Recital will feature the top three places in each category in the Musical Theater Competition and Art Song Festival.
When: Sunday February 28, 2021 • 2:00pm
Where / Mode: TBD
Recital will feature the top three places in each category in the Musical Theater Competition and Art Song Festival.
When: Sunday February 28, 2021 • 2:00pm
Where / Mode: TBD
Directing credits include: Emojiland, the musical (The Duke Theatre, 2020; NY Times Critics Pick, 4 Drama Desk Award Nominations, Original Cast Recording on Broadway Records), Southern Comfort, the musical, (The Public Theatre; NY Times Critics Pick, Lucille Lortel Award & Outer Critics Circle Award nominations: Best New Musical), Dynamo: Seeing Is Believing (West End, U.K. Tour, Australian Tour); Brave New World, the musical, by Tony Award nominee Bill Russell & Grammy Award-winner, John McDaniel (NC Stage); Southern Comfort (Barrington Stage – Jonathan Larson & Glaad Awards – Best New Musical).
Broadway Associate Director credits include: A Christmas Carol, Groundhog Day, Matilda, Ghost, Mamma Mia!, Bombay Dreams, Follies and Master Class. Thomas directed the Broadway National Tours of Matilda, Ghost, and Master Class.
Other select directing credits include: David Blaine: Real or Magic (Asia Tour); Jack Heifner’s Earth To Bucky (Bay Street Theatre), the premiere of Terrence McNally and Israel Horovitz’s Off Season (Gloucester Stage), Shipwrecked, Clever Little Lies, Syncopation, Don’t Talk To The Actors, Greetings, Around The World In 80 Days, and Over The Tavern (Penguin Rep). Zombie (Off-Broadway), Don’t Talk To The Actors (Studio Arena Theatre, Buffalo – Cornell Award, Best Play), Master Class (TheatreWorks, Palo Alto); Diagnosis (The Play Company), Bingo (Off-Broadway); China Dolls (Ensemble Studio Theatre); Two Boys (Rattlestick);
Amanda Chmela, soprano, of Lindenhurst, NY, received her BFA in Musical Theatre from SUNY Fredonia and her MM in Opera Performance from Binghamton University. She attended the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College where she worked towards an Artist Diploma Certificate for Opera Performance. Ms Chmela is a member of NATS, NYSTA, NAfME, The Voice Foundation, and is Certified in Somatic Voicework™, The LoVetri Method. In addition to her collegiate teaching, she maintains a private voice studio, www.LongIslandVoiceLessons.com, where she specializes in teaching Contemporary Commercial Music with a strong focus on musical theatre and pop/rock styles. Since the summer of 2018, Ms. Chmela has been a faculty member at The LoVetri Institute for Somatic Voicework™, held at Baldwin Wallace University. Past teaching experience includes voice faculty at Rider University (2014-2018), voice faculty at Molloy College (2014), and adjunct faculty at Binghamton University (2010-2013).
Ms. Chmela has been the female vocalist for the Savoy Swing Band since August of 2013 and in 2020 joined Rock Island Sound as their female vocalist. She has participated in the Westchester Summer Vocal Institute and is an alumnus of Tri-Cities Opera’s Resident Artist Training Program. Performance highlights include Lucille (Parade), Anne (A Little Night Music), Nancy (Oliver!), Gretel (Hansel and Gretel), Josephine (H.M.S. Pinafore), Despina (Cosi fan tutti), Latitia & Ms. Pinkerton (The Old Maid and the Thief), Poppea (L’incoronazione di Poppea), Beth (Little Women), Hodel/Fruma Sarah (Fiddler on the Roof), Alice (Addam’s Family), Barbarina (Le Nozze di Figaro) and Fire Cover/Chorus (L’enfant et les sortilege). As a soloist, Ms Chmela had the opportunity of performing Antonín Dvořák’s Op. 55, Gypsy Melodies, at the Bohemian National Hall.
Mary McNulty is a New York based actor, coach, and voice over artist. Her career has given her the opportunity to perform in NYC and across the country. Reviews of her performances have described her as charismatic, vivacious, vulnerable, with excellent comedic instincts and a voice that is expressive, and effortless.
