CCNATS September/October Newsletter Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.

CCNATS September/October Newsletter

In this newsletter...

A message from our president...

Welcome to the 2014-2015 Board

New Board Members

Upcoming Events

Spring 2015 Competitions

Illinois State NATS Student Auditions

Announcement from Karen Brunssen, Central Region

NATS Governor

Elly Ameling Master Class

CCNATS Member Announcements

Member Profiles

Chicago Chapter of Student NATS (CCSNATS)

Announcements

Donations

A message from our president...

And the 2014/2015 season is off and running! Our first event

on Sunday, September 14 was a great kick off to a

promising season. Our thanks toW. Stephen Smith for an

inspiring presentation. We are also grateful toSarah

Beatty and the faculty at Concordia University for opening

their wonderful space to us. I want to personally thank all of

the board members who helped organize and run the

meeting. And speaking of, we have a dynamite board this

year! We welcome Orna Arania, Paul Grizzell, Gaye

Klopack, and Paul Thompson on to our administrative

board. This year we developed a junior board from the

nominees for board positions. We welcome Allison Rozsa

Evans, Klaus Georg,Jennifer Mather, and Rebecca

Schorsch.

We have put together a diverse offering of workshops this

year. Please look through the listings below. In addition to

our chapter sponsored workshops we will be notifying you of

several in-house member-driven events.

We are happy to announce that Wheaton College and The

Chicago High School of the Performing Arts have offered to

host our competitions this season. Dates and details are

listed below.

For those of you who were not able to be at our business

meeting on the 14th, the minutes from the meeting will be

available, by request, to all chapter members. Please send

requests to secretary@chicagonats.org. I’m happy to answer

any questions regarding issues that were discussed.

This is going to be a great year for the chapter!

I hope to see you at one of our events soon. Happy Autumn.

Sincerely,

David Hoffman, DMA

President, Chicago Chapter NATS

Welcome to the 2014-2015 Board

The Chapter had undergone a lot of transition over the

summer. Positions were re-defined and a number of new

Chicago NATS members were added to this season's

board. Here are the board members for 2014-2015:

David Hoffman, President

Tracey Ford, Vice President and Director of Membership

Denise Knowlton, Co-Director of Competitions

Terry Strandt, Co-Director of Competitions

Jessica Coe, Director of Workshops

Erin Matonte, Director of Communications

Rebecca Ryan, Assistant Director of Communications

Matthew Ellenwood, Co-Director of Finance

Paul Thompson, Co-Director of Finance

Keven Keys, Competitions and Workshops

Orna Arania, Workshops and Finance

Gaye Klopack, Competitions and Membership

Paul Grizzell, Communications and Membership

Klaus Georg, Junior Board Member, CCSNATS Co-Advisor

Allison Rozsa Evans, Junior Board Member, CCSNATS Co-

Advisor

Jennifer Mather, Junior Board Member

Rebecca Schorsch, Junior Board Member, CCSNATS Co-

Advisor

New Board Members

Below are the bios and pictures of our newest board

members!

Denise Knowlton, Co-Director of Competitions

Mezzo-soprano Denise Knowlton received a Doctorate in

vocal music performance from the University of Missouri-

Kansas City in 2010. She began her studies in Flint at the

University of Michigan with Carolyn Mawby as her guide.

She has been performing with regional opera and musical

theater companies for over 15 years. Known for singing

dramatic repertoire, Dr. Knowlton has regularly performed the

roles of Mistress Quickly in Falstaff, Ulrica in Un ballo in

maschera and Zita in Gianni Schicchi. She has brought her

unique sense of humor to the Gilbert and Sullivan roles of

Katisha in the Mikado, Ruth in the Pirates of Penzanaceand

the Duchess in The Gondoliers. As a Young Artist with

Glimmerglass Opera she covered Herodias in Salome,

Mother Marie in Dialogues of the Carmelites and Santuzza

in Cavalleria Rusticana, and toured for two pre-season

outreach programs. As a soloist Denise has sung with the

Toledo Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Kansas City Civic

Orchestra, and Kansas City Chamber Orchestra. She is

currently a member of the Grant Park Festival Chorus and

The Chicago Symphony Chorus. Dr. Knowlton currently

teaches Vocal Techniques, Music Theory and Music History

at the Chicago High School for the Arts and continues to

perform in local productions throughout the Chicagoland

area.

Paul Thompson, Co-Director of Finance

Paul W. Thompson is a Chicago-based professional singer

and actor, musical director and pianist, teacher and vocal

coach, composer and songwriter, critic and columnist, and

non-profit administrator. From his private music studio in

Chicago’s historic Fine Arts Building (Paul W. Thompson

Music, est. 2011), he teaches the great songs of Broadway to

the next generation of musical theater performers, and

coaches classical and popular music.

A native of Nashville, Tennessee, Paul was raised in a family

of professional musicians and teachers, steeped in classical,

gospel, country, pop, sacred and show music. He earned two

degrees in musical theater (a B.F.A. with Honors from Baylor

University and an M.M. from the University of Miami, Florida),

plus an M.B.A. with Distinction from DePaul University. In

addition to NATS, Paul’s memberships include the American

Guild of Musical Artists, Actors’ Equity Association, the

National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (proud

voter for the Grammy Awards!) and New York’s Drama

League.

