Maestra • For the women and nonbinary people who make the music in the musical theater industry.

Biography

Andra Velis Simon works extensively in Chicago and around the country as a music director, adapter, arranger, pianist and vocal coach. Regionally, her work has been seen at Actors Theatre of Louisville, A.R.T. in Cambridge, Berkeley Rep, Brooklyn Academy of Music, NYU’s Skirball Center, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Pasadena Playhouse, and others. In Chicago, she has had the pleasure of collaborating with Steppenwolf, Writers Theatre, The Goodman, Chicago Children’s Theatre, The Hypocrites, Porchlight, and dozens of others. Andra is the Resident Music Director for Firebrand Theatre and a faculty member at Columbia Chicago Chicago, where she has taught musical theatre performance since 2008. Andra prioritizes DEI in all of her projects. Areas of special expertise include audition coaching and adapting/arranging musicals for actor-musicians.