November 20, 2019

SVSU student-vocalists earn top honors at state competition

Students passionate about vocal performance led Saginaw Valley State University to an impressive appearance at the Michigan chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) competition earlier this month.

Two SVSU vocalists earned first-place awards while two of their peers received third-place honors.

“Our voice students work diligently for months and years in their preparation for NATS competitions,” said Kevin Simons, SVSU associate professor of music.

“These results show that they are being well prepared by their teachers at SVSU to compete against singers from all over the state.”

Simons said the recent performance marked the best ever showing for SVSU at the annual competition.

Two music education majors placed first in their respective categories. Seth Bearden, of Fife Lake, earned the honor in the Lower College Musical Theater category. Audrey Bergey, of South Boardman, received the award in the First Year College Treble category.

Two music majors from Saginaw, meanwhile, earned third-place awards. Katie Fassone received the honor in the Advanced College Division, which also featured competition from students enrolled in graduate schools. Halie Kellett earned her award in the Lower College Musical Theater category.

The competition was hosted Nov. 2 at Hope College. It involved students performing songs before a panel of NATS members scored those performances based on vocal technique, diction and musicianship.