News and Performances

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Earlier this June, Peggy enjoyed seeing Suffs at the National Theatre. This Tony Award-winning Broadway musical by Shaina Taub is about the American women’s Suffrage Movement, the long and arduous task of our “ladies” fighting for the right to vote in the 1910s. The performance was well attended and excellent!

Suffs runs through June 28 at the National; view the show’s complete tour schedule at suffsmusical.com.

Former student Aneesha Singh has been selected to participate in the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) summer opera program in Graz, Austria. Running from July 6 to August 16, this intensive six-week program provides world-class vocal training, master classes with renowned artists, and performance opportunities with the AIMS Festival Orchestra. One of the leading music programs in Europe, it is designed to prepare for a career as a professional musician. Learn more about AIMS at aimsgraz.com.

This fall, Aneesha will be a junior at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Mass., majoring in voice. She began voice lessons with Peggy when she was an eighth grader and continued until she graduated from Langley High School in 2024. This talented singer participated in many McNulty Studio workshops and recitals. She placed first and second in the Northern Virginia Music Teachers Association (NVMTA) Classical Voice Achievements Competitions over two consecutive years, and during the pandemic, she won honors at the Virginia National Association of Teachers of Singing (VA NATS) High School Student Auditions.

Also while a high school student, Aneesha participated in a high school classical voice workshop at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she received excellent instruction for one week. She also was accepted to study at the Eastman School of Music High School Program and at the Oberlin College Baroque Program.

We wish Aneesha congratulations and every success!

On June 15, Peggy hosted a luncheon at her studio, during which several voice teachers met to network and plan next school year's schedule for the NVMTA Voice Achievement Awards Competition and the Musical Theatre Competition. Shown in the photo are (seated, left to right) Bharati Soman, Christine Huff, Nancy Smith, and Peggy; (standing, left to right) Lani Jacobson, Kay Willett, and Marcia Espenschied. Photo by Bharati Soman. 

Peggy has been an active member of the Northern Virginia Music Teachers Association (NVMTA) for many years. She chaired the voice competitions for more than 30 years, arranging for judges, creating programs, and raising thousands of dollars for the organization. In May 2011, Peggy was awarded the NVMTA Laureate designation – a distinguished award voted on by the membership – because of her long-time dedication and service to NVMTA. Several of Peggy’s students compete in and place in the voice achievement and musical theatre competitions every year.

The voice achievement competitions are held every spring, and the musical theatre competition is held every fall. Students participate in one of three divisions by grade level or age, and cash prizes are awarded to first-, second-, and third-place winners in each division; honorable mentions also go to deserving students. 

NVMTA is a professional non-profit organization of independent and collegiate music teachers dedicated to promoting musical culture and elevating the standards of music education and performance across Northern Virginia. NVMTA hosts over 35 annual events, including festivals, judged recitals, and concerto competitions for students of voice, piano, strings, and woodwinds, awarding over $12,000 in cash prizes annually to winners of student competitions. For more information, visit nvmta.org.

On May 31, Peggy attended a wonderful musical theatre concert presented by Young Artists of America, entitled “Singin’ Through Schwartz: A YAA Alumni Cabaret Event,” at the Stone Ridge School in Bethesda. The concert featured songs composed by Grammy award-winner Stephen Schwartz, such as Godspell, Wicked, and Pippin.

Former student Kathryn Bailey Erath was musical director of this production. She has been associated with YAA for eight years, teaching chorus, piano, and guitar, and currently she is assistant vocal director there. Kathryn studied with Peggy while attending Langley High School; she received her bachelor’s degree in Vocal Music Education from James Madison University. She is the choral director at Gaithersburg High School in Montgomery County, Maryland.

YAA offers orchestral and musical theater training programs for elementary– through high-school–aged students throughout the year. The students are all very talented musical theatre performers, many of whom go on to study at the collegiate level and perform professionally. YAA has recently purchased a property in Rockville where they will have permanent rehearsal spaces. To learn about their audition process, upcoming events, mentorship program, and more, visit their website – youngartistsamerica.org – and follow on instagram.com/youngartistsus.

