A showcase of talent you won’t want to miss

Submitted

In just six weeks, the stage of the Payne & Mencias Palladium will come alive with some of the nation’s most talented young performers at the 2026 Songbook Showcase!

Set to take place on Thursday, July 16 at 7 p.m., this special evening features solo performances from all 40 participants of this year’s Songbook Academy®, along with special appearances by Great American Songbook Foundation founder and five-time GRAMMY nominee Michael Feinstein and acclaimed Broadway star Mandy Gonzalez.

Best of all, tickets are just $5, making this unforgettable night one of the best entertainment values of the summer.

Tickets may be purchased online, by calling (317) 843-3800, or in person at the Fifth Third Bank Box Office, 1 Carter Green, Carmel.

Tickets are limited to eight per household. For larger groups, please email Tickets@TheCenterPresents.org or call (317) 843-3800 to reserve seats together.

Senior living communities, student groups, and organized community groups are welcome. Bus drop-off accommodations and group assistance can be arranged in advance through the Fifth Third Bank Box Office team.

For additional accessibility accommodations or assistance with group reservations, please call (317) 843-3800.

Guest mentors Mandy Gonzalez & Michael Feinstein

Mandy Gonzalez is an accomplished film, TV, stage actor and author who possesses one of the most powerful and versatile contemporary voices of our time. She has starred on Broadway in the megahit Hamilton as Angelica Schuyler, originated Nina Rosario in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical In The Heights – for which she received a Drama Desk Award – and starred as Elphaba in the Broadway production of Wicked. She most recently guest-starred as Norma Desmond in the Tony-winning revival of Sunset Blvd.

Mandy also received an OBIE Award and overwhelming critical praise for her performance in the Off-Broadway production of Eli’s Comin’. Television viewers have seen Mandy in recurring roles on Madam Secretary, BULL, Quantico, and alongside Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez in Only Murders in the Building. She has appeared in Across the Universe, After, and Man on a Ledge, and can be heard as the voice of Mei in Disney’s Mulan 2, and Mother Rose on the Disney Plus and Disney Jr. series Alice’s Wonderland Bakery.

Michael Feinstein is a multi-platinum-selling, two-time Emmy and five-time GRAMMY Award-nominated entertainer known for his dedication to preserving the Great American Songbook. He has performed at the White House, Carnegie Hall, Buckingham Palace, and the Sydney Opera House. His most recent album, Gershwin Country, features collaborations with Dolly Parton, Brad Paisley, and other country legends.

In addition to founding the Great American Songbook Foundation, Feinstein serves as Artistic Director of Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts, and is a member of the Library of Congress’ National Recording Preservation Board. He’s also the author of the Los Angeles Times bestseller The Gershwins and Me.

Meet the young artists set to bring the Songbook to life

The Songbook Showcase features all 40 talented participants in solo performances at the Payne & Mencias Palladium.

This year’s class includes singers from across the country, both returning alumni and exciting new faces representing 29 cities and 13 states.

Set to join us for the 2026 Songbook Academy are:

• Lucy Chesley, Burbank, Calif.
• Jacob Cintron, Westfield
• Sadie Cohen*, Carmel
• Finn Davis, Mill Valley, Calif.
• Maddie Delbridge*, Pasadena, Calif.
• Cecilia Diamond, Agoura Hills, Calif.
• Cami Errami, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.
• Aarthi Eswaran*, Carmel
• Charlotte Green, Wheaton, Ill.
• Grady Griffin*, Carmel
• Ella Harris, Lexington, Ky.
• Aubreyana Eileen Hoeppner, Kokomo
• Madeline Hogan*, Winter Garden, Fla.
• Sophia Jimenez Butcher, Indianapolis
• Ian Jones, Carmel
• Claire Kashman, Indianapolis
• Clara Keiper, Zionsville
• Annabelle Kim, Carmel
• Julianna Joy Lawson-Schlitz, North Aurora, Ill.
• Maya Mariano, Westlake Village, Calif.
• Ethan Mathias*, Ada, Mich.
• Maggie McBride, Ashburn, Va.
• Soren McLaughlin*, Noblesville
• Julia Mooney, Holmdel, N.J.
• Krishaa Motycka*, Carmel
• Adrienne Nicastro*, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.
• Sophia O’Toole*, Medfield, Mass.
• Dilan Patton*, Los Angeles, Calif.
• Charlotte Raynor, Doylestown, Pa.
• Mia Rettig*, Indianapolis
• Connor Ruckman*, Los Angeles, Calif.
• Claire Noelle Scrogham, Greenwood
• Hannah Sevening, Carmel
• Akshara Shrikant, Boston, Mass.
• Olivia Steele, Kokomo
• Lucy Thiel, New Hope, Pa.
• Kellyssa Rose Vincent*, West Palm Beach, Fla.
• Jacob Volker*, Nashville, Tenn.
• Caiden Woll, Perkasie, Penn.
• Maddox Wood*, Webb City, Mo.

* indicates alumni of the Songbook Academy