“Plans afoot for summer performance camps.” – Pictured Left to right: Nell Hoban, David Gleichman, Sarah Whelan
STRAFFORD – Tredyffrin Township Libraries believe in empowering, inspiring, and supporting the interests of young people. The 2015 summer performance arts camps seek to cultivate performance arts skills and instill confidence in students in rising fifth through rising ninth grades. This year, the library is offering two exciting camps, and we are looking for participants! First up is musical theatre, August 3-7, with teaching artists Sarah Whelan and David Gleichman. Next is choir, back for a second year, August 10-14, with Nell Hoban and David Gleichman. All of the teaching artists graduated from Conestoga High School and find sharing their love of performance art to be the most meaningful form of summer employment.
The leaders of the 2015 season are:
Teaching artist, Sarah Whelan, portrays Belle onstage at Conestoga High School (photo credit: Yuge Xiao)
Nell Hoban, a 2013 Conestoga graduate, is a Temple University student and OwlCapella member. Nell previously served as music director of the award winning a cappella group Singchronize. Volunteering many hours at the library while a student at Conestoga, she was the inspiration for and the first teaching artist at the Tredyffrin Township Libraries Performance Arts Summer Camp. She enjoys working with students of all levels of experience, from beginner to advanced. Her tremendous enthusiasm is contagious; she’s sure to bring out the best in every young singer!
Baritone David Gleichman, a 2011 Conestoga graduate, is a vocal performance major at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. David made his Carnegie Hall debut in Merry Mount–performing the role of Second Puritan–in the RPO’s Carnegie Hall “Spring for Music” Festival. This past May, David spent a week with the Houston Grand Opera in their Young Artist’s Vocal Academy. David was a part of the inaugural season of the choir camp last summer, and will be helping to initiate the addition of our musical theatre camp in the first week of August. “The opportunity these camps provide for young performers to collaborate in a space with others interested in the same thing- that is, making great music- is so important. We hit the ground running last year, and saw some amazing growth in the singers participating, as young adults and as young musicians. This year promises to be even more exciting, given our introduction of a camp for musical theatre, which I am honored to be a part of as well- I think we really have some fantastic ideas for this summer’s musical season!”
Sarah Whelan is a 2015 Conestoga graduate and has recently performed as Belle in Beauty and the Beast. Her training includes vocal training with Katherine Mallon-Day and acting classes at Peoples Light and Theatre and the Arden Theatre. In 2014, she trained at Syracuse University in their summer college musical theatre intensive. Next year, she plans to attend Boston University. She enjoys working with young people of all ages and hopes to pass on the knowledge she has gained through her training to anyone willing to learn.
Lending support to the program is Anne Sprissler, retired music teacher from Valley Forge Middle School. Anne has generously loaned the teaching artists books from her library, accompanied the group to choose sheet music, and given guidance culled from her years working as a respected and beloved teacher. Anne’s unfailing enthusiasm for music has touched local residents of all ages. In addition to volunteering many hours at Tredyffrin Public Library, she is a member of the Surrey Singers and Chime Choir, which will perform at the library in December.
First year teaching artist, Sarah Whelan stated, “I’m really looking forward to this camp because I believe there is truly no better experience for kids than musical theatre. I grew up doing shows and all kinds of theatre camps and it was through those mediums that I learned to accept myself and be confident in who I was. I’m so excited to help any young actor or actress discover the same thing that I did.” Too, Anne Sprissler believes, “Choir Camp has lofty outcomes. This collaborative effort demonstrates that music, especially singing with others, is a language we can all understand. It connects cultures, expresses the emotions of history and sets aside our differences. Singing in a choir transcends all ages. Beauty and harmony is the outcome. Of course, the students in choir camp just do it because it is fun! I accompany the Surrey Chorus, a group of thirty-one singers who rehearse every Monday and go out and perform in the community. They will tell you the very same thing!”
A measure of our success as the hosting library is if our campers have fun, get inspired, grow their performance skills, and make friends. We let the campers’ testimonials speak for themselves! In an exit survey, a camper praised the opportunity “to sing together as a group and see how much we progressed.” Another student excitedly commended “[dressing] up for fancy day.” And, a few campers noted that our camp was “one of the best camps” they ever attended. Most meaningful for our young adult teaching artists is strengthening their leadership skills, supporting each other through the challenges of running the program, and realizing the lasting impact of fostering the next generation’s knowledge and enjoyment of the performing arts. The qualities they foster in this next generation of students may inspire those same students to continue the trend of inspiration. And thus, a legacy is born.
Ages: Rising 5th through rising 9th, time: 9 am-2 pm daily, fee: $125 per week
Please direct all queries to Laurie Doan at ldoan@ccls.org or (610) 688-7092 x200.
The mission of the Tredyffrin Township Libraries are to lead and strengthen a community of lifetime learners engaged in discovery, creation, entertainment, and enrichment. Tredyffrin Public Library and Paoli Library serve the 29,332 residents of Tredyffrin Township along with those who work and attend school in the area. The Libraries have deep roots in a community that highly values education and life long learning. Library usage begins at infancy with story times and picture books and continues through a lifetime of academics, careers and activities.
