Vogel leads strong Tabor contingent at NATS contest

NATS-2009-Semifinalists.jpg
NATS-2009-Semifinalists.jpg

Tabor College vocalists and accompanists who advanced to the semifinals of the recent NATS competition are: (from left) Darren Enns, Maria Loewen, Aaron Stepanek, Emily Olson, Kayla Vix, Hanna Bishop, Naomi Toews and David Vogel.

Tabor College student David Vogel sang his way to first place in the Sophomore Men Classical Performance category at the National Association of Teachers of Singing West Region Student Auditions contest Friday and Saturday at Kansas State University in Manhattan.

Darren Enns, accompanied by Maria Loewen, was the second-highest ranking Tabor vocalist, advancing all the way to the finals and placing fifth in Junior Men Classical Perfor?mance.

Both students are Hillsboro High School alums.

Three other Tabor vocalists (and accompanists) qualified for semifinal rounds: Hanna Bishop (Naomi Toews) in Sophomore Women Classical Performance and Music Theater Perfor?mance; HHS alum Aaron Stepanek (Maria Loewen) in Sophomore Men Classical performance; and Kayla Vix (Emily Olson) in Senior Women Music Theater Performance.

More than 300 singers from 25 colleges, universities and private voice studios from Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas competed in the event, including 16 singers and accompanists from Tabor.

Prior to reaching finals, singers performed three songs for a panel of three judges. The top singers advanced to a semifinal round, where they sang one song for a different panel of judges.

Five singers from the semifinal round advanced to the finals, where they sang one selection for a panel of three judges.

Vogel, accompanied by Naomi Toews, performed Verdi?s aria, ?La donne e? mobile,? in the final round.

David Vogel is the student and son of Brad Vogel, professor of choral music, and the third Tabor College student to win his division in the past seven years.

David Vogel placed second in the Freshman Classical Performance category last year.

?It is always a pleasure to see your students succeed,? Brad Vogel said, ?and as a teacher you feel very responsible for them, even though the work is theirs.?

The female semifinalists, Bishop and Vix, are students of Holly Swartzendruber, adjunct professor of voice; the male semi-finalist performers are students of Brad Vogel.

Additional Tabor singers (and accompanists) competing at the event were the following: in the Freshmen Women division, Lauren Just (Benjamin Heyen), Kady Albrecht (Sally Epp) and Mary Bishop (Epp); in the Sophomore Women division, Clarissa Berglund (Heyen); and in the Senior Women division: Emily Olson (Janae Rempel).

?By and large, the students who compete at NATS are vocal performance majors and focus primarily and nearly solely on this aspect of their lives,? Brad Vogel said.

?In contrast, all of our singers just completed ?Children of Eden? three weeks ago, and only two of our semifinalists (Enns and Stepanek) are music majors. David and Kayla are English majors, and Hanna is undecided.

?Needless to say, we are extremely pleased and proud of all of these students,? he added.

More from Hillsboro Free Press
College News 6-6-2018
◼ Two Marion County students were among the more than 5,000 candidates...
Read More