Paul has appeared onstage or in the orchestra pit in concerts,

musicals, operettas and operas in 30 states and in Europe, in

a career spanning more than 40 years. His Chicagoland

stage credits include “Forever Plaid” at the Royal George

Theater and twenty mainstage productions at Light Opera

Works, plus appearances with Chicago Opera Theater and

Chamber Opera Chicago. Most recently, he appeared as

Leonard in the Chicago premiere of Carl Nielsen’s

“Maskarade” with Vox 3 Collective.

Paul joined the Chicago Symphony Chorus in 1995 (serving

six years as a Tenor Section Leader and singing on two

Grammy-winning recordings), and is one of Chicago’s

foremost liturgical singers, marking 20 years as a member of

the choir at St. James Cathedral (Episcopal) in 2011. Since

2013, Mr. Thompson’s original sacred and popular songs,

and covers of musical theater and oratorio favorites, can be

found on YouTube.

The Chicago Regional Editor of BroadwayWorld.com since

2009, Paul can be found on Monday nights watching

showtune videos at the world-famous Sidetrack nightclub, the

inspiration for his weekly column, “The Showtune Mosh Pit.”

He has served as the Treasurer of St. James Cathedral since

2012. And his proudest achievement is that he has seen the

original Broadway production of every Tony Award-winning

Best Musical since “Cats.” No, really. Since “Cats!”

Keven Keys, Competitions and Workshops

Keven Keys’ “handsome, mahogany tone” (Washington Post)

and beautifully “focused singing” (Chicago Classical Review)

have delighted audiences with a wide range of repertoire in

both opera and concert literature. He has appeared with

several orchestras throughout the Midwest and beyond,

performing the Bach B Minor Mass with the Kalamazoo Bach

Festival, Haydn’s “Lord Nelson” Mass at the Peninsula Music

Festival, Bach cantata BWV 82, “Ich habe genug,” with the

Sherwood Conservatory Orchestra, Vaughn-Williams’ Dona

Nobis Pacem, Danielpour’s An American Requiem with the

Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra and Mahler’s

monumental 8th Symphony with the Colorado Mahlerfest.

Recent appearances have included the Fauré Requiem with

the Grant Park Orchestra, several solo appearances with

Chicago’s Music of the Baroque, as well as Rossini’s Petite

Messe Sollenelle and Finzi’s In terra pax with the Downer’s

Grove Choral Society. Favorite experiences include a

performance of Chicago native Robert Kritz’s

compositionLamentations for the 21st Century with the award

winning Orion Ensemble. His concert repertoire includes

Mendelsohn’s Elijah, Handel’sMessiah, and

Mozart’s Requiem, with groups including Illinois

Philharmonic, Waukegan Symphony, Elmhurst Symphony,

Northeastern Illinois University Orchestra, and the Acanthus

Chamber Orchestra. He is also an active recitalist,

performing throughout the Midwest.

Opera roles include title roles in Verdi’s Falstaff,

Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Mechem’s Tartuffe and

Rachmaninoff’s Aleko, as well as both Guglielmo and Don

Alfonso in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte, John Brook in Mark

Adamo’sLittle Women, and Sam in Bernstein’s Trouble in

Tahiti. Keven is pursuing a Doctorate in Vocal Performance

at Northwestern University, where he also teaches.

Orna Arania, Workshops and Finance

Orna Arania earned both her Masters and Doctor of Music

degrees in Voice and Opera Performance from Northwestern

University. Her Bachelor of Music degree in Voice is from the

Buchmann-Mehta School of Music at Tel Aviv University,

Israel. She performed extensively as a soloist in concert

series and festivals with Israel’s leading orchestras, and

toured with various Israeli ensembles in Italy, Germany,

Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Denmark, Australia, New

Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Canada, and the United

States.

Since arriving in the United States, she has performed in

opera productions, recitals, and oratorio concerts, with

orchestras such as the Peninsula Music Festival Orchestra,

Elgin Symphony, Lima Symphony, Illinois Valley Symphony,

The Callipygian Players, Northwestern University Chamber

Orchestra, Ohio Northern University Symphony Orchestra,

Northern Illinois University Philharmonic Orchestra and more.

In 2009 she had her Lincoln Center debut as a soloist with

Distinguished Concerts International Orchestra New York.

Ms. Arania is currently an associate professor of voice at

Northern Illinois University, and is also an assistant conductor

and a singer with the Lakeside Singers.

Gaye Klopack, Competitions and Membership

Gaye Klopack graduated with an M.A. in Vocal Pedagogy

from Northeastern Illinois University in 1997 and has been a

choral director and voice teacher in Chicago for 19 years. In

2009 she was honored as a "Distinguished Teacher" by the

United States Department of Education for mentoring

a Presidential Scholar in the Arts and is a SVS Clinical

Fellow. In November of 2010 she was the featured cover

story for Choral Director Magazine.

