Cranford Native Names Debut Album After Hometown Park

CRANFORD – Musician Kelli Bruno, a former Cranford resident, will launch her debut album with a free concert in Nomahegan Park on May 5 beginning at 2 p.m.

The 28-year-old Bruno will perform several cuts from “Nomahegan,” an original album named after the park and lake near where she grew up, recalling countless childhood memories. All music and lyrics on the record are original, written by Bruno over a three-year period.

“I gradually wrote the songs and finished them by the end of 2017,” said Bruno, a 2009 graduate of Cranford high school. “I reached out last year to a friend and audio engineer, Jason Zivic, and thankfully he wholeheartedly agreed to record my album. It took about seven months to finish. I recorded tracks six and 12 on my own, then released the album on CD and digital streaming services on Nov. 21, 2018.”

Currently, Bruno is a Program Manager at Musicians On Call (MOC), a non-profit
organization whose mission is to bring live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities. She also serves as a volunteer Musician with MOC, playing bedside for hospital patients throughout New York City.

Bruno attended Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa., where she studied music and film, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2013.

The May 5 set list in the park will include select songs from the album, including “Nomahegan,” “Oh, For Everything,” and “The Dogwood Tree.”

At Cranford High School Bruno was a member of the Concert Choir and Madrigal Choir and National Honor Society.

An athlete at CHS, she was a two-sport letter-winner in soccer and softball, helping lead the 2009 softball team to the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 2 final; and was named to The Star-Ledger’s First Team All-Union and Group 2 state softball squads. Bruno is a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Cranford, the Chancel Choir and Jubilee Handbell Choir.

Bruno performed at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park last month. She’s also performed at Crossroads in Garwood and at several clubs in New York City, including The Bitter End, which has featured artists such as Billy Joel, David Crosby, Carlie Simon, George Thorogood and Neil Young since its opening in 1961. Other New York City clubs Bruno has played at include Rockwood Music Hall, Pianos, and The Delancey.

The opening of the “Nomahegan” track features layered recordings of actual bird sounds from the park, recorded in the summer of 2018, while handbells are featured at the end of Track 12. A self-taught guitar player, she has honed her skills on the piano, violin, harmonica and ukulele.

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