Pittsburgh - Accelerendo

Local vocalist starts music conservatory for young people

Peters school brings in world of performing arts

January 14, 2010 6:15 AM

By Dave Zuchowski

Christina Chirumbolo considers herself a versatile -- and a veteran -- performer.

As a youngster, the Peters resident sang in the Pittsburgh Opera chorus, then later headed her own self-titled tour through Europe and, in 2005, starred in a Broadway review in Lucca, Italy.

No stranger to local television audiences, Ms. Chirumbolo, 25, has appeared on ABC's "Project Bundle Up" and KDKA's "Pittsburgh Today" and performed in the first four rounds of season six of "American Idol."

She has been assistant director of Carnegie Mellon University's 2006 production of "A Little Night Music" with Broadway producer Eric Michael Gillett. Currently, she's working on a pop album in New York City and has produced an "Italian folk fusion" album, "The Stranger."

Recently, however, she's tried her hand at a new venture -- founding the Accelerando Music Conservatory, a performing arts organization in Peters.

"I actually started teaching vocal technique in 2005 while studying opera at Carnegie Mellon University," she said. "By the time I graduated in 2007, I had about 12 students in my private voice studio."

In the spring of 2009, some parents of her voice students asked where they could enroll their children in a performing arts summer camp. After doing research, she decided to start one.

"The 50 children and their parents were so pleased with their summer camp experience I organized at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Mt. Lebanon, that I decided to expand it into a full-fledged music conservatory," Ms. Chirumbolo said. "We launched the Accelerando Music Conservatory in last September, offering a curriculum that took in everything from stage makeup and dance to voice and stage combat lessons."

Accelerando is Italian for accelerate.

To assist in teaching the classes, which are held at St. Benedict the Abbot Church in Peters, she brought in six "extremely experienced and well-rounded" professionals from around the country.

"Our enrollees include everyone from the jock to the nerd and prima donna, which gives our organization an amazing personality profile," she said. "Our motto is 'Let's accelerate the fun; let's accelerate the work.' Our kids strive to be the best they can. We don't take students who only give us 50 percent."

At the end of the first semester, the 23 enrolled students performed an original holiday musical titled "Snowed In" at Carnegie Mellon University, Peters Township Library and Chelsea Studios in Manhattan, where the more than 100 guests included producers, talent scouts and working Broadway actors.

While in New York, the students, who ranged in age from 9 to 20, saw Broadway performances of "Wicked" and "In the Heights" and took a master class with Kenway Kua, a "Wicked" cast member.

"We did yoga in Jersey, ate ribs in Times Square and sang show tunes at Ellen's Stardust Diner," Ms. Chirumbolo said. "However, the highlight of the trip for me was caroling in Grand Central Station."

Ms. Chirumbolo also is working with New York City composers David Dabbon and Tom Bruett to create another original musical that will be performed at the end of the conservatory's 14-week spring semester.

" 'Greetings from Coco Boco' is a comical mystery that takes place on a cruise ship headed to the tropics and includes everything from French accents to Jazzercise and nuns," she said.

No more than 35 students will be accepted for the spring semester, which begins Feb. 19. Sessions will be held from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Fridays. Instructors will include Broadway performers and conductors from all over the United States.

"My intention is to take the show to major local universities and high schools and even to Orlando, Florida," Ms. Chirumbolo said. "Because I also believe that my students should be involved with service to the community, I'd also like to take the show to places like nursing homes or hospitals, and a percentage of our proceeds will benefit local charities."

For more, call 724-255-6860.

Freelance writer Dave Zchowski can be reached in care of suburbanliving@post-gazette.com .

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