Klopack has performed as a classical artist and as a jazz

vocalist in the midwest and is a frequent guest lecturer for

the Chicago Institute of Jazzas well as a former board

member of the Chicago Jazz Orchestra. She recently

released a new CD recording of jazz standards, Small Day

Tomorrow.

Among her students are a YoungArts and a GRAMMY-

Baldwin winner. Some have appeared on WFMT

radio's Introductions along with her choir. They have also

been finalists in Classical Singer Magazine Contest,Schmidt

Youth Vocal Contest and NATS regional and Chicago

Chapters.

Paul Grizzell, Communications and Membership

Paul Grizzell has performed with orchestras and choruses all

over the world, from Carnegie Hall to the Berlin Philharmonie

to Chicago’s Orchestra Hall. He has performed with many of

the world’s finest conductors including James Levine, Pierre

Boulez and Sir Georg Solti, along with some of the finest

international ensembles including the Chicago Symphony

Orchestra, the Cygnus Orchestra of England, and the

Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Paul has performed as a

bassbaritone soloist with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Ravinia

Festival Orchestra, Chicago Opera Theater, and the Madison

and Rockford Symphonies Orchestras under such conductors

as Daniel Barenboim, Claudio Abbado and Margaret Hillis.

He can be heard on London/Decca records performing

in Moses und Aron by Schönberg, and New World Records

inForsaken of Man by Sowerby.

As a music instructor he has mentored many quality students

in voice including numerous professional singers. Past

students have performed with the Chicago Symphony

Chorus, Grant Park Symphony Chorus, The Lion

King (National Tour), Brigadoon, Grease (Drury Lane

Theatre), Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, and Light Opera

Works. He has 19 years of college level of teaching including

a Teaching Fellowship at Northwestern University. As a

conductor he has directed many of the famous oratorios of

the last three centuries including works by Bach, Mozart,

Beethoven and Brahms. A favorite of his repertoire as a

conductor includes the Requiem by Fauré which he

conducted the Downers Grove Choral Society (DGCS) and

Orchestra this Fall. He also directed the DGCS in

Britten’s Festival Te Deum and Mozart’s Coronation

Mass. Mr. Grizzell has a Bachelor of Music Education degree

in Choral Education from Northern Illinois University, and a

Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from

Northwestern University.

Klaus Georg, Junior Board Member, CCSNATS Co-Advisor

A versatile and “worthy singer” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch),

tenor Klaus Georg specializes in oratorio and concert work

spanning several centuries. Recently he has performed as a

soloist in such contrasting works as Chicago A

Cappella’s Wade in the Water, where he “stole the show”

(Chicago Sun Times), Mason Bates’ Sirens with CSO

MusicNOW, Mozart’s Requiem at the Music Institute of

Chicago, Stravinsky’s Les Noces with the NIU New Music

Festival, and Saint-Saen’s Oratorio de Noel and

Haydn’s Theresienmesse with the Downers Grove Choral

Society, with whom he will be singing The Messiah this

winter.

Dr. Georg has performed leading tenor roles in

Mozart's Zauberflöte, Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmelites,

Loesser's The Most Happy Fella, and Hoiby's Summer and

Smoke, as well as the tenor solos in Händel'sMessiah,

Haydn's Creation, and Brahms's Zigeunerlieder, among many

others. He is a section leader with the Chicago Symphony

Chorus, where he has also appeared as soloist and cover

repeatedly, and participated on the Grammy-winning

Verdi Requiem with Riccardo Muti. Also a member of Music

of the Baroque, his most recent solo appearances were in

Händel's Israel in Egypt and Bach’s St. John Passion. Dr.

Georg also sings with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Grant

Park Music Festival, Soli Deo Gloria’s Chicago Bach Project,

and is music director at Beth Emet the Free Synagogue.

He earned a Doctorate of Musical Arts from Northwestern

University, specializing in the songs of Italian Jewish

composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. He serves on the

faculty of Loyola University Chicago.

Allison Rozsa Evans, Junior Board Member, CCSNATS Co-

Advisor

Allison Rozsa Evans, earned her Master of Music in Vocal

Pedagogy and Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from

the Boston Conservatory. There, she had the privilege of

studying voice under Monique Phinney.

Ms. Evans has performed the role of La Chauve-Souris in

Ravel’s opera L’enfant et les Sortileges, under the baton of

Andrew Altenbach, in concert as Donna Elvira in Mozarts

opera Don Giovanni, as well as a variety of choral

engagements and recitals. She has also coached under

Michael Strauss, Metropolitan Opera singer Sondra Kelly,

and Grammy Award winning singer Christine Brewer.

A recent transplant to the greater Chicago area, she is

teaching voice lessons, giving master classes and vocal

health lectures to area schools. She is also a member of the

National Association of Teachers of Singing and has recently

joined the leadership of the Chicago Chapter as a junior

board member. Ms. Evans loves to work with students of all

ages, styles, and skill levels from beginner to professional

track singers. She works to help each student grow to their

fullest potential catering to their learning style and needs.

