Milli Bear Sanchez, a Cody teenager, became heavily involved in the music and performing world at a very early age. Starting when she was about 5 years old she attended conservatory in Chicago where she received classical piano training and took singing lessons for about seven years. 

Since moving to Cody with her family five years ago Sanchez has continued to perform. She’s active in the music ministry at the Catholic Church where she plays the organ and sings in the choir. Sanchez is also a common sight at Pardner’s Cafe in the Cody Library where she plays the ukulele. She has performed at the Buffalo Bill Ball and recently opened for the Hayden Jazz Quartet at the Colonel. She tries to perform at open mics and busk around Cody as much as possible.

“I love music. It's what I want to do with my life. I want to be a performing musician. So I'm trying to get as much practice and [as much of] a head start as I can,” Sanchez said. 

Her music is varied. She self accompanies on the piano and ukulele and writes songs with jazz and alternative influences. Her performance will feature a lot of original music, she said, but there will also be a few covers including jazz standards, classic bands like Fleetwood Mac and some more contemporary artists such as Florence and the Machine and 21 Pilots.

Her performance is alternative and very energetic. “I kind of do whatever I want,” she said with a chuckle.

“I think I could bring a lot of variety, maybe something people haven’t heard before, to the fair. And I hope I can offer an exciting, interesting performance that can be entertaining,” Sanchez said.

She can be found on the Pepsi Free Stage from Wednesday through Saturday at 1 p.m.