MusicStudio-AnnaSchafferLowcountry Music Studio is proud to announce a strong fall lineup of performing arts classes, workshops and training opportunities. The studio, which opened in June of 2015 under the direction of Anna Powell Schaffer (left), was created to enrich training opportunities for all performers in the Lowcountry.

Musical theatre study courses for young and older students are available in the evenings and will study the music of composer Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin, Children of Eden) this semester. These classes will conclude in a capstone performance in December.  Family music classes for adults and children 6 months and older will also be offered for the first time this fall, encouraging development and music appreciation. A piano class for beginners as well as individual instruction in both piano and voice are available for students of all ages.

In addition to regularly scheduled fall classes, Lowcountry Music Studio is also offering two workshops in the month of August. The first, a ‘Voice & Body’ workshop, led by Libby Ricardo will be held Monday through Thursday, August 10th – 13th, 2015 from 9:30 am – 12:30 pm daily. This workshop will cover numerous methodologies and allow participants to apply these techniques to a classical monologue tailor picked for each student. This workshop will be followed by an ‘All-Inclusive Audition Workshop’ on  August 15th. Participants can sign up for monologue coaching with Libby Ricardo, vocal coaching, with Anna Schaffer, and a headshot session with photographer Eric Smith of Captured Moments Photography, in Beaufort SC. This session will provide performers with the many important tools required for a successful audition as August and September are busy months for many local theatres casting for fall and winter productions in the Lowcountry.

Registration for new students began June 20th, 2015 and will continue until the first day of classes on August 24th 2015. The Fall semester concludes December 18th, 2015. All classes are held at Lowcountry Music Studio located in Port Royal at the corner of Paris Avenue & 11th Street. Those interested in enrolling in semester classes or registering for workshops are encouraged to do so online at www.lowcountrymusicstudio.com. Questions, registration information and more can be directed to Anna Schaffer at anna@lowcountrymusicstudio.com or 843-593-0248.  

Anna Schaffer, a native of North Carolina first experienced her love for the theatre working with her local children’s theatre and progressing through the esteemed North Carolina Theatre Conservatory Program, and Elon University, where she was  a student in the Performance Department. A voice student for nearly 10 years, under some of the most experienced instructors in the Southeast, a pianist and music director, Anna also enjoys her involvement with theatre locally in Beaufort and the surrounding areas.

Also teaching with the Lowcountry Music Studio is instructor Libby Ricardo who holds a BFAMusicStudio-LibbyRicardo from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and an MFA in Performance from the University of Georgia. Outside of her collegiate training, Libby has studied acting on three continents, including a stint at the Bali Conservatory in Indonesia. Libby has worked professionally in Rhode Island, New York, Georgia & South Carolina. Favorite credits include Juliet, in Romeo and Juliet, Bianca in the Taming of the Shrew, and Rasura in Life is a Dream. Last year, Libby garnered statewide recognition for her directing work on Grease, winning a South Carolina Broadway World Award. She will continue her work with the Beaufort Theatre Company as director of their season opener, Little Shop of Horrors. Libby has taught both at the collegiate and community level, and maintains that theater skills are life skills.