Nia Savoy, the muse of Songbook South has won another major competition Friday, March 23rd at the Kreeger Theater in Washington D.C.  Sponsored by The National Society of Arts and Letters and The American Pops Orchestra, Savoy was one of 10 finalists, chosen from hundreds of applicants, who performed with a Jazz combo before a live audience judged by a variety of entertainment industry luminaries: Jim Caruso (Birdland Jazz Club), Baayork Lee (Tony-winning Broadway Legend), Kelly d’Amboise (Signature Theater and APO Resident Director) and Robert Pullen (Emmy nominated Producer and owner of Nouveau Productions). Savoy treated the audience to stunning performances of “Solitude” by Duke Ellington and “Cash for Your Trash” from the musical Ain’t Misbehavin’. With her first place win, she received a $500 cash award and has been guaranteed a mainstage performance in the 2018-19 American Pops Orchestra season.

Miss Savoy is not new to the national winner’s circle. In 2015 she won the national Young Arts Jazz Vocalist award that led to her being selected by Mikhail Baryshnikov to appear in a production he directed in New York City.


Miss Savoy’s convincing and expressively forceful performances continue to bring her considerable acclaim from industry professionals that have led to a flood of performance opportunities still pending as of the writing of this notice.

Shreveport's Own Soon To Be Broadway Super Star!


Exciting news brewing for our favorite Broadway belter, Bridget Winder!  She is making a deal on a huge new bi-coastal project!  You'll be so excited for her, once we can tell you all about it..........and yes, it involves singing!  She can't stop raving about Naz Edwards and Daryl Kojak, since working being introduced to them at our Songbook South Inspiration Weekend; she is still working with Naz and intends to use Daryl once she becomes a full-time New Yorker.  Meanwhile, you can view her amazing art work and hear some of her vocal talent at her website:

www.bridgetwinder.com



And, oh yes, she was amazing with The Bill Causey Big Band on April 17th at the Paradise Theater of the Margaritaville Resort Casino!


More info on her bi-coastal project and her other successes will be forthcoming!



FROM OUR STAGE TO LA!



Isabella Fowler is making her mark in LA and coming to big and little screens near you!  Here she is giving us some Coco Chanel "realness".  (No, seriously, she is playing the famous designer, Coco Chanel, in her new movie Famous Little Girls.)  


She's also been filming many commercials, modeling and working on various other projects while she has been away from her dear home of Shreveport.  No surprise.  We always knew she was fabulous!



We will keep you posted on all of her new projects!


Go, Isabella!

CALEB FREEMAN AMAZED AT MARGARITAVILLE!  HE'S COMING BACK!

Award-winning vocalist, Caleb Freeman, performed with The Bill Causey Big Band in the Paradise Theater at Margaritaville Resort Casino, Tuesday, May 22nd.  He performed a variety of big band hits from The Great American Songbook.  His set lists included Oh, Look At Me Now, Sway, A Foggy Day, Summer Wind, The Good Life, and Feelin' Good, just to name a few.  The audience was so impressed with his nuanced vocals and powerful performance they gave him a standing ovation at the end of his last set.

The band was so impressed, they asked him back for another appearance immediately following the show!

PLEASE JOIN US IN WELCOMING CALEB BACK FOR HIS SECOND BIG BAND APPEARANCE!

Tuesday, August 7th, 2018

Paradise Theater

Margaritaville Resort Casino

6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Complimentary tickets available at

The Band House - Bossier City

NIA WINS, AGAIN!

WHAT'S NEW WITH ISABELLA FOWLER?  SHE'S AN AWARD WINNING ACTRESS, NOW!

Iabella Fowler is racking up the awards for her recent performance as Young Coco Chanel in the movie Famous Little Girls.  At the Mindfield Film Fest she won Best Supporting Actress, and The Five Continents International Film Festival awarded Isabella Special Mention Young Short Film and Special Mention Team Performance Short Film.  

Isabella appeared in the local Shreveport Little Theater production of HONK, Jr. as Penny the Swan last Summer while home between major projects last Summer.

Lately, she booked a SAG role on Disney Channel! Isabella Fowler's hard work and dedication are paying off. Isabella has done feature films and worked on Nickelodeon, yet this is her first role for Disney. She will be walking the red carpet in Hollywood again for her show "Any Minute Now" which has gotten selected for airing in the Hollywood Reel Independant Film Festival.

We are so proud of her tremendous accomplishments and know there are more to come in the future!



MISS NIA SAVOY........

Is a busy woman these days, gracing the stage for the American Pops Orchestra in many of their performances after her win of their NextGen vocal competition in 2018, including one show with actress, Morgan Fairchild.

