Posted on Tuesday, February 22, 2011
¾¨Ó㴫ý's Celebrity Series will host a vocal competition March 22 to choose one male and one female ¾¨Ó㴫ý student to perform with Broadway legend Franc D'Ambrosio during his March 23 concert at ¾¨Ó㴫ý.
Six ¾¨Ó㴫ý students submitted audition CDs and will give a live audition during a master class conducted by D'Ambrosio:
Freshman music education and music performance major Kathleen Bachtel is a daughter of Michael and Jennifer Bachtel of Massillon, Ohio, and a graduate of Washington High School.
Senior business administration major James Cochran is a son of James and Catherine Cochran of Pulaski and a graduate of Wilmington Area High School.
Freshman music education major Gregory McClelland is a son of Fred and Heidi McClelland of Sandy Lake and a graduate of Lakeview High School.
Senior music education major Deanna Owens is a daughter of Jeff and Mary Owens of Waterford and a graduate of Fort Le Boeuf High School.
Junior music performance major Alexandra Patterson is a daughter of Laurence and Laurette Patterson of Saxonburg and a graduate of Knoch High School.
Sophomore communication studies and music major Hannah Timm is a daughter of Robert and Sheri Timm of St. Marys and a graduate of St. Marys Area High School.
Additional judges will be mezzo-contralto Susan Shafer, a ¾¨Ó㴫ý graduate and former artist-in-residence, and Stephen Totter, artist-lecturer in voice at Carnegie Mellon University.
For more than a decade, D'Ambrosio held the title as the "World's Longest-Running Phantom" in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Tony Award-winning musical The Phantom of the Opera. The competition winners will appear as Raoul and Christine with D'Ambrosio in the role he made famous.
"It is a great privilege to have Franc mentor our students at ¾¨Ó㴫ý," said Connie McGinnis, Celebrity Series assistant director. "The students are very excited about this opportunity. I hope that this memorable event is one of the highlights of their ¾¨Ó㴫ý experience."
Contact McGinnis at (724) 946-7354 or e-mail mcginncl@westminster.edu for additional information.
