National Endowment for the Arts Grant To Support Great American Songbook Academy Expansion
Annual vocal music intensive will grow to include student instrumentalists.
A grant from the National Endowment for the Arts will support an expansion of the Great American Songbook Foundation's flagship education program, the Songbook Academy summer intensive.
Each year, the Songbook Academy selects 40 high school singers from across the nation to experience a weeklong immersion in the rich heritage of American popular music and hone their talents under the guidance of Broadway stars, music educators, and other arts and entertainment professionals. The application process is underway now for the 16th edition of the program, taking place July 12-19 at Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, where the Songbook Foundation is headquartered.
The NEA, in its latest round of funding, has approved a $25,000 Grants for Arts Projects award to support the evolution of the program to include instrumentalists, said Christopher Lewis, executive director of the Songbook Foundation.
“The vocal program has been so successful in developing young artists and building a nationwide support network for their career growth, it's a natural progression to provide similar opportunities for rising young musicians,” Lewis said. “Receiving this endorsement from the National Endowment from the Arts tells us we're on the right track.”
This year, the NEA has approved 1,127 Grants for Arts Projects awards nationwide, totaling more than $31.8 million.
“The NEA is proud to continue our nearly 60 years of supporting the efforts of organizations and artists that help to shape our country's vibrant arts sector and communities of all types across our nation,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “It is inspiring to see the wide range of creative projects taking place, including the Songbook Foundation's Songbook Academy.
About the Great American Songbook Foundation
The mission of the Great American Songbook Foundation, founded in 2007 by five-time Grammy Award nominee Michael Feinstein, is to inspire and educate by celebrating the timeless standards of pop, jazz, Broadway and Hollywood. Headquartered at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana, the Foundation advances this rich legacy by curating physical artifacts of its creators, performers and publishers; operating a multimedia exhibit gallery; overseeing the Songbook Hall of Fame; offering programs for the public and research opportunities for scholars and artists; and providing educational opportunities for student musicians, including the annual Songbook Academy summer intensive. The Foundation is a Cultural Affiliate of the Los Angeles-based Grammy Museum.
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