Amanda Weis
Amanda Weis
reviews
Awards & Nominations
Twin Cities Theatre Bloggers
Favorite Musical Director for High Fidelity, Minneapolis Musical Theatre - Nominated
Favorite Musical Director for Whoa, Nellie at the History Theatre - WINNER
Favorite Musical Director for Lizzie at Open Eye Theatre - WINNER
Broadway Regional Awards Minneapolis/St. Paul
Best Musical Director for Hunchback of Notre Dame- Saint Matthew's Community Theatre - Nominated
Best Musical Director for Jersey Boys at the Duluth Playhouse - Nominated
Best Director for Tuck Everlasting at The Phipps in Hudson, WI - Nominated
Best Musical Director for High Fidelity with Minneapolis Musical Theatre - Nominated
Grants
Cecilian Grant Recipient
6th Annual songSLam
Premiering composer Christina Ensign's song Thursday at the Icehouse in Minneapolis.
Show Reviews
Daddy Long Legs, Minneapolis Musical Theatre
"What a lovely treat! Daddy Long Legs is a sweet chamber musical with a beautifully fluid score that melds a winsome coming-of-age story with a captivating romance. This its first Minnesota production, directed with loving care by Amanda Weis. Weis keeps the piece moving swiftly, so we feel as if there is a good deal more action than there actually is, and balances her actors' opportunities to shine."
-Arthur Dorman, Talkin' Broadway
Boy Wonder, History Theatre
"The book is tightly written, with humor and humanity; the score is fresh and exciting, modern and interesting, with beautiful melodies, intricate rhythms, and lovely harmonies (and even a cute cowboy ditty). The songs are still stuck in my head and I'd download a cast recording immediately if it where available. Music director Amanda Weis makes it all sound great leading the on stage four-piece band and this talented ensemble."
- Jill Shafer, Cherry and Spoon
Silence the Musical, Minneapolis Musical Theatre
"Amanda Weis is hilarious as both Senator Martin and her abducted daughter Catherine, especially scoring with "My Daughter Is Catherine""
- Arthur Dorman, Talkin' Broadway
Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson, Minneapolis Musical Theatre
"Not only is Amanda Weis hilarious as the doomed storyteller, but she also steps into the band to play keyboard on a number of songs." - Jill Shafer, Cherry and Spoon
The Frat Party, Really Spicy Opera, Fringe Festival
"Amanda Weis has a strong voice as the young woman having her first drink (and whose performance as a Noir-ish detective was the only good thing about the opening scene)." - Jill Schafer, Cherry and Spoon
HMS Pinafore, Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Company
"One especially fun element of the show is Sir Joseph’s sassy entourage of sisters, cousins and aunts, led by Amanda Weis as Cousin Hebe and of whom I’m a big fan. - One Girl, Two Cities
Foshay! A New Musical, Open Window Theatre
"The production was directed by Amanda Weis, showing a strong sense of the story she was telling, keeping all of its elements moving seamlessly and balancing the tone of a morality tale in which hubris powers a man's rise and ordains his fall, while poking fun at such tropes as the story-sniffing reporters, the cheerful ballyhoo of stock hustlers, and overzealous government agents."
-Arthur Dorman, Talkin' Broadway
Five Course Love, Minneapolis Musical Theatre
"...Or Weis as a Texas wildcat with hair up to here. Their commitment, their energy and their musical integrity are commendable." - Dominic P. Papatola, Pioneer Press
Five Course Love, Minneapolis Musical Theatre
" Amanda commands the stage in “‘No’ Is A Word I Don’t know,” and all the characters’ accents are over-the-top but you can’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it. Hands down, my favorite song is “Der Bumsen-Kratzentanz” (you’ll have to look that up on Google translate, sorry) where the characters dance inappropriately and giggle the whole time and it’s hilarious and fun. We’re even lucky enough to get a reprise of it at the start of the second act ..." One Girl, Two Cities
Silence! The Musical, Minneapolis Musical Theare/Bitter Boy Productions
"Other standouts include Amanda Weis, who brings a lovely singing voice and some fine comedic moments to two roles." - Lisa Brock, Star Tribune
Rigoletto, Really Spicy Opera
"This staging – the brainchild of stage director Amanda Weis and Really Spicy Opera’s artistic director Basil Considine –highlights these aspects and uses some of them for some excellent visual and contextual humor along the way.....
...The success of this staging is matched by the quality of the singers.....
....Another favorite moment was “Caro nome.” It’s a staple song, done almost to death, but really quite impressive when done right. The staging here added a lot, with flower petals flying into the sky as Zabelsky charged through the coloratura, vibrato blazing. It’s little touches like that which make a good performance turn into a great one." - Hanne Applebaum, Twin Cities Arts Reader
Student Reviews
I started taking voice lessons about two and a half years ago with a private studio voice teacher in Minneapolis and after five weeks of lessons, I did not feel that my teacher was pushing me or that I was improving. I decided to end my lessons with this studio and search elsewhere. I read about the Schmitt Music in Burnsville and the music experience of each voice teacher and decided to sign up for lessons with Amanda. I immediately felt connected with Amanda and her teaching style and knew that she would help me to grow not only in vocal technique, but in confidence about my voice.
She encouraged me to take on repertoire that I was not sure whether I was ready for at first, but once practicing them, it was clear that Amanda’s pushing to challenge myself was worth it as I began to notice improvement in my voice after only a couple lessons. She has a lot of knowledge on different vocal warmups and vocal pedagogy that helped me to better uncover the full power behind my voice that I may have not discovered otherwise.
Originally, I began taking lessons with an interest in musical theater repertoire, but Amanda identified an operatic quality in my voice and encouraged me to test out art song and other classical pieces. With this advice and guidance, I ended up falling in love with opera and continued to practice classical repertoire. In addition to my repertoire, Amanda helped me with music theory and sight-reading to advance my music skills outside of singing and was very clear in her explanations of the subject. With her support and encouragement, I felt confident in auditioning for Vocal Performance undergraduate programs at universities. I auditioned for the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and was accepted into both voice programs.
Now an Opera Performance major at the University of Minnesota, I know that without Amanda, none of this would have been possible and taking lessons with her was the right first step towards my future career in opera.
- Lexi
I have been taking voice lessons from Amanda for almost 5 years. In that time I've grown so much as a singer. Taking lessons from Amanda exposed me to new genres of music that I never would've thought to sing on my own. My confidence and ability to sing in front of people has improved immensely. Voice lessons have also helped me be successful in theatre and choir auditions. Recently, I've started taking piano lessons too, and I'm already noticing an improvement!
- Abby Harrold
I just finished 4 lessons with Amanda Weis as an adult beginner. I had been singing in a mediocre fashion for 40-plus years. In a friendly and positive way, she identified my bad vocal habits and gave me suggestions which have improved my singing voice 100 percent. Highly recommended!
- Tate Ferguson
My ten-year-old was bitten by the theater bug this year and we were looking for some professional help to prepare him for his first big audition. Amanda found him a great audition piece, worked to get him comfortable and confident and taught him that even the prep work for the auditions can be fun. I highly recommend Amanda to anyone looking to put together a strong audition.
- M Scott Taulman