High School Students Encouraged to Apply for the 2019 New York State Summer School of the Arts

Applications are currently being accepted for the 2019 New York State Summer School of the Arts (NYSSSA), Commissioner MaryEllen Elia announced today. Students in grades 8-12 throughout New York State are encouraged to apply. NYSSSA is comprised of seven component schools: Theatre, Ballet, Modern Dance, Orchestral Studies, Choral Studies, Visual Arts and Media Arts. Auditions begin in January and will be held across the state. A schedule of audition sites and application materials are available at the NYSSSA website.

The New York State Summer School of the Arts, a program of the New York State Education Department, provides approximately 400 of New York’s most talented students the opportunity to study with professionals in the visual and performing arts. The summer arts residential program offers highly competitive pre-professional training to promising artists from a variety of disciplines. 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. Each program culminates in a public final presentation or exhibition.

“From ballet to orchestral studies to visual arts, the Summer School of the Arts gives children the opportunity to learn from world-class artists and performers,” said Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa. “The education students receive at the program follow them through their studies and careers. We encourage interested students to apply and audition this winter.”   

“We’re proud to provide students the unique opportunity to study with professional artists and further their artistic skills through the Summer School of the Arts program,” said State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia. “The longevity of this exceptional program is a testament to the talent and commitment of students across the state.”

“Arts education is profoundly important and enriching for our children not only in school, but in life,” said Regent Roger Tilles, Co-Chair of the Board of Regents Cultural Education Committee. “That’s why we’re honored to host the Summer School of the Arts program for hundreds of talented high school students across the state every year. I urge students to audition for this extraordinary program.”

“I encourage teachers and arts educators to share the application and audition information for the Summer School of the Arts with their students,” said Regent Judith Johnson, Co-Chair of the Board of Regents Cultural Education Committee. “This program is unique to New York and we are proud to support our young people develop their skill and discipline in the arts.”

“The longevity of the New York State Summer School of the Arts is a testament to the talent of the students of our state,” said Molly Hennighausen, Director of the New York State Summer School of the Arts. “This unique program offers students an opportunity to develop their artistic potential with instruction and guidance from professional artists and performers.”

Students are accepted into NYSSSA through a competitive audition and review process conducted by the artistic staff. Tuition rates are maintained at a modest level and tuition assistance is available, enabling every student who qualifies the opportunity to participate in the program.

Following is a schedule of the 2019 NYSSSA schools and locations:

THE SCHOOL OF BALLET will be held June 30 – July 27 at Skidmore College and the National Museum of Dance in Saratoga Springs. The School of Ballet is led by New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Daniel Ulbricht and provides intensive ballet technique instruction as well as pointe, character, jazz, variations, and pas de deux classes. In addition, a physical therapy program focuses on the needs of developing dancers. Students attend all the New York City Ballet performances and other guest company performances throughout the program courtesy of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC). More information and a list of auditions sites and dates can be found at the School of Ballet website.

THE SCHOOL OF CHORAL STUDIES will be held July 7 – August 3 at SUNY Fredonia. The program offers students an opportunity for concentrated study in individual voice instruction, diction, theory, ear training, music history, and musical theatre. Under the direction of Dr. Hugh Ferguson Floyd, a nationally acclaimed choral director and performer, the program includes features individual and group instruction. The program, co-sponsored by the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA), includes a daily choral and ensemble rehearsals and public performance opportunities at the college and at the famed Chautauqua Institution. More information and a list of auditions sites and dates can be found at the School of Choral Studies website.

THE SCHOOL OF DANCE will be held July 14 – August 10 at Skidmore College and the National Museum of Dance in Saratoga Springs. Under the direction of Carolyn Adams, former Paul Taylor Principal Dancer, students study with a diverse faculty of nationally acclaimed dancers. Students take daily classes in Limon, Graham, Horton, Cunningham and Taylor technique, as well composition, repertory, and performance. Students also work with well-known companies- and choreographers-in-residence such as Robert Battle and Danny Grossman. More information and a list of auditions sites and dates can be found at the School of Dance website.  

THE SCHOOL OF MEDIA ARTS will be held July 13 – August 9 at Alfred State College. Under the direction of Ghen Zando-Dennis, a nationally known media educator and videographer, the program consists of a review of media fundamentals, instruction in new techniques and processes, instruction in aesthetics, and surveys of contemporary work, trends and ideas. Co-sponsored by the New York State Art Teachers Association (NYSATA) and the New York State Media Arts Teachers Association (NYSMATA), students are immersed in production work in the areas of 16 mm film, digital video, photography, electronic sound art, and computer animation. More information and a list of auditions sites and dates can be found at the School of Media Arts website.   

THE SCHOOL OF ORCHESTRAL STUDIES will be held July 21 – August 17 at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs. The program is co-sponsored by the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA). Under the direction of Dr. Bruce Kiesling, the School of Orchestral Studies has a unique partnership with the Philadelphia Orchestra and SPAC, providing students with an opportunity to study with the world-class musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra and attend performances at SPAC, while living and working in a professional environment as members of a symphony orchestra. More information and a list of auditions sites and dates can be found at the School of Orchestral Studies website.

THE SCHOOL OF THEATRE will be held in June 30 – July 27 at SUNY Delhi. The program provides students with intensive instruction in acting, movement, improvisation and voice, working side by side with nationally recognized faculty. Under the artistic direction of Margaret Denithorne, daily classes include acting, improvisation, scene study, voice, and movement, along with guest artist workshops in stage combat, mask, Shakespeare, playwriting, tango, directing, and acting technique. More information and a list of auditions sites and dates can be found at the School of Theatre website.

THE SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS will be held July 6 – August 2 at SUNY Fredonia. Directed by acclaimed artist and Metropolitan Museum of Art educator, Yayoi Asoma, and co-sponsored by the New York State Art Teachers Association (NYSATA), 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. More information and a list of auditions sites and dates can be found at the School of Visual Arts website.  

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.