Client Spotlight: Ava Dell’Aquila

Ava is a part of my first year of graduated CAP21 students. She spreads joy in every room that she walks into – we are a very similar energy and I am so lucky that I have been a small part of her vocal journey.

Tell me about yourself.

I am a NYC based actor, singer, & dancer. Born and raised on Long Island, I was a full fledged sports gal who then got bit by the theatre bug at a very young age. As I grew older, music and performing became more prominent in my life. While I fiddled around with my lacrosse stick, dribbled a few basketballs around the court, and blocked a few spikes at the net, I also submerged myself in piano, violin, and dance lessons because I didn’t think my schedule was busy enough. I was very fortunate to end my senior year of high school studying Musical Theatre at the Long Island High School for the Arts, which helped launch me into my conservatory journey at CAP21/Molloy University. I am a proud graduate of CAP21/Molloy University’s BFA in Musical Theatre program! I am very excited to continue my passion of spreading joy, love, laughter, and all of the crazy, magical jazz hands & spirit fingers humanly possible to audiences and artists across the globe! And as I love to quote my all time favorite musical (Gypsy), “Let Me Entertain You!”

Tell me about what you’re working on now and what’s next!

Currently I am in Toronto rehearsing as a MainStage Performer for Disney Cruise Line!   I get the privilege of singing my true soprano heart out while portraying characters such as Mary Poppins, Mrs Potts, Aurora and then potentially Queen Elsa. Learning multiple shows at once really puts me to the test and gives me a challenge, but that is all I ever want when it comes to theatre and telling stories.  This process shows me everyday that this is what I was meant to do and why I love this art form. 

What kind of roles do you prefer?

I am such an old soul and love the legit world, so my heart has such a soft spot for Golden Age musical theatre. But of course I love my contemporary and belting your face off moments as well. I’ve always been in love with My Fair Lady , Gypsy, and She Loves, so to be able to be in one of those shows one day as Eliza, Louise, or Amalia would truly be amazing. For the more contemporary side, I’d love to be a part of Cabaret, Beauty and the Beast, and Little Shop in any way, shape, or form because there is so much depth within those stories as a whole, as well as each individual character. Everyone and everything always has a purpose and move the plot forward which is so intriguing to me. 

When was your first role as a performer?

My first production to be a part of was CATS! I was around 11 years old, and of course one of the wackiest shows out there was my first. To this day I can sing about 90% of all the lyrics to every song in that show. It is engraved in my brain and I don’t think it’ll leave anytime soon. I remember clearly having to paint my face, design my costume, and tease my hair (I couldn’t get a brush through my hair for like a week after this show because of how much they teased it). As wild as it may have been, it’s what got me hooked and had me saying, “I want to do this forever!”

What do you love about your voice?

I love how I can find versatility in my voice. Playing with color and dynamic is something I love to focus on, as well as lyrics in order to find progression and arc within the story of a piece. I also love how I have flexibility and that I have a range that allows me to fulfill my love of legit singing, while also being able to bring forward a powerful belt that is geared towards the more contemporary world we live in. 

How has Starling Voice Studio helped you?

Starling Voice Studio has helped me discover tools on how to strengthen my technique, as well as how to preserve and take care of my voice. From warm ups to approaches within a piece to cool downs and everything in between, I feel I am capable of running songs that are assigned, a part of a production, or just for fun on my own with no assistance and can pin point more easily when and how to adjust my placement.

What’s your vocal goal this year?

My goal is to clean and update my book. With that, I’d like to go over old songs as well as new pieces I’ve replaced others with to make sure all is in check for when I bring them into the audition room. Another goal relating to that is that I would love to get every piece in my book filmed as well for my archive, as well as using them for submissions.