The Nursery Panel: Musical Improv

In this week’s panel we focus on musical improvisation from the perspective of both onstage improviser and Musical director. What is musical improv, why is it SO darn fun? We ask our panel of experts and also find out how they are adapting to musical improv in an online world.

We’ll also be answering your questions on the day so please post them ahead of time in the event or ask us live.

Our guests will be:
Stephanie Mccullogh – music director, teacher, and composer at the Second City Training Center AND has a doctorate in Clinical Psychology

Yshani Perinpanayagam – A multi-genre chamber musician, orchestral pianist and music director, Yshani has performed at venues including Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Barbican Theatre and various West End Theatres and with such varied artists as City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Mahogany Opera and Nina Conti.

Joe Samuel – Director and Musical Director of The Maydays. He is a classically trained pianist and violinist and has directed and played for a baffling array of improv troupes both in the UK and across Europe as well, as playing at IO in Chicago and being the musical director of Improv Festivals in Barcelona, Poland, Romania, Finland, Dublin

Stacey Smith – currently living in Amsterdam performing with the cast of Boom Chicago. She just recently relocated from Chicago, where she’s an instructor/performer at Second City and iO and founder/producer of the Chicago Music Improv Festival. When in Chicago, she performs with The Musical Armando, Fraudway, The Deltones and her all-female musical troupe Stacked. She is currently and always touring her solo musical improv show “Stacejam.”

Nelson Velasquez – from Improductions LLC, Second City Chicago, Artistic Director of Salsation Theatre Company, a 20 year old Latino theatre company, head musical director for Los Improviachis, an improvised musical mariachi band.

And our very own:
Heather Urquhart – Duo partner to Joe Bill in Blues Hammer and Jules Munns in Ten thousand Million Love Stories, Heather literally (co-)wrote the book on musical improv. She also performs with the Maydays and the Showstoppers.

Broadcasting live on the Nursery Facebook page.