CCM Musical Theatre freshman featured in HBO Max 'Homeschool Musical'
Watch BFA student Jeffrey Cornelius in the special self-shot documentary
Before he began his first year in the Musical Theatre program at UC's College-Conservatory of Music, Jeffrey Cornelius joined the cast of an original documentary by HBO Max, "Homeschool Musical: Class of 2020." The special is available to watch online with a subscription to the streaming service.
Inspired by Tony Award-winning actress Laura Benanti’s online movement #SunshineSongs, in which she offered to be an audience of one for the students around the country whose spring musicals were cancelled because of COVID-19, "Homeschool Musical" gave high school students the opportunity to sing and dance from the safety of their homes. Cornelius submitted a performance video and discovered he was selected to be included in the documentary the day before he left for Cincinnati to begin his studies at CCM.
Jeffrey Cornelius. Photo/Provided.
"I chose to be a musical theatre major at CCM because it checked off all of my boxes, and they really made me feel like I was at home when I visited," Cornelius said. "Add on the amazing faculty, alumni and current students, and it was an easy choice. Freshman year has been the best combination of challenging and rewarding."
This year at CCM, he is taking a mixture of online and in-person classes. He recently participated in CCM Idea Lab's "Gold," a multimedia project featuring a performance with 360-degree cameras and a multi-camera production.
Thousands of high school seniors submitted videos for the "Homeschool Musical" documentary, but only seven were chosen. Cornelius told WJTV 12 News that his dream is to be on Broadway. He plays nine instruments and has been singing his whole life, and acting since he was 12 years old.
Told in a self-shot documentary style, “Homeschool Musical” shines a light on the personal experiences and incredible musical talent of teens across America that were confronted with the many unique challenges of 2020. Each teen performs a well-known song which expresses their emotions about their experience as high school seniors during the pandemic. Along with their musical numbers, viewers hear directly from the teens in interviews that showcase their unique perspective, their wide range of emotions, hurdles, laughs and resilience that they experienced during their senior years.
The special is produced by Emmy Award winners World of Wonder with Tony Award winner Laura Benanti, Randy Barbato, Fenton Bailey, Tom Campbell, Sharla Sumpter Bridgett and Alex Coletti serving as executive producers.
Featured image at the top: A promotional image for the HBO Max "Homeschool Musical."
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