NATS

South Texas NATS Winners

UTSA Singers Prep for a Fall Full of NATS Events

The National Association of Teachers of Singing, Inc (NATS) was founded in 1944 and is now the largest association of teachers of singing in the world.

A part of the Texoma Region of NATS (Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico), UTSA sends a delegation of students from the voice area to compete in NATS student auditions every fall, and this year will be the same – well, almost the same! Like so many organizations planning their annual event, Texoma NATS is going virtual.

Going virtual presents challenges for the students who are auditioning. Auditions typically take place the first week in November, but the deadline for video submissions is October 15th. The loss of two weeks of preparation can be difficult for any musician,

and our singers are certainly feeling the pressure to have their pieces polished and memorized, but they are up for the challenge.

On the flipside, more students are able to participate in the process because they do not have to raise funds to attend the Texoma NATS auditions. In traditional years, students spend three or four days away from home to participate and the cost can be substantial. But in 2020, the door is open to more singers excited about the chance to sing for a new audience and receive critical feedback from music faculty outside of UTSA. We hope to submit audition videos from a large group of singers this fall and inspire students to compete in future years.

In an effort to increase our presence in NATS beyond the auditions, Professors John Nix and Christopher Besch have spurred UTSA singers to action, reigniting interest in SNATS, our student NATS chapter. Singers dedicated to the study of all things voice have joined forces to plan, host and support events that enrich the musical lives of our student body. “We hope to include masterclasses, show the importance of composers of color, and introduce different vocal techniques within different genres and subgenres [of music],’ says SNATS Secretary, Mariah Martinez (Music Marketing, junior). Mariah is looking forward to the SNATS chapter helping increase the department’s knowledge about vocal health and vocal teaching.

Keep on eye out for the December issue of Cadenza when we highlight the students who competed in this year’s Texoma auditions and showcase the great work of SNATS.

Mariah Martinez

Howell studio singers waiting for audition results

According to texomanats.org, “NATS boasts more than 6,500 members in the United States, Canada, and, over twenty-five other countries around the world including Australia, Austria, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom, and the number of countries represented is growing every year.”