Ms. Evans was recently seen performing Kids’ll Say the

Darndest Things, a concert of music by Barber, Bernstein &

Chanler in the summer concert series at the Grace Episcopal

Church in Oak Park, Illinois.

Jennifer Mather, Junior Board Member

Jennifer Mather joined the Elmhurst College faculty in 1995

and teaches voice. She received her master’s degree in vocal

performance from Northwestern University and B.M.E. from

the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She studied

with Dr. Ron Combs, Beverly Rinaldi, Claudia Kennedy,

Elizabeth Fischer and Dorothy Clark and took master classes

with Giorgio Tozzi, Sherill Milnes, Ryan Edwards, Erie Mills

and Hal Prince. Mather is a former choral conductor for

middle schools and high schools in Arizona and former

assistant choral director for the Cleveland Choral Arts

Society. She also teaches private voice lessons. Mather has

performed in the Arizona Opera Company, Phoenix

Symphony Chorus and Cleveland Symphony Chorus. She

was the soprano and director of the Garden Club quartet,

soloist with Chicago’s Airflow Deluxe Orchestra and soprano

for SATB Jazz Quartet.

Rebecca Schorsch, Junior Board Member, CCSNATS Co-

advisor

Recognized for her teaching in the field of Musical Theatre

and Popular music for the voice, Rebecca Simone Schorsch

was named one of the “Best of Chicago” in (Chicago

Magazine, 2008). A highly sought-after teacher in Musical

Theatre voice, her students work actively on Broadway and

national tours, in Chicago, regional theater, as well as in the

recording industry for major and indie labels in L.A. and

Nashville. Ms. Schorsch is a Lecturer in Voice at The Theatre

Conservatory Voice Faculty at the Chicago College of

Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. She is a frequent

Master Class teacher for Musical Theatre Singing and is a

specialist in Theater Styles for the Classical Singer. Rebecca

has guest taught at the Royal Welsh College of Music and

Drama in Cardiff, Wales, Southern Methodist University,

University of Chicago, Wheaton College, Opera Training

Institute of Chicago, and the Up North Vocal Institute in

Boyne, Michigan, where she is on faculty.

As an accomplished soprano in her own right, Ms. Schorsch

has appeared extensively as a concert soloist in both

Classical and Musical Theatre repertoire in the Chicago area.

She has been frequently heard live on WFMT Chicago on

both the Pianoforte Foundation Salon series and “Live from

the Mayne” in solo recital. Regarded for her conviction to text

in performance and involvement in the Chicago music

community, Time Out Chicago called Ms. Schorsch “gutsy…a

Chicago favorite”. rebecca-schorsch.com

Upcoming Events

Presentation by Loraine Sims: TAMING THE TERRIBLE TONGUE

Sunday, October 5, 2014, 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

DePaul University School of Music

Recital Hall

804 West Belden Avenue

Chicago, IL 60614

*Cost: FREE - Chicago NATS Members/$15 non-

members

Every teacher has dealt with the seemingly unsolvable

Glossus Muscles, both internal and external. Come and get

additional ideas from Ms. Sims how to calm this set of

muscles and allow your students to sing up to their potential.

Vocevista: A workshop for teachers and singers

Saturday, October 11, 2014, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Northeastern Illinois University

Steinberg Fine Arts Center

3600 W. Foster Ave., Chicago, IL 60625

Directions and Maps

*Cost: $30 – Chicago NATS members / $50 non-

members;Northeastern students - free

For hundreds of years, voice teachers have relied solely on

their ears to help singers perfect their voices. This workshop

will present a sketch of the sort of insights that can be gained

from the signals of VoceVista (Visual Feedback for Instruction

in Singing), using spectrum analysis and the

electroglottograph (EGG), and will serve to launch singing

teachers on their way to acquiring expertise. Dr. Donald

Gray Miller, developer and designer of the VoceVista system

will lead the day’s activities.

The all-day workshop will cover formants, harmonics, and

formant tuning in the morning session. The afternoon session

will introduce the electroglottograph (EGG) and its role in

understanding the registers. More details can be found

at CCNATS web site.

Donald Miller, who designed and developed the software

program VoceVista (Visual Feedback for Instruction in

Singing), began his career as an opera singer and voice

teacher. He joined the faculty of the Syracuse University

School of Music, where he taught for over two decades, rising

to the rank of professor. During this time he was very active

as a bass-baritone, singing over 25 leading roles from the

standard repertory, along with many roles in contemporary

works.

Important Information Concerning Directions and

Parking:

Northeastern’s Steinberg Fine Arts Center is conveniently

located on Chicago’s northwest side. Parking for this event

will be in the F lot and is best accessed via the entrance at

3600 W. Foster Avenue (due to street construction on W.

Bryn Mawr Avenue between Pulaski and Kedzie, please use

the campus entrance at W. Foster). Follow the campus

access road north to parking lot F. After parking, please

proceed to the Fine Arts Center, Room FA-107, to verify

registration and pick up your parking permit. You will need to

return to your vehicle to display the permit to avoid being

ticketed. Please contact Dr. Robert Heitzinger for more

information.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:

-3-4 Teachers to participate in the masterclass coaching

session

-3-4 Students to participate in the masterclass coaching

session

**Respond to workshops@chicagonats.org by 9/26/14 to

volunteer**

High School Audition Workshop

Please join us for the Fall 2014 CCNATS High School

Audition Workshop for Classical and Musical Theater

Singers! The workshop will take place at the Oak Brook

Public Library on Saturday, October 25thfrom 1:00-4:00

pm.

