Buck Hill Skytop Music Festival Seeks Talented Student Singers

The Buck Hill Skytop Music Festival is accepting applications from local students for its Young Scholars and Student Chorus programs. 

Participants in both programs will perform in the festival’s two major productions alongside Broadway entertainers.  They will rehearse for the shows with a professional creative team, including the festival’s artistic director Joey Chancey, a Broadway music director, conductor and pianist. Both programs are offered free to students.

Students accepted into the Young Scholars program will have the opportunity to train one-on-one with professional vocal coaches who have worked with some of the biggest stars on Broadway. After a three-week intensive vocal workshop beginning on July 20, the Young Scholars will showcase their talents in the Young Scholars Broadway Revue on August 8. They will also perform in the festival’s two major productions on July 31 and August 9. Applications for the Young Scholars program are due on April 11, and live auditions will take place on April 18 and April 25. 

Student Chorus members will receive group instruction with a professional choral director to prepare for the festival’s two major productions. Rehearsals will take place from July 6 to August 8, with performances on July 31 and August 9. Applications for the Student Chorus program are due May 15, and a live audition is not required.

The Young Scholars program is open to students in grades 9 to 12, and the Student Chorus program is open to students in grades 6 to 12.  

The Buck Hill Skytop Music Festival, now in its sixth season, will take place from July 31 to August 9. The festival will present world-class artists in the fields of jazz, musical theater, cabaret, chamber music, and pop. Events will take place at Skytop Lodge, Buck Hill Falls, Pocono Mountain East High School, Notre Dame High School, and East Stroudsburg University. Tickets will go on sale in April.  

For more information about the Young Scholars and Student Chorus programs and to submit an application, visit http://www.buckhillskytopfest.org/Education.html.

Buck Hill Skytop Music Festival Names Jacob Shoesmith-Fox General Manager

The Buck Hill Skytop Music Festival is pleased to announce the promotion of Jacob Shoesmith-Fox to the role of general manager. Jacob has been the festival’s company manager since 2012.

Jacob, a native of Canadensis, is the founding artistic director of Theatrical Gems, an award-winning, non-profit theatre company. Now in its third season, Theatrical Gems performs at the Evergreen Community Charter School in Cresco, PA. The company has also produced works in New York City, including off-Broadway benefits for the Actors Fund, and multiple world premieres in the New York International Fringe Festival.

An award-winning sound designer and accomplished Dramaturg, Jacob has directed productions of Bye Bye Birdie and Man of La Mancha in Pennsylvania.  In New York City, he has directed high-profile benefits for the Actors Fund featuring Broadway talent, including the first New York revivals of Irving Berlin’s Mr. President and Cy Coleman's Wildcat and a production of Meredith Willson's Miracle on 34th Street: the Musical. He has also directed various readings and workshops and was the assistant director of Are We Writing Loud Enough, a special event to benefit the Education Department of the Tony Award-winning Vineyard Theatre off-Broadway.  

Jacob serves on the Board of Directors for the Northeastern Pennsylvania Theatrical Alliance (NEPTA), a coalition of theaters and arts advocates representing eight counties. In addition to his work in the arts, Jacob is a teacher at Evergreen Community Charter School in Cresco, PA. He has a B.S. in Arts Administration with a concentration in Non-Profit Theatre Management, and an M.S.ED in Secondary Education, both from Wagner College on Staten Island. 

The Buck Hill Skytop Music Festival will present world-class artists in the fields of jazz, musical theater, cabaret, chamber music, and pop. Events will take place at Skytop Lodge, Buck Hill Falls, Pocono Mountain East High School, Notre Dame High School, and East Stroudsburg University. Tickets will go on sale in April.  

For more information, visit buckhillskytopfest.org.

Buck Hill Skytop Music Festival Names Joey Chancey Artistic Director

The Buck Hill Skytop Music Festival has tapped prominent Broadway conductor Joey Chancey to lead the festival’s highly anticipated sixth season, which will take place from July 31 to August 9 at venues throughout the Pocono Mountains region. 

Chancey, a sought after music director, pianist and conductor, is currently playing piano and conducting for the Tony Award-winning Broadway show Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Chancey replaces Patrick Vaccariello, who will be supervising the Spring Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall and music directing the Tony Awards for the second year in a row. Vaccariello will remain on the festival’s artistic board.

To kick off the festival on Friday, July 31, Chancey will present a stunning musical theater production starring Broadway performers and the festival’s student artists. An exhilarating concert starring New York City’s most versatile pop singers will cap the event on Sunday, August 9. Chancey plans to introduce a festival orchestra this season to infuse the major productions with a robust sound and amp up the excitement. 

In addition to Beautiful, Chancey conducted and played piano for the 2012 Broadway revival of Annie, and served as musical director for the National Tours of La Cage Aux Folles, A Chorus Line and The Wizard of Oz. In addition, he has played piano for The Wedding Singer, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and White Christmas tours. 

