PR2010 Mar 22

SHELTON STATE VOICE STUDENTS SHINE AT AUDITIONS

TUSCALOOSA – Seven voice students from Shelton State Community College (SSCC) recently

claimed top honors and two others were named as semi-finalists at the Alabama National Association

of Teachers of Singing Vocal Auditions at the University of South Alabama in Mobile.

The National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) holds annual competitions in which singers

of high school age through adults are judged in both classical music and music theatre. This year more

than 300 singers participated in the auditions in Mobile, including 18 Shelton State students, many of

whom sang in both categories. Shelton State, designated as Alabama’s Community College of the Fine

Arts, was the only two-year college represented in the competition comprised primarily of four-year

colleges and universities from throughout Alabama. Of SSCC’s 18 representatives, seven won top

honors in music theatre and two others earned finished as semi-finalists in the classical music category.

Winners included M. K. Becher, First Place Freshmen Women Music Theatre; Allison Burroughs,

Second Place Freshmen Women Music Theatre; Olivia Wilkes, Third Place Freshmen Women Music

Theatre; Aaron Bamberg, Third Place Freshmen Men Music Theatre; Austin Woddail, Second Place

Sophomore Women Music Theatre; Justin Barnett, First Place Sophomore Men Music Theatre; and

Karen Killion, Third Place Junior Women Music Theatre.

Semi-finalists were Michael Manos in Freshmen Men, and Kaitlyn Graves in Sophomore Women.

Other participants from SSCC include Amber Gibson, Shantell Hughes, Lacey Lee, Jessica O’Bryant,

Mary Stakem, and Ray Reaves. Several former SSCC students were also winners: Amy Todhunter,

First Place Junior Women Music Theatre; Ernest Cannon, Third Place in both Junior Men and Junior

Men Music Theatre; and Katelyn Perkins, Third Place in Senior Women.

The winners sang in a giant recital to conclude each day’s competition, and each winner publically

announced his or her name, school, teacher, and accompanist. Particularly impressive was that in the

Freshman Women Music Theatre category, all three winners were from SSCC.

Accompanists were SSCC staff accompanist Susan Goode and guest accompanist Kevin Chance.

Instructors of the students were Glinda Blackshear and Mark Brown.