SUMMER SPOTLIGHT: Jayda Mendiola attends MAI in Italy

Ciao! My name is Jayda Mendiola and I am a rising junior BFA musical theatre major. This summer I’ve had the opportunity to perform and train at the Music Academy International (MAI) musical festival in Fiera, Italy.

MAI is a summer intensive that includes light voice, acting, and dance training, while working on various pop/rock concerts, two Broadway galas, and a musical production: Sister Act. The program trained and rehearsed ten hours a day, but gave us a couple of weekends to explore the surrounding European cities.

I was pushed out of my comfort zone during this program. I had to not only adapt and learn how to live on my own in a foreign country, I had to learn how to manage my work towards my art outside of rehearsal time. Luckily, I had several other Emerson musical theatre friends by my side!

Now I am traveling through Europe for the next two weeks! Join me on Friday, July 26 as I takeover @emersonstage on Instagram. I will be traveling and exploring Barcelona throughout the day and looking back at my time performing in Italia. See you soon!