Amy Banks Music

…. has spent the last couple of decades performing as a professional singer, actress, and television personality — with a résumé that swings from Disney World to Moscow, from jazz clubs to wedding stages, from cable TV to academia. Originally from Minnesota, Amy has performed around the world but calls Lancaster, Pennsylvania home after relocating to join the resident company at American Music Theatre.

Since then, she’s self-published and produced five music albums, including When the Sun Comes Out, which reached Chartbound status at JazzWeek, and Amy Sings Aretha: A Motown Love Story — a cabaret-concert-dance party funded by fans through Kickstarter and recorded live to a sold-out crowd at Millersville University’s Ware Center. That show later toured to Building 24 in Reading and the Long’s Park Amphitheater Summer Series.

Her other self-produced shows include Amy Sings Aretha (2014), Happy 100th Birthday, Ella! (2017), How Glad I Am: Remembering Nancy Wilson (2019), Swinging Through the Holidays (2022), and The Swinging Nutcracker Suite with Marko Marcinko and the Scranton Jazz Festival Big Band (2023).

Amy’s performing career began in Atlanta, Georgia, where she appeared with some of the city’s leading theater companies — The Alliance Theatre, Jomandi Productions, and The Horizon Theatre. She performed cabaret shows for nearly a decade with Robert Ray, refining her storytelling style before heading to Orlando to work for Walt Disney World at the brand-new Animal Kingdom. There, she starred in The Festival of the Lion King, performing “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” and “Circle of Life” daily for audiences from all over the world.

After a jazz residency at the Grosvenor Resort, Amy returned home to Minnesota for a string of performances with Penumbra and Illusion Theaters before settling in Lancaster, where she spent four seasons with AMT. She quickly became a fixture on Central PA’s jazz scene, appearing everywhere from the Harrisburg Hilton’s legendary jazz room, The Bar, to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Berks Jazz Festival, Bucknell University, Atlantic City casions, and Doylestown’s Michener Museum. She later returned to Disney for another round of The Festival of the Lion King before returning to AMT for a fifth season — and has since appeared in five original productions at the Charleston Music Hall with Brad and Jennifer Moranz.

Television audiences may recognize her from her hosting turns on FOX’s Design Invasion and HGTV’s Bad Baths USA.

In 2012, Amy made her European club debut at the Soyouz Kompozitorov Jazz Club in Moscow, followed by a performance with the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra in Mistletoe Magic, conducted by Stuart Malina.

In 2016, Amy and her business partner Katie Robinette launched Central City Orchestra (CCO) under their company Robin-Banks Entertainment, LLC — and in 2026 transitioned her interests from leadership. Known for its tight arrangements, powerhouse horns, and nonstop energy, CCO has been voted Best Variety Band twice by the Central Pennsylvania Music Hall of Fame and has earned multiple Best of The Knot, Wedding Wire, and Susquehanna Style awards. Amy calls it “the hardest fun you can have in heels.”

Beyond the stage, Amy has long been a creative force in her community. She co-produced Aware Lancaster: Yoga & Wellness Day (2016–17), helped establish recurring jazz nights across Lancaster (The Greenfield, Gibraltar, and the Lancaster Marriott), and co-founded the Divas of Jazz, raising over $70,000 for the PA Breast Cancer Coalition. She’s served on the boards of the Lancaster Creative Factory, Lancaster Mayor’s Office of Special Events, and most recently the Central PA Friends of Jazz. Beginning in 2011, she used her talents in pottery to create OM Mugs for Rinji, raising money for her friend, a trekking guide in Nepal, to complete his education.

Today, Amy presents the performing arts as Performing Arts Operations Specialist at Penn State Harrisburg’s Kulkarni Theatre, where she curates experiences that connect artists, students, and community audiences. Prior to that, she served as Arts Communication Manager for Millersville University’s Office of Visual and Performing Arts.

A lifelong learner and closet entrepreneur, Amy continues to dream up her next great adventure — somewhere between art, culture, and business (and hopefully involving less email). She’s also the devoted human to two cats, Possum and Nugget, and her mom, Myra. In her free time, she lifts weights at Tread House, travels for coffee, family, museums, and a good view. She attends live music events on occasion and mows her lawn like it’s therapy.