Benvenuto!
Founded in 2024, Bello Forte was formed by Julia Laskowski for their first gig at Turner’s Cut. Original members include Julia Laskowski, Keith Vivens, Andy Grall and Mark X Laskowski. Bello lends their own unique style to covers and jazz standards alike.
Meet the band in the sections below, and check our calendar for upcoming events!
Calendar
Meet the Band
Julia Laskowski
Julia Laskowski is from Houston, TX and received her BFA in Operatic Vocal Performance from California Institute of the Arts. She did graduate work at The Manhattan School of Music and worked with Buck Ross in opera performances at The University of Houston. (Click to see more…)
Operatic roles include…
University of Houston: Tales of Hoffman (Olympia); Die Fledermaus (Rosalinda); Ariadne auf Naxos (Zerbinetta), Amato Opera: Magic Flute (Queen of the Night); Rigoletto (Gilda)
Houston Grand Opera: Grand National (Velvet)
Opera in the Heights: Tales of Hoffman (Olympia/ Giulietta); Magic Flute (Queen of the Night); La Sonnambula (Amina)
San Antonio Opera: La Tragedie de Carmen (Micaela).
Theatrical Roles include…
Stages Repertory Theater, Showboat Theater, Texas Repertory Theater: Always, Patsy Cline (Patsy Cline)
Theater LaB: Avenue X (Barbara); Passion (Fosca); Zombies
from the Beyond (Queen Zombina); Eating Raoul the Musical (Mary Bland)
Main Street Theater: Falsettoland (Dr. Charlotte)
Bit of a Stretch Theater: First Lady Suite (Lorena Hickok)
Texas Repertory Theater: Tenderly, the Rosemary Clooney Musical (Rosemary Clooney).
Original shows written with Patti Rabaza: Merkle, Country Gravy and Other Obsessions, Home for the Dysfunctional Family Holidays.
Mark X Laskowski
Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Mark moved to Houston twenty years ago and has been active in the Houston theatre and entertainment community ever since. While working in the oil industry at the time, he quickly launched into a career in anime, voicing many characters. Mark’s first notable theatre role after moving to Houston was Chuck, in Theater LaB’s Avenue X, where he met his wife of eighteen years, Julia. Mark is very proud of his most recent production with with Julia in Tenderly, a two person show about the life of Rosemary Clooney. (Click to see more…)
Other stage works include…
Theatre Under The Stars: Hands on a Hardbody
Mystic Cat Society: Covidious and Marjorie, both original musicals performed at MATCH.
In 2004, Mark was cast in a 10 month national tour appearing as Ike in the Broadway production of OKLAHOMA!
Mark also fills his time designing, building sets and furniture, cooking, and gardening.
Keith Vivens
Keith was voted “Best Bass Player in Houston,” 1998, by the critics poll in Public News Magazine. He co-leads the two-time Houston Press award-winning Funk Horn Band TKOh. Keith is currently working on his second jazz fusion CD with the group Solar Wind. For the past few years, he has been hosting his steady gig every Monday evening at Eddie V’s restaurant West location on Kirby. He also has been hosting Friday and Saturday evenings at Ciro’s Italian restaurant on I-10 and Bunker Hill. Keith is a devoted husband and father to wife Liz and kids Thalia and Matthew. (Click to see more…)
He has performed and recorded with artists Phil Woods, Wayne Bergeron, Enders Bergcrantz, Vincent Hearing, Anita Moore, Yolanda Adams, Yvonne Washington, Donny McCaslin, Shelly Berg, Bernd Konrad, Vincent Gardner, Chris Dave, Tom Garling, Dave Taylor, Mark Soskins, Dennis Montgomery, Victor Lewis, Dave Catney, Fritz Renold, Valero Ponomarev, Howard Hewitt, Shelly Carol, Bobby Lyle, Rayford Griffin, Peabo Bryson, Ricky Lawson, Paul Jackson, Jr., Everette Harp, Page Cavanaugh,Kirk Whalum, Mindi Abair, Branford Marsalis, The Duke Ellington Orchestra, Randy & Michael Brecker, Joe Henderson, George Coleman, Joe Lovano, Hubert Laws, Ronnie Laws, Michael Manson, Joe Sample, Grammy Award winning “La Mafia”, Scott Gertner Band, The Franchise, Stanley Turlentine, Kyle Turner, Les McCaan, Above the Rim, Horace Alexander Young, Carl Fontana, Ben Vereen, Project KDK band, Dwight Sills, V. Michael McKay, Little Joe Hernandez, Archie Bell, Mickey Gilley, and Roy Head, just to name a few.
Keith is the first electric bassist to ever play and record with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, and is currently in the recording studio working on his first CD of all original compositions.
Andy Grall
Andy Grall is a versatile pianist and keyboardist with a deep passion for modern music. Specializing in genres like jazz, pop, rock, blues, and country, Andy is not only a skilled performer but also an accomplished arranger and producer, having worked on projects with local artists such as Elsa Grace and Liz Awadein (of the band 217.) His musical journey began at the age of 14, and his dedication to his craft led him to Houston in 2013, where he has been thriving as both a performer and educator. Whether on stage or in the studio, Andy brings a rich blend of technical proficiency and creative expression to every project he undertakes.
