Department of Music News

Six students from the Musical Theatre program in the Department of Theatre & Dance at WKU received awards and acknowledgements at the National Association of Teachers in Singing (NATS) Student Auditions at Campbellsville University in November.

Abigail Bubnick, Madison Harmon, Bailey Bryant, Elijah Milburn, Emily Dismukes, Hallie Slocum, Jett Oliver, and Léa Schenk participated in the auditions.

Schenk was awarded first place in Commercial Music, Milburn was awarded second place in Classical TTB Upper Division, Bryant was awarded second place in Musical Theatre Treble Upper Division, and Harmon was awarded third place in Musical Theatre Treble Upper Division.

Additionally, Milburn and Oliver were semifinalists for Musical Theatre TTB Upper Division and Bubnick was a semifinalist for Musical Theatre Treble Upper Division.

NATS Student Auditions begin with a preliminary round, in which students sing for a panel of adjudicators and a small audience. Preliminary auditions advance to semifinals where students audition again, often for a larger public audience.

These auditions offer students the opportunity to develop their performance skills and receive constructive, professional feedback on their auditions. This is the first year that the WKU Department of Theatre & Dance has participated in the competition.

“Our students have been working hard towards their performance goals. I wanted to give them an opportunity to present what they have learned to the greater Kentucky vocal community,” says Dr. Tiffany Bostic-Brown, Associate Professor of Theatre. “Each student represented WKU with poise and professionalism and performed with skilled vocal technique and authentic artistry. The students also felt that the competition gave them new perspective and confidence to bring their pieces to the next level. We are proud of how they all performed and are excited for the growth and conversation that will contribute to new goals.”

All participating students study voice with Dr. Bostic-Brown and were accompanied by the department’s Staff Collaborative Pianist, Julie Pride.

To learn more about the WKU Department of Theatre & Dance, please visit https://www.wku.edu/theatre-and-dance/index.php.

Contact: Jessica Luna, (270) 745-3259