Whitney performer raced to record first album before cancer surgery

The first full week of September was a full one for Whitney-area resident Kristen Hertzenberg, who plays Christine Daae, the lead female role in "Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular."

On Monday, she finished recording her first album. During the week, She had her regular production schedule at Phantom and the challenges of taking care of her 2-year-old daughter. On Friday morning` she had the photo shoot for the album cover. That evening she performed in her show.

Saturday morning she had cancer surgery on her throat.

"I did question the logic of performing the night before my surgery," Hertzenberg said. "But during the show there was no place I'd rather be, singing on the night before there was a possibility I'd never sing again."

The whole thing happened quickly for Hertzenberg. In June her doctor first noticed that something was wrong. She had a biopsy, and by early August she knew she would be having surgery on her throat and that one of the possible side effects was paralysis of the vocal chords.

"I'm not an overly dramatic person; I'm not the 'woe is me' type," Hertzenberg said, "but my voice is my career. It's how I pay my bills, how I provide health insurance for my family. Not only that, but really, when you're a singer, your voice is who you are."

On top of the normal stress associated with thyroid cancer, she was in the midst of recording her first album, which she hoped wouldn't also be her last. Originally, she planned to record well into September, but the scheduled surgery gave her a deadline.

"Holidays from the Heart," a collaboration with concert pianist and "Jersey Boys" associate conductor Philip Fortenberry, is available online at iTunes, amazon.com and Hertzenberg's own site, kristenhertzenberg.com.

She has recovered from her surgery and is back on stage singing her heart out.

"On the night before my surgery I could feel a lot of support and love coming from my fellow cast members," Hertzenberg said. "They were great."

Hertzenberg said that everything happened so fast and at the same time so gradually that she didn't have a lot of time to worry about it. Because each specialist told her only about his or her aspect of the diagnosis, it wasn't until after surgery was decided on that she heard the word "cancer."

On Nov. 20 she hosted an intimate CD release show attended by around 80 people, most invited through her Facebook account.

"I don't want to overwork myself with too big a show," Hertzenberg said. "I might have gone back to work too early. 'Phantom' is still taking a lot out of me, but it's a great company to work for. They've been so supportive. They're working with me to make sure I have a workload I can handle."

Hertzenberg is scheduled to return to her doctor in six months to see that everything is still clear. She has been told that her prognosis is good, and there's little chance for recurrence.

"I've still got a lot on my plate on top of the recovery, so I'll have to wait for next year to make a real push to get the CD into other places," Hertzenberg said. "It's all very romantic in the beginning. You think about the fun of recording an album, being able to concentrate on just the singing, not the staging. Then you finish that part and you have to become a businessperson. That's where I am now, and it's a lot of work."

Despite the challenges, Hertzenberg remains undaunted.

"My pianist, Phil Fortenberry, said recording music would become an addiction," Hertzenberg said. "He was right. I know I'm going to do it again."

Hertzenberg is set to perform in "Pops II-A Holiday Celebration," concerts with the Las Vegas Philharmonic, "Jersey Boys" vocalist Travis Cloer and the Las Vegas Master Singers at 2 and 8 p.m. Dec. 17 at Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway. Tickets are $38-$78, and her CD is set to be available for purchase. For more information, visit unlvtickets.com.

Contact Sunrise/Whitney View reporter F. Andrew Taylor at ataylor@viewnews.com or 380-4532.