Education Department Announces Auditions For The New York State Summer School Of The Arts

Auditions for the 2012 New York State Summer School of the Arts (NYSSSA) begin in January and will be held throughout New York State.  The following is a complete schedule of audition sites, application materials and program information:

THE SCHOOL OF BALLET, June 24 – July 21 at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, is directed by NYCB principals Jenifer Ringer and Daniel Ulbricht, along with some of the best-known dancers in the world.  The school combines rigorous dance instruction with NYCB performances, lectures and physical therapy instruction to provide a professional experience for 60 of the state’s most gifted young dancers.  Students attend all of the New York City Ballet performances at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center and daily classes taught by members of the company.
http://www.oce.nysed.gov/nysssa/SOB/auditions.html

THE SCHOOL OF CHORAL STUDIES,  July 1 – 28 at SUNY Fredonia, offers students an opportunity for concentrated study in individual voice instruction, diction, theory, ear training, music history, and musical theatre.  Students also form a chorus, under the direction of Dr. Hugh Ferguson Floyd, a nationally acclaimed choral director and performer.  The program includes a daily choral rehearsal, private voice instruction, and intensive elective classes as well as public performance opportunities at the college and at the famed Chautaqua Institution.
http://www.oce.nysed.gov/nysssa/SCS/auditions.html

THE SCHOOL OF DANCE, July 22 – August 17 at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs. Under the direction of Carolyn Adams, a former Paul Taylor Dancer, students study with a diverse faculty of nationally acclaimed dancers and choreographers.  Students take daily classes in Limon, Graham, Horton, Cunningham and Taylor technique, as well composition work, repertory, and performance.  Students also work with well-known companies and choreographers in residence such as Robert Battle and Danny Grossman. 
http://www.oce.nysed.gov/nysssa/SOD/auditions.html

THE SCHOOL OF MEDIA ARTS, July 1 – 27 at SUNY Oswego, is directed by Robert Harris, a nationally known media educator and videographer.  The curriculum consists of a review of media fundamentals, instruction in new techniques and processes, instruction in aesthetics, surveys of contemporary work, trends and ideas, and an immersion in production work in the areas of film, digital and chemical photography, video, and computer arts.  http://www.oce.nysed.gov/nysssa/SMA/auditions.html

THE SCHOOL OF ORCHESTRAL STUDIES, July 27 – August 18 at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, under the direction of Luis Biava, is a unique partnership with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, providing students with an opportunity to study with world-class musicians, while living and working in a professional environment as members of a symphony orchestra.
http://www.oce.nysed.gov/nysssa/SOS/auditions.html

THE SCHOOL OF THEATRE, July  (dates and location TBA),  provides students with intensive instruction in acting, movement, improvisation and voice, working side by side with a faculty from the nationally known New York City-based Circle East Theatre Company.  Daily classes included acting, improvisation, scene study, voice, and movement, along with guest artist workshops in stage combat, mask work, Shakespeare, playwriting, tango, directing, and acting technique.
http://www.oce.nysed.gov/nysssa/SOT/auditions.html

THE SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS, June 30 – July 27 at SUNY Fredonia, directed by acclaimed artist Randy Williams, students work in sculpture studies, mixed media, figure studies, printmaking, drawing and painting, landscape drawing and painting and figure sculpture under the direction of noted exhibiting artists and educators.  The program includes drawing and painting from live models, 3- dimensional installations, modeling life-size objects in clay, practice with printmaking techniques and field trips. 
http://www.oce.nysed.gov/nysssa/SVA/sites.html

Each year, more than 400 of New York State’s most talented high school students study with some of the world’s foremost artists in the creative and performing arts.  To participate, students are accepted into the schools through a competitive audition process conducted by the artistic staff.  Tuition rates are maintained at a modest level through funds provided by the New York State Legislature.  State funds are also available for tuition assistance, enabling every student who qualifies the opportunity to participate in the program.

NYSSSA is sponsored by the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education.  Founded in 1970, the program assists young artists in planning professional careers in the visual and performing arts.  Four weeks of intensive work and interaction with internationally acclaimed artists and performing arts companies, such as the New York City Ballet and the Philadelphia Orchestra, give students a unique opportunity to experience the rigors of their chosen arts field.

NYSSSA serves an important need to foster and enhance the artistic abilities of the state’s most gifted young artists regardless of race, religion or economic status.  Follow-up studies on the program have identified former students who now hold positions within top professional companies around the world.

For more information, please contact:

The New York State Summer Institutes
State Education Department
89 Washington Avenue, Room 866 EBA
Albany, NY 12234
(518) 474-8773
nysssa@mail.nysed.gov
or visit our website at www.oce.nysed.gov/nysssa/