar, I picked up during the pandemic,” she said. “I had gotten one as a birthday present, and it had begun collecting dust. But then I had all this free time. So, I started playing guitar in 2020, and that’s when I began writing, too.”

Finding way to Wabash

Through a Vanderbilt classmate’s job at management company Park Avenue Artists, Beatrix moved to New York where she got a gig singing the national anthem for New York Islanders home games.

That job was hooked up through Parkview Avenue Artists’ co-president David Lai. A client of Parkview Avenue Artists are the Grammy- and  Emmy-winning trio Time For Three, which include Charles Yang, Nicholas Kendall, and Wabass Institute co-founder Ranaan Meyer.

Along with Eric Larson and Hal Robinson, Meyer began Wabass in 2008 “to inspire the next generation of distinguished double bassists” through scholarships and mentorship in Wabash.

In 2020, Resonance Institute and Soundboard Institute joined Wabass, forming Honeywell Arts Academy.

With a connection to Meyer, Beatrix found herself spending a week in Wabash in 2022, learning from professionals alongside aspiring performers.

“It was a real interesting program,” she said. “I majored in classical music in college, I majored in classical voice, and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do exactly with that degree after I graduated. I knew I didn’t want to become an opera singer. I had just started writing my own music and singing a bit of jazz.

“The Resonance program is designed for people like me who studied classical music, but are then going on to do things outside the classical realm and experimenting. So, I got to meet a bunch of like-minded people and collaborate with them. It just kind of opened my mind into the way that I could use my voice and technique I learned in school in different ways.”

Releasing album

About a year after honing her craft at Honeywell Arts Academy, Beatrix was recording Vertigo with Charles Myers in his studio nestled in the basement of a New York City apartment complex.

Released in July, Vertigo fuses “brooding intensity and poignant vulnerability,” a press release says. 

Inspired by ’90s alternative rock, indie singer-songwriters, and chamber pop instrumentation, Beatrix cites inspiration from the likes of Elliott Smith, Mitski, Fiona Apple, and Sufjan Stevens.

While her voice is distinguishable, the first thing you’ll notice about publicity for the album is Beatrix in subdued clown makeup. 

“The title track is about feeling like I’m an acrobat and I’m balancing on a tightrope, trying not to fall in love with someone,” she said. “I had all this circus imagery that came to me when I was writing that song. 

“It’s also just sort of an exaggeration of my everyday look. I kind of wear red lipstick and eyeliner. So, I was just really drawn to clowns and how they exaggerate their facial expressions for audiences.”

As she continues to promote Vertigo, she’s already looking forward. 

“I’ve been performing quite a bit here in L.A. and have been taking it out on the road,” she said. “Hopefully, I’ll be opening for someone sometime this year, maybe in the summer or fall. That’s the next step in promoting this album. 

“Honestly, right now, I’m focused on my new project, which we began recording (in mid-January).”

And you’ll hear some of those selections on Feb. 15 at Eagles Theatre.

“I’m going to be performing with Charles Myers, who’s an incredible guitarist and produced most of my first record,” she said. “It’s going to be a duo show. I’m going to play a lot of songs from my first record and then some new ones that I haven’t played before.”