By Sabrina Finn ’14, Contributor

“What makes Annie special is that she sings from [her] heart for the sheer joy of singing,” said Mrs. Andi Mapes about talented singer Annie Mullee ’14, who is gaining popularity for her music inside and outside of CCDS. Not only does Mullee sing, she also writes her own songs and has performed them at school.

Mullee has her own page on the website thesixtyone.com, where she posts information about herself alongside many of the songs she has written. Although Mullee has only a handful of songs on her page, she has some popular songs like “Spectacular,” which she sang (while playing the piano) at the 2011 Spring Talent Show. One of Mullee’s biggest performances was when she sang the national anthem before a Reds game at Great American Ballpark. She also sang the national anthem at a CCDS football game in 2010. Mrs. Mapes said Mullee is “as confident performing an original song on the piano in front of three hundred of her classmates… as she is performing the Star Spangled Banner a cappella in front of 30,000 fans.”

The Upper School talent show isn’t the only time Mullee has been seen onstage. Mullee has performed in almost every stage opportunity at CCDS, as well as some outside of school. She was a part of the Seussical the Musical cast in February 2011,  an essential figure in singing the beautiful harmony that played a large part in the show. “Singing and dancing while wearing a bird costume is no easy feat unless you’re Annie Mullee,” Mrs. Mapes said. Mullee’s voice isn’t her only talent: she plays instruments as well. Often, her songs are accompanied by her piano and guitar skills. Mullee cites her father as the one who really inspired her love of music.

Drasma director Mark Femia stated that Mullee’s performance abilities are amazing. “I’m always excited about students who participate in theatre but also bring their own material to the program… I’m glad that [Annie] does that so well.” While Mullee’s talents are numerous and she has already proven her musical and theatrical abilities, CCDS should expect much more from this gifted performer. Mullee said, “I have been performing for mostly all of my life, or at least ever since I can remember. There’s nothing like being on a stage.”

Listen to Annie’s music at http://www.thesixtyone.com/#/AnnieMullee312/

Photo by Ilana Habib ’11.