Alumnae Link Arts, Tech and Entrepreneurship in Web Series

Megan Poletti and Kristen Klehr on set of The Creative Technology
Web Series - Photo credit: Nick Kuhar

Conservatory professor and alumna Megan Poletti '08 has collaborated with percussion performance graduate and LA-based concert producer Kristen Klehr '10 to create a Creative Technology web series that highlights specific elements of entrepreneurship that help new musicians and artists on the road to success.

Poletti says the two teamed up due to their similar mindset. "[Klehr] is a successful entrepreneur who has created many opportunities for herself, and took her music degree beyond the “typical” boundaries. She’s an ambitious person and an inspiration, and sees a career in music as an opportunity for independence and the pursuit of her own projects, like I do."

Poletti's company, heypoletti! LLC, is focused on linking music, technology and entrepreneurship, with a mission"to inspire not only musicians, but also artists, small businesses, and creative entrepreneurs to use technology to aid in the pursuit of their artistic visions."

The web series features five videos published over a six week period beginning in mid September. "The Creative Technology Web Series is part of my goal to continue into teaching more topics involving artists and entrepreneurship, especially using new media (like video and podcasting)," Poletti explains.

Poletti plans to continue the web series, bringing in more guest speakers and introducing new topics. She is also working on a 2016 e-book that she says will act as "an introductory marketing guide for the aspiring creative entrepreneur."

BW Music Theatre Students to Hit the Stage at Nighttown

The BW Music Theatre Class of 2017 prepares to dazzle audiences at Nighttown

One important ingredient in developing Broadway-ready talent in the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music's Music Theatre program involves live performance opportunities for students on and off campus. Playhouse Square and Beck Center feature BW students in full productions, while smaller venues, like Nighttown, showcase BW's stars-in-the-making in a more intimate setting.

After debuting "Gold Standards" to packed houses here on campus, BW Music Theatre juniors will take the concert featuring selections from The Music Man, Brigadoon and Oklahoma to Nighttown on Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the December 9 performance can be purchased online.

Nighttown will host Senior Cabaret Night on March 28, 2016, and the dining and entertainment destination will also feature BW Music Theatre students on May 2, 2016, for a performance of the senior showcase, a selection of standards performed by sophomores.

Conservatory of Music Students, Faculty Play Violins of Hope

The BW Conservatory of Music has embraced, amplified and been inspired by Amnon Weinstein's effort to bring the voices of those lost in the Holocaust back to life. Over the past two decades Weinstein has worked to restore violins that survived the Holocaust. Now, 19 of the restored instruments are featured in an exhibition known as Violins of Hope that runs until Jan. 3, 2016 at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage.

Student and faculty musicians from BW's Conservatory of Music are plugged into two events that use some of these restored violins.

On Oct. 25, members of the BW Symphony Orchestra performed Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins, Strings and Continuo in D minor, BWV 1043. The Orchestra was conducted by Octavio Más-Arocas and featured faculty soloists Julian Ross and Barton Samuel Rotberg.

Students toured the exhibit following the performance, a profoundly moving and "eye opening" experience for junior music performance major Therese West '17.

Maltz Museum Education & Public Programs Director, Jeffery Allen,
leads BW students through the Violins of Hope Exhibition.

"As we went through the museum and heard all of the stories about each violin it was difficult to wrap your head around what that instrument and it's owner had been through," West says. "Some of the stories they told us were heartbreaking. Some of the musicians played their instrument to find relief and others played to stay alive. It was amazing to hear how music helped so many people persevere through such a horrible time. "

Dr Julian Ross

 "Violins of Hope is a tangible reminder of catastrophic tragedy, yet also confirmation of the resiliency of Jewish cultural and religious life," Dr. Ross says. "Thinking of some of the genuinely heroic people who created the tradition of Jewish violinists is profoundly humbling."

Ross will be featured again on Wednesday, Nov. 18 in a lecture/performance called The Mystery of the Violin. He will be performing with fellow BW Conservatory professor Robert Mayerovich on piano. This event will take place at 7 p.m. at the Maltz Museum.

Ross explained that since the 16th century, violin music has not only been a large part of Jewish cultural and social life, but a way to overcome repression. "I've also come to understand how fortunate and blessed I have been, to live in a time and place where I can study and perform, and have wonderful students who love music. The generations who came before me struggled to make this possible, and I pray that I honor them with the work that I do."

