Texas State University Welcomes Michael Maresca and Cassie Abate to Faculty

Celebrated vocal coach Michael Maresca and choreographer Cassie Abate join the musical theatre faculty at Texas State University. Maresca will head musical theater voice and Abate will be the head of musical theatre dance. Texas State's musical theatre program has risen to national prominence since Broadway veteran Kaitlin Hopkins took the helm in the fall of 2009.

Maresca, creator the One Voice singing technique and founder of MMOV Studios, is teaching worldwide using cloud based technologies (online) that allow him to reach thousands of singers through master classes and private sessions. At age nineteen Michael joined the national tour of Saturday Night Fever, after which he relocated to Los Angeles, and three months later joined the national tour of Mamma Mia! When Michael was 23, he launched his first formal vocal program online and in workshops, "The For Starters Program."

"I'm honored to be joining the faculty at Texas State," Maresca said recently. "The students are amazing-and I can't wait to work with the team and help each one of them achieve their best as individual artists!"

Abate, a recent graduate from San Diego State with an MFA in Musical Theatre, has taught dance at Montclair State and San Diego State on both the undergraduate and graduate level. As a director and choreographer, her credits include Man of La Mancha starring Terrence Mann, Seussical and Guys and Dolls at Connecticut Repertory Theatre, Pirates of Penzance at the Stephen Sondheim Center, Cabaret, Guys and Dolls, and Music Man at the University of Miami's Jerry Herman Ring Theatre, Moby Dick: the Musical at Theatre Workshop of Nantucket and assistant choreographer for The Brain From Planet X at the New York Musical Theatre Festival. As a performer, she toured nationally with Urban Cowboy, and has performed regionally with Arena Stage, North Shore Music Theatre and the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.

Abate stated "I am so excited to become part of the team at Texas State University. The students are incredibly talented and dedicated and the faculty creates an environment of collaboration that offers students thorough, unique, and creative training in the craft and the business."

Maresca has taught at the prestigious Broadway Theatre Project summer camp, and joined Hopkins and Jim Price (Texas State faculty and Broadway veteran) this summer on the campus of Wake Forest University to teach at The Performing Arts Project, whose faculty list is a who's who of Broadway's best.

"We are thrilled to welcome Michael and Cassie to Texas State University," said Hopkins. "They are top notch professionals and will be an invaluable addition to our rapidly growing program. With Maresca and Abate on board, we can fully realize our vision for redefining pre-professional training in this country for the next generation of theater artists."

The Texas State musical theatre program has won numerous regional awards, including multiple Austin Critics Table awards which honors the top professional theatre productions in the greater Austin area.

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