NATS, or National Association of Teachers of Singing, is the largest organization of teachers of singing in the world with over 7,000+ members in more than 35 countries. Each fall, the Southern district of Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma gather for the annual TEXOMA Conference and Competition which brings together more than 600 students and 100 professors to compete in categories such as Freshman Treble voice or Sophomore TBB voice. There are multiple rounds of competition to make it to the finals rounds of the competition.
This was the first year that ACC’s Music Department sent students to this event. We sent 5 students to compete in the Freshman and Sophomore categories. I am happy to say that of these 5 students, 3 students qualified for the semi-final rounds (Daniel Garcia, Jalen Easley, Catalina Hill – students of Blythe Cates) and one student made it to the finals and placed third (Jalen Easley – student of Blythe Cates). Also during the event our students were able to participate in unique conference offerings such as Mexicana Hermosa: Music by Mexican Women for Voice and Guitar or A Guest Recital by Voces8 and Martin Luther Clark. Most importantly, our students made important connections at transfer universities. We are incredibly pleased with how our students sang and conducted themselves at this event.