NYMF Announces Finalists for the 7th Annual NYMF Next Broadway Sensation Competition

Eight finalists have been chosen to compete in the grand finale of the 7th Annual NYMF Next Broadway Sensation (NBS) competition on October 12th at 11pm at New World Stages. Over 200 people auditioned for NYMF's Next Broadway Sensation.

The eight finalists for NYMF's Next Broadway Sensation are: Daniel Belnavis, Max Chernin, Joel Dommel, Alexis Fishman, Adam Kaplan, Charlotte Munson, Shannon O'Boyle, and Josephine Spada.

For the first time, the finalists have been asked to take part in a special concert at New World Stages on October 5th at 9pm produced by NYMF and The ASCAP Foundation and hosted by Grammy and Oscar winning composer Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell). All of the finalists will be paired with prominent ASCAP music theatre composers and the finalists will then perform songs from their composers, who will then comment on their work.

The evening will feature numbers by John Bucchino (A Catered Affair), Adam Gwon (Ordinary Days), Ryan Scott Oliver (35MM), Michael Patrick Walker (Altar Boyz), Daniel Mate (The Trouble With Doug), and Michael Kooman & Christopher Dimond (Dani Girl).

Lindsay Mendez (Godspell, Dogfight) hosted the NBS heats in which the eight finalists were selected and Karen Mason (Mamma Mia!, Sunset Boulevard) is set to host the Grand Finale on October 12th.

The finalists were chosen from a mix of audience votes, online votes at BroadwayWorld.com, and a panel of industry judges that included Tony nominated actors Celia Keenan-Bolger (Peter and the Starcatcher) and Tony Sheldon (Priscilla Queen of The Dessert), composer Ryan Scott Oliver (35mm), casting director Michael Cassara and ASCAP's Director of Musical Theatre Michael Kerker.

Judges at the grand finale will include producer Ken Davenport (Godspell), composer Lucy Simon (The Secret Garden) and actress Donna Lynne Champlin (Billy Elliot).

The winner of Next Broadway Sensation gets a solo concert produced by NYMF and Sh-K-Boom Records, as well as performance opportunities throughout the 2013 Festival season.