Three Missouri State University students from the Department of Music’s voice program took top honors during the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) auditions in Knoxville, Tennessee, June 27-28.
Matthew Juhlin, Theron LePage and Veronika Yerina all advanced to the final rounds and placed in their respective categories, according to Dr. Paula Patterson, head of the music department.
Juhlin placed first and LePage placed second in the Upper Classical TBB (Tenor, Baritone and Bass) Voice category. Juhlin and LePage study voice with Dr. Chris Thompson.
Yerina, who studies voice with Dr. Carol Chapman, placed third in Lower Classical Treble Voice category.
All three received certificates of recognition and monetary awards for their performances.
Emma Gulovsen, Zoe Juhlin, Ryan McIntosh, Tanner Munson, Emily Owings and Jan Veljak all advanced to the semifinal rounds.
Competition helps build career portfolio
Patterson emphasized how participating in national auditions can impact student success.
“Participation in these auditions looks great on a resume,” Patterson said. “Students have an opportunity to meet and network with students and faculty from graduate schools where they might be applying and companies where they might want to work after graduation.”
LePage also sees the competition as a career-builder. “I have no doubt that the experiences I have had at MSU will help me on my journey to become a better musician, teacher and artist,” he said.
“Wonderful ambassadors”
Getting to the national levels is a rigorous process, according to Patterson. After advancing through multiple auditions, those selected to the semifinalist level are among the top 15 singers in their age and training category levels.
Patterson highlighted how these accomplishments focus national attention on both the music department and the Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (RCASH).
“Our students are wonderful ambassadors,” Patterson said, “and faculty and students attending the conference recognize Missouri State as a place where great things happen.”
“One proud coach”
As the students’ piano accompanist, Dr. Perry Mears has witnessed their journey to the NATS national competition.
“It was such a great experience to musically support our students through this competition,” Mears said. “By the time they reach the national level, they have been preparing and performing this repertoire for quite a long time, which allows for a level of musical nuance that is so exhilarating. They’ve all demonstrated so much musical and technical growth.”
Mears described hearing Juhlin, LePage and Yerina’s names called as winners as “quite a thrilling moment.”
“I was one proud coach,” he said.
Song selections filled with meaning
For his performance, LePage sang Handel’s “Arm, Arm Ye Brave” because it held special meaning for him.
“I originally learned the piece in high school,” he explained. “I decided to bring it back to work on it and compete with it in college.”
Yerina selected Debussy’s “Nuit d’etoiles” for her performance. Like LePage, the song had special meaning because she also first sang it in high school.
“It was the first piece that brought out my love for performing classical music,” she said.
The song has proved successful for Yerina. She sang the piece in the 2021 Missouri State University Outstanding Singer auditions and won. So, she chose to sing it for this year’s NATS auditions.
“This was a pivotal moment for me in my music career, and I was thrilled to bring back such a momentous piece in my first collegiate voice competition,” she said.
Competing brings out variety of emotions
Despite initially feeling nervous, as she continued with her performance Yerina described a sense of “loosening up” and relaxing.
“No performance is complete without some nerves, and learning to acknowledge that is the first step in being able to truly feel the music you are making,” she said. “By the end of my third piece, I realized that I didn’t care about giving ‘the perfect performance.’”
For LePage, winning this year is only the start.
“Honestly, I felt like I did some of my best singing at this competition during the semifinal and final round, which was a great feeling to have,” he said. “When I found out I received second place, I was very happy and proud. Getting so far in a national singing competition has been a goal of mine, and I want to try to win it next year!”
Feeling supported and valued
Both Yerina and LePage expressed gratitude for the support they have received from the music department.
“Not a day goes by where I do not feel valued by this department,” Yerina added.
“The music department at Missouri State University has helped me tremendously,” LePage agreed. “We are lucky to have extremely talented and hard-working faculty that gets the best out of their students.”
Yerina singled out Patterson, who “cheered us on incessantly,” for her support.
In turn, Patterson said the department was “extremely grateful” to RCASH Dean Shawn Wahl for his continued support.
And the students ensured they all felt supported by each other, according to Mears.
“I was also very proud of their camaraderie — the way they supported each other was exemplary and unique,” he said
Yerina mirrored that sentiment. “No reward felt greater than that of sharing the stage with my fellow finalists,” Yerina said.
Awards and recognition aside, for Yerina the experience was all about the singing.
“All I wanted was to share my music with people and connect with them through it. It is a way of saying to the world ‘this is my gift, and I want you to be a part of it with me.’”