ALL THINGS ALUMNI
FOR ALUMNI
Reconnect with YAA
ALUMNI SURVEY
A lot has changed since you were at YAA! Like your email? Do we have your most up-to-date info? Please fill out our Alumni Survey so we can keep you in the know. Have a favorite memory or news about you that you want to share? Put it in the survey! We may feature it in our celebrations.
ALUMNI
ADVISORY BOARD
YAA’s Alumni Advisory Board is made up of YAA alumni dedicated to giving back to the organization that gave them so much in their formative years. Members of our Alumni Advisory Board are currently students and professionals in the fields of music, education, media, business and more. Join us!
Follow Along
Want to stay connected with us? Follow our new alumni Instagram and Facebook pages maintained by fellow alums. Learn of upcoming alumni events, announcements, opportunities and reconnect with old friends and a large network of past alums like you!
Alumni Projects
Our Alumni Advisory Board started a podcast! Each week Alumni Coordinator Edima Essien catches up with YAA Alumni doing interesting things, Guest Mentors, and our incredible Teaching Artists. Catch up now on all the episodes. Available anywhere you get your podcasts!
Our first-ever Virtual Alumni Group Ensemble! This performance of “No One is Alone,” from Into the Woods, is compiled from alumni-submitted individual instrumental and vocal recordings edited together by Alumna Kat Bailey, who is also YAA’s Assistant Vocal Director.
This recording was released in May 2021 in advance of YAACompany’s full Digital Production of Into the Woods.
UPCOMING EVENTS FOR ALUMNI
10th Anniversary Alumni Reunion Weekend
Featuring an Alumni Cabaret, Seminars, and Party
AMP by Strathmore
May 21 & 22, 2022
Save the date! And be sure we have your most recent info so you can stay in the know by filling out our Alumni Survey.
Past Events
A Sophisticated Evening:
Celebrating Black Broadway
On May 21, 2021, YAA teamed up with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.® - Xi Sigma Omega chapter to present a special event, A Sophisticated Evening: Celebrating Black Broadway.
The evening benefitted YAA’s BIPOC Scholarship Fund and included: a panel discussion led by YAA Dramaturg, Leanne Dempsey, a showing of YAA’s digital production of Sophisticated Ladies, and brief remarks from YAA Board President Ollen Douglass.
Let Us Entertain You:
A Virtual Spring Cabaret
On May 23, 2021, YAA is teaming up with Montgomery County Family Justice Center Foundation to present Let Us Entertain You: a Virtual Spring Cabaret, Benefitting Victims of Domestic Violence & Their Families.
The free event featured a compilation video of past YAA performances including many Alumni.
Life Post-YAA: College Musical Theatre Auditions, Working in the Business, and More
Also in May 2021, YAA;s Education Director, Kristina Friedgen moderated an Alumni Panel Discussion on Life Post-YAA: College Musical Theatre Auditions, Working in the Business, and More.
ABOUT ALUMNI
From YAA, Students Continue Their Study…
Our Alumni from Young Artists of America have gone on to study at many prestigious universities as well as perform professionally at The Kennedy Center, Arena Stage and more. Young Artists of America offers many educational masterclasses and workshops in order to prepare our students for collegiate level auditions and beyond. Below is a list of colleges, universities and consortiums our alumni have graduated on to.
New England Conservatory
Northwestern University
NYU Steinhardt
NYU Tisch
Oklahoma City University
Pace University
Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University
Penn State University
Rice University
Rider University
Shenandoah University
Syracuse University
The University of Chicago
University of Maryland - School of Music
University of Michigan
University of Minnesota - Guthrie Theatre
University of Pennsylvania
University of Texas at Austin
University of Virginia
Vanderbilt University
Wagner College
Washington University in St. Louis
College of William & Mary
Yale University
American University
Boston Conservatory at Berklee
Boston University
Baldwin Wallace University
Bowdoin College
Bucknell University
Bringham Young University
Carnegie Mellon University
University of Cincinnati - College-Conservatory of Music
Catholic University of America
Davidson College
DePaul University
Drexel University
Elon University
Franklin and Marshall
Florida State University - College of Music
Georgetown University
Indiana University - Jacobs School of Music
Ithaca College
James Madison University
Juilliard School
Mannes College - The New School for Music
Manhattan School of Music
Marymount Manhattan College
Muhlenberg College
Check out some highlights from our Alumni here:
Luka Van Herksen featured on NBC4’s Law & Order: SVU in 2022. Image Courtesy of Grace Lovelace Guishard via The MoCo Show
“While in Montgomery County, Luka got involved with Young Artists of America, a group that operates out of Strathmore in North Bethesda. Luka says he got his passion and inspiration from YAA, which trains young performing artists in collaboration with leading, professional artists to present fully-orchestrated productions at state-of-the-art venues including their home stage at the Music Center at Strathmore.”
YAA Alum and star of Kennedy Center's IN THE HEIGHTS, Mateo Ferro, poses with playwright, Lin-Manuel Miranda.
“‘You always expect the best performing arts to be in New York, but YAA brings it to the DMV...From YAA, I got the professional aspect of acting … the mindset. From there, I was like, ‘maybe I can do this sooner than I thought’.”
YAA Alum and Professional Actor, Chani Wereley
“There are so many things I learned from YAA that help me in my profession. I don’t even know what to focus on. It was a really formative part of my life when I was a teenager. One thing I’ll never forget is the support that I received from YAA at one of the lowest times in my life.”