The afternoon includes 10-minute talks by experts from local

colleges, collaborative coaching of student volunteers, and a

Q & A session. Handouts with examples of repertoire,

resumes and more will be available at the event.

All CCNATS teachers and their students are welcome, but we

especially encourage high school juniors and seniors who are

planning to perform an audition as part of their University

applications.

If you have a High School Student that you would like to

have sing for this panel then please send the following

information to Tracey Ford at

workshops@chicagonats.org by Friday, October 3rd:

-Teacher Name/Preferred Contact Info

-Student Name

-Gender

-Age/Grade

-For Classical:one English language selection, one Foreign

language selection

-For Musical Theater selections (two contrasting pieces in

tempo and stylistic periods)

Please click here for more information.

Spring 2015 Competitions

Musical Theater – High School and College

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Chicago High School for the Arts

Classical – High School and College

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Wheaton College

Illinois State NATS Student Auditions

Saturday, November 8, 2014

10:30 am - 5:00 pm

Trinity International University

2065 Half Day Road, Deerfield, IL 60015

Online Registration September 10 - October 19, 2014

Announcement from Karen Brunssen, Central Region NATS Governor

National Student Auditions (NSA) will continue to be an

annual event. During odd years the finals will be held at the

NATS Summer Workshop. During even years the finals will

be held at the National NATS Conference. Students who

qualify to go on to the NSA semi-final You-Tube round must

have been a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place winner in their Region's

Student Auditions.

Therefore, the Central Region will offer annual Regional

Auditions for all our students on an annual basis starting now.

As a one-time-only means of facilitating equitable Central

Region Student Auditions for the next round of NSA, we will

do Preliminary, Semi-final and Final rounds via video

submissions on You-Tube. Although information about these

auditions is not available until October, we want to let you

know that the due date for submissions will be December

15th, 2014. Teachers of those students submitting auditions

will, as usual, be expected to adjudicate (sitting at home or

school looking at auditions via internet). We are using this

means only during this transition year. Sarah Holman will be

Auditions Chair for the one-time student auditions process.

An unbelievable amount of information about the voice

and singing are now available through NATS:

Vocapedia - Amazing vocal information vetted by the

NATS Voice Science Advisory Committee

http://www.vocapedia.info/

Journal of Singing - All the NATS Journal articles are easily

accessible here.

http://www.nats.org/cgi/page.cgi/about_journal_singing.html

NATS Live Learning Center -Access to all 64 events from the

53rd NATS Conference in Boston:

http://nats.sclivelearningcenter.com/index.aspx?PID=10713

NATS Conference attendees may view all for free until

December, 2014

-All 64 events and sessions $395

-One event or session $25

Member Activities

o DaRell Haynes (student of Robert Heitzinger) stepped in

at the last minute to replace Steven Lancaster who was ill,

and competed in the semi-finals of the NATSAA Competition.

DaRell was awarded $750.

o Sarah Holman and Donald Simonson are on the NATS

Foundation Board. Carol Chapman is our Region liason to

the NATS Foundation.

o 2 members were awarded the 2014 Independent Teacher

Fellowship Winners Chadley Ballantyne and Davin

Youngs

o Steven Lancaster, student of Judith Haddon, won the

Regional NATSAA (Artist Award) and will go on to compete at

the national level this summer at the National Conference in

Boston. He was the Regional winner in 2012 also.

o Emily Sinclair was selected to be an intern this summer

as part of the NATS Internship Program at Ohio State

University.

o Julia Davids and Karen Brunssen will present at the

NATS National Conference in Boston. Title of the

presentation is: “A Lifetime of Singing: Choral/Vocal

Techniques and Expectations for Heatlhy Singing at Every

Age”, on Tuesday, July 8, at 9:00am.

o NATSAA Adjudicators for the Central Region at

included Sarah Holman, Carol Chapman, Jeffrey Carter,

Karen Brunssen, Britney Rice and Kourtney Strade

o W. Stephen Smith was the featured Clinician and

Adjudicator for Nebraska Chapter NATS

o Karen Brunssen will be a reader of the AATS (American

Academy of Teachers of Singing) of their paper at this

summer’s national convention.

o Karen Brunssen’s videoed presentation on “Singing After

45” was presented at the Mid-Alantic NATS Regional

Conference.

o Kathleen van de Graaff, will be directing the 8th Vocal

Arts Academy for High School Students held at Lake Forest

College on June 22-27, 2014. She has added a 2nd camp for

high schools the following week for musical theater singers. (

June 30-July 2.) Melissa Foster, David Hoffman and Neal

Woodruff will be some of the specialists teaching at that

camp.

