Composer Adam Guettel to Become the First Artist-in-Residence at Pace University's Musical Theater Program

Pace University performing arts students in the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences will gain exposure this year to high-profile industry stars on campus through new artist-in-residence programs in musical theater and commercial dance.

These programs bring distinguished professional guest artists to campus annually to share expertise from the field. Beginning this fall, Pace students will learn first-hand the process of creating, producing and performing new musical theater material with Tony award-winning composer and lyricist Adam Guettel, the first of a series of artists-in-residence in Pace’s musical theater program, made possible through an anonymous endowed gift.
Guettel will work with faculty members at Pace to teach a variety of master classes and critique student projects. Subjects covered will include vocal performance, song interpretation, the process of composition and the creative process. Guettel will also workshop new musical material at Pace.

Guettel will give a public lecture in spring 2013, in which he will explore the creative process by which he composes music and writes lyrics for the theater that will include demonstrations from his work performed by current and recent graduates from the Pace BFA in Musical Theater program.

This semester the commercial dance program kicked-off an artist-in-residence program made possible by a generous gift from Voice of an Angel. Pace students learned trade secrets from choreographer and dancer Brian Friedman during two days of intensive workshops. Upcoming dance artists-in-residence this semester at Pace include New York City Ballet star Tiler Peck, musical writer and performer Gregg Russell, and dancer and “Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark” and “Cirque du Soleil” choreographer Cherice Barton.

“Through the generosity of our donors we are able to take full advantage of the richness of our New York City location and bring world-renowned talent to our campus several times over the course of the academic year, giving our students unique opportunities,” said Nira Herrmann, Dyson College dean. “This program truly illustrates how Dyson and Pace make use of New York as an extension of our campus, not only by having students go out into the city, but also by bringing its fabulous resources onto our campus.”

About Adam Guettel: Adam Guettel is an American composer-lyricist of musical theater and opera. He is best known for the musical “The Light in the Piazza,” for which he won two Tony Awards for Best Score and Best Orchestrations, and two Drama Desk Awards for Best Music and Best Orchestrations. His early works include 1996's “Floyd Collins,” “Love's Fire,” and “Saturn Returns.” Guettel's songs have been recorded by such artists as Audra McDonald and Brian d'Arcy James. He also contributed original scores to several documentary films, including “Arguing the World and Jack: The Last Kennedy Film.” In 1999, he performed a concert evening of his own work at New York's Town Hall. In 2004, Guettel contributed vocals to Broadway star and cabaret singer Jessica Molaskey's P.S. Classics album “Make Believe.” In July 2009, the Signature Theatre of Arlington, Virginia commissioned Guettel to write a new musical for their 2011-2012 season under the auspices of their American Musical Voices Project.
About Performing Arts at Pace University: Pace University's Performing Arts Department offers Bachelor of Fine Arts Degrees in Acting, Musical Theater and Commercial Dance, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater Arts with specialized focuses in Acting, Commercial Dance, Directing or Design/Technical Theater. For more information, visit www.pace.edu/dyson/performingarts.
Dyson College is also home to The Actors Studio Drama School with the only MFA theater program officially sanctioned by The Actors Studio. The curriculum is designed jointly by the presidents of The Actors Studio, Ellen Burstyn, Harvey Keitel and Al Pacino. Students participate in craft seminars known to the world as the Bravo Network television series, "Inside The Actors Studio," hosted by James Lipton. For further information about the program, go to www.pace.edu/actorsstudiomfa