Channel Surfing

I'm pretty sure that if I went to every new musical theatre show/concert coming up in the next couple of months, I would not only be exhausted but incredibly poor. Not that it wouldn't be worth it -- because there are a ton of great shows coming up (like this one and this one... also, this one... and this one). But while I've been seeing a lot of live theater lately, I also thought it would make for good conversation to point out some other sources for experiencing some new music, whether or not you're in the city.

Many writers have their own Youtube channel, and it's one of the best ways to keep up on their latest works and hear new songs. But there are also a lot of other Youtube channels out there that feature new musical theatre songs sung by incredibly talented people with new interpretations. I thought for this post, I would just share a few of my favorites:

Contemporary Classics is a theatre company that develops and produces contemporary musical theatre. They also post videos on their Youtube channel from their New Voices concerts, which are full of fantastic performers going to town on songs from a slew of new writers. I've posted a few videos on here before, but here are some other great performances:

Keely Avery singing Jonathan Reid Gealt's "No Reason At All":


Christian Duhamel & Jenny Shotwell singing Michael Mahler's "Couldn't You Stay":



Aside from Contemporary Classics, I easily lose all track of time watching videos from New York Theatre Barn, whose videos are the hugest treat if you're looking for fresh new songs. Their Youtube channel is regularly updated with their monthly shows from their D-Lounge. A few worth checking out (though if you want to get sucked in, check out their channel and watch them all):

Alex Brightman singing Kirsten Guenther and Gaby Alter's "Hit Song":


Amy Linden singing Eric March's "Weekend Away":



I've also been a longtime fan of the Urintown Youtube channel, which features performances from UMich's Musical Theatre program. While now there's a lot of varying content on the channel from Andrew Keenan Bolger's blog to episodes of The Battery's Down (which are also worth taking a look at), there are still some great gems from many benefits/concerts, especially The Girly Shows. Oldies but goodies:

Ricki Foss singing Marc Smollin and Kelly Dupuis' "Eduardo":


Cortney Wolfson singing Miller & Tysen's "I Could Go Back":



My last Youtube channel to check out is a recent discovery, but one that's been putting a smile on my face for the past couple of weeks. Alex Newkirk lends his effortless voice to showtune staples, as well as a bunch of newer composers on his Youtube channel.

Here's Alex singing Michael Arden's "Not Afraid":


And here is him singing Sean Grennan and Leah Okimoto's "The Lucky One":



There are, of course, tons of other resources out there. I'll continue to try to blog about them and post them here, but always feel free to share your sources for new music! It's always great to see new talent tackling new material!