July 5 to July 16, 2021 | Monday through Friday
For beginning and advanced singers, age 10–18
Develop performance skills as singer/actors alongside peers, both as soloists and members of ensembles. This two-week intensive camp will include:
- Performance
- Vocal coaching
- Movement rehearsals and blocking
- Acting and character development
- Broadway History
- Music Theory
- Vocal Anatomy
- Diction
- Improvisation and theatre games
- Audition preparation
- Accepting singers ages 10–18 per audition or submission.
About the Program
Campers will take part in vocal coaching, acting instruction focusing on the challenges of the singer/actor, and staging/blocking sessions. Repertoire assignments are based on ability level and vocal range. Students will work in small groups and receive individual vocal coaching for their pieces. The final week is dedicated to dress rehearsals and staging. The camp ends with a final performance, allowing students to showcase their prepared scenes from the musical theatre repertory.
When: July 5–16, 2021
Our 2021 camps will be exclusively in-person if we determine that to be safe according to local and national guidelines at the time. If not, they will be conducted virtually via Zoom at a reduced scale. See below for pricing details.
In-Person Camp: 9am to 4pm, Monday through Friday.
Virtual Camp: 12pm to 2:30pm, Monday through Friday.
Faculty
Director
Michael Ashby earned his Masters of Operatic performance from New Jersey City University and his Bachelor of Science in Music Performance from Indiana State University. He has performed regionally in opera, operetta, musical theater, and theater productions. Michael is the vocal technical teacher for the Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale as well as the Philadelphia Girls Choir, and directs three camps each summer–opera, musical theatre, and choir. His previous teen opera camps were directed at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and for Philadelphia International Music Festival in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. During his time at Rutgers he was a private vocal instructor with the Mason Gross Extension Division/Community Music Program for eleven years.
Accompanist/Coach
Steve Weber graduated from both Cedarville University (B.A. in Music) and Boston University (M.A. in Music Education). He has been teaching high school music in southern New Jersey for over 15 years, where his students have been featured on Philadelphia radio and national television several times. Steve has worked with many regional music groups, including International Opera Theater of Philadelphia, Delaware Valley Opera Chorus, and the Ritz Theater of Oaklyn. In his spare time, he arranges music for not only his students but other high school and college ensembles as well.
Fees
The fee for the two-week program will be determined by the venue–in-person or virtual. The full day in-person camp costs $600 for two weeks. The virtual camp costs $100 per week.
Application
Please use our online application, or email info@phillygirlschoir.org.
NOTE: Singers accepted per audition or submission. Please prepare up to two song selections, one of which may be from an opera, an operetta, or musical theater. Both selections can be in English. Audition materials such as mp3 files or YouTube videos can be emailed to mashby@phillyboyschoir.org.
