This fall, students in the School of Music at Olivet Nazarene University participated in the annual National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS)—Central Region competition. This competition requires students to prepare and present several songs from either standard classical repertoire, or from Broadway repertoire, to perform before a panel of judges. In order to enter the competition, vocal music students must study with a current member of NATS.
The 2025 conference included performance classes, presentations and two-days of National Student Auditions. All events were held on the campus of Illinois State University, in Normal, Illinois.
Following the initial rounds of auditions, seven vocal music students from Olivet advanced to the semi-final rounds. Abby Diaz and Ana Quezada qualified for semi-finals in the classical divisions. In musical theatre, Ana Quezada, Annika Callan, Ash Cook, Cabot McLaughlin, Sydney Lang and Zach O’Haver qualified for semi-finals.
Then, after further auditions, the following students were recognized as finalists: Ana Quezada (first place in musical theatre), Cabot McLaughlin (second place in musical theatre), Zach O’Haver (third place in musical theatre) and Annika Callan (honorable mention in musical theatre).
For more information about the School of Music at Olivet, visit Olivet.edu/Academics.
Photo courtesy of the School of Music
