They've Got Talent
"You'd be so nice to come home to. You'd be so nice by the fire..."
Founded by legendary crooner Michael Feinstein and celebrating songs by such 20th century greats as Cole Porter, Jerome Kern and Irving Berlin, the Great American Songbook Foundation holds an annual, Songbook Academy and national singing competition for highly talented teens who are passionate about American song classics that were written between the '20s and '60s.
As a high-profile program sponsored by the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana, the academy ends on a high note-literally-as 10 finalists compete live at the Center's Palladium, a 1,600-seat, acoustically perfect concert hall.
The last thing that's done before their stage performances: star-worthy makeovers. Enter Salon 01 and Luis Alvarez of Aquage, who worked together to transform their charges from low-key styles to elegant red carpet looks that were based on what they would be singing for the competition.
"Luis and I conducted a 90-minute image workshop for all 10 finalists and then gave individual consultations," says Salon 01 owner Micki Stirsman.
"Luis' contributions to the process were nothing short of amazing. Among other things, he asked each of the finalists he was consulting with to sing their songs so that he could get a better feel for the eras they would be performing and their personal singing styles. He then translated his findings into exquisite looks that gave nods to their songs while still being youthful and modern. In a few short hours, several Salon 01 stylists helped us bring our hair color, style and makeup visions to life. The results were nothing short of magic."
