By Amy Pauszek
For two days earlier this week the Palladium in Carmel opened its doors to the public and invited guests to experience the top 10 All-Star students in their final journey in hopes of becoming the 2016 Songbook Ambassador.
Where’s Amy was thrilled to meet up with Songbook Academy Artistic Director, Founder and five-time Grammy nominee Michael Feinstein along with television writer and producer, Marc Cherry, creator of the ABC comedy-drama series ‘Desperate Housewives’ and the Lifetime comedy-drama series ‘Devious Maids’ at the 2016 Masterclass workshops.
Forty high school singers from all over the country were chosen to have the opportunity to perform on the Palladium stage and attend workshops conducted by Feinstein and Cherry. Here the students received tips on their performances and song selections. Other mentors who were on hand to help and extend their expertise included GRAMMY award winners Janis Siegel and Sylvia McNair.
Tony-nominated Jerrod Spector from ‘Beautiful: The Carol King Musical’ was also a big hit with the students. Many guests who attended the two-day free public Masterclass workshops told me that they were so impressed with the talented young artists that they left wondering who would take the top prize and win on July 23. I must admit I was a bit torn myself; everyone was superb. What a special day I personally will never forget because after a special photo shoot with Feinstein and Cherry the two serenaded me with “Once in love with Amy” and it’s safe to say I left with a huge grin and memory that I will never forget.
