Kliewer earns top place at NATS

Written by Hillsboro Free Press Tuesday, 13 November 2012 15:45

Nine Tabor vocalists competed at the National Associa­tion of Teachers of Singing student auditions Nov. 1-3 at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.

Olivia Kliewer, a freshman, won the freshmen women classical division; she was accompanied by fellow student Cora Ruhl. By winning her division, Kliewer joined Aaron Stepanek and David Vogel as the third first-place winner for Tabor in the past five years. All three are Hillsboro High School alums.

Jessica Coldwell, a senior, advanced to the semifinal round in her division.

Also competing for Tabor were seniors Becca Friesen and Kelsey Unruh; junior Robert Howell; sophomores Sara Sagner and Andrea Acker and freshmen Nick Ediger and Alex Schmidt.

Each vocalists was accompanied by students rather than hired accompanists or a piano professor, a rarity among most schools. Joining Ruhl as accompanists were Megan Wiebe, Krista Neifert, Jared Janzen and Zach Neumann.

All students except Kliewer study under Holly Swartzen­druber; Kliewer is a student of Brad Vogel. They competed against more than 400 students from Kansas, Nebraska, Colo­rado and Wyoming.