This past Thursday a bus-load of anxious and excited Lawrence classical and musical theatre singers headed to Milwaukee for an event that was weeks in the making. What could warrant such an affair? The Wisconsin chapter of the NATS competition. While the title may evoke feelings of small bugs that fly into your mouth on an evening bike ride, this acronym stands for National Association of Teachers of Singing and, as their website claims, is “a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging the highest standards of singing through excellence in teaching and promotion of vocal education and research.” Each year in each state, the nationwide association brings vocalists of all levels from far and wide to compete against, and learn from each other as a community.
As haughty-taughty and professional as this all sounds, competition weekend was a little more fun for those kiddos from LU. For every student it was an absolute journey, so gather ’round and ol’ Charlotte’s gunna tell you about NATS 2016.
Confession: This picture is from NATS 2015. I didn’t get a lot of pictures this year, but this gives you a great idea of how nice us Lawrentians clean up.
The story begins with an approval (or more often strong suggestion) by your voice teacher to participate. Because NATS is an association of teachers, you must be studying with a voice teacher who is a member to enter. Then comes the prep. After months of planning, practicing, learning music, rehearsing with accompanists, learning foreign language diction (trust me it ain’t easy), perfecting character and performing for your peers, the voice majors (and a few non-majors!) pack the bus and head to that year’s location. Last year we had the pleasure to sing at UW Eau Claire, and next year the bus will depart for UW Whitewater. However on November 4th 2016, singers and teachers alike communed at UW Milwaukee’s Peck School of the Arts. As usual, we arrived the night before auditions and stayed together in a hotel. Nothing beats waking up to a complementary breakfast room full of singers filling their tea cups, straightening their ties and blotting their lipstick. The bus left our hotel early, and we were off to Peck for a very full day.
And you bet your buttons I mean that. As the first singer in my division, my 9:00am audition
came quickly. The venue always provides places to warm up the pipes, though with singers from all over Wisconsin hanging around, an open practice room can be hard to find. Luckily, I was able to locate one, warm up and arrive at my audition room early. The competition is split into many divisions based on sex, age/years in school and style of singing (classical or musical theatre). The different divisions have different requirements for audition repertoire, but usually four pieces of contrasting styles, languages and difficulty. Each singer is evaluated by three adjudicators and given a score as well as comments to read later. The scores determine who goes to semi-finals, and finals. By the time the final round is reached, each division is down to three singers—each of which receive a certificate and a lil cash prize for their hard work. Keep in mind: This all happens between 9:00 Friday morning and 3:00 Saturday afternoon. So a crazy 30 hours NATS competition is, indeed.
Another one from 2015. But this silly selfie of my friend Annie Mercado and I show how NATS brings you together, even when you’re competing against each other!
In these 30 hours, time is spent sprinting from warm up to audition, watching and supporting peers as they perform, running over to the tally room and front desk to get your score sheets, anxiously reloading the NATS website to see if the singers of the next round are posted, and making on the fly decisions for what will happen next. Amidst this madness, something very special happens. The pressure of NATS creates some of the most beautiful diamonds I have witnessed. Though stressed, students gain priceless experience from the weekend, practicing their audition skills and seeing colleagues from other parts of the state perform. Special bonds are formed between the singers from LU as well, whether its outside the audition room, in a congratulatory or empathetic hug, or in the giant Jimmy John’s sandwiches eaten back at the hotel after an incredibly long day. Art, and beauty happen at NATS. I couldn’t be happier to participate each year, even if it is another big bite of hard work to add to my Lawrence plate.
This year Lawrence was lucky enough to see many students go on to semi-finals, and 6 go to finals. Victor Montoyez-Cruz crushed each performance earning third in his division. Lizzie Burmeister and Claire LaLiberte left no dry eye in the audience to gain second in their separate divisions. And not to forget, Froya Olsen and Nick Farenkruk, who wowed everyone to win first in their divisions. Seeing how Lawrence stands against the other music schools of Wisconsin is always fun, as we bring a level of professionalism, artistry and talent that make us so appreciative of our education. While each year brings surprises, joys, stresses and celebrations, NATS will continue to be one of the biggest, and yes wildest, weekends for the singers of LU.