The Johnny Mercer Foundation Young Songwriters Intensive

2025 Songwriters

Julia Almendra

Julia (they/them) is a current musical theatre major at Rider University. Julia was raised in Texas, where they have been songwriting with their family of musicians since they were a child. Whether it was performing in the school show or recording original songs with their dad, the arts have always driven Julia’s life. Julia is incredibly grateful for this opportunity to learn more and for the love and support of their family!

Saumya Anand

Hi! I’m Saumya, a rising senior at Mountain View High School in the Bay Area. I’ve been singing and performing my whole life, and I’m in the process of pursuing a Musical Theatre BFA in college next year, as well as pursuing my passion of writing and releasing my own music. As of right now, you can find my debut single “The Exception” out on all platforms, and I am always going in and out of the studio as I record and prepare for more releases coming soon! I specialize in R&B, pop, neo-soul, indie-folk, and musical theatre styles, and I really want to find more unique ways to blend my favorite sounds into something more captivating. I am so grateful and excited to be part of the Johnny Mercer Young Songwriters Intensive, and I am hoping to meet amazing new people and build more nuanced composition and writing skills to become a more versatile musician!

Kyler Huyse

Kyler is an artist with his roots Houston, Texas. Although a Houstonian at heart, he currently resides in San Marcos, where he is a sophomore at Texas State University, pursuing a BFA in Musical Theatre. Kyler has been writing music ever since he can remember, always having a profound admiration for melody and lyrics. In 2021, Kyler was chosen as one the National Endowment for the Arts/American Theatre Wing’s Songwriting winners for his song “From a Distance.” In addition to his musical theatre writing, he also released his debut EP “MR. SUPERSTAR” this past summer, an EP that is entirely self-written and produced. He is beyond grateful to have been chosen for this Intensive and can’t wait to work with everyone! @kylerhuyse

Ryan Jacobs

Ryan is a 23-year-old musical theatre writer and performer from Kansas City living in New York. He is currently a composer in the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Writing Workshop and is an alumni of Berklee College of Music (BM ’24). Ryan’s first original musical Patches was commissioned by Piknik Theatre in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, which debuted in July 2023. While at Berklee, he toured the country with the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps for two summers playing mellophone – and notably, the keytar. In high school, Ryan studied composition at Interlochen’s Summer Arts Academy and won the 2019 NAfME young composers competition with his original choir piece “When All Are Singing.” In short, Ryan likes to keep it funky. He likes to keep it fresh, too. You can find him on all socials @ryandavidjacobs or on his website at ryandavidjacobs.com.

Oliviana Marie

Oliviana is a composer, conductor, lyricist, librettist, trumpeter and pianist, as well as an accomplished singer, dancer, and actress, and recent graduate of USC’s Thornton School of Music, majoring in composition. In 2024, Oliviana became the youngest winner of The ASCAP Foundation Sammy Cahn Award and in 2023, she was the only composer to ever win two awards in the same year for ASMAC’s Composer Competition (The Ray Charles Vocal Arranging Award and The Bill Conti Big Band Arranging Award). Oliviana has written four award-winning musicals! At age 15, Oliviana’s first musical, THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE was mentored by the legendary Stephen Schwartz (Wicked) and presented at The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. Her most recent musical, “CORONA’S CABARET: An Act of Destruction,” where Oliviana portrayed the Coronavirus as a nightclub singer, was the winner of PLAYBILL’S Virtual Theatre Festival. An accomplished conductor, Oliviana assisted Gustavo Dudamel on the LA Phil/Deaf West production of FIDELIO, and had the honor of conducting the Orquestra Sinfónica Nacional de Costa Rica on her composition “Memento Mori.” Most recently, Oliviana was awarded Best Pop Song, as well as the Audience Favorite Award, in the American Pops Orchestra’s Inaugural Ruth Wales du Pont Collegiate Composition Competition.

IG: @oliviana_marie Website: www.olivianamarie.com

Ana Paula Monterrubio

Ana Paula is from Mexico City and recently graduated from Texas State University with a BFA in Musical Theatre. During her time in college, Ana Paula discovered her passion for songwriting. In her senior year, she completed her Honors Capstone, which featured songs from her debut album her & her. Ana Paula also has a passion for performing and was recently seen on the CoComelon International Tour. She continues working to produce more of her music and is so excited to expand her skill set alongside the songwriters and faculty at the Johnny Mercer Foundation Young Songwriters Intensive! P.S. When she isn’t playing the piano or guitar, you will find her cooking or reading.

anapaumonterrubio.com @ana.pau.mont

Jerard Mosley II

Jerard is a Black American singer, songwriter, producer, and composer, currently pursuing a BFA in Musical Theatre at Texas State University. His love for writing began at an early age and naturally evolved into songwriting, where he discovered the power of music to express what words alone cannot. In 2022, Jerard released his debut single “End of the Day,” marking an exciting milestone in his musical journey. For him, songwriting is a way to connect with himself emotionally and give voice to feelings that might otherwise go unspoken. With tons of projects in the works, he can’t wait to share more music with the world. Jerard is thrilled to be a part of the Johnny Mercer Foundation Young Songwriters Intensive and looks forward to growing alongside fellow artists in this incredible experience.

Symone Muñoz

Symone grew up in a family of performers, so it came as no surprise that she wanted to pursue the arts as a career. Growing up, she was constantly writing her own songs and plays, and over time she gathered an eclectic taste in music and film. She fell in love with performing at 5 years old and started experimenting with different instruments throughout middle and high school. During high school, Symone started taking songwriting seriously, writing music on her guitar and piano and gaining a true love for composition. In addition to writing, Symone recently starred as Violet in the pilot production of 9to5 JR with City Springs Theatre Conservatory!

Hailey M. Truong

Hailey is a Chinese-Laotian-American songwriter and performing artist from Sacramento, California. She is currently pursuing a BFA in Musical Theatre with a minor in music at Texas State University, where she is set to graduate in May 2026. In 2024, she produced and performed in “In My Bones,” an original collaborative song in honor of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. This project led her to co-create Texas State’s inaugural AAPI Showcase within the School of Theatre, Dance, and Film in 2025. As a writer and composer, Hailey has been developing her first full-length musical, crafting original music and lyrics. Passionate about storytelling through music, she is grateful to be part of the Johnny Mercer Foundation Young Songwriters Intensive!

@haileymtruong

Mitchell Wiley

Mitchell, having just wrapped up his senior year as a musical theatre major at Rider University, is very excited to be partaking in the Johnny Mercer Intensive. A pianist first, Mitchell began playing at age 7. He started composition at a young age, which led to playwriting in college. He ended up writing a full length musical, which was performed at Rider University as a staged reading and at The Green Room 42 as a cabaret. Mitchell has also partaken in various musicals at Rider University, on and off the stage, ranging from working as an arranger for student written productions to playing as the lead pianist and sole accompanist for the main stage musicals.

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