Four music students win first place at NATS

Liberty University School of Music students competed in the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) state auditions at James Madison University (JMU) March 1-2 and walked away with four first-place wins and the best overall winner for musical theater.

The event included undergraduate and graduate students from colleges throughout the state, such as George Mason, JMU, Norfolk State, Christopher Newport University, Shenandoah Conservatory, and Virginia Commonwealth University. Students competed in classical and musical theater categories.

First-place winners included sophomore Heather Reed, musical theater; sophomore Melissa Jean, classical; sophomore Madison Warren, classical; and junior Jessica Moutoux (not pictured), classical. Reed also won best overall for musical theater, chosen by all teachers in attendance. She played the role of Julie in the Liberty University Department of Theatre Arts’ production of “Carousel.”

The coaches of the first-place winning students included music faculty members Patricia Campbell, Linda Granger, and Ruth Folley.

The winners sang in the honors recital at the close of the weekend and qualified for the regional competition in April.

NATS is a nationwide organization dedicated to the art and teaching of singing for high school to graduate students.

• The Liberty University School of Music launched last fall and is the nation’s seventh largest school of music. Read more about it in the Liberty Journal.