April 12, 2011
For Immediate Release

Campbellsville University's School of Music earns high rankings at NATS

By Elena Groholske, student news writer

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky.- Campbellsville University's School of Music students competed in this year's National Association of Teachers of Singing Mid-South Regional Auditions. The auditions were held on April 8-9 with five students competing; two of them advancing to the final round.

The competition was held at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky. The Mid-South region includes colleges and universities from Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio and Indiana.

Jian-Ji Wang, an ESL student from China, was a semi-finalist in the second most difficult category, Advanced Men. “The judges were extremely complimentary of his voice and his physical presentation,” said Dr. David Hedrick, assistant professor of music.

Margareth Miguel, a senior from Brazil, advanced to the final round in the most difficult category, Post Advanced, where she competed with doctorate students. She will be graduating in December with a Master's Degree in Vocal Performance.

“I'm so glad because my coach, Dr. David Hedrick, trusted that I could have a good result in this competition and among excellent and experienced singers. I received the third place award,” Miguel said.
Jamaal Stiles, a native of Campbellsville, advanced to the preliminary rounds. “He is a gifted counter-tenor, meaning a male singer with a soprano range. His voice is very unique and quite rare in the world of classical voice,” Hedrick said.

“It's always a positive experience getting feedback from others. Regardless if you move on to the semi-finals or finals, it's good to have people you don't know and that don't know you hearing you and giving an honest opinion without hurting your feelings,” Stiles said. “Anytime I have the opportunity to sing for others I always use that opportunity to help myself as a performer.”

Taeeun Moon, a graduate student from South Korea, advanced to the finals in the Advanced Men category. Advancing to the finals is an honor given only to the top three vocalists in the region.

Joe Weber, a freshman from New Haven, Ky., advanced to the preliminary round. He is also the co-founder of the men's vocal group Top It Off!

“All the students received extremely positive comments from the judges in all rounds in which they participated,” said Hedrick.

Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with over 3,000 students offering 63 undergraduate programs, 17 master's degrees and five postgraduate areas. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu.
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