Gretchen Reinhagen first hit the professional music scene at the tender age of five, fronting for her father's band at the Cape Cod nightclub, The Farm, singing a cover of Karen Carpenter's “Sing” as well as that classic standard “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”. Yes, Gretchen delighted employees and their families at The Farm's annual staff holiday party, and a Christmas ham was truly in the making. The highlight of the evening for keyboardist Bill Deechan, was when Gretchen turned to him mid-song and said “TAKE IT!” The highlight of the evening for Gretchen was standing outside with Dad between sets, watching for Santa's sleigh.

After those early days on the stage, Gretchen was hooked. Too young to continue on the nightclub circuit, she performed in local and school theaters, first landing the title role in Annie. (Interestingly, she grew up to play Miss Hannigan in multiple productions of the same show!)

A true Gemini, Gretchen has had many lives, not the least of which was as a teacher. She received her B.A. in Music from Pepperdine University in 1994, and went on to become a teacher in the California desert communities of Coachella and Salton City . While, neighboring communities such as Palm Springs and Palm Desert had flourishing performing arts programs in their schools, Coachella had virtually none. Gretchen began directing shows at Coachella Valley High School , and went on to develop a brand new music program for a smaller k-12 school in the district, Sea View West Shores School , in Salton City . In two years she developed an Elementary School chorus, as well as Junior High & High School chorus and band.

Gretchen got a huge thrill from teaching and performing along side her students, and became forever known as Miss Hannigan, after performing the role at the McCallum Theater in Palm Desert . One of her favorite memories was during a production of Oliver! in which she played Nancy . After a particularly dark scene where Bill Sykes is rather rough with Nancy , one of the orphans from the show was found crying in the wings. When asked why she was crying she replied “That mean man is hurting Miss Hannigan!”

After many wonderful years spent in California, Gretchen said a teary goodbye to her students and moved her home base to New York. She's since performed in a broad range of theaters and concert halls from the House of Blues in New Orleans to the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh, Scotland. A few of her favorite professional credits include Janis Joplin in Beehive, Louise Segar in Always Patsy Cline, Domina in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the lead role of the therapist in the premier of Mother Me Therapy at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York, and the Queen Mother in European premier of Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland.

Recently, Gretchen launched a new career in Cabaret, having produced two new shows in New York with Musical Director Steven Silverstein and Director Michael Perreca. “Cabaret Scenes” calls her “an unusually animated performer, ready willing and able to torch a number, parody it or belt it.” She lives in New York with her long-time partner Deborah Meyers, a jewelry designer and owner of DK Meyers Art Jewelry. Which means…you guessed it…she's the best accessorized cabaret singer in New York!