-FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-
APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR SECOND ANNUAL HAMMERSTEIN INTERNATIONAL YOUTH SOLO CONTEST
Open to Singers Ages 5-23 from Across the World
to Celebrate the Unforgettable Lyrics of Oscar Hammerstein
DOYLESTOWN, PA – The Oscar Hammerstein Museum and Theatre Education Center (OHMTEC) is proud to announce that registration has opened for the Hammerstein International Youth Solo Contest. This annual contest is open to vocalists ages 5-23 of all nationalities and centers on celebrating the lyrics of Oscar Hammerstein II. Winners of the contest will receive cash prizes, voice lessons with Broadway teaching artists and an opportunity to perform their winning song at Oscar Hammerstein’s home in Doylestown, PA. Last year’s inaugural event attracted 238 performers from 28 states and 2 countries.
The contest serves the very important job of educating young musical theatre enthusiasts about the tremendous influence Oscar Hammerstein II had on the development of the modern Broadway musical as we know it. The contest also raises international awareness of the nonprofit’s mission to save Oscar Hammerstein’s Doylestown home and open the home to the public as a museum. Plans include building a theatre education center on the site of the existing bank barn.
OHMTEC board member Jaime Rogers, director of the contest, said, “I created this event last year as an avenue for young people to perform in a time when public performance was impossible due to the pandemic. I was thrilled with the number of singers that participated in the contest and blown away by the talent. I hope to double contest participation this year, with contestants from all 50 states and more countries.”
Oscar and his wife, Dorothy, lived with their family at Highland Farm in Doylestown, Pennsylvania for the last 20 years of his life. This is the place where he forged his legendary partnership with Richard Rodgers and that inspired many of their greatest musical works, including The Sound of Music, Carousel, The King and I, Oklahoma! and South Pacific. It is also the place where Hammerstein mentored a young Stephen Sondheim, and where he contributed to society by increasing our awareness of social issues and the need for tolerance of diversity.
The solo contest is divided into three rounds and five age categories - Elementary, Middle School, High School, College, and a bonus category for residents of Bucks County. All rounds of the competition will be judged by music and theatre professionals. Prizes will be awarded to winners in each category. First-place winners will receive a cash prize, have the opportunity to film their song at Highland Farm and a one-on-one coaching session with a Broadway Professional Teaching Artist.
A prestigious panel of judges will evaluate the final round of solo submissions, including vocal coach Bob Marks, playwright David Henry Hwang, vocal coach David Brunetti, and Dan Callaway, Assistant Professor of Voice at Boston Conservatory.
All proceeds from the contest will benefit The Oscar Hammerstein Museum and Theatre Education Center, which is engaged in a $5 million fundraising campaign. Contest registration will remain open through March 26, 2022. A complete list of Rules and Regulation and a registration link can be found on the OHMTEC website. Winners will be announced via a Facebook Live broadcast from Oscar Hammerstein’s home on June 10, 2022 at 8pm. For more information on the contest visit HammersteinMuseum.org/hammerstein-solo-contest or email jrogers.OHMTEC@gmail.com.
The Hammerstein International Youth Solo Contest is made possible by a generous grant from Visit Bucks County. To learn how you can make an impact and #SaveOscarsHome please visit www.HammersteinMuseum.org.
ABOUT BOB MARKS: Robert “Bob” Marks is a voice teacher, coach, conductor, arranger, author and director. He holds a degree in speech and voice pathology and has taught at the American Musical & Dramatic Academy and the Weist-Barron School in New York, among many other prestigious universities and conservatories. He has given workshops, master classes and seminars internationally. For several years, he was the host and musical director of the acclaimed Youngstars cabaret performances of professional children in New York City. His music arrangements have been heard on many compact disc releases on Painted Smiles Records. He has been the musical director of 200 productions across the country and has coached cast members of almost every current Broadway musical. Former students include Ariana Grande, Nikki M. James, Ricki Lake, Sarah Jessica Parker, Britney Spears and Ashley Tisdale. Website for more info: https://www.bobmarks.com/
ABOUT DAVID HENRY HWANG: David Henry Hwang’s stage works include the plays M. Butterfly, Yellow Face,Chinglish, Kung Fu, Golden Child, The Dance and the Railroad, and FOB, as well as the Broadway musicals Elton John & Tim Rice’s Aida (co-author), Flower Drum Song (2002 revival) and Disney’s Tarzan. Hwang is a Tony Award winner and three-time nominee, a three-time OBIE Award winner, a Grammy Award winner who has been twice nominated, and a three-time Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama. He co-wrote the Gold Record “Solo” with the late pop icon Prince and was a Writer/Consulting Producer for the Golden Globe-winning television series The Affair from 2015-2019. Hwang is currently penning the live-action musical feature film The Hunchback of Notre Dame for Disney Studios. He is Head of Playwriting at Columbia University School of the Arts. From 1994-2001 he served by appointment of President Clinton on the President’s Committee for the Arts and the Humanities. Website for more info: http://www.davidhenryhwang.com/bio
ABOUT DAVID BRUNETTI: David Brunetti is a teacher, musician, and writer in New York City. He teaches ongoing classes in bringing acting technique to songs in New York and gives annual Master Classes in many
locations including Florida State University, Denmark, Sweden, London, and Brazil. He is the author of a book called Acting Songs, which is used as a textbook in many training programs in the U.S. and internationally. David has played keyboards and musical directed on and off-Broadway and played piano on national television as the on-set pianist for the Vicky Lawrence talk show on FOX network. He has served as vocal coach and accompanist for Art Garfunkel, Judy Collins, Eartha Kitt, Leslie Uggams, Tony Award winners Donna Murphy and Faith Prince, film director Rob Marshall and Academy Award winner Geena Davis. Website for more info: http://www.actingsongs.com/bio/
ABOUT DAN CALLAWAY: Dan Callaway is Assistant Professor of voice at Boston Conservatory and previously served on the faculty of Elon University’s music theatre program. Select theater credits include the Broadway National Tour of The Phantom of the Opera and Where’s Charley? with City Center Encores!, The Pirates of Penzance at the Guthrie Theater, The Caucasian Chalk Circle at the Hangar Theatre, Pippin with Deaf West Theatre at the Mark Taper Forum, My Fair Lady at Sacramento Music Circus, 1776 and Oklahoma! at Cabrillo Music Theatre, Spamalot and Sweeney Todd (LA Ovation nomination for best featured actor in a musical) with Musical Theatre West and One Touch of Venus with Lost Musicals at the Royal Opera House among many others. Callaway led a vocal studio in Los Angeles and taught professional music theater workshops. He has several students performing on Broadway, national tours, in the regions and internationally. He also teaches regular workshops and lessons in New York City.
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