Songbook Academy holiday concert returns Dec. 22
10/22/2025 12AM
Music director Mel Shore plays piano as Westfield High School graduate and two-time Songbook Academy alumna Journee Woodley sings during the 2024 Songbook Academy Sings the Songs of the Season performance | photo by Wayne Images.
Annual tradition expands to Payne & Mencias Palladium
with two showtimes and new seating options
CARMEL, Ind. – The Great American Songbook Foundation invites audiences to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year with the return of Songbook Academy Sings the Songs of the Season, a cabaret-style holiday concert featuring alumni of the Songbook Academy®. Performances will take place at 4 and 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 22, at the Payne & Mencias Palladium at Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts.
Back by popular demand, this annual concert has become a community tradition, bringing together talented young vocalists who have participated in the annual Songbook Academy summer intensive, the Songbook Foundation’s flagship educational program. Many of these alumni, now studying or performing professionally across the country, return home for the holidays to share timeless classics and festive favorites in this heartwarming celebration of music and seasonal traditions.
This year, the performances move to the Payne & Mencias Palladium, offering expanded seating while preserving the intimate, immersive, cabaret-style experience audiences love. Guests will be seated on stage and in the Choral Terrace behind the stage, with alumni performing against the beautiful backdrop of the concert hall.
“There’s something magical about seeing these young artists return to the very stage where their Songbook journey began,” said Renée La Schiazza, Director of Programs and an alumna of the Songbook Academy. “It’s not just a performance – it’s a reunion and a reminder of how music connects us at this special time of year.”
The concert will again feature longtime Songbook Academy music director Mel Shore, known for her exceptional versatility as a pianist, Hammond B3 organist and arranger. Audiences can expect a festive evening filled with heart, talent and holiday spirit, featuring Songbook Academy alumni from local high schools, Indiana universities and prestigious arts programs throughout the country, including the Eastman School of Music and the NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
On sale at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, tickets are $15 for Choral Terrace seating and $25 for onstage seating. Both options are general admission, offering the opportunity to select seats upon arrival. Tickets can be purchased online at TheSongbook.org/SAHoliday25, by phone at (317) 843-3800 or toll-free (877) 909-2787, or in person at the Payne & Mencias Palladium’s Fifth Third Bank Box Office, 1 Carter Green, Carmel. Accessible seating is available, and guests requiring accessibility accommodations can note this during purchase.
These performances are made possible through the generous support of Traditions Senior Communities and the Hrisomalos family.
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 foundational era of American popular music. Headquartered at Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana, the Foundation advances this rich legacy by curating physical artifacts of its creators, performers and publishers in the Songbook Library & Archives; 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.