o 340 students and 75 teachers participated in the 2013

NATS Central Region Conference and Student Auditions at

Augustana College in Rock Island, IL November 15 - 15,

2013.

o Jane Bunnell, Mark Crayton, and Karen

Brunssen were adjudicators for the final rounds of the MTNA

Senior Competitions and the MTNA Young Artist Competition

held in Chicago March 23 and 24, 2013.

o Stephen Smith did a discussion of his book, “The Naked

Singer” and a master class for Chicago Chapter of Student

NATS (CCSNATS).

o Watch for two articles by Julia Graddy in your upcoming

Journal of Voice starting ths fall; o Article #1: Robert

Lombardo’s Songs To Kandinsky: A Performer’s

Analysis o Article #2: Selected Twenty-First Century Solo

Vocal Works That Tribute Visual Artists

Elly Ameling Master Class

Elly Ameling will be presenting a master class at Wheaton

College onSaturday, September 27th from 1:30 - 4:30 pm.

The student ticket for the whole day is only $5!

Purchasing tickets over the phone will waive the $4 online

service fee.

Click here for more information.

CCNATS Member Announcements

Kevin Wood performs his show, "Sentimental Journeys: A

Cabaret Travelogue," with music director, Beckie Menzie

on Thursday, October 23 at 8:00 pm at the Skokie Theater,

7924 N. Lincoln. Reservations

atwww.skokietheater.com or 847 677-7761.

Gaye Klopack's student, Louis Santiago, tenor, was one of

the national finalists in the Classical Singer Magazine

Contest in San Antonio TX. He also was a finalist in

the Schmidt Youth Vocal Contest held at RU in Chicago in

June. He'll be at North Park University this Fall.

Davin Youngs will conduct a workshop on Saturday,

September 27th from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm at 410 S. Michigan,

Studio 540. Please clickhere for more information.

Allison Rozsa Evans would like to announce that she is

joining the team of music instructors at the newly

expanding Jerry Evans School of Music in Wheaton, IL.

Formerly only offering lessons in guitar and drums, the JESM

is growing and now offers voice, violin, piano, drums and

guitar and will be adding additional instruments soon!

The Jerry Evans School of Music is dedicated to providing

high quality and fun music lessons to students of all levels.

Instructors all have a bachelors or masters degree in the field

of music from high level institutions, and are committed to

teaching students’ core fundamentals and technique in an

enjoyable and fun environment where they also learn any

style they enjoy! Whether it's classical, musical theatre,

blues, rock, pop, country, jazz, or anything else imaginable,

students will receive a quality and versatile education that

exceeds expectations! At the JESM students participate in

high quality student concerts, rock band classes, workshops

and performance opportunities outside of school. The Jerry

Evans School of Music is an educational institution that seeks

to be a symbol of excellence in the community. Students are

taught in a linear direction to fit their learning style and goals

while receiving encouragement and developing confidence.

Jerry Evans School of Music

630.359.7725

www.JESchoolofMusic.com

Member Profiles

CCNATS added a new and interesting portion to this year's

newsletter. The Chapter will hand-select members and ask

them questions about their background, teaching,

likes/dislikes. This will help members to connect and learn

about one another! This newsletter will include profile

question and answers from some of our newest board

members.

For this newsletter, some of the newest board members

were interviewed. Below are their answers to the following

questions:

1. What made you become interested in pursuing a music

career?

2. Where did you receive your training and how has it

affected your singing and teaching?

3. What do you consider to be one of the most important

foundational concepts in healthy singing?

4. What do you love most about teaching?

5. Who is your favorite composer and why?

-Paul Grizell-

#1 - I was called! In the 1st grade I was placed in the

elementary school Christmas Choir and I have been singing

ever since. Through high school it was the lead in All City

Musicals, at university it was studying and performing solos in

opera and classical music. Music was the main thread

throughout my developmental years.

#2 - My undergraduate study was at Northern Illinois Univ.

where I learned the basics of music. Also, I was taught that I

needed to study for the rest of my life so I spent time through

my 20's on private studies of voice and joined the Chicago

Symphony Chorus, all the while obtaining knowledge of my

art form from international conductors and fellow singers. It

brought some authority to my teaching as I could relay how

Kiri Te Kanawa breathed before she sang her high note, how

James Levine got the most from Pavarotti, and how a

recording is made by piecing the takes together to make a

perfect performance. Then there were master-classes from

Elly Ameling that taught the importance of language and

Mignon Dunn that demonstrated a new and different way I

could explain to a student how they can sing a vocal line.

Northwestern University was where I went for graduate

school to continue my ongoing quest. Reading many authors

on Bel Canto Technique, refining my knowledge of pedagogy

and exploring new repertoire to sing. I subsequently rendered

operatic performances of Strauss’s Elektra in New York and

performed in the world premiere of Anthony

Davis’ Amistad with Lyric Opera of Chicago as well as a

production of Schoenberg’s Moses und Aron in Germany. All

the while exposing my students to the best instruction I could

provide.

#3 - Of the various parts of singing Breath is the foundation

that most singers can quickly relate. The basics of the

appoggio technique provides my students a way forward to

teaching vocal freedom and resonance.

