2022 NATS Competition Winners Concert

CHICAGO NATS 57TH NATIONAL CONFERENCE

NATS Competition Winners Concert

Claire McCahan, mezzo-soprano

Lauren Carr, vocalist

David Young, vocalist

2022 NATSAA Winner

2020 NMTC Winner

2022 NMTC Winner

Barbie Noyes, piano

Amanda Hopson, piano

Amanda Hopson, piano

Tuesday, July 5, 2022 • 2 pm Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile Chicago E-H, 5th Floor #OfficialNATS H #NATSChicago2022 H NATS.org H #NATSinChicago

CHICAGO 57TH NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Claire McCahan

Barbie Noyes

Lauren Carr

Claire McCahan, mezzo-soprano 2022 NATSAA Winner Barbie Noyes, piano

Amanda Hopson

Lauren Carr, vocalist 2020 NMTC Winner Amanda Hopson, piano

David Young

David Young, vocalist 2022 NMTC Winner Amanda Hopson, piano

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2022 AT 2 P.M. | CHICAGO E-H, 5TH FLOOR NATSAA Winner

PROGRAM

JAKE HEGGIE Camille Claudel: Into the Fire (b.1951) III. Shakuntala RUFUS WAINWRIGHT Songs for Lulu (b.1973) V. True Loves FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797–1828)

Sei mir gegrüßt, D.741

LESLIE ADAMS Nightsongs (b.1932) V. Sence You Went Away JUDITH WEIR (b.1954)

The Voice of Desire

FRANZ SCHUBERT

Auf dem See, D.543

NMTC Winners

JOHN DU PREZ & ERIC IDLE

“The Song That Goes Like This” from Spamalot

Lauren Carr and David Young, vocalists Amanda Hopson, piano LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA

“Satisfied” from Hamilton

HARVEY SCHMIDT & TOM JONES

“Simple Little Things” from 110 in the Shade

Lauren Carr, vocalist and Amanda Hopson, piano LISA LAMBERT & GREG MORRISON

“I Am Aldolpho” from The Drowsy Chaperone

LIBBY LARSEN Raspberry Island Dreaming (b. 1950) III. Raspberry Island

ZINA GOLDRICH & MARCY HEISLER

“Right Before My Eyes” from Ever After

FRANZ SCHUBERT

GREGG COFFIN

“A Very Single Man” from Five Course Love

Totengräbers Heimweh, D.842

Claire McCahan, mezzo soprano and Barbie Noyes, piano (Horizon Duo)

David Young, vocalist and Amanda Hopson, piano DAVID BRYAN & JOE DIPIETRO

“Ain’t Nothin’ But a Kiss” from Memphis

JERRY BOCK & SHELDON HARNICK

“Gorgeous” from The Apple Tree

JASON ROBERT BROWN

“I’m Not Afraid of Anything” from Songs for a New World

Lauren Carr, vocalist and Amanda Hopson, piano JASON ROBERT BROWN

“Someone to Fall Back On”

ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER & GLENN SLATER

“‘Til I Hear You Sing” from Love Never Dies

David Young, vocalist and Amanda Hopson, piano #OfficialNATS H #NATSChicago2022 H NATS.org H #NATSinChicago

Claire McCahan

American mezzo-soprano Claire McCahan has been applauded for her rich tone and dedication to character and expression in operatic and concert performances. Her recent operatic credits include Orfeo in an adaptation of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice (Renegade Opera), Cherubino in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro (Boulder Opera), Olga in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, the title role in Handel’s Ariodante, Third Lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Prince Orlofsky in Strauss’ Die Fledermaus (Eklund Opera), and Camille Claudel in a staged interpretation of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s Camille Claudel: Into the Fire (Opera Steamboat). She has appeared as a concert soloist with the Boulder Bach Festival, the Colorado Bach Ensemble, the Longmont Symphony Orchestra, Cantabile Ensemble, St. John’s Cathedral in Denver, and the Rocky Mountain Chorale.

McCahan was recently awarded first place at the 2022 NATS Artists Awards in New York City and was a semifinalist in the 2022 Franz Schubert and Modern Music competition. She is the winner of the inaugural 2020 World of Bach Competition and the 2020 Denver Lyric Opera Guild Competition. She received the 2019 Frances MacEachron Award from the Lyndon Woodside Oratorio Solo Competition in New York, and the 2018 Career Advancement Award from Opera of the Rockies.

