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Songbook Academy 2025 applications due March 23

1/30/2025 12AM

Songbook Academy 2024 finalists performance at the Palladium at Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts. (Wayne Images)


Great American Songbook Foundation’s national music intensive
provides young vocalists with professional mentoring, career connections

 

CARMEL, Ind. – High school students passionate about vocal music still have time to apply for the 16th annual Songbook Academy® summer intensive, taking place July 12-19 at Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel.

 

This fun and challenging pre-professional program immerses young singers in the rich heritage of American popular music and helps them hone their talents under the guidance of Broadway stars and other experienced artists and music educators. Presented by the Great American Songbook Foundation and led by its founder, the performer and preservationist Michael Feinstein, the Songbook Academy enables students to:

  • Experience personalized mentorship from industry professionals
  • Learn about the foundations of American popular music
  • Boost their confidence as singers and storytellers
  • Perform in state-of-the-art concert facilities
  • Build lifelong connections in an inclusive environment

 

Applications will be accepted through March 23, with the 40 selected finalists announced in April. All applicants, regardless of the outcome, receive valuable feedback from a national review panel of music educators and entertainment professionals.

 

The Songbook Academy is widely known for its top-notch faculty of coaches and mentors from prestigious university music programs and every corner of the performance industry. Guest Mentors in previous years have included Broadway notables Joshua Henry (Carousel, The Scottsboro Boys, Hamilton), Telly Leung (Aladdin, Godspell, Glee) and Nasia Thomas (Six, Ain't Too Proud, Beautiful); stage and screen stars Ashley Park (Only Murders in the Building, Emily in Paris, Mean Girls) and Ali Stroker (Oklahoma!, Ozark, Echoes); and GRAMMY Award-winning artists Nicole Zuraitis, Melissa Manchester and Catherine Russell.

 

Many alumni of the Songbook Academy have gone on to enjoy professional success, including Kyrie Courter (Broadway cast of Sweeney Todd), Adriana Scalice (National Tour of Six), NYC-based singer-songwriter Eleri Ward, and Nina White, currently originating a role in The Queen of Versailles on Broadway.

 

How to apply

 

The Songbook Academy is open to active U.S. students in grades 9-12 as of Nov. 13, 2024. Applications must be submitted online by March 24 at app.getacceptd.com/songbookacademy. Applicants must submit videos of themselves performing two contrasting songs, preferably American popular songs written from the 1920s to the 1960s, a foundational era that produced countless jazz standards and musical theater classics.

 

The application fee is $50. For those accepted to attend, the $1,000 program fee includes housing at Butler University, meals, and ground transportation throughout the week. Fee waivers and financial aid, including full scholarships, are available. More details and application information are available at TheSongbook.org/SongbookAcademy or by email at SongbookAcademy@TheSongbook.org.

 

The Songbook Academy is made possible in part by generous support from its National Program Partner, the Efroymson Family Fund.

 

About the Great American Songbook Foundation

The mission of the Great American Songbook Foundation, founded in 2007 by five-time Grammy® Award nominee Michael Feinstein, is to inspire and educate by celebrating the 20th-century foundational era of American popular music. Headquartered at Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana, the Foundation advances this rich musical legacy by curating a vast Library & Archives of items representing its creators, performers and publishers; operating a multimedia exhibit gallery; overseeing the Songbook Hall of Fame; offering programs for the public and research opportunities for scholars and artists; and providing educational opportunities for student musicians, including the annual Songbook Academy® summer intensive. The Foundation is a Cultural Affiliate of the Los Angeles-based Grammy Museum®. More information is available at TheSongbook.org.