#4 - It is marvelous when a student acquires a new concept

and can repeat it over and over. That keeps me teaching. It is

always nice if and when they get an important gig but it is

watching them grow as an artist that really "rings my bell".

#5 - I enjoy so many composers it is difficult to give my

allegiance to only one. I love when I sang Mahler because he

tested my singing technique while delivering the true meaning

to the text. Scarlatti is to me the most interesting for

beginning students. His songs teach a student flexibility and

line. Kern and Sondheim are my favorite music theatre

composers because their harmony and melodic structure are

so exciting. And Sondheim's words are AMAZING!

-Keven Keys-

#1 - After I finished my bachelor's in physics and got a job, I

found that all my spare time was spent singing. Eventually I

decided it was better to do something I actually enjoyed for

my career rather than as just a sideline.

#2 - I have a Masters and DM in voice, both from

Northwestern with Karen Brunssen as my teacher.

#3 - Posture. So many of us slouch, which adds tension to

the neck and shoulders, prevents a deep breath and makes

any kind of physical support impossible. Without good

posture, proper breath control, and therefore voice control,

becomes effortful and uncomfortable, when it should be free

and easy.

.

#4 - I love seeing the "AHA!" moment on my student's faces

when a new concept finally makes sense. The first moment

of head voice, the first time the tongue is flexible and not

rigid, the first relaxing deep breath.

#5 - My favorite is probably Gustav Mahler. I lived in

Germany for a few months as an undergrad and grew to

appreciate the sounds of german that Rueckert uses so

well. Mahler's setting of his texts is so emotional and

intuitive, I often get goose bumps while listening.

-Gaye Klopack-

#1 - Originally, in college I was supposed to follow through

with an art ed degree but I switched to music at the last

moment. My college education was interrupted by marriage

and several children so it took me a long time just to get the

B.A. When I finally graduated I had a B.A. in music ed and

almost enough hours to give me an art ed and dance ed

degree as well. When I went back for my M.A. I studied vocal

pedagogy and I think that's where my heart lies.

#2 - I received my training from Dr. Combs at Northeastern

Illinois University. I enjoyed his vocal ped class so much that I

went back and audited the class again the following year. He

always had something new to teach his students and I still

bring some of my private students to him when I need special

insight. I also studied with Dr. Bruce Cain and Dr. Karen

Wicklund. I really think my love of voice science and

acoustics comes from their teaching. I have also always had

an interest in jazz and began seriously studying vocal jazz

with Janet Borla while I continued to study classical voice. I

think I've really found my niche in jazz singing after working

with Tammy McCann. She relates to my classical background

since she has also studied classical voice.

#3 - After studying anatomy through art and dance as well as

vocal physiology, I have to say that postural alignment and

relaxation are the foundation of any physical activity. If the

body doesn't "hang together" well, any physical activity

becomes inhibited. If everything is in the right place, then the

singer can concentrate on delivering the emotional content of

the music. I really like Body Mapping, yoga and Feldenkreis

systems for achieving natural alignment of the body.

#4 - I love the "aha" moments more than anything else. When

a student "gets it" and is able to achieve something that they

haven't been able to do before it is so satisfying. Empowering

my students is what I enjoy about teaching most of all.

#5 - That's a hard one. I love Baroque vocal music because

of the improvisatory elements. Perhaps this is what also

attracts me to jazz. I also like American and English 20th

century composers, Finzi, Ireland, Butterworth, Bolcom,

Rorem. I think I like simple, striking melodies and that's what

attracts me to them. I love art song more than anyt other form

and though I love German lieder and French Chanson, I

enjoy the musical settings of poems in English.

-Denise Knowlton-

#1 - When I was in High School, the Chamber Singers from

the Univclass and sing for us. We would also go every fall for

a weekend retreat with them and learn music. It was then that

I was inspired by Carolyn Mawby to be in her choirs at UM-

Flint. I don't think I ever intended to do anything else.

#2 - I got my MM at Bowling Green State University in Ohio,

a Professional Studies Diploma from the Cleveland Institute

of Music and a DMA from the University of Missouri in

Kansas City. I was very luck to have the opportunity to sit in

on the lessons of my fellow singers at CIM. Our teacher had

an open door policy and I went to many other lessons than

my own. I learned from George Vassos about the difference

between a good sound and a great sound. From Dr.

DeLaunay at UMKC I learned that you're never finished

watching yourself in the mirror! And from Virginia Starr at

BGSU I learned about energy and forward motion in your

body and how you have to sing with your body, not just from

the neck up.

#3 - The most important concept in healthy singing- that I

think all singers struggle with no matter how far along they

are in their studies- is to be actively involved in the action of

being relaxed. Good luck with that one!

#4 - I love it when my singers do something that they've

never done before, and then they do it again!

#5 - I like Verdi. He just gets me, ya know?

-Paul Thompson-

#1 - I was lucky to be born in Nashville--Music City USA--and

to be raised by parents, each of whom had taught music at

the college level. And my mother, Fay Jennings Thompson,

was not only my first voice and piano teacher, but she and

her parents were a gospel singing group, and my grandfather

taught in singing schools in the rural south for decades before

I was born. So that was my environment as a child--music

was everywhere. It was our family profession.