An avid performer of contemporary works, she recently performed in the premiere of Ben Morris and Laura Fuentes’ new opera The Fall of Man: And Other Tales at the ATLAS Institute. She has workshopped other roles with the CU New Opera Workshop including Brittomara in Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s If I Were You, and has premiered works with the Pendulum New Music series. She performed with Jónsi & Alex at their Denver performance of the “Riceboy Sleeps” 10th anniversary album tour, and contributed vocals to the soundtrack of Adam Sandler’s “Uncut Gems.” McCahan also contributed to “Mirror State,” an interdisciplinary virtual exhibit in collaboration with the NEST Studio for the Arts, and she has worked as teaching artist and composer with the Colorado Lullaby Project in conjunction with Carnegie Hall.

McCahan will spend summer 2022 as a vocal fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center, where she will perform in George Benjamin’s opera Lessons in Love and Violence as well as in the vocal fellows’ recitals. She has also been a fellow at SongFest and CoOperative programs. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire, and master’s degree and artist diploma from the University of Colorado Boulder as a student of Abigail Nims. Learn more at clairemccahan.com.

Barbie Noyes

Barbara (Barbie) Noyes of Golden, Colorado, is a collaborative pianist, vocal coach, and educator. A versatile performer, Noyes can be found collaborating with musicians in a wide variety of genres including, chamber music, opera, orchestral ensembles, new music ensembles, and choral music. In 2021, she served as music director for Southern Illinois University’s chamber opera performances as well as the Composer

Fellows’ Initiative program as part of the CU New Opera Workshop (CU NOW) at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Noyes received fellowships to study at both Aspen Music Festival as well as Music Academy of the West where she studied with Jonathan Feldman. During her two summers in Santa Barbara, Noyes was a finalist in the Duo Competition, performing 20th- and 21st-century masterpieces with Colin Benton, tuba, and Chas Barnard, cello. In 2018, she made her Carnegie Hall debut with oboist Kristen Weber at Weill Recital Hall. An ardent lover of contemporary repertoire, her doctoral thesis project culminated in a recorded album of André Previn’s music for voice and piano duo, bringing to the concert hall Previn’s unheralded art song library.

Noyes received her doctorate and master’s degree in collaborative piano at the University of Colorado Boulder, studying with Margaret McDonald and Alexandra Nugyen.

There she was a répétiteur for Eklund Opera, performing operas under the batons of Nicholas Carthy as well as Phillip Hesketh and Caleb Harris. She previously earned a bachelor’s degree in music composition from Willamette University where she studied composition with John Peel as well as piano and chamber music with Anita King. An avid language-learner, Noyes pursued French language and cinema studies in Paris at the Sorbonne Université and the Institut Catholique and later, innovation in music technology at IRCAM’s ManiFeste summer academy for composers. Noyes currently holds the position of collaborative pianist at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. This summer, Noyes is serving as staff collaborative pianist at the Meadowmount Festival in upstate New York.

Lauren Carr

Lauren Carr is from Kankakee, Illinois. She graduated from Elmhurst University located in Elmhurst, Illinois. She recently moved to the Big Apple to pursue her dream as a performer.

Since the 2020 NATS National Musical Theatre Competition, due to the pandemic, she was able to work on personal and mental growth and was grateful for it! In March, she began her journey with The Mine Agency in New York. She is so excited to be here and share the gift God gave her!

David Young

David Young is a tenor from Houston, Texas, and a graduate of DePauw University where he received a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance. His previous credits include: Monty Navarro (A Gentleman’s Guide), Conrad Birdie (Bye Bye Birdie), Prince Charmant (Cendrillon), Don Basilio (Le nozze di Figaro), Captain Corcoran (H.M.S. Pinafore), Sir Francis (Where’s Charley), George Banks (Mary Poppins), and Sir Roderic (Ruddigore).

Young also has achieved great success in competitions nationwide: NATS Musical Theatre Competition 2022 (1st Place), Hal Leonard Vocal Competition 2019 (1st Place), TriState College Vocal Competition 2020 (1st Place), the Opera Grand Rapids College Vocal Competition 2020 (1st Place), SAS Performing Arts Company Vocal Competition 2020 (Finalist), James Toland Vocal Competition 2020 (Finalist),

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Lotte Lenya Competition 2021 (Emerging Artist), and the American Traditions Vocal Competition 2021 (Quarterfinalist).

Most recently, Young joined the first national Broadway tour of Fiddler on the Roof. Young recently signed with Dave Secor of Daniel Hoff Agency. Follow Young on social media @ davidyoungsings or learn more at davidyoungsings.com.

