The Songbook Academy Concert. Courtesy of Wayne Images. Used with permission.
The Songbook Academy Concert. Courtesy of Wayne Images. Used with permission.
A highlight of The Songbook Academy Concert Saturday at The Payne & Mencias Palladium was the return of 2016 alum and Broadway performer Nina White (Kimberly Akimbo). She represented the high caliber of hundreds of singers who have been students at the Songbook Academy since its inception, sixteen years ago.
This week-long summer intensive brings forty high school vocalists from across the country to Carmel, Indiana, to study with esteemed music educators and renowned Broadway performers. They included Jessie Mueller and Nikki Renée Daniels, appearing during the week’s public events, as well as Kate Baldwin, Lorna Courtney, Catherine Russell and A.J. Shively, leading private masterclasses and workshops.
The brainchild of Michael Feinstein, well-known as “The Ambassador of the Great American Songbook,” the Academy is a program of the Great American Songbook Foundation, cp-founded by five-time Grammy nominated Feinstein.
The Songbook Academy Concert. Courtesy of Wayne Images. Used with permission.
The concert, hosted by emcee Feinstein, lasted three hours and included video presentations and both solo and group performances by members of the Songbook Academy Class of 2025. An added attraction was a seven-piece band consisting of local musicians. All forty students had their moments to individually shine in group numbers performed by five teams led by music directors Caelan Cordello, Jeff Harris, Oscar Hernandez, Daryl Kojak and Melanie Shore. Vocal coaches for each team were Shereen Ahmed, Kathleen Hacker, MaryAnn Hu, Melvin Brandon Logan, and Mary Michael Patterson. Additional faculty who assisted included Conductor/Arranger Russ Kassoff, Choreographer Kenny Shepard, and Vocal Technique Coach Catherine A. Walker.
Solo performances by Mia Kadar, Emily Grace Chavez, Maddox Wood, Helena Badalia, Claire Kauffman, Thomas Whitten and Noelle Duncan were all superb. Still, those who stood out not only for their vocal talent but also for there showmanship were Chavez, who belted A Change is Gonna Come; Wood, who brought down the house with his rendition of That’s Life; Badalia, who delighted the crowd with Zing, Went the Strings of My Heart; Whitten, who turned in a stunning version of Solitude and Duncan who was striking in Alfie.
Near the end of Act 1, Feinstein took a break from the proceedings to present the very first Educator Award to his former junior high school music teacher Elaine Moiebus who has served as the Songbook Choir choral director for its entire existence. Following the award ceremony the Songbook choir performed a marvelous arrangement medley by Mel Shore of Generations of Oz-We have Been Changed ‘for good.’
The Songbook Academy Concert. Courtesy of Wayne Images. Used with permission.
Another notable part of the concert occurred in Act 2 when Feinstein performed Memories as both pianist and vocalist, in tribute to songwriter Alan Bergman. He and his wife and collaborator Marilyn Bergman were inducted into the Songbook Hall of Fame in 2014.
Closing the concert in a poignant finale was Feinstein, who joined the Songbook Choir in a heartfelt rendering of a beautifully arranged medley of If I Ruled the World/Dream.
Though essentially a promotion and fundraiser for the Songbook Academy Concert, the event was nevertheless entertaining and engaging. In terms of its inspirational value —witnessing the distinctive performances of such a collection of fresh-faced, promising talent, all in one place, was incalculable, offering hope that the music of the Great American Songbook will endure for generations to come.
