Students Offered Chance to Sing with Pops
BOSTON - The Boston Pops is holding its first ever musical theater competition for high school students."Boston Pops High School Sing-Off: A Best of Broadway Challenge" is slated for May and June. Students from high schools throughout the state, working closely with their music and drama teachers, are encouraged to submit audition videos of musical theater vocal works for solo, duet, trio, quartet, or quintet between now and May 9.
The live portion of the competition will take place during four concerts in June, at which time the contestants will have their first chance to sing accompanied by the orchestra at Symphony Hall. The winner will be featured in the Boston Pops Fourth of July concert on the Charles River Esplanade.
"The 'Boston Pops High School Sing-Off' is a project that is near and dear to my heart, as I have been a musical theater fan since I was a kid in junior high school,” said Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart. "This is a great opportunity for some wonderfully talented hard-working young singers to share their music with a broad audience and show the world just how important music is to their lives. All of us at the Pops welcome the chance to share our love of this great music and to bring students from high schools across the state to experience the Boston Pops. I hope that all of the talented young high school singers throughout Massachusetts will seriously consider auditioning for this competition."
Lockhart and the Pops management team will evaluate the taped auditions and choose up to 20 contestants; their names will be announced May 19. The live competition will begin on June 2, when the contestants perform their audition selection on the stage of Symphony Hall with piano accompaniment; six semifinalists will be chosen from this round.
The six semifinalists will compete three at a time, accompanied by the Boston Pops, during the June 17 and 18 concerts; the three finalists will compete in the final round during the July 1 Boston Pops concert, accompanied by the orchestra.
The winner, to be chosen at the conclusion of the July 1 concert, will perform with Lockhart and the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra on July 3 and at the 2008 Fireworks Spectacular on July 4, which will be broadcast live on Boston area television.
Those interested in auditioning must complete an application and agree to all the points outlined in the participation agreement. All required information and forms are available at www.BostonPops.org. There is a non-refundable fee of $10 to audition. Once the application process is completed, a videotaped audition is to be sent to the Boston Pops High School Sing-Off, 301 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, MA, 02115, no later than May 9.
Audio/video recordings must be sent on DVD, VHS or mini DV; no other formats will be accepted. All auditions must be taped with piano accompaniment only. If instruments other than the piano are used, the tape will automatically be disqualified.
Only vocal pieces written for solo, duet, trio, quartet, or quintet will be considered; all music selected must have pre-existing orchestral arrangements and be no longer than 5 minutes in length.
Suggestions include, but are not limited to, "Chicago," "Dream Girls," "Fiddler on the Roof," "Guys and Dolls," "The Phantom of the Opera," "The Sound of Music," "Sweeney Todd" and "West Side Story."
For more information, including competition details and rules, application, and a list of musicals that include orchestral accompaniment, visit www.BostonPops.org or call 617-638-9395.
