Songbook Academy: More Than a Week

July 31, 2026

Seventeen years later, Songbook Academy alumni continue to create, collaborate and keep the spirit of the Songbook alive.

By: Renée La Schiazza, Director of Programs and 2012 Songbook Academy alumna

When the first group of Songbook Academy participants gathered in Carmel in 2009 for a single weekend devoted to America's timeless popular music, no one could have predicted what would grow from that inaugural experience.

Seventeen years later, the Songbook Academy community has grown into something truly special. 

Today, Songbook Academy alumni can be found performing on Broadway and national tours, teaching in classrooms, directing choirs, writing original music, leading arts organizations and mentoring the next generation of young artists. Yet for many, the lasting friendships and sense of community formed during Songbook Academy Week remain among the most meaningful parts of their journey.

That spirit of connection will be visible throughout the 2026 Songbook Academy as several alumni return to participate in this summer's program. Among them is April Varner (2015), an internationally recognized jazz vocalist and winner of the 2023 Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition, who returns to Academy Week this year as a special guest alum and featured performer.

"Hard to believe it's been over 10 years since I participated in the Songbook Academy," Varner says. "I'm so fortunate and grateful for this opportunity to impart some of what I've learned about this business and the great love I have for what I do with the younger generation. I hope to inspire them and encourage them to keep on going no matter what."

Joining her are alumni ambassadors Camden Zetty (2020-2021), Izzy Casciani (2022, 2024) and Lyd Herrera (2021-2022), who will help support students throughout the week while sharing their own experiences as former participants.

A graduate of Butler University and Artistic Operations Manager for Indianapolis Children's Choir, Zetty has also built a consulting practice serving arts and nonprofit organizations in strategy, communications and operations. Returning to the Songbook Academy as the program’s inaugural Lead Alumni Ambassador, he says the impact of the week extends far beyond music itself.

"The transformation that happens through the week is more than musical—it's personal," Zetty says. "Lives change, and to be a part of each student's journey is an incredible honor." 

Now studying musical theatre at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Casciani says the Academy community continues to feel like home.

"The alumni community provides a home away from home," she says. "Everywhere I go, I find Songbook alumni thriving in artistic environments, and they are always eager to connect and support each other."

Those connections often continue long after Academy Week ends.

This summer, Edin Kebede (2021-2023) and Abigayle Kate Gatton Stokes (2023), both pursuing musical theatre at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, will perform together at Music Theatre Wichita, where Kebede appears as Éponine in Les Misérables and Stokes takes on the role of Chava in Fiddler on the Roof. What began with a shared experience at Songbook Academy has evolved into a friendship that now includes college and professional collaborations, which Stokes describes as "such a full-circle moment."

When asked to describe the Songbook Academy alumni community in a single word, Kebede chose "infinite."

"There are so many people I have not only stayed in contact with after Songbook, but have later worked with them on different projects," she says. "All the friends, mentors and colleagues I've met and continue to reunite with have blossomed into long-lasting relationships that I will cherish forever."

Closer to home, Olivia Broadwater (2018), fresh off a year as a Main Vocalist at Hong Kong Disneyland, and Seth Jacobsen (2022-2023), an Indiana University musical theatre student entering his senior year, are reuniting on Central Indiana stages in Ride the Cyclone at Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre and in the world premiere of Emergency the Musical right here at The Tarkington at Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts. 

Across the country, Songbook Academy alumni continue to build impressive careers on stage. Reed Gnepper (2018) recently joined the national tour of Wicked, Jack Ducat (2018) starred as Buddy the Elf on the national tour of Elf the Musical, Jason Mulay (2021) made his national tour debut in Mamma Mia!, Emily Fink (2012) made her Broadway debut in Dead Outlaw, and Matthew Fedorek (2017) joined the tour of A Beautiful Noise. Regional theatre standouts include Adriana Scalice (2017), whose recent credits include In the Heights and West Side Story, and Alexandria Reese (2020), who recently appeared in Ain't Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations. Beyond musical theatre, alumni are pursuing a wide range of artistic paths. Jennie Rupp (2018) will perform the title role in Suor Angelica at the Prague Summer Nights Young Artists Music Festival, while Joie Bianco (2016-2017), a member of the popular group The Sunhouse Singers and an accomplished solo artist, performed alongside fellow alum April Varner at Dizzy's Club during Varner's album release celebration. 

Others are carrying their love of music into new forms of artistic expression. Singer-songwriters including Taylor Bickett (2017), Eleri Ward (2012), Ryan Peter Murphy (2018) and Amanda Phifer (2023-2024) continue to release original work, while vocalist Zach Connolly (2018) recently released his debut jazz album, Before the Sky Turns Gold, inspired in part by his experiences at the Songbook Academy.

For George Walker (2017), the impact of the Songbook Academy now comes full circle through teaching. As a music, theatre and dance educator, show choir director, choreographer and arranger, Walker will spend part of his summer helping inspire young performers through Show Choir Camps of America. 

"The Songbook Academy reminded me to pursue my passion and do it with excellence. Don’t give up," Walker says. "It also showed me the importance of music and the effect it has on the soul. It is needed."

The spirit of giving back can also be found among alumni who continue supporting the program itself. Former participants Cinderella Ksebati (2017) and Melinda Rodriguez (2013) returned this year to serve on the Songbook Academy screening team, helping select the next class of singers and continuing the cycle of mentorship that has become a hallmark of the program.

If Kebede sees the alumni community as "infinite," Walker describes it as "hopeful and alive."

"Music is very much alive in this generation," he says. "This community is proof."

While no two alumni journeys look exactly alike, they are connected by a common experience—and by a community that continues to encourage, celebrate and inspire one another long after Academy Week ends. Seventeen years later, one of Songbook Academy's greatest legacies is the community itself.