In a Cleveland Scene interview, museum director Ellen Rudolph shares her enthusiasm for the performances associated with the exhibit, saying, “It’s an amazing opportunity to bring those voices to life and connect with those who are lost.”

Theatre Grad Dives into Directing

Alumna Lindsey Augusta Mercer is quickly making a name for herself in the world of theatre after graduating in 2013 with a BA in theatre, music, and history, cum laude.

Photo credit: Mikki Schaffner Photography

For the past two years, Mercer has been living in the Greater Cincinnati area where her directorial life began to bloom, beginning with gigs at New Edgecliff Theatre and Diogenes Theatre Company. Mercer continued her streak of success at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, where she started as assistant to the artistic director in 2014. She staged CSC's touring production of A Midsummer Night's Dream for their Shakespeare in the Park program.

Photo credit: Queen City Queer
Theatre Collective website

In November of 2014, Mercer co-founded the Queen City Queer Theatre Collective with Linnea Jean Bond. Their mission, as described on the QCQTC website, is "to celebrate and share queer experiences while challenging theatre convention. We embrace “queer” as a verb, and a liberating way to work free of creative prejudice." Mercer regularly works as producing artistic director here, working on staged readings.

Her most recent endeavor is at the Falcon Theatre, where she will be directing two one acts known as "The Mystery Plays". The shows open November 6th. In an interview with Cincy Magazine, Mercer says, "It’s a great atmosphere for creating plays," with directors supporting her unique directorial choices.

She will also be playing the role of Amiens in CSC's production of "As You Like It", which runs November 20-December 12.

Professor's Doo-Wop Duo Featured on Fox 8's Jukebox

Fox 8's Jukebox recently featured Babies in Black, a Cleveland local rockabilly duo comprised of Conservatory Professor Beth Hiser and Rachel Roberts.

Babies in Black performed five songs for Fox 8, which commended the duo on their "spot-on harmonies."

Hiser and Roberts have taken inspiration from early Beatles music, their namesake coming from the Beatles song Baby's in Black. Their Reverb Nation bio page says, "With Rachel on guitar and Beth on upright bass, they harmonize to every major pop hit between 1955-1965, from The Beatles to Lesley Gore to The Drifters. They play these songs to inspire original compositions, resembling the doo-wop and 60s pop era."

The duo is currently working on production of an album. They've played countless festivals across Ohio and opened for the premiere of the movie "Christine at the Crossroads."

Hiser also plays for Front Porch, a bluegrass band made up entirely of Baldwin Wallace professors who mostly teach subjects outside the Conservatory of Music.

Retired Faculty Member Publishes Inspiring Memoir

Touted by readers as "the story of a life well lived in the face of physical constraints, illness and adversity heaped atop challenges that were already present," From Where I Sit, a recently published memoir, tells the beautiful story of Victoria "Vickie" Covington, a retired BW faculty member.

Covington taught and played piano in BW's Conservatory of Music for 23 years where she also served as the chair of the piano department. She spent much of her life wheelchair-bound due to rheumatoid arthritis but that did not stop her from playing and teaching music to her students for years.

"This is a story of creativity, beginning with Vickie's early years, as she developed her own unique, highly unorthodox piano technique--even pedaling with her left foot!" according to a description on Amazon.

Covington was recently interviewed for a story, "Pianist tells her story with a tune of gratitude" on WYFF-TV in Greenville, S.C. where she now lives. She told the station that even though nature took away her ability to do what she loved, the music still lives within her.

Covington says proceeds from the sales of From Where I Sit will be donated to the three schools in Covington's life, including BW.

Conservatory Student Fiddles Her Way to National Honor

While most musicians prefer peace and quiet when rehearsing show pieces, Meredith Hudock '16 asked her studio instructors to distract her as she practiced for this year's National Scottish Fiddling Competition.

Last year, Hudock remembers flash photography and theater light disruptions affecting her performance at the competition. This year, she prepared for any and all distractions that may had come her way.

"They [her instructors] would talk while I was playing, take pictures with flash, slam doors, switch on and off lights, and even come up on the stage I was playing on and dance around me," Hudock said. "I knew that if I could play through all that, I could play through anything!"

This unique preparation method paid off.

Hudock won second place at the 2015 National Scottish Fiddling Competition in the Edinboro Highland Games & Scottish Festival in Edinboro, Pa. A senior Violin Performance major in the Conservatory of Music, Hudock points back to the support she has received at BW to her success.

