Dr. Anne Foradori
UNK Department of Music and Performing Arts, 308.865.8610
Eight University of Nebraska at Kearney music majors earned top honors or were finalists in the competition at the annual National Association of Teachers of Singing student auditions held recently in Hastings.
Matthew Nicholson, a baritone, from Plattsmouth, won the senior men division. Grant Pyper placed first among the freshmen men. Pyper is a baritone from Grand Island. Michael Crawford, a bass/baritone from Broken Bow, placed third in the freshmen men division.
Placing first in the freshmen women division was Minami Okamura, a soprano from Imizu gun, Japan.
Finalists included Sarah Anderson, a soprano from Kearney; Jessica Murtaugh, a soprano fromHarlan, Iowa; Katherine Musick a soprano from Omaha; Mai Shibahara, a soprano from Okayama, Japan.
NATS is the largest association of teachers of singing in the world. The organization, founded on March 23, 1944, in Cincinnati, Ohio, currently has about 6,000 members.
