40 vocalists from around the country participate in week-long Songbook Academy in Carmel, Indiana
The Great American Songbook Foundation, founded by Grammy-nominated vocalist, Michael Feinstein, has selected 40 students from across the country to participate in the 2015 Songbook Academy. High school vocalists representing 16 states will compete for top awards on Saturday, July 25 at the Songbook Academy final concert at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel. Tickets for this popular event go on sale Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at www.TheCenterPresents.org.
Now in its sixth year, the Songbook Academy provides high school singers in grades 9-12 with the life-changing opportunity to work with music industry professionals and educators from top college arts programs to experience firsthand the uniquely American and culturally significant music known as the Great American Songbook. This year, five-time Grammy nominee Michael Feinstein is joined by Tony-nominee Laura Osnes and Grammy-winner Sylvia McNair as Mentors for the Academy.
“The Songbook Academy is one of the highlights of my year. The young people that participate are so full of talent and passion. I love having the opportunity to work with each of them and to see their growth over the course of the week. Not only do they learn a lot, but they build relationships with other talented singers and mentors from coast to coast. They make memories bursting with music and, in the process, develop character, confidence, and an appreciation for our musical history,” said Michael Feinstein, founder of the Songbook Foundation and Songbook Academy.
Students from across the country submitted online applications and were selected by a panel of music educators and industry professionals. Indiana and California lead the way by sending 8 students each to the week-long academy; New York will send 4; Iowa and Illinois are sending 3 each; Missouri, Massachusetts and Louisiana are sending 2 each; and the remaining students will come from Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Connecticut, Colorado, Florida, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin.
All Songbook Academy participants will be eligible for the following awards:
Great American Songbook Youth Ambassador Award will receive the chance of a lifetime: the opportunity to perform with two-time Emmy and five-time Grammy Award nominated entertainer and founder of the Songbook Foundation, Michael Feinstein. The Youth Ambassador will serve for one year and will have opportunities to perform throughout the year. Past Youth Ambassador performance opportunities have included:
- Multiple appearances with Michael Feinstein – including Jazz at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall
- Great American Songbook Hall of Fame Gala – with Barry Manilow, Liza Minnelli, Johnny Mathis, Jimmy Webb, for example
- National Anthem at NFL game
- Appearance with Pasadena Pops
Songbook Inspiration Award and Songbook Celebration Award winners will each receive a performance opportunity with two-time Emmy and five-time Grammy Award nominated entertainer and founder of the Songbook Foundation, Michael Feinstein.
The Songbook Academy will take place at the Great American Songbook Foundation’s headquarters, where students will participate in a seven-day academy on interpreting and performing the music of the Great American Songbook. Five-time Grammy nominee, Michael Feinstein, and other top music industry professionals and educators will conduct workshops and master classes throughout the week, some of which will be open to the public. The final competition performance will be held in the 1,600-seat Palladium Concert Hall at the Center for the Performing Arts.
The 2015 finalists are listed below:
Caitlin Aloia, Doylestown, PA, Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School
Kristin Barnes, Carmel, IN, Carmel High School
Tracey Beresford, Dubuque, IA, Hempstead High School
Lucas DeBard, Lebanon, IN, Lebanon High School
Elizabeth DeVoto, St. Louis, MO, Nerinx Hall High School
Avery Eliason, Lawrenceburg, IN, Lawrenceburg High School
Joseph Farr, Oklahoma City, OK, Mustang High School
Erika Gill, Darien, CT, Darien High School
Trenton Gunsolley, Colorado Springs, CO, The Classical Academy
Cate Hayman, Mill Valley, CA, Tamalpais High School
Matt Hoffman, Stony Brook, NY, Ward Melville High School
Kendra Housel, Winona Lake, IN, Warsaw Community High School
Leah Huber, Haughton, LA, Airline High School
Olivia Hytha, Berkeley, CA, Berkeley High School
DeMar Jackson, Decatur, IL, Eisenhower High School
Katriona Kennedy, Crestline, CA, Stathmore Academy
Adam Kruschwitz, Rochester, NY, Brighton High School
Drew Mabusth, Dubuque, IA, Stephen Hempstead High School
Sophia Manternach, Dubuque, IA, Stephen Hempstead High School
Rebecca Martin, Syracuse, NY, Marcellus High School
Michaela Marymor, Novato, CA, Novato High School
Jonathan Mitzenmacher, Miami, FL, Coral Reef Senior High School
Taylor Moran, Aurora, IL, Metea Valley High School
Kathleen Muloma, Carmel, IN, Carmel High School
Grace Muawad, Grosse Pointe, MI, Grosse Pointe South High School
Deirdre Pedersen, Westborough, MA, Westborough High School
Logan Rains, San Ramon, CA, California High School
Joshua Reinier, San Francisco, CA, The Nueva Upper School
Elizabeth Ross, Shreveport, LA, Caddo Parish Magnet High School
Geon Ruffin, Lisle, IL, Homeschooled
Sharada Shashidhar, Painted Post, NY, Corning Painted Post High School
Gwendolyn Sierra, Long Beach, CA, Millikan High School
Sydney Sorrell, Carmel, IN, Carmel High School
Madelyn Steurer, Jeffersonville, IN, Assumption High School
Matthew Straw, Columbia, MO, Hickman High School
Katie Swaney, Greenwood, IN, Center Grove High School
April Varner, Toledo, OH, Notre Dame Academy
Noah Virgile, Lexington, MA, Lexington High School
Hannah Vogelsang, Haslett, MI, Haslett High School
Cole Winston, Hartland, WI, Arrowhead High School