Mary has enjoyed select credits such as Guenevere on The National Tour of Camelot, June in Into the Breeches, Lilli/Katherine in Kiss Me Kate, Fiona in Brigadoon, Judy Denmark in Ruthless! The Musical, Portia in The Merchant of Venice, and Charlotte in A Little Night Music. Mary is a proud member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA.
Hannah Corneau made her Broadway debut as Elphaba in Wicked. She recently starred as Edna St. Vincent Millay in the critically-acclaimed Transport Group production of Renascence. Previously, she traveled around the country as Yitzhak in the First National tour of Hedwig and The Angry Inch. Her Off-Broadway and regional credits include Daddy Long Legs, Evita, Fiddler on the Roof, Harmony (Ovation nomination), Les Miserables (Joseph Jefferson Award), Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, and A Little Night Music. She is also a member of RANGE a cappella.
Who: High School seniors who will be completing college auditions for vocal performance, music education, musical theatre, and other similar majors. Juniors welcome to observe.
When: Friday, October 2, 2020 (Application Due: September 25, 2020)
Where: Virtual Zoom meeting, link to be shared with participant confirmation
Time: 6:30-8:45 p.m. (or later, if necessary)
Fee: Seniors who would like to complete a mock audition: $15; Any high school students who would like to observe: $10
Format: This seminar will give high school seniors the opportunity to complete a mock VIRTUAL live audition in addition to observing peer auditions. Topics addressed will be making introductions, recording tips, appropriate dress, and how parents can help support their child through the audition process, (among others). Students will receive both written and verbal feedback. Please dress appropriately for an audition. Parents are welcome to observe.
Song requirements:
Classical Auditions – Two songs in two different languages that represent contrasting styles and eras using piano accompaniment. One MUST be in English.
Musical Theatre Auditions – Standard 16/32 bar audition repertoire using piano accompaniment. Must include one up tempo and one ballad.
ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST USE PIANO ACCOMPANIMENT (EITHER PRE-RECORDED OR LIVE) AND USE ORIGINAL SCORES FOR ALL SONGS PERFORMED
Please direct any questions to Heather Baird.
*Adult Non-Professional – defined as a singer whose main career is not singing, and they are not regularly paid to sing. For musical theater, these singers should not be an active member of AEA.
Each participant will sing two memorized art songs, ONE OF WHICH MUST BE IN ENGLISH.
We have supplied an extensive document that identifies several art songs by Black composers. We have also suggested some songs that may seem more appropriate for those who live the Black experience. Please be thorough in your study of the poetry or stories when choosing repertoire.
NOT ACCEPTABLE:
NATS encourages its members, their students, accompanists and the general population to become educated about, and to comply with, all applicable copyright laws. Reproduction of a copyrighted work constitutes copyright infringement unless a license to reproduce such work has been obtained, the use is considered fair use, the work is in the public domain, or a valid exception to copyright infringement exists.
NATS requires students, teachers and other participants in NATS affiliated events, auditions and competitions to affirm compliance with the NATS Copyright Policy, and to use only authorized reproductions of copyrighted works.
Participants in the Art Song Festival must scan ORIGINAL PUBLISHED scores. Music downloaded from the internet which is in public domain satisfies the copyright law. Students may be disqualified from participating if there has been an infringement of copyright law.
These scans will be the copies that the accompanists will be using to prepare for the festival so it is essential that they are clean, readable copies with no music notation cut off (especially the sides of the pages and the bass clef of the piano accompaniment).
Musical Coaching, Dramatic Master Class, Performances, and Collaborative Pianists:
Coach/Collaborative Pianists are provided for the singers (cost included in the application fee), and will be individually assigned based on coaching and performance times. We are not able to honor requests for a specific pianist. Your pianist will be working with you during each aspect of the festival.
There will be an additional $10.00 fee if your application as well as materials are received after December 1, 2020.
*Teachers please review biographies before students submit them.
Questions may be directed to Sylvia Stoner.
In order to comply with copyright laws, the ORIGINAL PUBLISHED MUSIC must be brought to both the rehearsal and the performance. Music downloaded from the internet which is in public domain satisfies the copyright law. Students may be disqualified from participating if there has been an infringement of copyright law. If you are using copies, please be prepared to show that they have been licensed to you.
Participants will need to sign in on each day and there will be practice rooms available in which to warm-up. Everyone should make it a point to arrive at least 30 minutes in advance of the assigned rehearsal and performance time in order to feel properly prepared.