Vocalist-actress Alysha Umphress, a Broadway performer whose music includes jazz standards and cabaret has won the 30th annual American Traditions Vocal Collection Competition in Savannah, GA, receiving the grand prize of $12,000.
Now in its 30th annual year, The American Traditions Vocal Collection celebrates and preserves all styles of classic American music through musical education, community events, concerts and annual vocal competitions for regional high schoolers and professional vocalists.
Umphress is a native of Concord, California, who studied at the Boston Conservatory before moving to New York City, where, among her early efforts she was a singing server, a “Starduster” at Broadway’s Ellen’s Stardust Diner. She made her Broadway debut in the 2010 stage adaptation of Green Day’s rock opera American Idiot. Subsequent roles included in productions of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, Bring It On: The Musical and On the Town. In 2015 Umphress released her debut solo album, I’ve Been Played: Alysha Umphress Swings Jeff Blumenkrantz. For the Off-Broadway revival of Smokey Joe’s Cafe, she received a Lucille Lortel Nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. In addition to many regional credits, Umphress also has made TV appearances, including “Law and Order SVU,” “Nurse Jackie” and “Royal Pains.” She can be seen in “The Climb” for Amazon and on the Netflix series, “Bonding.”
Listen to Alysha Humphress perform her Broadway bucket list:
