Jerry Ensemble Cabaret

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courtesy Overture Center

The 2024-2025 Jerry Ensemble members.

The 2024-2025 Jerry Ensemble

The Jerry Ensemble returns to the stage for their annual cabaret performance, showcasing talented high school singers from the southern Wisconsin region. With a mix of musical theater classics and modern hits, these students will captivate with solos, duets and group numbers. Expect vibrant energy and heartfelt performances in this intimate setting, where the singers not only perform but share their stories through song.

media release: Get ready for a dazzling night of song and storytelling! The Jerry Ensemble members take the stage again with their annual 75-minute cabaret performance featuring everything from beloved musical theater classics to the latest Broadway hits. See the show on Thursday, May 29 at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. in Promenade Hall. Tickets for this all-ages cabaret are $30 and available at overture.org.  

These accomplished high school singers—hailing from over 16 Wisconsin schools—will wow you with solos, duets, trios and more. Sing along with familiar favorites, discover new showstoppers and enjoy an evening of pure musical magic. With their incredible talent and infectious energy, these performers are sure to leave you smiling, inspired and humming long after the final note. Don’t miss this unforgettable night! 

Overture Center’s Jerry Ensembles (Central and Southern) are premier performance groups representing The Jerrys, Overture’s High School Musical Theater Awards Program, featuring select vocal performers. The accomplished singers of the Jerry Ensemble participate in the group 2-4 years each, delighting audiences with songs from musical theater, movies, legendary artists and more. They present solos, duets, trios and group performances in front of a variety of audiences in a variety of settings each year, including the Jerry Awards Ceremony, Cocktails with Tim & Karra, UW basketball games and Kids in the Rotunda. 

According to Karra Beach, Overture’s director of Broadway engagement programs, many of these performances are unlike those students experience at school or with other theater groups: “In most of these settings, they are performing in a smaller space where they can easily see the audience. The Cabaret requires a different set of performer tools, and it’s the time we get to hear the students tell their own stories and how they connect to their music. They may sing in character, but they are sharing themselves with the audience, too.” 

THE JERRYS - The Jerrys is a high school musical awards program that encourages, recognizes and honors excellence in high school musical theater. The program began in the 2009/10 school year with 23 productions within 45 miles of Madison and has since expanded across the state through partnerships with Marcus Performing Arts Center, The Grand Theater and Viterbo University Fine Arts Center. Educators and industry professionals review productions at Wisconsin high schools and/or community theater organizations and provide valuable feedback to students. In its first decade, the Jerry Awards engaged more than 700,000 students, teachers, theater professionals and community members and has grown into a nationally recognized showcase of the brightest stars in Wisconsin high school musical theater. 

JERRY ENSEMBLE - Students in participating high schools can participate in the Central or Southern Jerry Ensemble. Students are selected through auditions each year. The Central Wisconsin Jerry Ensemble is directed by Marshall DeLonay and the Southern Wisconsin Jerry Ensemble is directed by Gail Becker. 

2024/25 Southern Wisconsin Jerry Ensemble 

Erica Louise Briski, Oregon High School 

Coen Faber, Mount Horeb High School 

Matias Finley, Abundant Life Christian School 

Isaac Freiberg, Middleton High School 

Elleigh Harter, Sauk Prairie High School 

Nathan Heil, New Glarus High School 

Beau Jacobs, Oregon High School 

Isabel Killian, Middleton High School 

Teagan Kluetzman, Madison East High School 

Callie Lederer, Verona Area High School 

Zoe Littlefield, Madison West High School 

Madison Melrose, Sun Prairie East High School 

Lucy Rae Natale, Parker Arts Academy 

Leena Rathgeber, Monona Grove High School 

Samuel Roberts, Sauk Prairie High School 

Owen Sehgal, Middleton High School 

Connor Wilkinson, Sun Prairie East High School 

Aurelia (Lia) Wochenske, Oregon High School