Who is duelly noted?!
About
Duelly Noted is a sassy, one-of-a-kind, interactive dueling pianos act. They engage audiences of all demographics and can play your favorite hits from the 60’s to today. They utilize a “text your request” feature during their shows to make it easy for them to know what you want to hear!
This vocal powerhouse female duo, stands out among other groups in the male-dominated dueling pianos scene. Cassondra and Jacy have a charismatic connection on-stage and have been best friends off-stage for over fifteen years.
Herstory
Jacy and Cass met at college while attending McNally Smith College of Music (RIP). Their friendship was not immediate - in fact, they started off not really liking each other. Jacy thought Cass was a bit too loud and outgoing for her (she’s just a people person!), while Cass thought Jacy was stuck up and too “good” for her (she’s just a little shy when you first meet her!). However, they were both still intrigued by the talent they saw in one another. It wasn’t until they had a class together, when Jacy offered Cass a ride to their performance, that they started to understand each other. The car ride over melted all of their predispositions away, and they hit it off! They have been best friends ever since!
Duelly Noted plays corporate parties, fairs, private events, fundraisers, country clubS (+ more) all over the United States.
Do not look any further-use these ladies and I kid you not, your event will be one to remember for all the right reasons! Their communication and coordination of their show was top notch! Their performance was engaging with the audience! Fantastic show all around! Thank you ladies!
-Grand Casino Hinckley, New Years Eve Party
"We had a great time!! Cass and Jacy were absolutely AMAZING!! They were fun and upbeat and totally made the night one to remember. My husband said they were the best entertainment we have ever had at our Christmas party."
-Central Cable Contractors Inc.
"Duelly Noted brought their mature show of music and comedy to Waseca and it was high energy from the start. They kept everyone singing and dancing all night to their favorite songs. The songs they play are the ones that will make you recall your core memories. For a Gen X’er, it is a night of nostalgia. If you miss out on Duelly Noted, you may have to get treated for a serious case of FOMO. From this one event, our organization has now become synonymous with putting on the best parties. Our community will have them back ANYTIME!"
-Waseca Chamber of Commerce
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to have them at your next event!
Cassondra RUPRECHT
Jacy Smith
Cassondra Lea sang her way through her childhood in the southwest suburbs of the Twin Cities until she was 16 years old, when she started performing at a local bar in Chaska, Minnesota.
In 2006 Cassondra attended McNally Smith College of Music for vocal performance. This is where she learned the vocal stylings of jazz, rock, classical, pop, soul and more. Cassondra left understanding the language of music and taught herself bass, drums, and trombone.
Cassondra graduated from college in 2010. Four days later she flew to Juneau, Alaska and boarded Holland American Cruise Lines to work as lead singer for their on-board party band. For ten months she sailed through Alaska, Mexico, Canada, Hawaii, Seattle and California. It was a wonderful experience, but she was not into the ship life.
In 2013, she successfully released her first original album, Faces I Meet, at the legendary Artist Quarter. That following year Cassondra moved to the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico. She performed six days a week at various resorts spanning from Cancun to Tulum for over a year. In her free time, she enjoyed vacation life in the hot sun and on the sandy beaches of Playa Del Carmen.
In the middle of 2015 Cassondra returned to Minnesota and began working as a stage host for The Shout House dueling piano bar in Minneapolis. She immediately became enchanted with the concept and knew that dueling pianos was her calling. She had learned music theory in college but didn’t really know how to play piano. She found a Casio keyboard at a thrift store and got to work! In-between shifts at the shout house, gigging with Todd Douglas Band and The Bluewater Kings Band, Cassondra practiced piano any chance she could get. Cass accomplished her goal to learn the basic chords of ninety popular songs in a hundred days. From there, she honed in on each song and learned them in more detail. The best way to learn is by teaching. In 2016 she was hired at Schuster’s music to teach piano and vocal lessons for adults and children. She remained there for a little over 3 years.
