It is that time of the year again when scholars from all over arrive in Wabash for the Honeywell Arts Academy: Three weeks of extensive knowledge and curated classes that will guide them to the next level.
Each week contains a different full-scholarship institute that will learn from some of the greatest musicians in their designated area: Wabass Institute, Soundboard Institute, and the Resonance Institute.
“Founded in 2020, the Academy is an expansion of the Wabass Institute, a music program established in 2008 for double bassists,” a post on Honeywell’s website says. “The mission of the Academy is to foster an inclusive and supportive environment where ideas are free flowing between all. This creates a revolving door of expertise, a philosophy the Academy refers to as the ‘sharing of knowledge.’
“The Academy is designed to provide the future generation of musicians the opportunity to learn from one another, push boundaries, connect with both local and industry communities, with world renowned faculty to propel their artistry forward and springboard their careers. The Honeywell Arts Academy is comprised of three full-scholarship institutes for emerging musicians. Led by Grammy-winning Artistic Director Ranaan Meyer of the trio Time for Three and world-renowned faculty, each weeklong institute takes place at Eagles Theatre in Wabash and culminates in a live performance featuring participants and faculty. Each performance is followed by a meet and greet reception where concertgoers can mingle with the artists.”
The Wabass Institute’s performance was Friday, June 16, but you can still catch Soundboard at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 23, at Eagles Theatre and Resonance at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 30. Soundboard will also perform at Indiana Landmarks Center in Indianapolis on Saturday, June 24.
Expanding beyond Wabass
Honeywell Arts Academy is a nonprofit public charity curated to provide opportunities for aspiring musicians. This is the 16th year of the Wabass Institute.
According to Honeywell’s website: “What began in 2008 as a full scholarship double-bass camp called Wabass Institute has now blossomed into Honeywell Arts Academy. A shared idea between Artistic Director Ranaan Meyer, and three generous philanthropists: from Philadelphia, Harry and Kay Halloran, and from Wabash, Richard Ford, created a collective patronage allowing for the vision of bringing a unique double-bass summer camp, the only of its kind to Wabash. 2023 marks 16 successful seasons of Wabass impacting hundreds of lives directly and countless more as attendees bring their acquired knowledge back to their various communities around the world.”
Interact with musicians
Stick around after each performance to meet these incredible individuals and maybe get to pick their brains on their journey in music.
This program is a wonderful collection of extremely talented individuals that have dedicated their life to their crafts. Through each of these performances, you will hear a wide variety of music ranging from jazz and funk to an “indescribable musical experience,” according to one of the bios.
Be part of show
If you’re interested in auditioning for next year, you will need to submit a standard application as well an audition tape with a variety of songs and an interview portion about how the experience will advance your musical career. The application window opens in November and closes in February. Final selections are made in March.
“Artists are selected based on their merit, passion, story, ability to work with a team, and overall potential,” the website says. “Once the application window has closed, the applicant materials are distributed to the faculty mentors to review. The artistic director, faculty mentors, and administration assess the musicians through a process of two rounds: preliminaries and finals. Following this, they create an acceptance for the finalists and anywhere from 2 to 5 high level alternate selections in the case that one or two finalists are unable to attend.”
Make sure to get your tickets, available online at honeywellarts.org, and support these talented individuals in their performance of a lifetime.
