Singer-Songwriter Tony Memmel to Speak at Michell College April 14

Singer-Songwriter Tony Memmel to Speak at Mitchell College on Tuesday, April 14, 2015 
Free and Open to the Public

New London, CT – Singer, songwriter, composer and clinician Tony Memmel will be visiting Mitchell College on Tuesday, April 14, at 4:30 p.m. to present “An Evening with Tony Memmel: Music, Entrepreneurship, and Serving your Community.”  The speaking event will be held at the Mitchell College Weller Center and is free and open to the public.

Memmel’s visit will feature a discussion addressing the progression of success, including conversation about how to take college-learned skill sets and shape a career, build a business, and serve the community that supports you. He will also address the challenges of success and failure, and who is responsible for accommodating one’s personal difficulties.

Tony Memmel is a songwriter and performer with unique charisma and creativity. Though he was born missing his left forearm, he taught himself to play the guitar by constructing a self-made cast out of Gorilla Tape that secures a guitar pick to his arm. His music includes powerful, personal lyrics and well-crafted melodies; as Memmel often states, “I don’t want to be a good guitarist with one hand, I want to be a great guitarist and songwriter, period.” He earned the 2013 WAMI Award for Singer-Songwriter of the year, joining the ranks of fellow WAMI winners such as: Bon Iver, Les Paul, Cory Chisel, and the BoDeans. He has been written up in the Associated Press, CNN, Boston Globe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and Chicago Tribune.

A Bachelor’s Degree in music, training as a classical vocalist, and his accomplishments as a singer-songwriter have generated exciting, rare opportunities for collaboration and performance. Memmel was commissioned to compose symphonic and choral orchestrations of his music, and in March of 2014, he debuted his work “Opus 1 – Five Songs for Symphony, Chorus, and Rock ‘n Roll Ensemble” to a crowd of more than 700 in the historic Weill Center for the Performing Arts, accompanied by the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. He has been an Artist in Residence with the Madison Youth Choirs, and performed at the Superdome in New Orleans for 35,000 people at the ELCA National Youth Gathering.

About Mitchell College
Mitchell College is a small, private college that has been an invaluable resource for southeastern Connecticut for over 75 years. Its personal, mentoring approach releases untapped potential in its students allowing them to achieve unanticipated levels of success. Mitchell has a strong tradition of celebrating and supporting diverse ways of learning, and is committed to the broader community through partnerships and internships. Located on a beautiful waterfront campus in historic New London, it is also home to championship NCAA Division III athletics and the Duquès Academic Success Center which includes the renowned Bentsen Learning Center.