"While I was touring other colleges in high school, professors would give me the weirdest looks whenever I said the words 'Scottish fiddler,'" Hudock said. "When I visited BW and said I was a Scottish fiddler, they welcomed me with open arms." 

With this impressive achievement to add to her resume, Hudock hopes to earn a master's degree in Scottish fiddling from The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow after BW graduation.

"Even though I do a variety of alternative styles, I always come back to Scottish music," Hudock said. "I hope to continue to teach and perform Scottish fiddle so the music tradition stays alive for many years to come."

Communications Grad Teaches Musical Alternative to Violence

 Adrian Brooks (left) in the recording studio with students.
Courtesy CantonRep.con/Ray Stewart

Music producer and Baldwin Wallace University mass communications graduate, Adrian Brooks, is challenging young people to "Put Down the Gun, Pick up a Mic" in an innovative program in Canton, Ohio. The free instruction in music production at the Monroe Community Family Center gives local children and teens the opportunity to find positive alternatives to violence, to experience the power of music and to learn about different careers in the music industry.

Brooks demonstrates how to use sound boards and other equipment in his "Put Down the Gun, Pick up a Mic" classes which are an extension of the center's Boyz2Men mentoring program. The program provides access to a professional recording studio at no cost, something which would normally be an expensive experience.

Personally invested in the program, Brooks teaches every class and has donated some of the equipment. Brooks commented in an interview with CantonRep.com, “They’ll be learning everything,” he said. “It’s not just making beats. They’ll get hands-on experience.”

The Canton Police Department not only supports the program, working alongside the center regularly, but also donated some of the equipment for the studio as well. Police Sgt. D.L. Garren said that, "People out here, such as... Mr. Brooks, are good role models.”

Con Grad's Music Inspires Cultural Curiosity and Social Change

Ashleigh Gordon and her viola, (Courtesy of Monika Bach Schroeder)

Ashleigh Gordon '06 told the International Musician,"Find a career that makes you happy," and that is exactly what she did after graduating from BW's Conservatory of Music magna cum laude. After adding a degree from New England Conservatory of Music in Boston in 2008, she decided to take a risk and audition for International Ensemble Modern Academy in Europe, instead of taking the expected path playing classical music with an orchestra.

The risk paid off. Gordon was the only violist selected out of 18 applicants from around the globe and performed in many venues in Germany, Hong Kong, Paris and Switzerland before returning home to Boston.

(Courtesy of Monkia Bach Schroeder)

A long time advocate of social change through education, Gordon is now a viola instructor at Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra's Intensive Community Program, where she teaches students that are often not represented in the world of classical music.

When she is not leading educational workshops for kids, she's as much an entrepreneur as artist, as Co-Artistic Director and violist for Castle of our Skins,  a "concert and educational series devoted to celebrating Black Artistry through music."

In 2015, Gordon was awarded the St. Botolph Emerging Artist Award and still strives for change within her own community. Gordon performs regularly with Boston's Callithumpium Consort, NYC's ECCE Ensemble, and Providence's Ensemble Parallex, and is founder and violist of Sound Energy.

You can listen to her music anytime on her website, here.

BW Talent Brings 'Secret Garden' and 'Fantasticks' to Life

Baldwin Wallace University students, alumni and faculty are the driving force behind two productions staged first at summer theater festivals out west, with both "The Secret Garden" and "The Fantasticks" moving next to Cleveland.

A scene from The Secret Garden. Left to right: Giovanna A. Layne, Colton Ryan '15, Warren Bodily, Sara Masterson '16, and Jillian Kates '11. Photo Courtesy: DKM Photography.

Among the BW faculty involvement, Victoria Bussert directed both productions, while Gregory Daniels, Jeff Herrmann and Charlotte Yetman appeared on the design team as choreographer, scenic/lighting designer, and costume designer.

Clare Howes Eisentrout '13, Meredith Lark,
and Pedar Benson Bate in The Fantasticks.
Photo courtesy: Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival

Dana Oland rings praise for "The Secret Garden" in a theatrical review for Idaho Statesman, highlighting three BW students in the Idaho Shakespeare Festival production in particular: Jillian Kates '11, who plays Lily, holds a "lovely and powerful soprano;" Sara Masterson '16 "nearly stops the show" as the maid Martha; Colton Ryan '17, who plays Martha's brother Dickon, takes the audience on an "energetic ride" when he sings "Wick."

