Main Street
Young Musicians Perform with Honors
Over four days this past March, high school bands, orchestras, and choral ensembles came together from across the country to showcase their skills at the sixth gathering of The Disney Honors. This biennial non-competitive music festival, held at the Walt Disney World Resort, celebrates the talents of young performers and pushes them to reach new heights.
Each of the ensembles selected for The Disney Honors receives the opportunity to perform on stage, interact with world-renowned musical educators, and mingle with fellow musicians. The festival focuses solely on education and artistic growth; its goal is to inspire young musicians to achieve excellence by challenging them to broaden their musical abilities.
The seventh Disney Honors festival will be held at the Walt Disney World Resort from February 28 to March 3, 2012. For more information, go to www.disneyhonors.com.
Gospel Choir Sing-Off At Disney
The second annual Disney Gospel Choir Fest takes place on September 10, 2011, at the America Gardens Theater at Epcot. For this soulful "sing-off," gospel choirs from all over the nation compete for a chance to perform in the Magic Kingdom Park during Night of Joy, Disney's annual contemporary Christian music festival. Grammy Award-winning artist Smokie Norful reprises the role he played in 2010 as master of ceremonies for the competition. "I am very excited to be a part of the Disney Gospel Choir Fest again this year," Norful says. "This is a great opportunity for gospel choirs to gain exposure and showcase their unique musical talent." Learn more at www.disneygospelchoirfest.com.
Performing Alumni Wanted
Many of the young talents who have participated in the Disney Performing Arts program over the years have gone on to careers on the stage, on the screen, or on the airwaves. Distinguished alumni include smooth jazz hitmaker Jessy J, O.A.R. saxophonist Jerry DePizzo (pictured), House actress Jennifer Morrison, School of Rock actress Caitlin Hale, and MercyMe guitarist Mike Scheuchzer. We are proud of all these performers' achievements and we want to hear more stories like theirs. Do you know someone famous&mndash;a friend, a former classmate, a former student&mndash;who performed at Disney? Tell us more at www.disneyperformingarts.com.
A Making A Jazzy Move
For the past three years, Disney Performing Arts has hosted the Disney Jazz Celebration, a festival for middle and high school instrumental and vocal jazz ensembles, at Walt Disney World Resort. Next year, the Celebration switches coasts to Disneyland Resort, where it will be held from February 24-26, 2012. As before, it will give young jazz musicians the opportunity to perform for nationally recognized educators, as well as watching&mndash;and playing with&mndash;renowned jazz artists. Directors can choose competitive and non-competitive adjudication options, and students are encouraged to meet other students and attend performances of other ensembles. The festival also features a customized version of the GRAMMY® Career Day program, which presents a realistic overview of the possibilities and opportunities in music careers, before concluding with an exciting awards ceremony. For more, visit www.disneyjazzcelebration.com.
Step Classic Planned For 2012
Steppers, mark February 18 and 19, 2012 on your calendars&mndash;those are the dates of the next Disney STEP Classic. As usual, this high-energy dance competition will include performances in the Premier Theater at Disney's Hollywood Studios. It will also give participants the opportunity to take part in master stepping workshops provided by the National Step Show Alliance, which aim to improve technical proficiency and teach stepping fundamentals. There are big differences this year, one being: For the first time, younger steppers will be eligible to compete too, as a new 14 & Under age group has been added to the previously existing 18 & Up and 19 & Under groups. You can find out more at www.disneystepclassic.com.
Candlelight and Celebrities
The Walt Disney World Candlelight Processional at America Gardens Theatre at Epcot is a long-running holiday tradition. Amid festive lights and decorations, the story of Christmas is retold by special celebrity narrators, accompanied by a 50-piece orchestra and mass choir. This year, the Candlelight Processional will be held nightly from November 25 to December 30, 2011. Among the celebrity narrators currently scheduled are Mira Sorvino, Michael W. Smith, Whoopi Goldberg, Isabella Rossellini, Neil Patrick Harris, Trace Adkins, Susan Lucci, Blair Underwood, and Marlee Matlin. Disney Performing Arts is looking for outstanding high school, college, university, church or community choirs to become part of this beloved tradition. Candlelight audition materials are due by September 23, 2011 in order to be considered for this year's performance. For more information, visit www.disneyperformingarts.com.