Price, Ford, Carnahan, Etc. to Instruct MSM Workshop Classes

Manhattan School of Music has announced its annual Professional Musical Theater Workshop, taking place on Tuesday May 29 through Friday June 22, 2007.

This year, the program has accepted 16 musical theater hopefuls from all over the country. Now in its 16th year, artistic director Paul Gemignani (musical director of original productions of A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Pacific Overtures, etc.) brings with him a Faculty of skill and expertise including Roundabout Theatre Company artistic associate Jim Carnahan as Career Management Coach, Phyllis Della (Cabaret, Into the Woods) as Hair/Make-up Coach, pianist and performer Paul Ford (Into the Woods, Assassins, Passion) as Vocal Coach, casting director Joanna Merlin (original Tzeitl in Fiddler on the Roof) as Audition Techniques Coach, Carolann Page as Vocal Instructor, and Ginger Thatcher (Oklahoma!, Cincinnati Ballet, Cleveland Ballet) as Dance and Movement Instructor. Robert H. Smith, Jr., Manhattan School of Music's director of Community Outreach in Orchestral Performance, acts as workshop director.

In addition, director and actor Lonny Price (110 in the Shade director, A Class Act) acts as guest Acting Instructor. Many classes take place in Manhattan School of Music's new Ades Performance Space inaugurated in February 2007, which is an ideal setting for Musical Theater training.

"In 1991, Manhattan School of Music teamed up with Paul Gemignani, renowned Broadway musical director, to create a four-week intensive workshop in musical theater training. The program is designed for musical theater performers who are interested in gaining an in-depth training in all areas of musical theater. Studies include vocal and dramatic coaching, song preparation, scene preparation, and seminars in career management and the history of American musical theater. The workshop is made possible through the generosity of The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation," state press notes.

Manhattan School of Music is a preeminent international conservatory of music granting bachelor of music, master of music, and doctor of musical arts degrees. Founded in 1918, the School is dedicated to the personal, artistic, and intellectual development of each of its students, who range in age from the precollege through the postgraduate level. The School trains students in performance and composition and provides a broad-based education in music theory, history, and humanities.

Visit www.msmnyc.edu for more information.

Photo of Lonny Price by Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.