Students Shine at Competition and Conference

Published: November 28, 2016 | Author: Ashley Pollock | Read Time: 2 minutes

The students in SUU’s College of Performing and Visual Arts have been busy over the last two months attending competitions and conferences throughout the region.

In November, the vocal performance students from the Department of Music competed in the National Association of Teachers Singing (NATS) Study Awards Competition in Las Vegas, Nevada at UNLV. In attendance, there were 89 undergraduate and graduate students competing as well as 31 junior high and high school students.

Southern Utah University had five 1st place winners in the undergraduate and graduate divisions, six 2nd place winners, six third place winners, and four honorable mentions. Several of the Department of Music professors also work with junior high and high school students who had three 1st place winners, four 2nd place winners, and four 3rd place winners.

In total, the Department of Music had 33 students place in the competition. The Cal-Western Regional NATS competition will take place January 14 and 15, 2017 at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona.

Carol Ann Modesitt, professor of vocal performance, said, “The students who entered this competition had to prepare three to four songs, in at least two languages and they were required to sing from memory.”

In October, 11 current SUU Theatre Arts students and six alumni attended the Second Annual Statera National Conference in Denver, Colorado. The Statera Foundation, founded by current Theatre Arts professor, Melinda Pfundstein Vaughn, and Utah Shakespeare Festival favorite, Shelly Gaza, focuses on bridging the gap between passion, preparation, and opportunity for women in the theatre. These students spent three days networking, attending workshops, and discussing opportunities to bring equal participation for women in the American theatre.

Kade Cox, a senior Theatre Arts student, said, “As a soon-to-be theatre practitioner, attending the Statera Conference was truly life-changing. While my sights have always been set on making a career in the theatre, I am now inspired to also make meaningful change in the theatre, a place where we share the human experience. Every human experience.”

The College of Performing and Visual Arts at SUU is proud of the students who have taken the initiative to expand their education through attending conferences and participating in competitions throughout the region.

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