I am thrilled beyond belief to announce officially that the master clinicians for World Voice Weekend will be Broadway actors Christian Borle (4/17) and Adrianna Hicks (4/18). Both masterclasses will take place at 3pm on their respective days.
I had the good fortune to attend a masterclass hosted by voice teacher Susan Hanlon and acting coach Izzie Baumann (more about Izzie to come in future blogposts) featuring Christian Borle a couple of months ago. I have been reluctant to get people for masterclasses who I don’t know personally. I feel like anyone can go to an agency and say, “GET ME SOMEONE FAMOUS, I DON’T CARE WHO!” but does that person have something to offer besides their name? I’ve heard mixed things about masterclasses featuring artists that know little about actually teaching. I’ve been fortunate with the people I’ve brought in – Lissa deGuzman, Richard Carsey, Amanda Kaiser – people who are well-known and respected among the people in their fields but might not (yet) be household names. I was impressed by and wrote about Christian Borle’s masterclass after I attended, and when I began planning World Voice Weekend, I reached out to Susan and Izzie to find out how I could bring him on board. And I got him!
Photo by: Patrick Randak/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank
Christian Borle received a 2017 Tony nomination for his performance in the 2016 Broadway production of Falsettos. He won Tony Awards for Something Rotten! and Peter and the Starcatcher and was nominated for his performance in Legally Blonde. Additional Broadway credits include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Mary Poppins, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Spamalot and Footloose. He has appeared on screen in NBC’s Smash, Peter Pan Live! and The Sound of Music Live!
(NOTE: I saw him as Prince Herbert and the Not-Dead-Yet Guy in the Chicago tryout of Spamalot and remember him from the eBay commercial in the early 2000s)
Mr. Borle’s masterclass will be on Saturday, April 17, at 3pm.
My second clinician, Adrianna Hicks, is someone I haven’t met and don’t know that much about yet, but all my students know who she is. She is very well-regarded as both a performer and as a clinician and I am very excited about what she will bring to the artists with whom she is going to work!
Adrianna Hicks has performed on Broadway in The Color Purple revival, Aladdin. Her regional/tour credits include The Wiz, SIX, The Color Purple revival tour (in which she played Celie), Ragtime, and Buddy Holly. She has appeared internationally in Sister Act (Germany), Legally Blonde (Austria), Dirty Dancing (Germany) and in concert with Michael Bublé in his Call Me Irresistible tour. After performing on tour as Catherine of Aragon in SIXthe musical, she was set to bring the show to Broadway when the pandemic shut the show down on its opening night. (Sounds like something that would happen to me).
Ms. Hicks’ masterclass will be on Sunday, April 18, at 3pm.
Auditing the masterclasses will be included in the fee for the entire weekend. Participation will be an additional fee, still TBD. The focus for Mr. Borle’s masterclass will be on acting and singers will be asked to have two musical theater pieces prepared with audition cuts for each. Ms. Hicks’ focus will be on pop style and singers will be asked to have two pieces prepared, one being from a contemporary Broadway musical (post-2000) and one being a pop song. Singers should be prepared to sing whichever piece chosen the clinician.
Depending on demand, I may ask for videos of singers who wish to be considered for participation.
Full details will be available by March 1, when registration opens.
THIS IS SO EXCITING. Hope you all think so too!
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If you would like more information about World Voice Weekend,
please contact MVS and you will be put on the mailing list!
Christine Thomas-O'Meally, a mezzo soprano and voice teacher currently based in the Baltimore-DC area, has performed everything from the motets of J.S. Bach to the melodies of Irving Berlin to the minimalism of Philip Glass.
As an opera singer and actress, she has appeared with companies such as Charm City Players, Spotlighters Theatre, Chicago Opera Theater, Opera Theater of Northern Virginia, Opera North, the Washington Savoyards, In Tandem Theatre, Windfall Theater, The Young Victorian Theater of Baltimore, and Skylight Opera Theatre. She created the role of The Woman in Red in Dominick Argento’s Dream of Valentino in its world premiere with the Washington Opera and Mary Pickersgill in O'er the Ramparts at its world premiere during the Bicentennial of Battle of Baltimore at the Community College of Baltimore County. Other roles include Mrs. Paroo in Music Man, Mother Abbess in Sound of Music, Dorabella in Cosi Fan Tutte, Marcellina in Le Nozze di Figaro, both Hansel and the Witch in Hansel & Gretel, and many roles in Gilbert & Sullivan operettas. Her performance as the Housekeeper in Man of La Mancha was honored with a WATCH award nomination.
Ms. Thomas-O'Meally received an M.M. in vocal performance from the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. She regularly attends master classes and workshops in both performance and vocal pedagogy, and is certified in all three Levels of Somatic Voicework™ The LoVetri Method. Her students have performed on national and international tours of Broadway productions, at prestigious conservatories, and in regional theater throughout the country.
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4 thoughts on “World Voice Weekend Master Clinician Announcement!”
Looks like a great weekend! Will these be in person or via zoom?
You’re on the list! (Now to create the list …. honestly, I can handle social media, creating content, but things like setting up e-mail lists make me want to rip out my hair.)
Looks like a great weekend! Will these be in person or via zoom?
Zoom Zoom Zoom! 😀
Amazing, Christine! I love this weekend of master classes! Please put me on your contact list for this as I have some very interested people. 🙂
You’re on the list! (Now to create the list …. honestly, I can handle social media, creating content, but things like setting up e-mail lists make me want to rip out my hair.)