From hundreds of applicants nationwide, 40 high school students from 14 states have been selected to participate in this year's Songbook Academy, a weeklong summer intensive that

immerses young performers in America's musical heritage and helps them develop as artists under the guidance of Broadway stars and other entertainment professionals and music educators.

Eliza Griffey, a student at St. Andrew's Sewanee School is among the finalists.

Now in its 15th year, the Songbook Academy is the flagship education initiative of the Great American Songbook Foundation and its founder, performer and preservationist Michael Feinstein. Songbook Academy 2024 will take place July 13-20 at the Foundation's headquarters, the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel.

The annual program includes workshops, masterclasses and performance opportunities that help

participants hone their vocal and stage skills with an emphasis on song interpretation, while building

friendships and professional connections that last a lifetime. Alumni from previous years include Ava

Nicole Frances (2020-22), who recently appeared on American Idol; Cate Hayman (2015), who recently closed her run on the Broadway National Tour of Hadestown; Adriana Scalice (2017), currently on the Broadway National Tour (Boleyn Company) of SIX: The Musical; Audrey Trullinger (2017), who appeared in feature film Prom Dates on Hulu; Alexandria Reese (2020), who appeared in the latest season of Law & Order SVU; and Nina White (2016), who closed Kimberly Akimbo on Broadway and has joined the cast for the pre-Broadway premiere of The Queen of Versailles alongside Kristin Chenoweth.

Songbook Academy Week includes public performance events at the Center's Palladium concert hall for a live audience and livestream viewers worldwide, offering opportunities to see tomorrow's stars just as their careers begin to blossom.

Two events are already on sale:

· Songbook Showcase - 7 p.m. Thursday, July 18

Each of the 40 national finalists will take a turn in the spotlight to perform a selected song.

Traditionally a daytime event, the Songbook Showcase has shifted to a more accessible evening time.

This year's event also will feature special solo performances by Feinstein and guest mentor Nicole

Zuraitis, a New York-based jazz singer-songwriter, pianist, arranger and bandleader whose career

highlights have included winning the prestigious 2021 American Traditions Vocal Competition Gold

Medal, as well as the 2024 GRAMMY® Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album with her sixth release,

How Love Begins.

· Songbook Academy in Concert - 7 p.m. Saturday, July 20

Feinstein will emcee as all 40 singers perform in choral numbers, small group ensembles and featured solos, celebrating their growth over the week and paying tribute to iconic composers and lyricists from George Gershwin to Duke Ellington.

Showcase ticket purchases are pay-what-you-can with a $5 minimum for on-site viewers and no

minimum for the livestream. For the final concert, on-site tickets start at just $25, and the livestream

option is pay-what-you-can with no minimum. Tickets are on sale now at TheSongbook.org, by phone at (317) 843-3800 or toll-free at (877) 909-2787.

All applicants to the Songbook Academy receive personalized feedback from the screening panel. The 2024 Songbook Academy finalists were selected by a panel featuring Broadway stars Max Chernin (recently in the award-winning Broadway revival of Parade) and Ali Ewoldt (Christine Daaé in Broadway's The Phantom of the Opera); NYC-based music director, musician, orchestrator and arranger Steven Cuevas; and university vocal professors Sonia Santiago (Palm Beach Atlantic University) and Dr. Kathleen Hacker (University of Indianapolis).

The Songbook Academy receives generous support from the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation and Mentor Champions to expand program awareness and provide financial assistance to students who request it. The Songbook Academy in Concert performance is part of the Center for the Performing Arts' 2024-2025 Center Presents Season, presented in partnership with Allied Solutions, and its Hoosier Village & The Barrington of Carmel Songbook Series. The Public Masterclass, for which details are pending, is generously sponsored by Bob and Rose Popovich. Additional support comes from the City of Carmel.