The UTM Music Department hosted the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Competition last Thursday through Saturday in the Fine Arts Building.
The competition featured a number of UTM students, as well as student representatives of other universities across the state.
The event lasted three days, beginning with Thursday night, when all the performers arrived from a variety of universities. Some students came from nearby Union University, while others came from as far as Middle Tennessee State University and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
Friday saw the students participate in informative music Masterclasses with Thomas Jaber, Professor of Vocal Coaching and Director of Choral Activities at Rice University, as well as other professors.
The actual first round of auditions for NATS took place Saturday morning, with the final round of auditions being in the afternoon. Mrs. Delana Easley accompanied several students from UT Martin. Of particular note was J.J. Norman, who, despite not participating in the competition, played a huge role in making sure the schedule ran smoothly for this entire event.
Brittney Meskimen, a competitor in this year’s Junior Women’s Division, shared her experience after the event.
“It was truly great to see such a huge turnout for each category,” said Meskimen. “I’m so proud of all the singers from Dr. Yeung and Dr. Mancusi’s studio that represented our school so well. It wasn’t just a one-man effort. Everyone in this department, from the faculty to the students, stepped up and came together to make this an unforgettable experience.”
By the end of the NATS 2014 Competition, there were winners from many different schools. These students put an immense amount of effort into these auditions for the chance of winning and the satisfaction and glory that comes with it. It didn’t matter to them who won because from what was happening all around was everybody making connections with each other and supporting one another. These students sacrificed hours and hours out of the past few weeks for this competition.
The music department had a blast hosting this large event and couldn’t be more proud of how all the students, performers and non-performers, worked hard to make this a great weekend for everyone involved.
Although UTM was unsuccessful in the competition, the most important part — building connections and friendships among universities — was easily accomplished.