She has appeared in several musical performances in and around Washington DC in shows such as Mamma Mia and Aida and  just finished a run as Shug Avery in Alice Walker's The Color Purple at Riverside Center of the Performing Arts.  She has several other performances slated through September 2019.  

In May, Miss Savoy graduated from Howard University and will go forth to conquor the theater and cabaret scene.  She is working currently auditioning and working on multiple exciting offers for future engagements.

Beautiful, Belting Bridget Will Soon Be Belting on Broadway???


Looooooks like it!  Not only did she just finish an amazing, sold out show showcasing her vocals while she created a huge painting at the West End Lounge in New York starring a number of her Broadway friends, but she just completed a  

reading for her new show "Alfo Learns To Love" directed by Dennis Grimaldi at The Players Club.  This show will be moving to a larger stage, very soon.  Meanwhile, follow her on her social media pages and check out her amazing work on her website:  

www.bridgetwinder.com

Her star is ascending quickly!

Isabella Fowler is slaying it at home and in Hollywood.  

Isabella has won more awards for her portrayal of Young Coco Channel in Famous Little Girls.  She has a cameo she's doing in the Disney Network's Just Roll With It, airing later in July.  Isabella has starred as Lymon in the movie Elle Twelve and has played roles in a few other movies in Hollywood, as well.  She just played the role of The Cat In The Hat in Seusical Jr. with Shreveport Little Theater Academy, and she recently released her first single as a singer/songwriter.  Yes, songwriter.  Check out her song "Big Eyes" on the numerous sites listed below.   You can catch her multiple award winning performance (Coco Chanel) in her award winning film (Famous Little Girls) on Amazon.  Her performance as Emily Newbauer, in Just Roll With It, ("Blair Gets Grounded") was added just for her and should be airing around July 17th ; she alo did a voice over role on a different episode of the same show, but it's unclear when that will be airing.   We are so proud of her accomplishments and the amazing body of work she has already amassed!  Go, Isabella!

  

Where's Nia????........

......Well, she is still working out of D.C., doing lots of theater and auditions, but most recently she has been recently named among the top 10 in the 2020 Rising Star Peforming Arts Competition sponsored by the Howard County Arts Council in Maryland.   She will compete for the grand prize of $5000 on Saturday, March 28th  at the Peter and Elizabeth Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center in Columbia, Maryland.


We are so proud of Nia and we hope she collects that prize!  Toi!  Toi!

Cassidy Ewert and Trevor VanEaton got invited to perform with Broadway's Hugh Panaro, and internationally known opera star Sarah Jane McMahon on the Shreveport Symphony's Holiday Pops Concert.  The pair sang a duet of the Christmas Song together and joined forces with Hugh and Jane on a couple of house-pleasing, holiday favorites.  Both of the students said it was one of their dreams to perform with a symphony, they just didn't know it would be so soon.  Glad we could help, Trev and Cass; now, go get some well earned rest!    We are proud of you.

A Good Time Was Had By All, And To All A Good Night!

Cassidy Ewert and Trevor VanEaton perform with the Shreveport Symphony!

Huber and Freeman slated to perform with the Shreveport Symphony!

Although they have been incredibly busy with their own professional appearances throughout the U.S., Leah Huber and Caleb Freeman eagerly accepted an invitation to come home and perform with our very own Shreveport Symphony and special guests, Craig Schulmann and Tamra Hayden.

The evening is to be filled with performances of many Broadway favorites.  Freeman is scheduled to perform a bespoke orchestral arrangement of Who Can I Turn To from The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd, a Freeman fan favorite.  Huber is scheduled to perform the Bernstein tour de force, Glitter and Be Gay from Candide.    Both Huber and Freeman will perform with the visiting artists, also.

Songbook South is forever grateful to Maestro Michael Butterman and Assistant Conductor to the Shreveport Symphony, Kermit Poling, for providing this amazing opportunity for our nationally recognized talent!

Get your tickets now for the Saturday, March 28th performance!

https://shreveportsymphony.com/concerts/broadway-today/


SONGBOOK SOUTH SINGER ENSEMBLE COMES IN SECOND FOR COMPETITION!

A portion of of our Songbook South Singers performed an audition to sing at the Municipal Auditorium  with the rock band, Foreigner.  After making top 5, the Songbook ensemble didn't quite make enough votes from the public at large to edge out the larger group of singers to cinch the top slot.


Our singers out performed them all, and we are happy about that!  You guys rock!


To watch our YouTube audition, click here!


.........More to come.........

The Songbook South Singers Nativity Ensemble Performs A Special Christmas Service

Ten of our Songbook South Singers formed a special ensemble to ring in the Christmas Season.