Peggy spent Sunday afternoon, May 24, at George Mason's Harris Hall to hear the final round of this amazing competition, sponsored by the Friday Morning Music Club Foundation. Six outstanding singers each presented a program of over seven songs! The required repertoire included arias from opera or oratorio; art songs in English, French, and German, two of which needed to be by an American composer; and at least one work by a composer from an underrepresented demographic. 

First and second prizes went to two sopranos, and third prize was awarded to a baritone. Audience and finalist prizes also were awarded.

Visit fmmcfoundation.org for complete information about this competition and for the list of winners.

On May 1, Peggy attended the Opera Scenes Program at the Maryland Opera Studio of the University of Maryland. She heard her former student Tracy Waagner (@TracyLinWaagner) sing in scenes from Cold Mountain, Don Giovanni, Cunning Little Vixen, and other operas.

After working with Peggy and graduating from McLean High School, Tracy majored in Vocal Performance at Oberlin Conservatory, then entered the opera graduate program at MOS. This summer, Tracy is thrilled to be a Lehrer Vocal Institute fellow at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California. 

In the upcoming year at MOS, Tracy will perform in Iolanta (Iolanta), Gianni Schicchi (Nella), and Rape of Lucretia (Female Chorus).

Congratulations to the following students who auditioned for and were accepted to participate in the 2026 All-District Choir events. 

Woodson High School (District 11)

Jude Hassan, freshman, first soprano

Langley High School (District 12)

Eleanor Campione, junior, first soprano

Rishi Chalasani, sophomore, second tenor

Griffin Harris, sophomore, second tenor

Philip Knecht, sophomore, second tenor

The District 11 event will be held February 12-14 at West Springfield High School. The District 12 event will be held February 5-7 at Herndon High School. During the events, these students also will have the opportunity to audition for the 2026 All-Virginia Choir event, which will be held in April.

The 2025 Musical Theatre Competition of the Northern Virginia Music Teachers Association (NVMTA) was held Sunday, October 19, at St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Annandale. Congratulations to my students who participated, and especially to those who placed in this very competitive event.

Div. 1 - grades 6, 7, 8

• Aria Song, 8th grade, Sidwell Friends School - Third Place

Div. 2 - grades 9, 10

• Griffin Harris, sophomore, Langley High School - Honorable Mention

Div. 3 - over 11, 12

• Eleanor Campione, junior, Langley High School
• Grace Shaffer, senior, Thomas Jefferson High School

Pictured above: Division 3 participants; Eleanor Campione and Grace Shaffer are shown in top row, far left and fourth from left, respectively.

Jude Hassan (freshman, Woodson High School), prepared for but was unable to participate.

On Sunday, October 5, Edrie Means Weekly led a free masterclass, which was designed to coach students who plan to participate in the NVMTA Musical Theatre Competition on October 19. Edrie is one of Peggy's former students, and she is on the faculty both of Shenandoah Conservatory, where she is a Musical Theatre Styles Specialist; and of George Mason University's Dewberry School of Music, where she specializes in teaching Musical Theatre and Voice. 

Pictured above (left to right): Griffin Harris, sophomore at Langley H.S.; Eleanor Campione, junior at Langley H.S.; Jude Hassan, freshman at Woodson H.S.; Edrie Means Weekly; Peggy; and Grace Shaffer, senior at Thomas Jefferson H.S. Not shown: Aria Song, 8th grader at Sidwell Friends School.

During a recent trip to New York City, Peggy attended a performance of Once Upon a Mattress. After the show, she met with her former student, Ana Gasteyer, who played one of the leads. Ana studied with Peggy years ago, when she was a student at Sidwell Friends. Also pictured with Peggy is her daughter, Maureen (far right), and granddaughter, Miranda (far left), who studies at New York University (NYU).

Cynthia Hu recently presented her absolutely stunning graduation voice recital at Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore! She studied voice with Peggy for many years, during both her middle school and Langley High School years. She was an excellent student and never missed participating in a workshop, competition, or recital. She will continue her voice studies as a scholarship student at Northwestern University next year.