Dear Texoma NATS Colleagues,
Registration for the 2017 Texoma NATS Conference and Auditions is now open. I am very excited about the updates to the Auditionware Website run by Brad Mills, and I think you will find it easier to manage and more streamlined. The registration process will close on October 10, 2017 at 6 pm.
The conference dates are November 8-11, 2017 at Texas A&M University-Commerce.
Instructions for registration
- Login at www.nats.org
- Go to “Member Home”
- Scroll down your “Member Home” page about halfway.
- Click on the green button, NATS Auditions Registration,
- This will take you to the auditionware.com website
- Click on the button, Register for Auditions
- Select the Fall 2017 Texoma Competition
- Follow the steps as directed by the program. Note: If your school name does not appear in the drop down menu, then please add it to the list. If you are with a private or independent studio then please list the studio with your last name followed by “private” or “independent” studio, for example “Brou Private Studio” – please then be sure that this is the exact wording/spelling that you use when you list your affiliations later on in the registration process.
- Add in any meals or concert tickets you wish to purchase
- When you are finished registering all of your students, you need to complete your registration by paying your fees. A button at the end of the process called, Go to Payment Page, will send you back to www.nats.org where you will submit your payment and print your receipt.
Registration for the conference if you are not bringing students
You will follow the steps listed above for registration, except that rather than entering students, you will go to “complete registration” where you will be asked about lunch vouchers, concert tickets and complete the payment process.
Private/Independent Studio Teachers
The Texoma NATS Board of Control approved a new rule for any teachers interested in bringing only high school students to the auditions in November. Per the new rule, Texoma NATS will allow teachers only entering high school students the option of attending the Saturday events of the Conference at a reduced registration fee of $20. You are welcome to attend the entire conference for the regular registration fee of $50.
National Student Audition Guidelines
It is highly recommended that you review all of the Texoma guidelines for auditions at www.texomanats.org before you begin the registration process. A large amount of information specific to our region is given on that page. To access it, go the Texoma home page, then click on the “Student Auditions” tab and scroll down the page where you will find several sections of information including Texoma Student Auditions General Information and Registration Instructions for Texoma Student Auditions.
As you are planning repertoire, please be sure to check the following resource regarding repertoire/category selection.
The most helpful pages will be page 4, which defines a lot of the terminology, and page 6, which gives the parameters of the categories. We use the “A/B” (i.e. 7a/7b) split categories for everything except categories 13 and 14, which you will find on page 2. You’ll find Adult on page 8.
A listing of the complete regulations for the competition is available at:
Hall Johnson
The Texoma Region will hold a regional round of the NATS Hall Johnson Spiritual Competition on Wednesday, November 8. Teachers, you will be able to register singers for this competition through you conference registration, and a singer in this category will not count against your 6 entries. The registration fee will be the same as with other categories: $20 per entry. A staff pianist will be available, free of charge, to the auditionees. Teachers with students who will be using the staff pianist for the Hall Johnson Competition should select Hall Johnson Staff Pianist for the student off of the list of the pianists.
Teachers can enter an unlimited amount of students for the Hall Johnson competition to be held on Wednesday, November 8. These students will not count against their limit of 6 students in the College and Advanced categories.
For more information on the Hall Johnson Competition, visit here: Hall Johnson Spirituals Competition.
Lunches
This year, rather than boxed lunches, TAMUC is offering the option of “All You Care to Eat” meal vouchers for The Lion’s Mane Café. The café is conveniently located on the first floor of the Sam Rayburn Student Center, which will also be hosting several of the audition rooms as well as the hospitality suite. The cost of the vouchers is $9 and among the offerings includes:
- Fresh fruit and salads
- Delicious, hot, home-style entrées
- Freshly baked pizza
- Deli choices served on freshly baked breads
- Freshly baked desserts
- Homemade soups
For questions regarding Hall Johnson Spirituals Competition
Paula Corbin Swalin (pcswalin@unm.edu) — Rio Grande District Governor
For questions regarding Summer Program Auditions
Kelly Holst (kellymargaretholst@gmail.com) — Oklahoma District Governor
For questions regarding the Conference Artist Series
Jeff Snider (snide76201@gmail.com) — North Texas District Governor
For questions regarding NATSAA
Randy Umstead (Randy_Umstead@baylor.edu) — Texoma Region Governor
For questions regarding the website
San-ky Kim (s.kim4@tcu.edu) — Webmaster
For questions regarding Registration
Greg Brookes (gregory.brookes@ttu.edu) — Treasurer/Registrar
For questions regarding Repertoire/Student Auditions
Melinda Brou (Melinda.Brou@tamuk.edu) — Student Auditions Chair
For questions regarding our conference venue
Jennifer Glidden (Jennifer.Glidden@tamuc.edu) – Site coordinator
It is an honor to serve as your Auditions Chair and I look forward to working with each of you over the coming months.
Best,
Melinda Brou, DMA
Texoma NATS Auditions Chair
Associate Professor of Voice and Opera
Texas A&M University-Kingsville
361-593-2824