  Following special guidelnes and precautions, our Nativity Ensemble performed for a socially distanced live audience and for live streaming December 4 & 5, 2020, on Facebook.  

Between both performances on Friday and Saturday night, the performers entertained over 1,000 people, celebrating the holiday.  

Check our Songbook South YouTube channel for the archival video of the performance, coming soon.

Freeman in service of Shreveport Symphony


Caleb Freeman worked with acclaimed pianist and raconteur, Richard Glazier, in a virtual performance benefiting the Shreveport Symphony in Spring 2020.  


Songbook South Singers Make First Music Video

February 6, 2021 in downtown Shreveport, Louisiana, our Songbook South Singers: Love Unlimited Ensemble made their first music video, covering Queen's "Somebody To Love", starring Brooke Wilson and Trevor VanEaton as soloists.

The video has been quite popular on YouTube, receiving 718 views a year later, and is now featured also on Rumble.


See it here!


Happy Valentine's Day from Songbook South!

Songbook South creates quarterly newsletter for our friends and donors called Follow UP!

Check out our first installment of our new newsletter called Follow UP!, where we follow up with some of our Songbook South alums on their way up the ladder of success in the entertainment field.  

We will also visit with Songbook South mentors and regional artists who have "made it big" in the industry to discover their recipes for success!

Don't miss a single installment!  Go to our Songbook South YouTube Channel and Subscribe, today!

Two more awards for the fabulous Isabella Fowler!

Songbook South Singer alum, Isabella Fowler, adds to her trophy case with two more awards to her credit for her portrayal of Justine Hahn in Hahn vs Gillgallon.


Young Artist Academy    Best Performance in a Film by a Teen Actress

The Young Entertainer Awards     Best Young Actress 14 & Under in a Short Film


We are so very proud of Isabella's continued success, and are excited to watch her star rise!  Keep killing it, Isabella!

Congratulations to our Songbook South Singers who are in the SRAC ArtBreak Talent Show!


ANOTHER  NATIONAL TOP 40 SINGER!  

WAY TO GO NATALIE!

Songbook South celebrates another student who has achieved national recognition as one of the Top 40 high school singers in the nation of 2023!

Natalie Barker, Grand Prize Winner of the 2022 Songbook South High School Vocal Competition and Songbook South Singer, will be participating in a prestigious 8-day vocal intensive in July where she will work with a bevy of entertainment industry luminaries and top music educators in pre-professional workshops culminating in a performance of their work.  Read more about the vocal intensive here.  

Natalie will be using the scholarship she won at the Songbook South competition to attend the intensive.  She thanks all of you who give to Songbook South for this amazing opportunity to continue her training on a grander scale, as well as all the local events that Songbook South offers to train and support students.  

We know this is just the beginning for this amazing talent!  Stay tuned as we follow her through her preparation and experience at the event!

BRADEN TUCKER WINS LOCAL TALENT SHOW!

Braden Tucker wins BuzzFest 2023 at Byrd High School with his performance of Song for You by Leon Russell.

Known for its large population of students, the "City of Byrd" hosted its very popular show BuzzFest full of student performances and skits produced by the school's many organizations and clubs.  The show is arguably the most popular and well attended event of its kind on campus, and thus, competition is is fierce just to earn a place in the cavalcade of acts which makes the win even more sweet for Braden.

This makes for two years in a row that a Songbook South Singer wins BuzzFest with Camryn Orr winning in 2022.   Perhaps we are reporting on a new trend?

Braden has also been distinguished as a singer this year by earning spots in the Caddo Parish Honor Choir, Top Finalist in the KTAL-TV ArtBreak's Got Talent Show, and the Louisiana All-State Choir.

Braden will be attending University of Louisiana - Monroe in the Fall as a Vocal Performance major.  He will remain active in Songbook South as he is able.

NATALIE DOES US PROUD AT NATIONAL INTENSIVE

Natalie Barker has experienced a very active Summer.  Just before her Summer was to start she was notified that she was named as one of the Top 40 high school singers in the nation of 2023 by a prestigious foundation who invited her to attend their 8-day vocal intensive program in Indiana.  

Not long after that she appeared on KTAL's Loving

Living Local with Susan Kirton and Songbook South's Founder/President, Jennifer Dowd to celebrate Natalie's achievement.  

Many weeks of preparation later, she is on stage after working with several Broadway

stars and entertainment industry legends, giving a stunning performance of her chosen song, "Charade" (Johnny Mercer/Henry Mancini), to a huge audience in an exhibition concert of all the honored student performers.  The intensive ended in a grand concert showcasing all the musical work of the student performers.