When: by invitation only, Thursdays/Fridays in late September & early October 

Time: 11:00am – 2:00pm in 30-minute slots 

Location: 230 W. North Avenue, Chicago 

The Second City Training Center is proud to announce the return of The Bob Curry Fellowship!  The Second City will be holding auditions for BIPOC pianists to join the fellowship as Music Director Fellows. This tuition free, one-of-a-kind training program is taught by The Second City’s top instructors and culminates in an original sketch comedy production. The program begins in mid-October 2023, with the final show in February of 2024. 

Music Directors at The Second City need competency in a variety of skills – they are songwriters, accompanists, sound designers, creators and leaders. Some of the skills in which a Bob Curry Fellowship Music Director will receive training and mentorship: 

• Comedic improvisation 
• Underscoring  
• Sound design  
• Song writing 
• Comedic lyric creation 
• Vocal warm-ups 

The Music Director Fellows will be part of the ensemble, where they will receive additional instruction in comedic concepts. The Bob Curry Fellowship then enters a rehearsal process, culminating in a sketch show which will have several performances on a Second City stage. Music Director Fellows may be asked to music direct some or all of the show and will be part of its music and sound design creation. The end goal is to give the musician an opportunity to learn the intricacies of being a Comedic Music Director, to introduce them to the teams that hire these talents, and to give them skills that can open doors into other markets. 

Successful candidates will be great pianists, or keyboardists with other unique and demonstrable live music and technical skills. Auditioners will be asked to play three contrasting pieces of music on the piano and prompted through improvised theatrical underscoring. 

Submissions should be emailed to Amanda Murphy at amurphy@secondcity.com. 

Please use the subject line: BOB CURRY FELLOWSHIP MD AUDITIONS 

Auditions will be confirmed on an ongoing basis as submissions are received and submissions will close at end of day on October 2nd or when all available slots have been filled.