Yarmouth, Maine, May 23, 2025: North Yarmouth Academy (NYA) is pleased to announce its 2025 commencement speaker is Haley Bennett ’09. Recently named one of Broadway’s Women to Watch, Bennett is a music supervisor, music director, conductor, and coordinator based in NYC. The Academy’s commencement takes place at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 1, under the tent behind 148 Main Street, Yarmouth. The public is welcome at this event.

Bennett is currently the Associate Music Supervisor for the Broadway premier of Redwood starring Idina Menzel and the first national touring production of & Juliet, as well as its upcoming Toronto residency. She is also the Associate Music Director / Conductor for the Broadway production of & Juliet and the Music Coordinator for the NBCU/Apple TV series, Schmigadoon!.

A proud alumna of NYA, Bennett pursued her B.A. in Psychology (Cum Laude with High Honors) with minors in Theater Arts and French at Harvard University, after which she taught at institutions such as Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, CT and The Learning Project in Boston, MA before moving to NYC to pursue a career in the arts. She has worked on thirteen productions on Broadway, including including Dear Evan Hansen (Tony Award for Best Musical), Anastasia, Once on This Island (Tony Award for Best Musical Revival), Diana: The Musical, Come From Away, Escape to Margaritaville, Bandstand, Paramour, Finding Neverland, Pippin, & The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess. She also worked on multiple International and National Tours including the highly-acclaimed production of Hamilton. Bennett has been fortunate to work closely alongside many Broadway & music luminaries including Hal Prince, Max Martin, Jimmy Buffett, Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty, Steven Schwartz, Bon Jovi’s David Bryan, NSYNC’s Joey Fatone, Sara Bareilles, and Jason Robert Brown. Recently, she also had the honor of coaching Supreme Court Justice Katanji Brown Jackson in preparation for her Broadway debut.

In addition to her work on Broadway, Bennett also works as a Music Supervisor and Coordinator/Contractor for NBCUniversal, including the annual Upfront presentation at Radio City Music Hall. There, she has supervised performances featuring 40 to 60 piece orchestras backing several top-tier artists, including Kelly Clarkson, Jimmy Fallon, Michael Bublé, Little Big Town, Seth MacFarlane, and John Tesh. She also worked on NBC’s live broadcast performances of Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert and Peter Pan Live! As Music Coordinator, Bennett has worked on the annual Radio City Christmas Spectacular, overseeing its 37-piece orchestra for 8+ years, and recently coordinated Austen’s Pride at Carnegie Hall, featuring a 25-piece orchestra. Bennett is thrilled to bring her Music Coordination work to her home state of Maine, joining the team at the Ogunquit Playhouse in 2021, where she continues to hire and oversee musicians for all productions.

As an Album & Recording Coordinator/Supervisor, Haley has overseen the recording process for many original Broadway cast recordings, including the Grammy-nominated MJ: The Musical, Diana: The Musical, Once On This Island, Anastasia, Escape to Margaritaville, and the Grammy Award-winning Dear Evan Hansen. In 2022, Haley collaborated with Jimmy Buffett and Frank Marshall to supervise, arrange, and orchestrate Tales from Margaritaville, the inaugural show for Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville at Sea cruise line.

In addition to her Harvard degree, Bennett also holds a Certificate in Music Production from Berklee College of Music and combined her interests in music and education to serve as a curriculum designer for Duolingo’s new music education program. Passionate about mental health education and access, especially as it applies to students, Bennett also serves as a volunteer crisis counselor with the Crisis Text Line, a 24/7, free, confidential text line providing mental health support across the country.

North Yarmouth Academy is an independent, college preparatory, coeducational day and boarding school for toddlers to postgraduate students with an enrollment of over 40.  Since 1814, NYA has fostered integrity, character, and intellect in its students in the coastal village of Yarmouth, Maine. For more information about NYA, please visit our website at NYA.org.