Led by Producing Artistic Director, Rolando Sanz, YAACompany is a conservatory-quality musical theatre training program based in the Washington, DC area that gives high school singers, actors and dancers the rare opportunity to study, rehearse, and perform in large-scale works of music theatre in major venues with full symphonic orchestra. Auditions are required.

YAACompany strives to strengthen students' skills in singing, acting and dancing through a fun yet rigorous rehearsal process, as they prepare for major productions of staged symphonic theatrical productions, traditionally performed in major venues around the Washington, DC area, including Strathmore, The Kennedy Center, Maryland Public Television, and The Clarice. Our primary focus is always on healthy, authentic, and communicative storytelling, singing, acting, and movement, working towards the goal of a professional caliber final production.

Many of our alumni have gone on to study at prestigious universities including Carnegie Mellon, University of Michigan, Penn State, CCM (Cincinnati), NYU, Baldwin Wallace, Northwestern, Rice, Indiana, and UMD, and later to perform on professional stages across the country, including Broadway. These students and their families often credit Young Artists of America at Strathmore for preparing them for college and their musical careers beyond.

YAA also provides additional Classes, Workshops, and Masterclasses for students to further advance and refine their skills.

YAACompany will meet in-person during the 2023-2024 season.

Young Artists of America produces two mainstage productions per season featuring YAACompany, one in the Fall Semester (September-December), and one in the Spring Semester (December-March/April).

Students are encouraged to enroll for the entire school year season, but may participate in the fall or spring semester separately. A discount is offered for those students who enroll for the full school year up front.

Scroll to the bottom of this page to see the Rehearsal Calendar.

YAACompany students are permitted TWO conflicts per production.

Conflict requests must be submitted in advance for approval by staff before they are accepted. This is to ensure the full commitment of all participants and the efficiency of the rehearsal process.

YAA staff works with seniors to coordinate college visits and auditions in the fall and spring.

Regular YAACompany rehearsals take place at the Academy of the Holy Cross in Kensington, MD.

Alternate rehearsal venues include Saint Marks Presbyterian Church in North Bethesda, MD and Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, MD.

Our performances take place at the Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, MD and the Performing Arts Center at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School.

Learn more about our rehearsal and performance venues here.

Visit our Current Season page for current productions.

All YAACompany students must audition to be accepted into the program.

Preliminary auditions for the 2023-2024 YAACompany will be video auditions submitted via Acceptd.

Callback and Dance auditions will then take place in-person in September for the Fall semester and in November/December for the Spring semester.

If a student is accepted and enrolls for both semesters, they need only audition once in the fall to be a member of the ensemble, but may re-audition in November/December for solo opportunities.

Learn more about how to audition below.

YAA students have the unique opportunity to work closely alongside leading professional mentors both in rehearsal and performance.

Recent mentors have included: Alan Menken (Beauty & the Beast, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid), Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell, Pippin), Kristin Chenoweth (Wicked, On the Twentieth Century), Jason Robert Brown (Parade, Bridges of Madison County, Songs for a New World), Michael Feinstein (Curator of the Great American Songbook), Steven Lutvak (A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder), Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home, Violet, Shrek the Musical), Andrew Lippa (Big Fish, The Addams Family, The Wild Party), and many more.

Learn more about recent Mentors and upcoming opportunities to work with Guest Mentors here.

Each season, our students are exposed to a vast repertoire, which can include classic and contemporary musical theatre, and more.

Recent innovative programming has included staged theatrical concerts of large-scale musical theatre as well as unique productions that have been devised for and have received their world premiere with Young Artists of America.

Our world premiere of Young Artists of America: The Songs of Tim Rice filmed for PBS (Maryland Public Television) was nominated for three regional EMMY® awards and won an EMMY® in 2018.

YAACompany members are also often called upon to participate in exciting professional performances through our partnerships with various venues in the region. Recent and upcoming professional opportunities for students have included performing in:

• Matthew Morrison & Shoshana Bean: Gala Performance (Strathmore)

• World Premiere of Iron & Coal by Jeremy Schonfeld (Beth Morrison Projects/Strathmore)

• Kristin Chenoweth: Coming Home Tour (Strathmore)

• Michael Feinstein: Gala Performance (Strathmore)

• Julie Andrews: Gala Performance (Strathmore)

• Patina Miller: Gala Performance (Strathmore)

FULL SEASON (September-April) - $2,250
- Includes Fall + Spring Productions

Fall Semester Only (September - December) - $1,095
- Includes Fall Production only

Spring Semester Only (December - April) - $1,395
- Includes Spring Production only

Learn more about available Scholarships and Awards here.