AC & the Virtual Virtuosos started out as a group of people, singers and non-singers alike coming together to sing songs from musicals. Our initial show was Frozen, and we started out with a much smaller cast to what it’s expanded to.
Before AC & the Virtual Virtuosos started, most of its members came together for Engaging Virtual Karaoke founded by John Chen. It was only fitting that John Chen play the male leads in our freshman production of Frozen. I asked Marissa Mann to play Elsa and an old friend from high school, Megahn Howard to play Young/Teen Anna. Jeannette Ocampo Welch, who goes by Jo, was cast as Olaf, while I took the roles of Anna, Siren Voice, and Iduna. Nicole Smith and Olivia Vanessa Baumgart joined later as members of the chorus.
For Frozen, we used karaoke videos, and we only had harmony in two songs–there was one chord in Some Things Never Change, and we split some of the lines in Fixer Upper at the end due to the speed.
Aladdin Music Show & Collabs
I started expanding out to collabs which were more one-off videos rather than a series of videos. These initially started with Marissa Mann and Megahn Howard, but then Nicole Smith joined us as well, and now I’ve opened it up to more singers. There are several Halloween collabs coming up that will feature several other of the original virtuosos, as well as a few newer members.
Our second show, Aladdin, premiered in February of 2023 and starred Raja Vaidya as Aladdin, Marissa as Jasmine, and myself as Jeannie. The other members participated in the chorus of the show.
While this show also utilized karaoke videos, it was the first show where we tried harmonies, namely in Prince Ali (shown above) and One Jump Ahead. We also experimented with an original accompaniment for Friend Like Me on flute and clarinet.
Lion King Music Show
Our Lion King Music Show premiered in May 2023, starring Marissa Mann as Young Simba and Adult Nala, myself as Rafiki, Young Nala, & Timon, and Nicole Smith as Zazu and Pumbaa. John Chen played Adult Simba, and Jeannette Ocampo Welch was our Scar.
This was our first show with all original arrangements, including harmony. We also added clarinet to Be Prepared and flute to Can You Feel the Love Tonight.
This show also included original artwork by Nicole Smith and was the first show to include a behind the scenes video.
The Little Mermaid
Act I premiered on Friday, September 1st, and Act II premieres on Saturday, September 16th at 5 PM PST/8 PM EST. I don’t want to give too much away, but according to Marissa, “People are going to be crying” they will be laughing so hard. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. The link will be added as soon as Act II is ready.
The Behind the Scenes will premiere on Friday, September 29th at 8 PM PST/11 PM EST.
Encanto & Beyond
Although editing for The Little Mermaid is still ongoing, the production team is also preparing for our next show Encanto, which will be premiering Saturday, December 23rd at 5 PM PST/8 PM EST. The production stars Jeannette Ocampo Welch as Mirabel, Megahn Howard as Luisa, April Cox (aka Andie Campbell) as Isabela, and Carol Turnage as Abuela Alma.
I’m excited about doing this show as it gives other singers a chance to take the lead. As the show is internally nicknamed Alto-heaven, it makes sense to give the lower voices a chance to shine here.
Going forward, the plan is to have larger shows in early June and just before Christmas, and then one smaller show in the fall.
If you’re interested in trying out for a future show or participating in a collab, fill out the form on our audition page and either schedule a live audition, email an audition video, or come to Engaging Virtual Karaoke. I do not attend every week, but as long as a member of the production team is there to vouch for you, you will not have to audition–just let us know you’re interested in participating!
AC & the Virtual Virtuosos 
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