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Stars named Guest Mentors for Songbook Academy 2026

3/3/2026 12AM

Student singers selected to attend Songbook Academy 2026 will learn from professionals including (from left) Broadway stars Mandy Gonzalez and Telly Leung, both serving as Guest Mentors, and Michael Feinstein, founder of the Great American Songbook Foundation.


Application deadline extended through March 29

 

CARMEL, Ind. – Broadway stars Mandy Gonzalez and Telly Leung will serve as Guest Mentors for the Songbook Academy® 2026, the Great American Songbook Foundation’s annual summer intensive for high school performers.

 

In addition to Songbook Foundation Founder Michael Feinstein, an impressive group of performers and entertainment professionals is being assembled to guide the 40 student participants at this year’s Academy, taking place July 11-18 at Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana. Additional Guest Mentors will be announced in the lead up to Songbook Academy Week.

 

In response to growing interest, the application deadline has been extended to March 29.

 

Gonzalez is widely recognized for her roles in Hamilton, In the Heights and Wicked, as well as recurring television appearances in the hit series Madam Secretary, Bull, Quantico and Only Murders in the Building, alongside Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez.

 

Leung is a Chinese American performer, recording artist, director, producer and performing arts teacher best known for his Broadway performances in Aladdin, In Transit, Allegiance, Rent, Pacific Overtures and Flower Drum Song. His television credits include recurring roles on Warrior (HBO/Netflix) and Glee (Fox).

 

With the extended deadline, high school vocalists nationwide have an additional opportunity to apply for the prestigious program, which accepts just 40 students each year. The Songbook Academy provides intensive training, mentorship from top industry professionals, and lifelong connections with peers who share a passion for America’s musical heritage.

 

In addition to working with these and other yet-to-be-announced Guest Mentors, students will collaborate throughout the week with an esteemed faculty. Collectively, this accomplished team includes award-winning composers, Broadway performers, educators from top collegiate performing arts programs, and leading professionals across the music industry.

 

Serving as Music Directors are:

 

  • Caelan Cardello – Jazz pianist who has performed with artists including Christian McBride, Jimmy Cobb and Cécile McLorin Salvant, a finalist in the 2023 American Pianists Association Jazz Piano Competition and a graduate of The Juilliard School.

  • Jeff Harris – Pianist, composer and conductor who has collaborated with artists including Bernadette Peters, Maureen McGovern and Chaka Khan, and has served as pianist-conductor on Broadway productions including Chicago, Beauty and the Beast and On the Town.

 

  • Beckie Menzie – Acclaimed cabaret performer hailed by WGN Radio as “indispensable to Chicago cabaret,” with appearances at Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Birdland and the Chicago Humanities Festival.

 

  • Mel Shore – Pianist, Hammond B3 organist, composer and arranger who has performed with artists including Chuck Berry, Kristin Chenoweth and GRAMMY® winner Nicole Zuraitis, and currently tours with the national tour of Wicked.

 

  • Kate Skinner – Jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, DownBeat Award winner for Outstanding Vocal Performance, Jazz Education Network award winner for composition, and Associate Professor of Jazz Piano at the University of Idaho.

 

Serving as Vocal Coaches are:

 

  • Shereen Ahmed – Broadway and touring performer whose credits include My Fair Lady and Arena Stage’s The Age of Innocence, with additional appearances at Carnegie Hall, the Boston Pops and the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum.

  • La Tanya Hall – Jazz vocalist and educator who has worked with artists including Diana Ross, Quincy Jones, Aretha Franklin and Patti LaBelle, and whose album Say Yes was named one of the top vocal jazz releases of 2020.

  • MaryAnn Hu – Broadway veteran whose credits include Frozen, My Fair Lady, The King and I and Miss Saigon, and who serves as a teaching artist with YoungArts and the Jimmy Awards.

  • Melvin Brandon Logan – NYC-based performer, director, educator and Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts at Marymount Manhattan College with national tour credits including The Book of Mormon.

  • Alysha Umphress – Stage and screen performer recently seen in the pre-Broadway run of Damn Yankees, with Broadway credits including On the Town and Bring It On, and recipient of a Chita Rivera Award winner and the 2023 American Traditions Vocal Competition Gold Medal.

 

For more information on the 2026 Songbook Academy faculty, visit TheSongbook.org/Faculty.

 

Now in its 17th year, the Songbook Academy is the flagship education program of the Great American Songbook Foundation. The program includes workshops, masterclasses and performance opportunities designed to help participants refine their vocal and stage skills, particularly in song interpretation, while building friendships and professional connections that last a lifetime.

 

Applications for the 2026 Songbook Academy are open to high school vocalists through March 29. Every applicant receives personalized feedback from an experienced screening panel. For more information on how to apply, visit TheSongbook.org/SongbookAcademy.

 

The Songbook Academy is made possible in part by generous support from Traditions Senior Communities.

 

Guest Mentor support is provided by generous contributions from individual donors, including Libby and Randy Brown, Michael and Margie Draper, Peggy Ford, The Fuller Family and Tim and Karyl McGeath.

 

Support for the core program faculty is provided by generous contributions from the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation Mentor Champions, including Diane and John Abrams, Ann and Kenneth Dee, Stan and Sandy Hurt, Paul R. Sabol and anonymous donors.

 

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.