Blog

Music Beyond: Guest Artists

On 14 Aug, 2020 By Staci Webb

Dear BYC Community,  
This September, BYC will premiere our two live online workshops. One workshop, Music Beyond, will focus on a series of musical topics "beyond" the choir classroom, starting with Musical Theatre. Learn from our guest experts, beginning with where musical theatre came from and culminating with how you can be involved in today’s musical theatre. 

We are very excited to announce the two workshop leaders who will teach Music Beyond for September - Michael Bennett and Garrick Vaughan! Both Michael and Garrick have the expert knowledge and performing experience that stood out to us as exemplary teachers for this class.

Michael Bennett is a local performer in the Seattle area, currently pursuing his PhD in music history, and works with many ensembles and theatres in the area. Both Executive Director Madeleine and Artistic Director Nicholas have had the pleasure of learning from and working with Michael. We can't wait for you all to work with him!

Garrick Vaughan is based in Philadelphia, and has recently been performing with the European tour of HAIR! Garrick studied at Temple University where he worked with choral composer and conductor Dr. Rollo Dilworth (a frequent adjudicator, some of you may have worked with Dr. Dilworth in the past).

Please join us in welcoming these two fantastic teachers!

You can sign your chorister up for the first month of Music Beyond below.
SIGN UP FOR MUSIC BEYOND: MUSICAL THEATRE
 
Musical Theatre Session #1: History
Michael Bennett
September 14, 6:30PM
 
In this first session of Music Beyond, Michael will explore the roots of Musical Theatre, traveling from the golden musicals of the past to current productions such as Hamilton. This hour-long class will introduce you to what makes Musical Theatre so great, and why it has stood the test of time. 
Michael Bennett works regularly as a professional choral tenor in the Seattle area, having sung with Byrd Ensemble, Radiance, SoundCity Singers, Choral Arts Northwest, Pacific Musicworks, Cantare Vocal Ensemble, the St. James Cantorei, and UW Chamber Singers. He is a staff musician at Saint Mark’s Cathedral, serving as a vocal mentor for the Schola and Evensong choirs, and singing for the weekly radio broadcast as a member of the Compline Choir. Prior to relocating to the Seattle area, he performed in professional choral ensembles in greater New York, Philadelphia, and Boston. In addition to singing, Michael works regularly as a conductor, pianist, and educator for musical theater. In the Puget Sound region, he has conducted adult and youth productions at Tacoma Musical Playhouse, Tacoma Little Theatre, Lakewood Playhouse, Capitol Playhouse, and Youth Theatre Northwest, among others. In July 2019, he was music director for the North American premiere of the musical Moon Landing at Seattle's Museum of Flight in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission. From 2013–18, Michael was the choral director at Concord Academy, an independent boarding high school in Concord, Massachusetts, where he also taught courses in music history, theory, pop music, and musical theatre. He holds degrees in theory and composition from New York University and Westminster Choir College, and is currently pursuing a PhD in music history at the University of Washington, focusing on American music in the twentieth century, particularly musical theatre. Visit Michael's UW page here.
 

Musical Theatre Sessions #2-4: What to Sing and How to Sing it
Garrick Vaughan
September 21, 28, October 5, 6:30PM

Over the course of three weeks, Garrick will take us through an in-depth look at how to sing in a Musical Theatre style. What characters would your voice part typically play? Next, he will take us through repertoire typical for each voice part. How do you pick music for your voice? In the final session, Garrick will teach us the tips and tricks necessary to audition for a show. 
Garrick Vaughan is a native of Philadelphia. He graduated with degrees in Music Education and Vocal Performance from Temple University, where he studied as a classical tenor with Dr. Julie Bishop. Garrick was exceptionally active in Temple's performance program. He placed as a finalist in the Temple University concerto competition and participated in musical theater master classes with Marcia Milgrom Dodge and Barbara Cook. Garrick has also been active in the city’s classical music scene, performing with Opera North Inc. at the Opera America Conference in 2012. Garrick was also a finalist in the PHL LIVE Center Stage Classical Competition in 2014 and won in 2015. Garrick has shared the stage singing with Kristin Chenoweth and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Some of Garrick’s roles include Antipholous of Syracuse in Rodger and Hart’s The Boys from Syracuse and Curly in Oklahoma. Garrick has also been in the 2016 and 2018 European tour of HAIR. Visit Garrick's website here.
 

In addition to Music Beyond, BYC will also be offering Musicianship Training, a weekly online class that will teach choristers how to be independent musicians. All levels of preparation and knowledge are encouraged to join us. 

 Learn more about our online offerings here.