New York City was amazing last week. Aside from having coachings, I ended up seeing two shows: Peter and the Starcatcher and Godspell...again... 

Peter and the Starcatcher was incredible! I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, and seeing the story put on the stage was so exciting and entertaining. Also, the set was brilliant! I loved how every piece of the stage had multiple purposes. This included members of the cast becoming part of the set from time to time. Though the entire cast was phenomenal, one of my favorite performers was Christian Borle, who played Black Stache. What an insanely delightful character! Let me just say, the 9 Tony Award nominations this show has received are well deserved and I hope they win a bunch! I definitely want to see this production again! 

Godspell was amazing as always. What keeps me coming back to this production is not only the incredibly talented cast and amazing arrangements, but the moving, beautiful story that evokes every emotion and creates a wonderful evening of theater.

And...pay-your-age tickets? Who could resist.

We ended up seeing Godspell this time with Corbin Bleu ("High School Musical") playing Jesus. He was awesome! My family stayed afterward for a talkback featuring the star. What a down to earth, smart, and cool guy! I loved what he had to say about the show, playing the role, and his journey; but my take away was what he said about the casting process. He talked about the fact that there are so many aspects you can't control in casting, but the only thing you can effect is how much you learn and grow as an artist. My favorite quote of the evening - "You're never as good as you're going to be." I find this so inspiring!

This idea summarizes my goals for living in the city next semester! I don't know what will happen when, but I am determined to work hard and study, while enjoying the process and whatever comes to pass. Let's see what happens!

Hey there! My name is Tony Ponella, and I am so excited to start my first blog! I cannot wait to chronicle what I anticipate to be an exciting chapter of my life. This summer I will be moving from Bloomington, Indiana to New York City. I plan to take as many performing arts related classes as I can, while finishing my senior year of high school. As a Homeschooled seventeen year old, it will also be amazing to have the opportunity to study all of the history and culture the Big Apple has to offer.

Before moving, I still have some exciting upcoming events. Right now my focus is on the Michael Feinstein Great American Songbook High School Vocal Competition. The regional competition will take place this weekend in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and I will be singing the same two songs I recorded for the first round: "Orange Colored Sky" and "Beyond the Sea".

Here is the recording of "Orange Colored Sky" that was submitted for the first round of the Feinstein competition, as well as footage from a masterclass with extraordinary jazz musician Vince di Mura, where we played around with stylistic choices in "Beyond the Sea".

I hope this blog can give a glimpse into my journey as an aspiring singer/actor. I'm excited to share my experiences along the way! I will keep things updated here, but I can also be followed on Twitter @TonyPonella, and can be seen on YouTube on my tonyponella channel.

Stay tuned over the weekend for coverage of the Feinstein competition regionals, and feel free to leave comments below. I will be back soon!