Bronxville, New York--Broadway stars John Cudia ("Phantom of the Opera," "Les Miserables"), Michael James Scott ("Book of Mormon," Disney's "Aladdin"), Kathy Voytko ("Nine," "Oklahoma!"), Raymond Jaramillo McLeod ("Jekyll and Hyde"), and Q. Smith (Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's "Mary Poppins") banded together, alongside Broadway's veteran musicians Charles and Annbrit duChateau ("Spider-man: Turn Off the Dark," Disney's "Aladdin," respectively), Dave Phillips ("Book of Mormon"), and Charles Descarfino ("Elf," "Porgy and Bess"), to raise funds for the Young At Arts' scholarship program Monday, April 28, at Christ Church Bronxville.
Founded in 2005, Young at Arts--organized by Father Michael A. Bird, Christ Church Bronxville's rector; Shawn Kaufman, CS Global's lighting designer; Camille Zamora, Sing for Hope's founder; and Sharyn Pirtle, Young At Arts' founding director--is a dynamic non-profit arts program that annually provides rigorous after-school and in-school instruction in choral music and musical theater to more than 300 young students, who hail from Southern Westchester County and the Bronx.
The formation of Young At Arts nearly a decade ago was Bronxville community's response to the drastic cuts in arts education in many schools.
At the benefit, John Cudia, a recurring Phantom at "Phantom of the Opera" on Broadway; Michael James Scott, currently a standby to Tony nominee James Monroe Iglehart's Genie in Disney's "Aladdin"; and Raymond Jaramillo McLeod, together with Young At Arts' scholars, opened the show with their rendition of "Seize the Day" from the Broadway musical "Newsies."
Excerpts from Stephen Sondheim's "Company," Disney's "The Little Mermaid," and the Broadway bound Disney's "Frozen" were also performed.
For more information, visit youngatartsny.org.
Photos: Stephen Pagnotta, Michael Pollack
Young At Arts' scholars
Young At Arts' benefit cast
Young At Arts' benefit cast
Young At Arts' benefit cast
Young At Arts' scholars
Young At Arts' scholars
Young At Arts' scholars
Young At Arts' scholars
John Cudia with Young at Arts' scholars
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