In another Idaho Statesman review of "The Fantasticks," which was produced first at the Lake Tahoe Theatre Festival, Oland credits Clare Howes Eisentrout '13 in the role of "Luisa" as having a "clear bell-like soprano." James Penca '13 also appears in the musical as "Mortimer," while alumnus Matthew Webb '08 is musical director and recent graduate Nick Wilders '15 is the assistant music director. Other BW students involved are Gabriel Brown '16 and Mary Mondlock '16.

Both musicals are now coming to Great Lakes Theater in Cleveland, where the "The Secret Garden" will run September 29-October 31 and "The Fantasticks" will run May 13-29, 2016.

Busy Sax Prof Banaszak Tours India, Earns Rave CD Reviews

Banaszak outside the National
Performing Arts Center in Mumbai

This fall semester, Conservatory saxophonist Greg Banaszak is coming off "the busiest 18 months" in his 25-year career, including an incredible and rare two-week tour performing with India's only symphony orchestra at the invitation of India's Ministry of Culture and their "pro-Western," progressive leader, Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The tour with the Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI) began at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai and then moved across the country to various cities throughout India, earning Banaszak a feature in Rolling Stone - India.

"This was the first time the country featured a saxophonist and was exposed to both the classical and jazz sides of the instrument," Banaszak explains. "It was a humbling, happy, extraordinary experience." The August performances presented works for saxophone on the first half of the program and the celebrated "Bird with Strings repertoire!," paying tribute to jazz icon Charlie Parker, on the second half.

Meantime, enthusiastic reviews are in for Banaszak's latest CD with Maestro Gerard Schwarz on Naxos records. A reviewer for Gramophone wrote, “The highlight is Hovhaness’s Saxophone Concerto, in which Greg Banaszak milks the tone and timbre of his unaccountably neglected solo instrument in an irresistible series of romantic episodes.”

Fanfare praised, “The saxophone concerto is…delivered with just the right lilting rhythms by the excellent Greg Banaszak,” and American Record Guide raved,"...it is hard to imagine any player anywhere with more beautiful tone than Greg Banaszak."

In an interview with Vandoren, Banaszak said "this recording experience was really exceptional, to say the least. Having the honor to work with Maestro Gerard Schwarz, one of America’s finest conductors, was beyond words. He has almost three hundred recordings to his name and he knows exactly what he wants and expects out of all the musicians under his baton--soloist included."

Radio Listeners Enjoy Ongoing Inside Look at BW Music Theatre

“I feel at home and at my best when I’m on stage,” said Warren Franklin ’19, Music Theatre major in the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music.

On top of rehearsals and schoolwork, Franklin will give WCLV Classical 104.9 listeners an inside look into the life of a first-year BW Conservatory student during a series of on-air interviews. In his first interview for the series, Franklin explained his admiration for BW's renowned Music Theatre program before he was even admitted.

“I knew ever since growing up, I wanted to go to BW,” said Franklin. “The shows were amazing, but it was when I saw Carrie the Musical at the Beck Center where I was just like, ‘this is my home, this is where I need to be.’”

A graduate of the Cleveland School of the Arts, Franklin is no stranger to the stage. This past June, he starred in Cain Park’s production of Godspell as Jesus.

With just a few weeks into his freshman year, Franklin has adjusted to a full course load to hone his craft. One class, Eurhythmics, comes natural to Franklin.

“I was a percussionist for 6 years in a competition drum corps,” Franklin said, “so eurhythmics comes very, very easy to me. I’m having a lot of fun in Eurhythmics; it’s helping me a lot.”

Listeners can tune into Franklin’s next episode on the WCLV Classical 104.9 live-stream channel on Ideastream.

BW Graduate Lands Dream Job in Korea

(L to R) Asia Foundation Country Representative Dylan Davis, Shinyoung Park,
U.S. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, and Chairman of the Friends
of Asia Foundation Han Sung-Joo. Courtesy of the Asia Foundation

A diverse liberal arts education can be an instrumental foundation for a successful career and Dylan Davis ’03 offers a perfect example. Davis graduated from BW with a double major in psychology and music and now works as The Asia Foundation’s Country Representative in Korea.

It’s a position that Davis says he had been “following for at least ten years” and an opportunity he could not pass up. The passion that Davis has for the Korean people and culture was ignited when he became the first BW student to Study Abroad at Ewha University in Seoul. In a news release, The Asia Foundation pointed to his liberal arts education, in combination with graduate coursework at Yonsei University Graduate School of Public Health and his deep work experience in Korea as helping to prepare him for this new dream job.

