Biography
Award-winning ventriloquist, writer, musician, composer, and performer Valerie Leonhart Smalkin was one of the writers, performers, and co-producers, as well as the head puppeteer, of the Emmy award winning television program It's Kindertime on Baltimore’s ABC affiliate WMAR-TV 2. Her CDs have received Parents’ Choice Awards and her book, Springtime Dance, took gold in the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards in 2014 for books with music.
As a recipient of a Maryland State Arts Council grants for solo non-classical performance in 2015, and for solo theatre performance in 2016, and again in 2019, Val continues to perform and compose music designed for the 2 to 10-year-old set. As a ventriloquist, Val performs for family and educational events in Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York City, California, Cap d’Antibes, France, and Brussels, Belgium. As a jazz chanteuse Val has lperformed at New York's famous Birdland Jazz Club.
Valerie Leonhart Smalkin
410.458.3326
Advisory Board Member The Children's Music Network
Advisory Board Member www.TAFFYPresents.org
Maryland State Arts Council Award Winner
Parents' Choice Recommended Love Bug! Cd
Show Description
Silly Goose and Val present a fast-paced, humorous 40-minute musical treat with puppets, storytelling, ventriloquism, dancing, singing, and 100% audience participation. A recipient of multiple Maryland State Arts Council Grants for theatre performance and non-classical composition, Val and her friends will delight the child with and within you!