Internationally, Chancey has conducted Direct From Broadway, a Symphonic Concert Tour of Australia featuring musical theater star Anthony Warlow and Tony Award-winner Faith Prince. The concert was accompanied by a thirty-two piece orchestra and played to sold out audiences across the country, including the Sydney Opera House. He has also conducted the International Company of A Chorus Line in Tokyo, Japan. 

Some of Chancey’s favorite credits include conducting The Music Man in concert with some of Broadway’s biggest stars, including Laura Osnes, Santino Fontana, Ann Harada and Andrew Keenan-Bolger; Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Fabulous Fox Theater in Atlanta; A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline starring Gail Bliss; and Smokey Joe’s Cafe at the Alhambra Theater. He has conducted and accompanied for TV stars Jane Lynch and George Hamilton and Broadway's Jessie Mueller, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Christopher Sieber. Chancey is a native of Jacksonville, Florida, and holds a Bachelors of Music in Piano from Shenandoah Conservatory of Music. He currently resides in New York City. 

The Buck Hill Skytop Music Festival will present world-class artists in the fields of jazz, musical theater, cabaret and chamber music. Events will take place at Skytop Lodge, Buck Hill Falls, Pocono Mountain East High School, Notre Dame High School, and East Stroudsburg University. Tickets will go on sale in April.  

The True Story of Dorothy Gael?

New Works Production: WAS
What was Dorothy Gael's life like before she journeyed to the fabled Land of Oz? Find out when acclaimed composer Joseph Thalken (left) and award-winning lyricist Barry Kleinbort (right) premiere a new version of their popular musical WAS. The show stars Broadway performers and features the festival's Young Scholars. John Dias directs. 
Saturday, August 9, 7:30pm
Notre Dame High School
Adult $45, Child $15
BUY TICKETS

Come to the Cabaret: A Celebration of Kander & Ebb
Broadway is coming to the Pocono Mountains! Patrick Vaccariello, festival artistic director and music director of Cabaret on Broadway, directs this spectacular tribute to the legendary songwriting team of Kander & Ebb. The production stars performers and musicians from the Broadway stage and features the festival's Student Chorus.
Saturday, July 26, 7:30pm
Pocono Mountain East High School
Adult $40, Child $15 
BUY TICKETS

Bon Appetit and Prairie Songs
Don't miss Metropolitan Opera star Victoria Livengood as iconic chef Julia Child in the comedic one-act opera Bon Appetit. Following the production, our student and adult chorus will perform Prairie Songs by Grammy Award-winning songwriter Mike Reid, who will narrate.
Friday, August 1, 7:30
Skytop Lodge
Adult $45, Child $15 
BUY TICKETS

All That Jazz!

We've got the hottest jazz musicians at the Buck Hill Skytop Music Festival this summer!

BUY TICKETS

Jazz Night Cap

Featuring Tony DeSare

Sunday, August 3

Skytop Lodge, Skytop

7:30pm

Adult - $45, Child - $15

Critically acclaimed singer, pianist and songwriter Tony DeSare performs with infections joy, wry playfulness, and robust musicality. His take on classic standards and sophisticated original compositions has earned him a reputation as one of the country's hottest young singer/pianists.

Jazz Brunch

Le Jazz Hot - How the French Saved Jazz

Featuring the Peter and Will Anderson Sextet

Sunday, July 27

11:00am

Skytop Lodge, Skytop

Adult - $70, Child - $40

The Peter and Will Anderson sextet will transport you to the streets of Paris and the French countryside with sounds of swing and gypsy jazz.

Swing Gala 

Featuring Hilary Gardner 
Friday, August 8 
Stroudsmoor Country Inn - Terraview
6:00pm 
Tickets - $150
Enjoy dinner, dancing and a silent auction at our Swing Gala featuring versatile and accomplished vocalist Hilary Gardner. Proceeds will benefit the Pocono Health Foundation, East Stroudsburg University Foundation, and the Buck Hill Skytop Music Festival.

Shuffle Concert to Perform at Buck Hill Skytop Music Festival

The Buck Hill Skytop Music Festival is pleased to present Shuffle Concert on Sunday, July 27, 7:30pm, at the Tennis Tea at Buck Hill Falls. Shuffle Concert changes the rules of performance as you know it. In this musical celebration, the audience chooses the pieces to be performed. From baroque, classical and romantic, to jazz, pop and Broadway, Shuffle Concert performances offer an exciting fusion of great music for every musical taste. 

BUY TICKETS

Natalie Douglas Wins Margaret Whiting Award

Congratulations to Natalie Douglas on receiving the Margaret Whiting Award from the Mabel Mercer Foundation at Carnegie Hall. Don't miss Natalie Douglas in Come to the Cabaret: A Celebration of Kander & Ebb, on Saturday, July 26, at 7:30pm, at Pocono Mountain East High School.

BUY TICKETS