The Eastern Region of NATS
National Association of Teachers of Singing, Inc.
EASTERN REGION CONFERENCE
APRIL 3-5, 2008
The Eastern Region Governor election has taken place. Margaret Cusack will serve a second two-year term, from July 2007 to July 2009. Norman Spivey is the Eastern Region Governor-elect, and will begin his two-year term in July 2009.
The 2007 Eastern Region Conference took place from March 29-31 at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware. Jackie Heller and Melanie DeMent and their colleagues hosted a fine conference. We enjoyed four marvelous master classes: Julia Kemp worked with high school singers, Marvin Keenze with college singers, Jan Prokop with music theater aficionados, and the renowned Dalton Baldwin with the most advanced singers. All of them offered insight and fresh ideas – and each inspired the singers with whom they worked as well as the teachers and singers who were present.
Next year’s conference will take place at the State University of New York in Potsdam, hosted by Kathleen Miller, from April 3-5, 2008. Please mark your calendars and make plans to attend!
Greetings to you all!
A year has passed since my last newsletter, one that I hope has been interesting and fulfilling for teachers and singers alike. I attended the Eastern Region Conference in Morgantown, West Virginia, organized by Janis-Rozena Peri, Governor for West Virginia, and Robert Thieme, Auditions Chair, where I heard wonderful singing in the auditions, and saw two terrific master classes with John Douglas of Temple University, as well as a lovely recital by soprano Pamela Hinchman, accompanied by Robert Thieme.
All the chapters in the Region have been active with workshops and auditions, and I congratulate all of you who work so hard for NATS at the local and national level. Teacher development is the most important work we do! If you have ideas for workshops or topics to explore, please remember that we have funds in the Regional budget, as well as from Discretionary Funds, to help support Chapter activities. Please get in touch with me if you need assistance with planning or financing a workshop. And if you need an extra adjudicator for your Chapter auditions, let me know – if I can come, I will be happy to be there.
Congratulations to all who took part in the 49th NATS CONFERENCE in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this past summer. The Northern Central Region hosted a marvelous conference, and Eastern Region’s own Dr. Scott McCoy put together a wonderful program of inspiring, thought-provoking and creative sessions. I came home with an enormous amount of new information about comparative pedagogy, training the male singer, new repertoire and, in particular, how singers process what we teach them. Jan Opalach and Ted Taylor gave a marvelous recital, and the NATSAA finals was a particular inspiring event. I am already looking forward to the 2008 conference in Nashville.
Congratulations to Quinn Patrick from the Central New York/Finger Lakes Chapter! She placed second in the NATS Artist Awards Competition in Minneapolis in July. We are very proud of our Eastern Region finalist, and wish her well on her performing and teaching career.
The NATS National Office has moved! NATS has purchased its own office space for the first time ever, and the move was completed on November 15, 2007. The new address for NATS is:
9957 Moorings Drive,
Suite 401,
Jacksonville FL 32257
Phone: 904-992-9101
Fax: 904-262-2587