LCT Spotlight Series Presents A CELEBRATION OF STUDENT SONGS

This month the LCT Spotlight Series will turn its focus to Open Stages, Lincoln Center Theater's education program and the virtual reimagining of its highly popular annual presentation, A CELEBRATION OF STUDENT SONGS. This concert of original songs written and introduced by NYC public middle and high school students and performed by Broadway artists, will premiere on Tuesday, May 25 at 7pm and will be available for viewing through Sunday, June 20 on Broadway on Demand. To register, visit www.LCT.org.

A CELEBRATION OF STUDENT SONGS is the culmination of Open Stages' "Songwriting in the Schools Program," a 9-session artists' residency in which the students engage in a rigorous creative process, writing their own songs from a character's point of view under the mentorship of professional composers and lyricists.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, students participated in this year's program digitally from their homes. A CELEBRATION OF STUDENT SONGS gives the students the opportunity to share their work with their fellow students, families and, for the first time this year through this digital presentation, the general public. Their creations will be brought to life by a company of Broadway performers - Vincent Jamal Hooper, Ashley D. Kelley, Zachary Noah Piser and Courtney Reed. The concert will be hosted by Miguel Cervantes, a four-time veteran of this event.

"LCT's songwriting program helps students tap into their creativity and introduces New York City kids to musical theater, this most American of art forms, as a means of telling their own stories," said Kati Koerner, LCT's Hiltz Director of Education. "This year's songs are of the moment, ranging from middle school students' perspective on the pandemic to high school students' deeply personal songs about fighting for the causes they believe in. Although many of the songs tackle serious themes, they do so with humor, charm, and the high drama of adolescence."

The students worked with musical theater artists Brandon Anderson, Laura Dadap, Mariana Elder, Timothy Huang, Khiyon Hursey, Daniel Lazour, Patrick Lazour, Mike Pettry, Matt Sherwin, Ben Wexler, and Sam Willmott. Mike Pettry will also serve as the Musical Director for the concert.

A CELEBRATION OF STUDENT SONGS is directed by Tyler Thomas. Matt Craig is the audio supervisor and mixer, ASL Productions is the video supervisor, with casting by Telsey + Co./Craig Burns, CSA and Rebecca Scholl, CSA. Saori "Cel" Yokoo serves as the event's Stage Manager.

Open Stages is LCT's education department which serves thousands of New York City public school students and their teachers each year, with programming that supports English language learners, cultivates the musical theater writers of tomorrow, allows young people to approach Shakespeare as actors, and connects high school students to LCT's productions.

Visit LCT.org for more information on all of the upcoming LCT Spotlight Series programming.

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