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Faculty & Mentors

Learn from artists and educators who help you grow as a musician and storyteller.

 

Michael Feinstein

Founder, Great American Songbook Foundation

 

Michael Feinstein is dedicated to sharing the Great American Songbook with the next generation of musicians. Through coaching and masterclasses, he guides students in exploring lyrics, making personal connections to the music, and developing interpretations that reflect their own voices.

 

Guest Mentors Through the Years

In addition to our founder and 5-time GRAMMY nominee Michael Feinstein, our Songbook Academy Guest Mentors come to us from all corners of the music industry, whether from the Broadway stage or the recording studio. Featuring Tony, Emmy and GRAMMY winners, viral sensations and living legends, browse a few of our notable past mentors who have joined us over the years to host a masterclass during Songbook Academy week!

 

Featured artists represent past Songbook Academy programs. Guest mentors vary each summer.

 

Lea Salonga

Lea Salonga

Tony winner; Miss Saigon, singing voice of Disney’s Aladdin and Mulan, KPop Demon Hunters

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Mandy Gonzalez

Broadway’s Hamilton, In the Heights, Wicked, and Sunset Blvd

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Joshua Henry

Tony winner for Ragtime; Broadway’s Carousel and Into the Woods

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Ashley Park

Netflix’s Emily in Paris; Broadway’s Mean Girls
Lea Salonga

Scott Bradlee

Pianist, arranger, and founder of Postmodern Jukebox

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Lorna Courtney

Tony nominee for & Juliet; Broadway’s The Rocky Horror Show

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Jessie Mueller

Tony and GRAMMY winner; Beautiful, Waitress, and Carousel

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Ali Stroker

Tony winner for her performance as Ado Annie in Oklahoma!
Lea Salonga

Catherine Russell

GRAMMY-winning jazz and blues vocalist

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Adam Kantor

Emmy and GRAMMY winner; The Band’s Visit, Rent, and Fiddler on the Roof

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Liz Callaway

Tony and GRAMMY nominee, Emmy winner; singing voice of Anastasia

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Nikki Renée Daniels

Broadway’s Once Upon a Mattress, Company, and The Book of Mormon
Lea Salonga

Kate Baldwin

Two-time Tony nominee; Broadway’s Chicago, Hello, Dolly!, and Big Fish

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Nicole Zuraitis

Two-time GRAMMY-winning jazz singer-songwriter, pianist, and arranger

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Andréa Burns

Broadway’s In the Heights; A Walk on the Moon Off-Broadway

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Telly Leung

Broadway’s Aladdin, Allegiance, and Godspell; television’s Glee
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Additional Past Guest Mentors:

 

  • Nicole Henry — Soul Train Award-winning jazz and soul vocalist
  • James T. Lane — A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical, Chicago, and Kiss Me, Kate
  • Melissa Manchester — GRAMMY-winning singer-songwriter
  • The Manhattan Transfer’s Cheryl Bentyne, Janis Siegel, and Trist Curless — Artists from the GRAMMY-winning vocal group
  • Bryonha Marie — Our Town, Prince of Broadway, After Midnight, and The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
  • Ginna Claire Mason — Wicked on Broadway; Hallmark’s A Holiday Spectacular, A Carol for Two, and A Newport Christmas
  • Michael McElroy — Tony and GRAMMY-nominated performer; founder of Broadway Inspirational Voices
  • Jane Monheit — GRAMMY-nominated jazz and Songbook vocalist
  • Laura Osnes — Two-time Tony nominee; Cinderella, Bonnie & Clyde, and Bandstand
  • Becca Petersen — Schmigadoon!, Back to the Future: The Musical, Mean Girls, and Bandstand
  • Solea Pfeiffer — Upcoming: WANTED; Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Hadestown, and Almost Famous
  • Fergie L. Philippe — Hamilton on Broadway; the Beast in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast national tour
  • A.J. Shively — Tony-nominated performer; Paradise Square, Bright Star, and A Man of No Importance (Off-Broadway)
  • Nasia Thomas — SIX, The Last Five Years, and Caroline, or Change; Death Becomes Her national tour

 

Selected credits are Broadway productions unless otherwise noted.

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Program Faculty

Songbook Academy faculty include accomplished Broadway performers, music directors, and teaching artists who work closely with students throughout the week.

 

Each student joins a team of eight singers led by a vocal coach and music director. Through daily coaching and rehearsals, faculty help students strengthen vocal technique, develop personalized musical arrangements, and prepare solo performances and a collaborative team medley.

 

Featured below are recent program faculty. Faculty vary each summer.

 

Lea Salonga

Janet Dacal

Vocal Coach
Broadway’s In the Heights, Wonderland, and New York, New York

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La Tanya Hall

Vocal Coach
Jazz vocalist; collaborations with Steely Dan, Diana Ross, and Bobby McFerrin

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MaryAnn Hu

Vocal Coach
 Broadway’s Frozen, My Fair Lady, and South Pacific

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Melvin Brandon Logan

Vocal Coach
 Theatre educator, Northeastern University–New York City; The Book of Mormon national tours

Michael Maliakel

Vocal Coach
 Broadway’s Aladdin and The Great Gatsby
Lea Salonga

Caelan Cardello

Music Director
 Jazz pianist; collaborations with Christian McBride and Cécile McLorin Salvant

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Jeff Harris

Music Director
 Broadway pianist and conductor; Gypsy, Chicago, and On the Town

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Beckie Menzie

Music Director
 Cabaret performer and pianist; Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Birdland

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Mel Shore

Music Director
 Pianist and arranger; national touring credits include Wicked and Matilda

Kate Skinner

Music Director
 Jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, and award-winning educator

 

Discover more about the Songbook Academy

See how coaching, rehearsals, workshops, and performances come together during the week.

 

View a sample schedule | Explore application requirements