Musicians United for Social Equity has announced two new mentorship programs for early to mid–career theatre musicians of color, aimed at achieving racial equity off stage on Broadway and beyond. Among the Broadway professionals signing on to lead the programs are Tony-, Grammy-, and Emmy-winning Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen music director Alex Lacamoire, Pulitzer-winning Next to Normal composer Tom Kitt, and Tony-winning Fun Home and Caroline, or Change composer Jeanine Tesori.
A One-On-One program will pair a class of 15 mentees with 15 professionals for personalized programming—including first-hand experience, workshops, and networking opportunities—for six months, with the first session set to run from July through December, 2021. Mentees will be able to select individual music disciplines to study, including composition, vocal arranging, music directing, and orchestration. Applications for the One-On-One program are being accepted through June 18.
A specialized program, "The Piano Experience," will be led by Lacamoire and Kitt, with Tesori joining as a special guest speaker. This four-week program, set to run throughout July 2021, will give students access to specialized instructions from piano-playing industry leaders. Open to advanced pianists and mid-career music directors, applications are being accepted for this program through June 24.
Musicians of color are also invited to join MUSE's free memberships, which provides mentoring and networking opportunities along with a job board.
For more information or to apply, visit MuseOnline.org.