Jayna Glynn came to Missouri State University from Bentonville, Arkansas, in 2021, specifically for the musical theatre program.

She is now one of 10 finalists in The American Pops Orchestra (APO) 2024 NextGen National: Finding the Voices of Tomorrow competition.

“MSU was always my dream school because of how incredible the musical theatre program is, and coming here is what gave me this opportunity,” Glynn said.

The event will be livestreamed 2 p.m. (EST) Feb. 11 in New York City’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

According to its website, the APO describes itself as “an organization that builds community by preserving, promoting and reimagining popular American popular music.”

The APO created the vocal competition to provide “collegiate vocalists the opportunity to learn from industry professionals” while competing for scholarships and performance opportunities.

Last year, Glynn received an email to audition for the competition from MSU’s head of the musical theatre program. It caught her interest because it was a singing competition.

“Musical theatre is about acting, dancing and singing, and my favorite of all three is singing,” Glynn said.

After sending in a one-minute audition video, Glynn made it to the second round as one of the top 30 contestants. She had to create and submit another video for public streaming for an audience to view and vote on.

“Apart from choosing a song that complements my vocal ability, I also had to make a lot of social media posts to urge people to vote for me,” Glynn said.

Glynn made it to the final round and won second place last year. She competed again this year.

“Last year, I competed because I wanted the experience and to have fun, so winning second place was a nice little surprise,” Glynn said. “I’m thankful it’s possible to compete again if you didn’t win first place.”

Madison Russell, APO’s director of education, revealed on the website that this year’s competition attracted more auditions than ever before, with 240 submissions from 112 colleges.

A supportive community

Glynn notes she enjoys support from MSU’s interdisciplinary musical theatre program, sponsored by the music and theatre and dance departments.

“Last year, I did a takeover of the department’s Instagram and showcased all I was learning through the competition,” Glynn said. “I also got the opportunity to ask the MSU community to vote for me.”

This year, Glynn was indecisive about choosing a song, but her voice teacher, Dr. Ann Marie Daehn, came to her rescue. Daehn is a professor of voice and opera at MSU.

“She dedicated her whole afternoon to researching songs, then presented me with about 20 options. This support makes me overly excited to have made it to the finals again this year,” Glynn said.

Glynn is confident she will receive great support from the MSU community as she advances to the final stage of the competition.

Besides competing in the finals, Glynn and other finalists will receive an all-expense-paid trip to New York City, participate in a masterclass with Broadway professionals, rehearse with APO musicians and attend a Broadway show.

Making her Missouri statement beyond MSU

Glynn said she has made many connections and friendships with people from other schools since she began this journey. “The musical theater industry is large but also small, so to have connections in different areas is cool.”

Glynn has stayed in touch with the friends she made from last year’s competition.

“We share music sheets and encourage one another. I’m glad to have made such connections,” she added.

Vote for Glynn

Register for the event to watch the livestream and vote. Registered viewers will receive a voting link after the livestream.

Also, stay tuned to APO’s Facebook for more information about voting.

Explore opportunities in musical theatre

 

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Photos provided by Jayna Glynn.