I have pursued a number of fields as an adult--theater, retail

stores and nonprofit management among them. But music

was always on the table, always a part of me. It was so

natural, that I really didn't realize I was a first and foremost a

musician until fairly recently. I had never NOT been a

musician! Performing, teaching, composing, conducting--it's

really just like breathing for me.

#2 - We had children's choirs at church and at school, from

the earliest grades. I started formal piano lessons with my

mother in the third grade, and I started violin at school in the

fourth grade. Soon I was studying with Samuel Terranova,

the concertmaster of the Nashville Symphony, and worked

with my mother's help as a boy soprano in Nashville through

the eighth grade. And I was in all sorts of musical activities

during my high school years.

Gradually, violin gave way to voice as my primary instrument,

and piano as my secondary. I hold a BFA in musical theater

from Baylor University in Waco, TX, and an MM in musical

theater from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL. I

studied acting and dance, in addition to most of the same

courses that voice majors traditionally take.

Because of growing up in a multi-style musical family and

city, and studying different musical styles all through school,

college and graduate school, that's why I emphasize musical

theater voice in my studio today. The human voice can do all

sorts of things, and my job is to help students find all those

things, use their voices healthily and appropriately, and to

continuously improve. And of course, in musical theater,

character and audition technique are so important!

#3 - I teach in three broad strokes--technique, style and

performance. And a solid technique is of course the basis of

healthy singing. Each of the components of the singing

gesture must play its role well--aspiration, phonation,

resonation and articulation. And yes, it all starts with the

breath--deep, supported and maximized. But the critical

aspect--the one I spend the most time on--is finding and

facilitating the registers--chest, mix and head. All singers in

the musical theater have got to master their registers, and

learn which ones are appropriate in which styles, pitches,

timbres, contexts and the like. To me, then, the most

important foundational concept in singing is the appropriate

and tension-free utilization of the registers of the human

voice, created through phonation and resonation. When

students understand and can put into practice this ability,

they are on their way!

#4 - Seeing students succeed! Just the other day, a young

student performed a particular song in character, from start to

finish, by memory, for the first time. She was so proud! And

the very next student, older but less experienced, was still

looking at the sheet music, but he sang his whole song all the

way through without stopping, and without strain in the higher

phrases. He was thrilled!

#5 - Such a hard question! In the classical world, I do love

Handel, Beethoven, Mozart and Verdi pretty much equally.

I've sung their music for hours upon hours and never ceased

to marvel at their talents. But in musical theater, it all comes

back to Richard Rodgers, doesn't it? He isn't called "The

Master" for nothing. And I love demonstrating why he is also

called "The King of the Unexpected Note!" His works were so

enormously popular during the 1950s. Now that he isn't quite

as ubiquitous, it's nice to be able to introduce his melodies,

his style and his marriage of music and text to students who

don't come to his canon as inevitably as I did. Is "Do Re Mi"

reasonably immortal? I think it is. But so are dozens and

dozens of his songs, with lyrics by Hart, Hammerstein and

others. Whether it's the populist religion behind songs like

"You'll Never Walk Alone," or the Americana that shoots

through "Manhattan" and "Kansas City," or the world travels

implicit in "In My Own Little Corner" and "Bali Ha'i," well, he

dazzles, transports, teaches and entertains. Do I have to

stop? Because I could go on!!

Chicago Chapter of Student NATS (CCSNATS) Announcements

The Student Chapter has some new and exciting changes

this upcoming year! Below is some important information

regarding the 2014-2015 season:

-Annie Picard, co-advisor and mentor, and Sean

Stanton, Student Chapter President have retired. Both did a

fantastic job of organizing and maintaining the group.

-The Student Chapter has some new advisors! Chicago

NATS membersAllison Rozsa Evans, Klaus Georg,

and Rebecca Schorsch have graciously agreed to lead the

organization. I spoke with all of them and believe they will do

a fantastic job with continuing the group!

-Pre-scheduled events for the 2014-2015 season:

September 26: Recording session at Piano Forte

October 4: Michael Ehrman Master Class

October 26: Annie Picard Master Class

October 10, November 14: Singer Forums

-If you have any junior or senior undergraduate or graduate

students who might want to add some arts management

experience to their resume, the Student Chapter is still

recruiting officers for all for

positions. Emailkgeorg@gmail.com if you’re interested.

Please involve your students in the Student Chapter! It’s a

great opportunity for your students to perform and grow as a

musician! Click here for the membership registration. You

may also visitwww.chicagostudentnats.org for event

information.

Best,

Erin Matonte

CCNATS Director of Communications

Donations

CCNATS receives its funding primarily through member fees

($20 per person, per year), and is run completely by unpaid

volunteers. Please consider making a general donation to

help offset the costs of workshops, competitions, or

professional development events. If you are interested in

sponsoring a specific event, please contact David Hoffman.

Thank you in advance for your support!

Copyright © 2015 Chicago Chapter

NATS, All rights reserved.

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