Songbook Academy Receives $75K Sponsorship to Support Educational Programs

A $75,000 national sponsorship by the Efroymson Family Fund will support the Great American Songbook Foundation's signature educational program, the annual Songbook Academy.

Now in its ninth year, the Songbook Academy is the nation's only summer intensive for high school students that is focused on the Great American Songbook: timeless pop and jazz standards and classic songs from Broadway and Hollywood.

Hundreds of talented teen vocalists across the country apply each year for just 40 openings at the weeklong academy, a life-changing opportunity to learn and perform under the guidance of music and theater industry professionals and educators from top college arts programs. The week culminates with a final Saturday night concert in which one participant is named Songbook Youth Ambassador for the coming year, performing in prestigious venues across the country with the Foundation's founder, five-time Grammy Award nominee Michael Feinstein. Many participants have gone on to regional and national success in the arts and entertainment.

"This music goes very deep in the soul, and to see the transformation in young people, as they take it out in the world and share this experience from a very deep place, is something we not only are proud of, but we see as having an important transformative effect that can't be accomplished by many other means," Feinstein said. "Thanks to the generosity of the Efroymson Family Fund, we can continue to build the program's national presence and open this opportunity to a broader range of promising young talents."

The 2018 Academy is scheduled for July 21-28 at the Songbook Foundation's headquarters, the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel. Events open to the public include the July 25 Public Masterclass, the July 26 Songbook Showcase and the July 28 Songbook Academy Finals. Tickets are on sale now at TheCenterPresents.org.

This is the third year of national sponsorship by the Efroymson Family Fund.

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 Great American Songbook - 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. More information is available at www.TheSongbook.org.

About the Efroymson Family Fund

The Efroymson Family Fund, a donor-advised fund of the Central Indiana Community Foundation, continues a long legacy of charitable commitment by the Efroymson family in central Indiana. The Efroymson Family Fund was established in 1998 by Dan and Lori Efroymson to promote the viability of communities and to date has awarded more the $100 million in grants in central Indiana and beyond. For more information about the Efroymson Family Fund, visit efroymsonfamilyfund.org.

Photo: Founded by five-time Grammy nominee Michael Feinstein, the annual Songbook Academy is the nation's only summer intensive for high school students that focuses on the Great American Songbook. Here, Feinstein poses with the 2017 Academy participants at the Palladium in Carmel, IN.

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