Prior to landing his current post, Davis was program director for the Center of Korean Studies at University of California, Berkeley where he promoted knowledge of Korea on campus while working to build and expand programming centered around the country.

Before Berkeley, Davis spent eight years residing in Korea, working for the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, serving as an International Affairs Officer at Yonsei University’s Severance Hospital, and working for the Korean-American Educational Commission where he had formerly been a Fulbright Grantee. Davis is exceptional in not only speaking, but writing Korean.

Davis has been recognized for his service by several distinguished organizations including the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Seoul. In 2013, the Mansfield Foundation also selected him as one of only ten Korea specialists to partake in the first gathering of Korea-Foundation-Mansfield Foundation Korea Nexus Scholars.

Conservatory Grad Lands New Gig with Grammy-Winning Divas

Two big milestones for Conservatory grad Felicia Rojas '10 this summer! She finished her Doctorate of Musical Arts in Violin Performance at Texas Tech University in May 2015 and promptly landed a job making music with the Grammy award-winning Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea, a multicultural, all-female ensemble based in Los Angeles.

Rojas is in the process of moving to LA to begin rehearsing and performing with the group, which has recorded 11 albums.  She's been told to prepare to begin traveling and playing with the Divas almost immediately in places like Sacramento, Chicago and Mexico.

Rojas told the BW Alumni Office, "I could not have achieved any of this if it were not for the wonderful professors of the BW Conservatory including [strings chair] Dr. Julian Ross [and many others]...who aided me in my education and my quest to become the best possible musician I could be."

During her time at BW, Rojas had the opportunity to participate in the Bach Festival orchestra for four years, in productions of The Phantom of The Opera, Semele, and Our Town; and in masterclasses with Cleveland Orchestra members.

2015 Music Theatre Grad Makes Broadway History in Les Miz

Kyle Jean-Baptiste made Broadway history twice last night as he stepped on stage as Jean Valjean in the beloved Broadway musical "Les Misérables." The 21-year-old tenor, who just graduated from BW's celebrated music theatre program in May, became both the youngest and first African American actor to play Victor Hugo's hero on Broadway, according to the theatre industry's Playbill.com.

Just a day after May graduation, Jean-Baptiste landed in the Les Miz ensemble in the roles of "Constable" and Courfeyrac and as understudy to Ramin Karimloo, the Tony-nominated actor who currently plays Jean Valjean. The July 23 evening production gave Jean-Baptist his first chance to go on as leading man.

"Valjean has been a dream role for me ever since I got involved with music theatre," Jean-Baptiste told Plain Dealer "Pop Diva" Andrea Simakis. "I'd always say, 'Wait until I'm old enough and then I'll play it, be patient.' Next thing you know I'm getting called in for his understudy on Broadway and I'm like . . . wait what?"

Simakis goes on to remind PD readers that "Great Lakes Theater fans got a taste of Jean-Baptiste last fall, when the then-Baldwin Wallace senior played rebel leader Enjolras in "Les Miz" at the Hanna Theatre under the direction of his teacher, Victoria Bussert, head of BW's powerhouse music theater program." 

Before bringing that production to Cleveland, Bussert staged Les Miz at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival. This week, The Idaho Statesman also published a feature story noting that theatre goers in Boise also can say, "We knew Kyle Jean-Baptiste when...," as did the New London Barn Playhouse in New Hampshire.

"I knew he had star quality – but very little experience," Bussert told the PD about her first impressions of the Brooklyn, New York native at his BW audition. Since then, Bussert added, "He absorbed the training like a sponge!" Bussert believes last night was just the beginning.

"He has the kind of voice that can truly do anything, from the most legit music theater to jazz and rap. I doubt he will ever stop working! But the best thing about him – he has a huge heart, and it shows in his work and his life."

“It feels amazing to be here. I’m so grateful and humbled,” he said on a rehearsal break earlier this month. “It’s a dream come true. I can’t believe they’ve trusted me with this role.”
Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/07/22/3905768/former-idaho-shakespeare-festival.html#storylink=cpy

Men's Chorus Performs National Anthem for Indians

The BW Men's Chorus knocked it out of the park at Progressive Field on Saturday May 9. Under the direction of Frank Bianchi, the Men's Chorus performed the Star-Spangled Banner to kick off the Cleveland Indians game against the Minnesota Twins.

