Listen: Maestras Share Their Efforts To AMPLIFY Female & Non-Binary Musicians On Why I'll Never Make It Podcast

In celebration of Women's History Month, Maestra's third annual concert amplifying women and non-binary musicians in musical theater is just a week away. And two of the women making this special event possible join Why I'll Never Make It and host Patrick Oliver Jones to talk about this organization founded by composer Georgia Stitt as well as their own work in the arts.

Julianne Merrill is a professional music director, pianist, and electronic music designer who also talks about her behind-the-scenes work in playback engineering. Jessica Ryan is an award-winning creator who has been the go-to broadcast director for Broadway live simulcasts since 2013. She also shares her own journey as a performing artist and how she's brought that experience into the world of directing and broadcasting.

Both women speak passionately and concretely about the intersection of arts and technology and how female and non-binary artists fit into this growing space. Ryan says, "Technology is an interesting way to leverage and create power and agency for yourself." However, there are hurdles not only for these underrepresented voices but also for the performing arts in general as unions like Actors Equity and even Broadway itself have been slow at times to embrace the digital age of video.

Listen below!

There are both answers and hope in this wide-ranging discussion of how artists can actually make their art and find their niche. For Merrill it is all about going back to your roots. "You just have to look back at your whole life and your timeline and your predecessors and your family and your traumas, frankly, and how it all creates this career and creates these interests. And if you can find a way to monetize something that you enjoy doing, that's a super thumbs up."

A sense of community and togetherness is one of the main reasons behind Maestra and their AMPLIFY concert. It will feature Tony Award nominee Kate Baldwin hosting this evening of music by Maestras like Cyndi Lauper, Debra Monk, Brenda Russell, and Lucy Simon. Their music will be performed by some of Broadway's brightest stars, including: Abby Mueller, Andy Kelso, Alysha Umphress, Bre Jackson, and Blake Stadnik. AMPLIFY is a hybrid event, with in-person performances in New York City as well as a virtual simulcast with online-only features provided by All Together Now (Ryan's company), available worldwide on March 27, 2023.

Listen to the full conversation with Jessica Ryan and Julianne Merrill on Why I'll Never Make It, available on all podcast platforms. Also, learn more about Maestra and how you can join the Amplify concert.

Jessica Ryan

is an award-winning creator at the intersection of technology and live experiences. Her live simulcasts include Dylan Mulvaney Day 365 Live at The Rainbow Room, Between Riverside and Crazy starring Common, Clyde's starring Uzo Aduba, Freestyle Love Supreme+ Live at the Waldorf and Broadway Unlocked's The #Giveback Concert. She brings an extensive theatrical experience to her digital work in the arts, including having shared the stage with Donna McKechnie, Everett Quinton (Ridiculous Theatre Company), Christianne Noll, Paige Davis, Jeff Still and more. Her groundbreaking work has been featured at Talks at Google, The New York Times and Deadline and is at the root of her company, All Together Now, where Jess's wealth of creative experience and strategy for livestreams brings branded content and social impact events to the public.

JULIANNE MERRILL

is a frequent Music Director for various cabarets, concerts, galas, and new work development workshops. On Broadway, she can be found as a substitute conductor and keyboard player as well as behind a pit computer programming keyboards and engineering playback. Her most recent projects include, A Strange Loop, Some Like it Hot, and White Girl in Danger. She is a recent graduate and now professor of Live Experience Design at BerkleeNYC and uses the artist name "PatchMaster." She also moderates the Maestra Pride Affinity group.

WHY I'LL NEVER MAKE IT

is one of Feedspot's Top Theater Podcasts and received a 2022 Communicator Award of Distinction. This podcast comes out every other week and is hosted and produced by Off-Broadway and National Touring actor Patrick Oliver Jones (The Addams Family, Evita). WINMI Podcast has featured other amazing female artists, including actress Kate Baldwin (Big Fish, Hello Dolly), composer Georgia Stitt (Snow Child, Big Red Sun), performing artist Misty Rosas (The Mandalorian), and actress Meredith Aleigha Wells (How the Grinch Stole Christmas).