Photo courtesy of LIVE ON STAGE INC. Teresa Suber, who goes professionally by the name Teresa, is set to perform at Mifflin County High School on Sept. 29.

LEWISTOWN — She has sung at the White House, at Cape Canaveral, Fla., for a historic space shuttle launch, led a sing-a-long on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., for a quarter of a million Girl Scouts and earned two major record deals.

But Teresa Suber — who goes by just Teresa as a performer in the music industry — had a humble, quiet beginning to uncover her singing talent. Her story begins in the basement of her childhood home in West Hartford, Conn. A shy girl, Suber found the basement to be a quiet place to escape where she could emulate her favorite singer, Linda Ronstadt, one of the top-selling female rock artists of the 1970s.

In 1989, Suber left New England and followed her dream to Music City USA in Nashville, Tenn. to become “Garthina” Brooks, named of course after country music legend Garth Brooks.

“That was my dream and I finally got up the courage to go for it,” Suber recalled. “I packed up my truck and U-Haul trailer, turned the keys to my newly remodeled house over to my renters, four college guys and a Great Dane, and like the pioneers, my guitar and I headed west … in search of gold … records.”

When she arrived in Nashville, Suber said she encountered naysayers, whose only goal was to send her packing.

“You may have heard of them,” Suber quipped. “They’re only mission in life is to steal your dreams because theirs didn’t come true.”

Suber held steadfast to her dreams and went about her business, hitting all the open mic nights, singing and meeting people, and a few years into it, landed a record deal with Sony Music Nashville.

“I showed them, didn’t I?” retorted Suber at her critics. “I mean, who has time for that kind of darkness? I’m a positive person and never had any use for negativity and sarcasm. I was understandably excited about my good fortune and I couldn’t wait to tell the world, especially my best friend, Cady.”

Cady was Cady Coleman, a former NASA astronaut and retired colonel in the United States Air Force. Coleman flew twice on the Space Shuttle Columbia and spent almost six months living and working about the International Space Station.

At the time, Cady was a real pilot, a trainer to the Top Gun jet.

“Now, don’t get me wrong, she never brags, she’s a doll,” Suber said. “In fact, she’s pretty spectacular. But, naturally, Cady was my first call after I got my record deal because this was my chance to show her I was cool, too. So I rang her and when she answered, I announced, “Cady I’ve got great news.” Coleman blurted out, “Me too, I just got my launch date.”

Coleman was also an astronaut; A real life rocket scientist and she beat Suber again! Talk about timing.

“Never mind,” was all I could say. I was mad at her … for about a nanosecond, then I was overcome with joy; proud and inspired by my ‘Brave New Girl’ friend. And a song was born.” Suber said.

When Suber sent Coleman the recording of her song, she played it for her crew and the NASA Administrative staff and they declared “Brave New Girls,” the official Mission wake-up song.

“And Cady took me up in space with her,” Suber said. “How cool is that!”

Originally performing under the name Long Long Time, Suber’s show has evolved into Pure Ronstadt, a title that more fully captures its mission: to present the timeless music of Ronstadt with authenticity, soul, and heart.

A seven-time College Entertainer of the Year and two-time College Female Vocalist of the Year, Suber brings an unmatched energy, range and reverence to Ronstadt’s beloved catalog. Her musical journey was profoundly shaped by Ronstadt’s influence.

“Linda Ronstadt’s music was the soundtrack of my youth, and she’s the artist who inspired me to chase my dream of becoming a professional singer,” Suber said. “I was even blessed to work with her in the studio. She was recording background vocals on one of my songs — a moment I’ll never forget.

“I half-joked, but meant every word, ‘Can’t you just sing lead?’ Suber added. “Honestly, she could’ve out-sung me with her eyes closed. She smiled and said, ‘No, it’s your record.'”

That moment stuck with Suber. So did a simple, profound piece of advice Ronstadt gave her when she admitted she didn’t see herself as a trailblazer: “It’s not necessary to be original,” Ronstadt said. “What matters is that you are authentic.”

That quote became the foundation of Pure Ronstadt — a show dedicated not to imitation, but to honoring the authentic artistry of Ronstadt’s music.

Presented by the Mifflin-Juniata Concert Association, Teresa, an accomplished vocalist and instrumentalist, and her A-list band of musicians will bring their “Pure Ronstadt” tribute show about the music of the legendary Linda Ronstadt, to Mifflin County High School, located at 501 Sixth St., Lewistown, at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 29.

For more information call (717) 994-4535, or visit www.mjconcerts.org.