Category Archives: Auditions

The NATSAA Ontario Round 1 results are in!

We had a wonderful day of singing here in London at the Von Kuster Recital Hall on Saturday January 21st.  Some of this province’s most accomplished young singers met to compete for the responsibility of representing our NATS District in the Great Lakes Regional round of NATSAA with an eye to the Final Round at our National Convention in Orlando.

Under the supervision of our Great Lakes Regional Governor, Laurie Lashbrook, the following singers from (first-place to third place) will move on to the regional round at the Grand Valley State University, Cook DeWitt Chapel in Allendale, Michigan:

Lesley Bouza (studies with Inna Golsband)

Shatelle Przybylo (studies with Lorna MacDonald)

Michele Bogdanowicz (studies with Jean MacPhail)

The following are our TWO alternates:

Courtney Murias (studies with Patricia Green)

Tamera Newberry (studies with Torin Chiles)

I would like to express my thanks to our three judges for the day:  Irene Welhasch-Baerg, Michael Cavanagh and Brian McIntosh.  They managed that tricky balance very well, where they took their responsibilities very seriously but were gracious and easy going at the same time!  They are wonderful colleagues and I am sure that you all share my gratitude.

Two NATS members (in addition to me) were on hand to see that things ran smoothly.  I thank Gwenlynn Little and Jackie Short for their presence and support throughout the day.  I am sure that they will echo my comments about what an enjoyable day of singing it was.

Finally, I would like to thank one of our Performance Department Administrative Assistants, Natalie Donnelly and three of my grad students, Hannah Stewart, Victoria Trevoy and Albert Montanez.  These four delightful people gave of their personal time to help me run this competition on a sunny Saturday.  Thank you – you were a sunny group of people to work with and to represent NATS Ontario for this competition!

And now, on to round two… We NATS Ontario members wish you well Lesley, Shantelle and Michele.  We will be cheering for you in Michigan and I hope to cheer one of you on at the Final Round on Orlando Florida in six months time!

Sincerely,
Torin W. Chiles (NATS Ontario, District Governor)

Thank you to all of the Adjudicators, Pianists and Singers who participated in last weekend’s NATS Ontario Chapter Student Auditions. We heard just over 200 singers in the space of 6 hours, and a marvelous evening Final Concert.

A special thanks to Catherine Robbin and York University for hosting.

Click here to download the 2011 Winners List, which includes the names of teachers and scholarship donors.  If you would like to donate our scholarship fund for our next auditions, click here to donate via Paypal.

For those of you that missed the event this year, please mark next year’s date in your calendar today:  We will be at Wilfrid Laurier University on Saturday, November 17th, 2012. We look forward to seeing all the Universities and Private Studios next year!

As some NATSAA applicants have discovered, there have been occasional glitches in the online application process. While we responded diligently to each issue as it arose, the increase in numbers of applications this week resulted in our decision to implement our contingency plan and extending the application deadline to Friday, November 18.

We will work hard to accommodate everyone who wants to compete in NATSAA 2012. Please read the following carefully and contact the NATS Executive office if you need further clarification.

Note that the NATS Executive Office will be closed in observation of Veteran’s Day on Friday, November 11 and will be ready to address your concerns on Monday, November 14.

How are you affected by the change in the NATSAA 2012 application process?

• Have you completed your NATSAA 2012 application process online and received an email receipt for payment? You’re in the clear and you can relax.
• Have you started the NATSAA 2012 application process online but did not completely fill in the form? If you started an application and saved it before making payment, you will receive an email this week from the NATS Executive Office Staff with instructions on how to submit your final application and make payment. If you don’t hear from us by end of business on November 10, please email info@nats.org or call 904-992-9101 so that we can assist you.
• Have you yet to begin the NATSAA 2012 application process? Please download the PDF application form. Complete the application by hand or machine and email it to info@nats.org or fax it to 904-262-2587. You may also mail it to NATS, Inc. Attn: NATSAA 2012 Application Processing, 9957 Moorings Drive, Suite 401, Jacksonville, FL 32257.

Email and Fax applications will be date/time stamped and received by 11:59 p.m. PST on Friday, November 18, 2011. Applications sent through the mail must be postmarked on or before Friday, November 18, 2011.

All applications must be submitted with valid payment (credit card or check). Payment instructions are on the application form. If your application is received on time, but your payment method is invalid (bounced check or incorrect credit card number), we will make an attempt to contact you to resolve the problem before rejecting your application, so please be sure to provide an accurate email address and phone number.

Before you begin your application, be sure to download the 2012 NATSAA Rules and Regulations + Repertoire Requirements. All questions specific to the rules and regulations, or about repertoire and requirements, should be directed to Nancy Walker, NATSAA Vice President, vpnatsaa@nats.org, 336-272-0204.

Please click here to download a letter from Torin Chiles, announcing the 2012 NATS Artist Awards Competition (NATSAA).

All the links you’ll need to get more information and to register are in the PDF.

Please note that the deadline for application is November 10th, 2011.