A New Generation of the Songbook Academy

Meet the Songbook Academy Alums on staff!

Not only are we thrilled to spotlight our new staff member and 2015 Songbook Academy alumna Madelyn Steurer who has joined the Songbook Foundation as the organization's Communications Strategist, we are also proud to spotlight our Programs and Event Management Intern Camden Zetty, also an alum from 2020 and 2021. The upcoming Songbook Academy program would not be possible without their contributions and it is meaningful for our Songbook community to have two of our family members making an impact in this behind-the-scenes capacity for new generations of Songbook Academy alumni.

Meet Madelyn

Madelyn Steurer has taken on a new role as the Foundation's first Communications Strategist, managing and creating content for a comprehensive communications strategy that includes newsletters, social media, event publicity, web updates, marketing materials and other digital and print communications. A native of Jeffersonville, Steurer began her branding and marketing career in the fashion industry as marketing coordinator for Mac Duggal in Chicago. She served most recently as brand coordinator for Simkhai in Los Angeles. Also a professional performer, Steurer holds a Master of French as well as a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing and a Bachelor of Arts in Romance Languages and Literatures from the University of Notre Dame. She also studied music at Notre Dame and studied Italian through the Dante Alighieri School in Siena, Italy.

Q: What is your favorite artist, group or genre of music to listen to right now?

I absolutely LOVE Latin music – I’m fluent in several of the Romance Languages, so the vibes just speak to my soul! Luis Miguel is on repeat in my car with the windows down. I can’t resist his romantic ballads. He’s called “El Sol de Mexico” for a reason!!

Q: When did you first fall in love with the American Songbook? 

The American Songbook has been in my blood since I was a little girl sitting at the foot of my Meme and Pa’s record player in their house. I also began dance lessons when I was three years old and continued studying musical theatre through college. It’s in these musicals where I really connected with the genre and it became one of the biggest parts of my identity, anchoring me to both a beautiful and poetic past and launching me into a future of the genre that is still being written today!

Q: As a performer yourself, do you have any upcoming projects or recent performances you'd like to share?

I recently signed with my agent in Chicago and we just launched our cabaret show titled “From Sinatra to Garland”, which debuted at Herb Alpert’s Vibrato Grill & Jazz in Los Angeles, CA! I’m currently in the process of writing my solo cabaret show, so stay tuned for more information on where I will be touring!

Q: What do you like to do in your free time? Anything else you'd like to add?

I love competing in pageants and was actively involved with and held several local titles in the Miss America Organization and Miss Volunteer America Organization, later capturing the title of Miss Indiana Volunteer and placing in the Top 10 at Miss Volunteer America in 2022!

Fitness is another huge passion of mine – I am a NASM certified personal trainer. I’m also a traveling public speaker who educates young women about the pressures of social media and coaches them in their journey to gaining confidence in their unique talents and abilities!

Q: Why are you excited to join the Songbook Foundation team?

As a 2015 alumna of the Songbook Academy, I TRULY resonate with the mission of the Great American Songbook Foundation to inspire and educate by celebrating America’s timeless popular music. This music has been the foundation of both my past and present development as an artist, and I love being able to share it with the world as Communications Strategist. Being able to come to work and advocate for a message that I am so connected to is so fulfilling to me – it really doesn’t feel like WORK at all!

Meet Camden

Camden Zetty is currently the Production & Facilities Coordinator at the Indianapolis Children's Choir while also pursuing his B.S. in Marketing at Butler University. In applying to intern with the Songbook Foundation, Camden shared, "I see business itself as an art, and I see such value in culture and branding and the importance of leveraging both to create a unique and cohesive brand identity that spans the depth of an organization. This is something that The Songbook Foundation does with excellence. I made the decision to study business as I saw a need for strong business education in the non-profit arts industry. Working with the Songbook Foundation would allow me to further explore this connection within an organization that strives for — and achieves — both artistic and operational excellence. There is so much to be learned from the Foundation’s staff and partners in an environment in which I can see myself thriving." Thank you to Camden for serving above and beyond his internship duties this summer to elevate our work!  

Q: What is your favorite artist, group or genre of music to listen to right now?

A: I love choral music and American standards. Recently it’s been Moses Hogan in the morning and Tony Bennet at night. It’s all about the mood, isn’t it?

Q: When did you first fall in love with the American Songbook? 

A: I was first exposed to the music of the Great American Songbook while prepping for a “Big Band” concert with the Indianapolis Children’s Choir, but I fell in love with it when I started singing it myself. It’s incredible how many different emotions you can pull from a text.

Q: As a performer yourself, do you have any upcoming projects or recent performances you'd like to share?

 A: I just recently performed as the soloist for Ariel Ramírez’ La Misa Criolla, a stunning Argentinian mass setting. Next on the books for me is my first season as a conductor for both the Indianapolis Children’s Choir and Cornerstone Lutheran Church. I am so excited to be able to share the gift of music in this new way.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time? Anything else you'd like to add?

A: I love to cook, read, and look at the stars.

Q: What does the Songbook Academy (your experience or contributing to this program this summer) mean to you?

A: There is nothing quite like the Songbook Academy. As a student, it meant uncovering new ways to explore music. As a staff member, it means playing a small part in someone else having that same life-altering experience.