TexARTS students Larissa Slota, Holly Gibson and Erin Erxleben are participating in a unique summer youth exchange program between TexARTS and the esteemed Cincinnati Conservatory of Music’s College Preparatory Division this month.

The three advanced students — who study in TexARTS’ musical theater academy, youth ballet and theater classes — are studying from some of the best directors, teachers and performers that the CCM program — and New York — have to offer while they stay in Cincinnati Conservatory dorms along with scores of other talented students from that program and others around the country.
“Todd [Dellinger, TexARTS co-founder] and I started the conversation with CCM following our hugely successful CATS summer intensive, and the folks there were excited to create this exchange program for our students and theirs,” said co-founder Robin Lewis. “Since the TexARTS mission is rooted in training young people and exposing them to the best professionals from New York, Los Angeles and top univiersity programs nation-wide, the exchange opportunity with such an esteemed program is just the beginning of fulfilling TexARTS’ potential to be among the top in the nation.”
Three Cincinnati Conservatory students lived with TexARTS families this past June as they fulfilled their end of the exchange participating in TexARTS’ “Grease” intensive and performing along with the 84 other young people enrolled in that popular program. The students, as well as their parents visiting from Cincinnati, were thrilled at the opportunity and blown away by the caliber of instruction, the guest artists such as Laura Osnes from the NBC reality series “You’re the One that I Want” and Broadway revival of “Grease” and Barry Pearl, who starred as Doody in the John Travolta film.
TexARTS planted the seeds for this terrific opportunity three years ago when founder and Broadway stage veteran Lewis invited the program’s director, Deann Brill, in to teach TexARTS youth as part of TexARTS’ Broadway and University Guest Artist/Teacher program (which that year also included the heads of Oklahoma University’s musical theater voice program, the head of Acting at UT Austin and the head of Acting at the renowned Carnegie-Mellon University, along with stars of Broadway’s CATS, Beauty & the Beast and more). Lewis guest taught for the Cincinnati Program as well, and will teach there again this month.
“I’ve learned more here at TexARTS in three weeks than I have up until this point,” said Cincinnati student Ian Gregory Hill, who played Doody in the TexARTS production in June. “It’s been such a great experience for me.”
Fellow Cincinnati exchange student Lauren Garriott reflected similar sentiments.
“I’ve made such great friends here,” Garriott said. “I’ve never worked with such a talented group of kids — it’s been amazing.”
Celebrating their newly-acquired gift of Texas gab, they were proud to say “We’re gonna miss ‘All Y’All’” which drew cheers from their Lakeway and Austin counterparts. Slota, Erxleben and Gibson will return from their experience in Cincinnati at the end of this month.
For information on this and other unique TexARTS educational programs, visit www.tex-arts.org or call TexARTS at 852-9079, extension 103.