Open Mic Global
The YES OMG Global Open Mic (OMG) was created in response to the high demand for continued training, mentoring, and performance opportunities during the height of the pandemic. OMG offers free monthly online sessions for young performers worldwide, featuring YES faculty alumni as hosts, student alumni as co-hosts, and guest teachers. These workshops cover a range of topics, including songwriting, music production, conducting, composition, and breakdance. OMG provides a valuable platform for networking, collaborating, performing, and training for aspiring young artists often facing isolation and lack of support.
Each Open Mic features full-length performances of 3 to 5 videos selected from that month’s submissions, along with up to 12 short ‘Hot Minute’ excerpts of other video performances, and a cypher segment for participants to freestyle together. OMG is American Voices’ way of addressing the limited opportunities available to these young artists in their home countries. By engaging YES alumni throughout the year, OMG fosters growth and excitement, creating a supportive community that extends beyond the summer academy.