Posted on Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Westminster College's Celebrity Series will host a vocal competition March 22 to choose one male and one female Westminster student to perform with Broadway legend Franc D'Ambrosio during his March 23 concert at Westminster.
Six Westminster students submitted audition CDs and will give a live audition during a master class conducted by D'Ambrosio:
Freshman music education and music performance major Kathleen Bachtel is a daughter of Michael and Jennifer Bachtel of Massillon, Ohio, and a graduate of Washington High School.
Senior business administration major James Cochran is a son of James and Catherine Cochran of Pulaski and a graduate of Wilmington Area High School.
Freshman music education major Gregory McClelland is a son of Fred and Heidi McClelland of Sandy Lake and a graduate of Lakeview High School.
Senior music education major Deanna Owens is a daughter of Jeff and Mary Owens of Waterford and a graduate of Fort Le Boeuf High School.
Junior music performance major Alexandra Patterson is a daughter of Laurence and Laurette Patterson of Saxonburg and a graduate of Knoch High School.
Sophomore communication studies and music major Hannah Timm is a daughter of Robert and Sheri Timm of St. Marys and a graduate of St. Marys Area High School.
Additional judges will be mezzo-contralto Susan Shafer, a Westminster graduate and former artist-in-residence, and Stephen Totter, artist-lecturer in voice at Carnegie Mellon University.
For more than a decade, D'Ambrosio held the title as the "World's Longest-Running Phantom" in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Tony Award-winning musical The Phantom of the Opera. The competition winners will appear as Raoul and Christine with D'Ambrosio in the role he made famous.
"It is a great privilege to have Franc mentor our students at Westminster," said Connie McGinnis, Celebrity Series assistant director. "The students are very excited about this opportunity. I hope that this memorable event is one of the highlights of their Westminster experience."
Contact McGinnis at (724) 946-7354 or e-mail mcginncl@westminster.edu for additional information.