Amanda Hopson

Amanda A. Hopson recently completed 24 years at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, as the senior staff accompanist and coordinator of keyboard studies. In August, she begins a new appointment as coordinator of collaborative piano at Butler University in Indianapolis. She has been an accompanist since the age of 10 and has performed and recorded with vocalists, instrumentalists, and choral groups for more than 40 years.

Called “a rare jewel” by esteemed choral conductor Jan Harrington, Hopson was one of the early accompanists for the

NATS Artist Awards (NATSAA) The NATSAA semifinals and finals take place in New York City during the NATS Winter Workshop in early January. NATS is honored to be able to present this biennial showcase of emerging talent to a wide audience of leading professionals in our industry. Stay tuned for more information on the 2024 NATSAA Competition, and region auditions will be held in the fall of 2023. For further information, please visit our website at www.nats.org, watch for information in the Inter Nos newsletter, or contact the NATS National Office at info@nats.org or 904.992.9101.

GRAMMY® Award-winning choir Conspirare and has performed under the baton of legendary conductor Joseph Flummerfelt.

She has accompanied vocalists in master classes given by artists such as Frederica von Stade, Elly Ameling, Thomas Hampson, Nathan Gunn, Jake Heggie, Jason Robert Brown, Stephanie J. Block, Laura Benanti, and Alice Riple. She also has been heard in concert with former King’s Singer baritone Gabriel Crouch and dramatic soprano Lise Lindstrom.

In 2013, she collaborated with tenor Kerry Jennings on a Centaur Records recording entitled, “In My Memory: American Songs and Song Cycles,” featuring works by Libby Larsen, Tom Cipullo, Lori Laitman, and Richard Pearson Thomas. The CD was favorably reviewed, with Hopson described as “an equally fine musician, finding the character of the various accompaniments to perfection,” and the CD itself as “not to be missed.” It is featured on Larsen’s website as the reference recording of her cycle, “My Antonía.”

have been endowed through the NATS Foundation. Since 1989, all 14 semifinalists have received an award. The American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz offered a scholarship to the first-place winner for many years. AIMS now offers scholarships to both the first and second place winners. In 2002, MidAmerica Productions changed the prize from an appearance at Carnegie Hall to a New York Solo Recital Debut in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. In 2010, Distinguished Concerts International New York took over sponsorship of the NATS Artist Awards performance prize.

About the National Musical Theatre Competition

The first NATS Singer of the Year Competition was held at the 1955 NATS Convention in Chicago with Richard Rivers declared the winner.

He received a prize of $500 and auditions with the Metropolitan Opera, the San Francisco Opera and the Chicago Lyric Opera.

Throughout its history, the purpose of this competition has been to select, through a series of elimination rounds on the district, regional and national levels, singers whose artistry indicates that they are ready for a professional career and to encourage them toward that goal with a cash prize and the opportunity for performance engagements.

By 1968, it had become apparent that the number of accomplishments of the contestants had reached the level that recognition of more than one winner was appropriate. Accordingly, the name of the competition was changed to the National Association of Teachers of Singing Artist Awards. For 16 years, two or three prizes were awarded. Multiple awards were awarded beginning in 1986.

A significant trend was established in 1984 with the endowment of the Mary Wolfman Award. Since that year, 12 additional prizes

Established in 2011 by the National Association of Teachers of Singing, the National Musical Theatre Competition (NMTC) was the first national competition for the emerging professional mu-sical theatre soloist. A national committee of experts in the field advised on the creation of the competition to recognize emerging professional musical theatre professionals and provide monetary awards and recognition as well as exposure to industry profes-sionals. The biennial competition, now in its fourth iteration, has provided industry connections to past competitors and winners that have led to their success on Broadway and other venues. Beginning with the 2018 competition, the national rounds have moved to New York City where it will continue to be held. Previously the national rounds were held as part of the NATS national conferences. In 2014, the third place was named for the late Louise Lerch through the generosity of longtime friend Jolie Stratton.

In 2016, friends and family of actor and singer Bill Hayes created the fourth place award with the Foundation Heritage Fund of the NATS Endowment in his honor. Complete information and guidelines for the 2024 NMTC will be available soon via NATS.org. Preliminary auditions will be held in the fall of 2023.

2022 NATSAA SPONSORS

2022 NMTC SPONSORS

NATS Singer of the Year and Artist Awards

Foundation Heritage Fund of the NATS Endowment

Foundation Heritage Fund of the NATS Endowment

Special thanks to the National Opera Center for hosting in-person preliminary rounds.

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