PSOA Theater student and Arts Ambassador Josh Thone is competing this weekend in the American Pops Orchestra (APO) NextGen National Vocal Competition Semi-Finals.
Thone is one of 25 students competing out of 240 submissions. Viewers can watch Thone’s performance this Sunday, Dec. 1st, and vote virtually for Thone to advance to the live finals.
About APO NextGen
Thone previously competed in the National High School Theater Awards, more commonly known as the Jimmy Awards. Through this experience, he discovered APO. Their mission is to find the voices of tomorrow through the usage of pre-1970s music.
“The conductor is known for taking older songs and reviving them,” said Thone. “That’s all my career has been so far… It’s why I love musical theatre and music in general, to take older stuff and put it in a newer life.”
For the pre-recorded semi-finals, Thone will perform “Flesh Failures/Let the Sunshine In” from the musical Hair. Thone plans to take the hopeful song and innovate it for a modern audience.
“Having that minute to share my hopes for the 2024 version of this society, you never know who could be impacted by those words,” said Thone. “As long as people feel something in their heart, that’s what I value the most with this performance.”
Thone has already advanced his performance craft thanks to APO. In addition to receiving a professional backing track and backdrop from APO, he also got to participate in a virtual workshop with Nic Rouleau, an accomplished actor who most recently played the lead role in the Broadway production of “The Book of Mormon.”
Thone’s PSOA experience and representing Milwaukee
Following the semi-finals, ten performers will be selected for the live finals at the Lincoln Center in New York City on Jan. 19, 2025.
“Performing with the American Pops would be insane,” said Thone. “It is so cool to say we get opportunities like this through Milwaukee and through Peck. I wouldn’t have been able to even get to the semi-finals without the support of the community. Literally would not have been possible.”
Representing PSOA and the Milwaukee arts community is something Thone promotes often.
“Genuinely the school and the city have shaped my life in a way I didn’t expect,” said Thone. “I have so much love in my heart for the faculty and the people in this tight-knit community… Success forever will and continues to come out of this program.”
Since arriving at PSOA, Thone has acted in several on-campus productions, recently playing a lead role in Bright Star. When preparing for his APO performance, Thone reflected on his work in Bright Star, noting how it helped him remain authentic.
“Authenticity is something this show taught me,” said Thone. “We were given total creative control to be ourselves on stage… At the end of the day, it’s not just the art we are making but it’s about the humans that we are.”
Whether or not Thone advances to the finals, he has expressed gratitude for the APO experience.
“There’s such a privilege to what we’re doing here,” said Thone. “At the end of the day, this experience has already taught me so much about my ability to be authentic.”
The APO NextGen Semi-Finals will occur virtually this Sunday, Dec. 1st at 1 p.m. CST. If you would like to watch Josh Thone compete, RSVP using the Eventbrite link.
Story by Jason McCullum ’25