2015 was a big year! Cass was approached by a friend about an agency looking to put together a dueling piano project featuring a female. It was then that Cassondra was introduced to G.L. Berg Entertainment. She knew the perfect partner for her. The girls had already been playing as a duo together called, The Northern Girls. Jacy Smith was roped in and they started performing as Duelly Noted.
Life on the road had been going great for the two gals. Duelly Noted was nearing the largest year of contracted gigs when the unpreceded times of 2020 and the pandemic struck. Life was on hold for the entertainment business. To make ends meet, Cassondra, her husband, and 2-year-old daughter, sold their home in Minneapolis and moved in with a family member. Cassondra is never one to waste time. She was inspired by the social injustice of her neighborhood and the shortage of food and supplies everywhere. She wanted to help. Cassondra became passionate about gardening and growing her own food in 2019. She was not taught much about the natural world growing up. Cass was inspired by her father-in-law’s garden. She found a new calling.
In November 2020, Cassondra took a leap of faith and followed her dream to grow fresh food for others and her family. To get the proper training, Cassondra applied and was accepted into the Organic Farm School on Whidbey Island in Washington. In March 2021 she started the intense seven-and-a-half-month program. What she learned was so much more than simply how to grow food and farm. Cassondra realized that this was going to be a life’s work effort. The program taught her about small scale farming, low-till methods, sustainability, regenerative practices, soil health, cover crops, animal grazing, humane animal production techniques, team building and interpersonal relationships, how to operate a tractor, change implements, how to use a BSC walk behind tractor, mechanical maintenance, crop planning, bed preparation, seed calculations, seed cleaning, seed production, farm operating costs, cash flow budget sheets, land access, and more!
Cassondra calls her farm, The Veggie Lot. She plans to grow mushrooms, fruits and vegetables for the Stevens Point Wisconsin Community. Cassondra is thrilled about pursuing her new found love for growing food and feeding families, while continuing to give her gift of song in Duelly Noted to communities all over the nation.
Jacy (Pelstring) Smith is a Minneapolis born and raised performer and songwriter. She has been involved with many musical acts and organizations throughout the Twin Cities since 2007, including a stint as the lead vocalist on Carnival Cruise Lines.
Jacy has 2 original albums, Everyone Needs Faith and Take Your Best Shot. Both albums are available for purchase on iTunes, or streaming on Spotify.
Jacy is honored to be a part of the Happy Birthday Janis Tribute show held annually in January hosted by First Avenue.
In October 2016, Jacy graced the stage of the Ordway in St. Paul, as a part of Painting Joni: Celebrating the Music of A Master, a Joni Mitchell Tribute show.
Performance Review:
Jacy has transformed a youthful urge to sing into a lead frontwoman with a stage presence rare to someone so young, maybe because, as she says, “Music is my passion in life.”
She sings soulful, dreamy, playful, and intense – whatever mood she, her music, and her lyrics intend to convey. As a 2009 graduate from McNally Smith College of Music with a bachelors degree in Vocal Performance, she has had the privilege of studying with many talented musicians including Judi Donaghy Vinar, Lori Dokken, Erin Schwab, Alicia Wiley, Kristin Sponcia, and Jennifer Parker. Because her watchwords are “I play every show as if it were my last,” when you attend any of her performances, you know she’s going to be giving it her all.
She has shared the stage with many talented musicians including Alex Rossi, Bruce Henry, Patty Peterson, Debbie Duncan, Rhonda Johnson, Jill Mikkelson, Ray Covington, Debra G, Katy Hays, Jesse Larson, Elliot Blaufuss, Rachel Holder and more!
Jacy lives in St. Paul with her husband, 2 sweet kiddos, 1 beautiful Norwegian Elkhound, and their cat, Tess.
Jacy currently performs with The Bluewater Kings Band, and several churches around the Twin Cities. She is also frequenting The Apostle Supper Club as a piano bar player taking your requests! You can usually find her there usually once a week. She also duels with her best pal Cass as much as she can!
Follow her progress and schedule at her website: jsmusician.com.