About

Shannon Gusé has been a dedicated leader in performing arts education and youth entertainment for over three decades, working to ensure that the performing arts are accessible to all children. She began her career as a classically trained Mezzo Soprano at the College Conservatory of Music (CCM) at the University of Cincinnati, touring Europe and the Americas before shifting her focus to music education. Witnessing deep inequities in underserved communities, she earned a graduate degree in Education Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University to help drive systemic change through the performing arts.

Shannon has worked in many capacities within the entertainment industry, including music director, manager, vocal coach, set teacher, talent scout, choreographer, and mother agent. For over twenty years, she has prepared young performers for auditions, and entrance into prestigious performing arts high schools, conservatories, and universities. She has also served as a set teacher on major film and television productions, working with child actors on Song Sung Blue, The Equalizer, Your Friends and Neighbors, Long Bright River, Paper Tiger, and Law & Order, as well as with children on Broadway productions including MJ, Boop, Caroline, Cracked Open, Lights Out, and many more. Alongside nonprofits, she has prepared youth choirs and show choirs for high-profile events at venues such as the United Nations, government ceremonies including the swearing in of the Attorney General, and performances at NBA, NHL, and MBA events.

As a mother agent for over two decades, Shannon has helped place children and adults in agencies across different markets and has cast many young people from marginalized communities in feature films and shorts, giving them their start in entertainment. She has built performing arts programs from the ground up and has served as a director, administrator, dean of faculty, dean of students, dean of parents, and board member. She is actively involved with Reaching for the Arts and Sing For Hope, organizations that help at-risk youth develop music careers and a lifelong appreciation for the performing arts.

In recent years, Shannon founded Broadway Express, a program that brings Broadway stars into K-12 schools to lead workshops in singing, acting, and dancing, culminating in a performance alongside the stars for parents and industry professionals. Participating Broadway stars include performers from Matilda, Harry Potter, Wicked, Hamilton, School of Rock, The Lion King, and many more. Shannon also leads parallel workshops for parents, covering essential industry information such as parent requirements, finding an agent or manager, obtaining child performer permits, SAG-AFTRA and Equity guidelines, entertainment trust funds, preparing for auditions and self-tapes, bookings, shoots, and more.

Shannon has two children who grew up in the industry as models, actors, musicians (trained at Manhattan School of Music and Juilliard Pre-College Conservatories), and dancers (trained by Dancing with the Stars professionals Daniella Karargach and Pasha Pashkova). Her son, Ignacio Rosado (18), made his Broadway debut at age 10 in School of Rock (Mason/US Lawrence) and his Carnegie Hall debut the same year. Graduating at age 12 using the 2-hour learning model, he is now an international award-winning classical composer and musician with one year remaining at NYU in the Screen Scoring program. Her daughter, Liliana Rosado (17), attended LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts and Juilliard Pre-College for bass, rocked the runway during fashion week for many years, and is now attending Pepperdine University in Malibu on a bass scholarship while pursuing pre-medicine.

Learn more about Iggy Rosado here:  www.ignaciorosado.com