Songbook Academy announces national sponsorship

For the second year in a row, a $75,000 national sponsorship by the Efroymson Family Fund will support the Great American Songbook Foundation’s signature educational program, the annual Songbook Academy®.

Now in its eighth year, the Songbook Academy® is the nation’s only summer intensive for high school students that is focused on the Great American Songbook: timeless pop and jazz standards and classic songs from Broadway and Hollywood.

Hundreds of talented teen vocalists across the country apply each year for just 40 openings at the weeklong academy, a life-changing opportunity to learn and perform under the guidance of music and theater industry professionals and educators from top college arts programs. The week culminates with a final Saturday night concert in which one participant is named Songbook Youth Ambassador for the coming year, performing in prestigious venues across the country with the Foundation’s founder, five-time Grammy Award nominee Michael Feinstein. Many participants have gone on to regional and national success in the arts and entertainment.

“This music goes very deep in the soul, and to see the transformation in young people, as they take it out in the world and share this experience from a very deep place, is something we not only are proud of, but we see as having an important transformative effect that can’t be accomplished by many other means,” Feinstein said. “Thanks to the generosity of the Efroymson Family Fund, we can continue to build the program’s national presence and open this opportunity to a broader range of promising young talents.”

The 2017 academy is scheduled for July 15-22 at the Songbook Foundation’s headquarters, the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel. Events open to the public include the July 19 masterclass, the July 20 Songbook Showcase and the July 22 Songbook Academy® Finals. Tickets go on sale June 1 at TheCenterPresents.org.

This is the second year of national sponsorship by the Efroymson Family Fund, a fund of the Central Indiana Community Foundation.

The mission of the Great American Songbook Foundation is to inspire and educate by celebrating the Great American Songbook: timeless pop standards and classic songs of Broadway and Hollywood. The Foundation is committed to maintaining this rich legacy by preserving the physical artifacts of its creators, performers and publishers; providing educational opportunities and multidisciplinary curricula for student musicians; offering research opportunities for scholars, historians and performers; and operating a multimedia gallery for exhibiting its collections to the public. More information is available at www.TheSongbook.org.

The Efroymson Family Fund, a donor-advised fund of the Central Indiana Community Foundation, continues a long legacy of charitable commitment by the Efroymson family in central Indiana. The Efroymson Family Fund was established in 1998 by Dan and Lori Efroymson to promote the viability of communities and to date has awarded more the $100 million in grants in central Indiana and beyond. For more information about the Efroymson Family Fund, visit efroymsonfamilyfund.org.

Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF) is a $720 million public foundation transforming the lives of central Indiana residents in three ways: consulting donors, family foundations and their professional advisors on charitable giving; awarding grants to effective not-for-profit organizations; and providing leadership to seize opportunities and address community needs. CICF was established in 1997 as a partnership between the Indianapolis Foundation, serving Marion County since 1916 and Legacy Fund, serving Hamilton County since 1991. For more information about CICF, visit CICF.org.