Led by Paul Heinemann, YAAJunior is a yearlong performance program that gives middle school singers, actors, and dancers in grades 6-8 from all around the Maryland, Virginia and DC area, the rare opportunity to study and perform large-scale productions of music-theatre with full orchestra, as well as to be featured in their own Junior production.

YAAJunior strives to strengthen students' skills in singing, acting and dancing through a fun yet rigorous rehearsal process as we prepare to participate in large scale mainstage productions in the fall and winter, and then present a Junior production in the spring. While fostering a strong sense of community, our primary focus is always on promoting healthy, honest and communicative singing, acting and movement, through the process of working towards a final production.

YAAJunior programming runs the full school year from September through April. If space allows, we will occasionally hold auditions in December for the spring semester.

See Calendar below for further details.

Regular YAAJunior rehearsals take place at the Academy of the Holy Cross in Kensington, MD.

Alternate rehearsal venues include Saint Marks Presbyterian Church in North Bethesda, MD and Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, MD.

Our performances take place at the Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, MD and the Performing Arts Center at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School.

Learn more about our rehearsal and performance venues here.

Visit our Current Season page for current productions.

Auditions for the 2024-2025 YAAJunior ensemble will take place via video audition in September for the season. If space allows, we will occasionally hold auditions in November/December for the winter/spring semester.

All of our YAAJunior students must audition to be accepted into the program, but we encourage students to audition regardless of stage or choral experience, as the program is meant to be a training program that welcomes performers of all levels.

Auditions for specific roles in the productions occur within the program in December.

Please visit our Audition Info section below for more information about upcoming auditions.

Besides being mentored by older students in our YAACompany, YAAJunior students have the unique opportunity to work closely alongside leading professional mentors both in rehearsal and performance.

Recent mentors have included Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell, Pippin), Kristin Chenoweth (Wicked, On the Twentieth Century), Jason Robert Brown (Parade, Songs for a New World), Steven Lutvak (A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder), Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home, Shrek the Musical), Andrew Lippa (Big Fish, The Addams Family), and many more.

Learn more about recent Mentors and upcoming opportunities to work with Guest Mentors here.

Recent innovative programming has seen YAAJunior join YAACompany and YAAOrchestra in staged theatrical concerts of large scale musical theatre as well as unique productions that have been devised for and have received their world premiere with Young Artists of America.

Recently, our world premiere of Young Artists of America: The Songs of Tim Rice filmed for PBS (Maryland Public Television) was nominated for three EMMY® regional awards and won an Emmy® award for Best Lighting.

In addition to the collaborative mainstage productions, YAAJunior students traditionally also prepare and present a JR version of a musical in the spring.

Please review our Upcoming and Previous seasons for a full listing.

Full Season (September-April) - $1,995

• Includes Fall + Spring Mainstage Productions plus our Junior production.

Spring Semester Only (December-April) - $1,395

• Includes Spring Mainstage Production plus our Junior production.

Learn more about available Scholarships and Awards here.