The performance serves as a fundraiser for the Men's Chorus. By selling tickets to friends, family and colleagues prior to the game, the fundraiser generated about $3,000 for the group. This was the fifth year that the Men's Chorus sang at the Indians game and they are planning to sing again next year.

BW Men's Chorus is made up of men who are college-age and up and includes BW students, faculty, staff and alumni, as well as residents from the Greater Cleveland area. The group has performed in front of a wide variety of audiences throughout Northeast Ohio and has collaborated with many different outstanding music organizations. Visit the  Men's Chorus Facebook page to see a video of their performance of the National Anthem, and follow them for information on upcoming events and other news.

Music Theatre Grad Wins Daytime Emmy

Sainty Nelsen '11 with her Daytime Emmy

With a degree from BW's esteemed Music Theatre program, plus film and television acting credits under her belt, Sainty (Reid)  Nelsen '11 has taken a new role in the entertainment industry as a producer for the online exclusive soap opera, The Bay.

It should come as no surprise that the latest role for this BW alumna paid off at this year's Daytime Emmys, with Nelsen taking home an Emmy for her work producing the series.

Currently shown on Blip, The Bay illuminates the darkness behind the glamorous lifestyles of Los Angeles' elite residents. The series came out on top in the Emmy category, "Outstanding New Approaches Drama Series."

In front of the camera, Nelsen will shine on television alongside Denis Leary and John Corbett in FX's new comedy Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll this summer.

Summer Camps Reach Out to the Next Generation

The BW Conservatory of Music has many a summer camp
for pre-college students to take advantage of!

There is more to Baldwin Wallace University than the education of current college students. Each summer, BW hosts camps and programs dedicated to academics, athletics, cheerleading, music, and more;  offering a younger generation of students to benefit from the expertise and mentoring of BW's faculty, coaches, staff and students.

A new Health Care Career Exploration Week is already wait-listing, but other camps continue to register students. The Experience Honors Summer Program is dedicated to smoothing the secondary school to post-secondary school transition process. The Gedanken Problem-Solving Institute, headed by BW Physics professor Dr. Edwin Meyer, seeks to teach students about the importance of problem solving, as well as assist them in developing their own generalized approach to problem solving.

The Gedanken-Problem Solving Institute leads
 students to successful problem solving.

The Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music also has its share of camps, bringing in school age and adult learners to aid them in music studies, workshops, camps, and institutes. String, Piano, Band, and Music Theater camp are all options for younger students. Available to high school students is the International Guitar Festival, CSI: Conservatory Summer Intensive, and Music Theater Overtures (this writer's personal favorite!).

All of these opportunities, however, barely scratch the surface of what the summer BW has to offer. For an extensive list of the camps, click here. And check back, as new enrichment opportunities continue to be added.

Music Theatre Seniors and Grads Shine in the NYC Spotlight

The BW Music Theatre Class of 2015 took New York by storm during showcase week, and Plain Dealer Theatre Critic Andrea Simakis was there to highlight the stories of some of the acclaimed program's rising and already-shining Broadway stars.

To kick off her "Made in Cleveland" series, Simakis debuted a sneak peek video (by Mack Shirilla '13) of the performances that would wow New York agents and casting directors at BW first-ever solo showcase. (In the past, BW has paired up with another college to present the annual event.) The response confirmed that BW's reputation for preparing and launching top tier triple threats can stand on its own.

Another story in the PD series titled, "How did Adrianna Cleveland go from barista to Broadway hopeful?" chronicled how Music Theatre Director Victoria Bussert invited Cleveland, a 2012 BW Conservatory of Music vocal music graduate from Pittsburgh,  to perform with the seniors at showcase, where she was a big hit with agents.

Simakis also attended the Broadway opening of "An American in Paris," where she witnessed star Jill Paice '02 basking in the glow of the night with Bussert and others from BW cheering her on: "BW grad Jill Paice glitters at 'An American in Paris' opening night party."

Another touching reunion between BW teacher and successful student followed a matinee performance of "Les Misérables," when Chris McCarrell '13, who plays Marius in the Broadway revival, connected with his BW mentor at the stage door: "BW grad Chris McCarrell sees a familiar face after matinee of 'Les Miz'" McCarrell who also appeared in NBC's Peter Pan Live last December also recorded a video interview for cleveland.com.

Based on the enthusiastic reaction to BW's 2015 Showcase, Bussert will have many more Broadway reunions and successes to celebrate in the future.

(By the way, you have one more local chance to catch the 2015 showcase on May 6 at Nighttown - details in Cool Cleveland.