“Why we tell the story”
— Lynn Ahrens, ONCE ON THIS ISLAND

Overview

The primary goal of the YAACompany is to teach students how to find their voice and tell their story.

Named “BEST YOUTH MUSIC PROGRAM”
Bethesda Magazine’s Best of Bethesda Reader’s Poll 2020

Led by Producing Artistic Director, Rolando Sanz, the YAACompany is a conservatory-quality training program that gives high school + gap year singers, actors and dancers the rare opportunity to study, rehearse, and perform in large scale works of music theatre in major venues with full symphonic orchestra.

The YAACompany strives to strengthen students' skills in singing, acting and dancing through a fun yet rigorous rehearsal process, as they prepare for major productions of staged symphonic theatrical productions, traditionally performed in major venues around the Washington, DC area, including Strathmore, The Kennedy Center, Maryland Public Television, and The Clarice. Our primary focus is always on healthy, honest and communicative storytelling, singing, acting, and movement, working towards the goal of a professional caliber final production.

Many of our alumni have gone on to study at prestigious universities including Carnegie Mellon, University of Michigan, Penn State, CCM (Cincinnati), NYU, Baldwin Wallace, Northwestern, Rice, Indiana, and UMD. These students and their families often credit Young Artists of America at Strathmore for preparing them for college and their musical careers beyond.

YAA also provides additional Classes, Workshops, and Masterclasses for students to further advance and refine their skills.

Learn more about what our students say about our program here.

Schedule & Location

YAACompany will meet IN-PERSON during the 2022-2023 season, following current health & safety guidelines.

Young Artists of America at Strathmore produces two mainstage productions per season with its YAACompany, one in the Fall Semester (September-December), and one in the Spring Semester (December-April). Students are welcome to sign up for one semester or the entire season. A discount is offered for those students who enroll for the full school year up front.

Learn more about our Campuses.

Scroll to the bottom of this page to see the Rehearsal Calendar.

Health & Safety

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, YAA has prioritized the health and safety of our students and staff. As we return to live programming, we are actively monitoring conditions and recommendations from local and CDC officials and will continue to update our policies as circumstances require.

Click here to learn about YAA’s most current Health & Safety protocols.

Repertoire

Each season, our students are exposed to a vast repertoire, which can include classic and contemporary musical theatre, and more.

Recent innovative programming has included staged theatrical concerts of large scale musical theatre as well as unique productions that have been devised for and have received their world premiere with Young Artists of America.

Recently, our world premiere of Young Artists of America: The Songs of Tim Rice filmed for PBS (Maryland Public Television) was nominated for three regional EMMY® awards and won an EMMY® in 2018.

YAACompany members are also often called upon to participate in exciting professional performances through our partnerships with various venues in the region. Recent and upcoming professional opportunities for students have included performing in:

  • Matthew Morrison & Shoshana Bean: Gala Performance (Strathmore)

  • World Premiere of Iron & Coal by Jeremy Schonfeld (Beth Morrison Projects/Strathmore)

  • Kristin Chenoweth: Coming Home Tour (Strathmore)

  • Michael Feinstein: Gala Performance (Strathmore)

  • Julie Andrews: Gala Performance (Strathmore)

  • Patina Miller: Gala Performance (Strathmore)

Please review our Current and Previous seasons for a full listing of events.

Mentoring Program

YAA students have the unique opportunity to work closely alongside leading professional mentors both in rehearsal and performance. Recent and upcoming mentors have included Alan Menken (Beauty & the Beast, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid), Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell, Pippin), Kristin Chenoweth (Wicked, On the Twentieth Century), Jason Robert Brown (Parade, Bridges of Madison County, Songs for a New World), Michael Feinstein (Curator of the Great American Songbook), Steven Lutvak (A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder), Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home, Violet, Shrek the Musical), Andrew Lippa (Big Fish, The Addams Family, The Wild Party), and many more. 

Learn more about recent Mentors and upcoming opportunities to work with Guest Mentors .

Auditions

All of our YAACompany students must audition to be accepted into the program.

  • Preliminary auditions for the 2022-2023 YAACompany will be video auditions submitted via Acceptd.

  • Callback and Dance auditions will then take place IN-PERSON in September for the Fall semester and in December for the Spring semester.

  • If a student enrolls for both semesters, they need only audition once in the fall, but may re-audition in September/November for solo opportunities.

Please visit our Auditions page for more information about upcoming auditions.

Tuition

Please visit our Tuition page to find out cost and to register for this program.

 

Rehearsal Calendar