The Music Department at Judson College will send six voice students to the Alabama State National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) competition. This year’s voice competition will be in the Moody Music Building at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Friday, Feb. 20. Judson College voice majors and voice minors will travel to Tuscaloosa to compete in this exciting event.
The Alabama State NATS competition takes place annually at the beginning of the spring semester. Voice teachers who are members of NATS are able to bring as many of their private or collegiate students as they wish, as long as these students perform the required vocal pieces as outlined in the guideline for the southeastern region of NATS.
Dr. Betty Campbell, Professor of Music, will present the following students from her voice studio in this year’s NATS competition:
Christy Miller – junior
Laura Thompson – senior
Ana Williams – junior
Sadie Frazier, Adjunct Professor of Voice and Music History, will present the following students from her voice studio:
Jordan Ross – freshman
Kaitlyn Garrison – freshman
Blair Carrier – freshman
Dr. Camilla Horne, Assistant Professor of Music, will be the accompanist for the six Judson College vocalists.
The competition’s auditions (first round) will take place on the morning of Feb. 20. A panel of judges, consisting of voice teachers from other colleges and universities from across the Alabama, will be assessing performers’ posture/alignment, breath management skills, clarity of tone, accuracy of diction (in English or in a foreign language – Italian, German or French), and musical expressiveness.
Each vocalist will sing three pieces of approved solo repertoire, including two different languages and an English Art Song. Vocalists receiving the highest points in the first round of competition will sing in the semi-final competition round on Friday afternoon.
The finalists’ concert features the top three male and female vocalists in each category. At the end of the finalists’ concert, the judges will choose one winner in each category.
A free public concert featuring the winning vocal finalists will take place at St. Francis Catholic Church & Student Center in Tuscaloosa, at 7:00 pm on Friday evening.
For more information about Judson’s participation in the competition, contact Sadie Frazier, Adjunct Professor of Voice and Music History, at (727) 709-5951 or sfrazier@judson.edu.