Local Fan Gets to Sing Duet With Her Idol

You’ve seen the clip. A girl in the crowd at The Garden is spotlighted, and sings with her idol, Josh Groban.

Though completely surprised, she sings a duet that delights the crowd and leaves them wondering who she is. That was two weeks ago, and Peabody’s Bridget Conway has begun to move on. But now that some time has passed, you may be starting to ask yourself how it is that she was even able to do such a thing.

On average, most starstruck fans can’t actually sing that well themselves. But to anyone who saw Conway as a student in the school production of “The Sound of Music” at Peabody Veterans Memorial High School, her recent moment in the spotlight wouldn’t have been as much of a surprise.

Conway says she was “involved in almost all of the performing arts groups… especially in chorale, Stage One, and the pep band,” during high school, which gave her plenty of opportunities to sing before an audience.

Conway graduated in 2008 and is now entering her senior year at Johnson State College in Vermont, majoring in musical theater and technical theater. Not only does she have a musical background, but she’s also currently studying performance as a profession.

Conway said she was completely surprised by the request that led to her singing with her idol. At the urging of the onstage “Text Josh your questions” commercial before the concert, Conway’s sister Shannon had sent in a request, “Can my sister sing on stage with you?” without telling Bridget.

“When he first announced Shannon’s name and seat, I was excited that he chose one of our questions…I remember covering my face with my hands because I was shocked and in disbelief…that he would actually do it!” she recalled. “But then he asked if I was there and [said], ‘Can you bring it?’”

In fact, she could “bring it” and did, surprising Groban himself with the performance on “The Prayer.”

She said, “I knew that it was on and I embraced it. As I shimmied out of my row and made my way down the stairs, I was getting so nervous…but I knew that I only had one chance to prove that I can ‘bring it and not blow it.’ So when I heard the chord being played, I knew that I had to put nerves aside and give it my all.”

“The professional in me knew that the show must go on and let’s show what I have. And by the crowd’s (and Josh’s) reaction, I guess it went well,” she said.

So what now? Once you’ve nailed a duet with one of your musical idols, it has to boost your belief in yourself.

Conway replied modestly: “I am expecting nothing career-wise. After I graduate in the spring, I can keep a job working backstage, but I do have dreams of the ultimate goal of Broadway.”