Centenary music students win awards at regional conference
SHREVEPORT, LA — Seven students from Centenary’s Hurley School of Music attended the National Association of Teachers of Singing Southern Region Conference and Student Auditions at Mississippi College earlier this month. They were joined by Dr. Briana Sosenheimer, assistant professor of music, and Ken Chan, lecturer in music and staff accompanist at the Hurley School.
The Centenary singers performed and competed successfully with more than 300 students from Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi in classical, spiritual, and musical theater categories. Both Sosenheimer and Chan were also selected to perform in the Charles Loyd Jr. Memorial Member Recital during the conference.
The students had the opportunity to perform and receive comments from a panel of adjudicators from the region. They attended performances by professionals and students from colleges and universities across the state, and several masterclasses and workshops were offered by NATS members, singers, and teachers.
Participating students were Katie Allen (Bossier City, LA), Ania Baldwin (Bossier City), Nina Guerrero (Dallas, Texas), Brooklyn Howard (Bossier City), Destry Martignetti (Bossier City), Mia Moreno (Sulphur, LA), and Jessica Spears (Mount Hermon, LA). Allen, Baldwin, Guerrero, and Spears were named semifinalists following their auditions. Allen and Guerrero advanced as national qualifiers and Guerrero won third place in the American spiritual category. In addition to these honors, Guerrero and Howard were selected to participate in a masterclass with the guest clinicians at the conference.
“The NATS Southern Region Conference and Auditions provides rare educational opportunities offered in a single conference with participants from several states,” said Sosenheimer. “This is a great opportunity to network with peers, professors at graduate schools, and future job opportunities. This year, our singers performed and competed successfully with 300+ students from Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi in classical, spiritual, and musical theater categories. Their success speaks to their talent, hard work, and dedication!”