Two Shorter University students named “overall winners” in statewide vocal competition; 22 additional awards also earned by students

February 29, 2012 - Shorter University students recently participated in the annual auditions of the Georgia Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS). This year, the competition was held at Clayton State University in Morrow, Ga., Feb. 17-18.
 
Shorter students won 24 awards in 18 different categories. In addition to these awards, two Shorter students were named “overall winners” in their respective divisions: Trey Smagur in senior classical men, and Maggie Salley in lower level musical theatre women. They were both invited to perform during a prestigious honors recital in Spivey Hall. Smagur is a student of Dr. Chuck Chandler, and Salley is a student of Dr. Matthew Hoch.
 
Shorter students who were first-place winners in the classical categories included Trey Smagur, Tareva Moore, Sarah Blake Hicks, Rebecca White, Amanda Church, Dallas Caulkins, McKinley Starks, Wesley Henson, and Judson Whitfield. Second-place finishers included Anne Marie Kelly, Lisa Belk, and Sarah Justus. Third-place winners included Mary Diesch, Cody Bowers, Matthew Queen, and Garrett Baker.
 
In the musical theatre categories, Shorter students added another eight awards in four additional categories. First-place winners in the musical theatre categories included Sarah Brackett, Sarah Justus, and Rebecca White. Second-place recipients included Maggie Salley and Maranda Rossi, and third-place winners included Sarah Blake Hicks, Koby Parker, and Lila Dalton.
 
Sarah Brackett, Sarah Justus, Maranda Rossi, Lila Dalton, McKinley Starks, and Maggie Salley are from the studio of Dr. Hoch. Trey Smagur, Mary Diesch, Tareva Moore, Cody Bowers, Matthew Queen, and Koby Parker are from the studio of Dr. Chandler. Amanda Church, Judson Whitfield, Garrett Baker, and Rebecca White are from the studio of Dr. Rebecca Salter. Lisa Belk, Dallas Caulkins, and Wesley Henson are from the studio of Dr. Sherri Weiler. Sarah Blake Hicks and Anne Marie Kelly are from the studio of Dr. Deborah Popham.
 
Dr. Hoch served as registrar for the auditions, and the other members of Shorter’s voice faculty—Dr. Chandler, Dr. Weiler, Dr. Salter, Dr. Popham, and Mrs. Rianne Chandler—also worked as judges for the event. The pianistic skills of vocal coach Ben Harris and staff accompanists Gina Hicks, Wanda Hillman, and Daniel Ng also contributed significantly to the weekend’s success.
 
The National Association of Teachers of Singing, Inc. (NATS) was founded in 1944 and is now the largest association of teachers of singing in the world. Today NATS boasts more than 6,500 members in the United States, Canada, and more than 25 other countries. The purpose of the organization is to encourage the highest standards of the vocal art and of ethical principles in the teaching of singing; and to promote vocal education and research at all levels, both for the enrichment of the general public and for the professional advancement of the talented.

Overall Winners: Dr. Matthew Hoch, Maggie Salley, Trey Smagur, Dr. Chuck Chandler

Winners from Chandler Studio: Tareva Moore, Cody Bowers, Matthew Queen, Dr. Chuck Chandler, Trey Smagur, Koby Parker, Mary Diesch

Winners from Hoch Studio :Sarah Justus, McKinley Starks, Sarah Brackett, Dr. Matthew Hoch, Maranda Rossi, Maggie Salley, Lila Dalton

Winners from Popham Studio: Sarah Blake Hicks, Dr. Deborah Popham, Ann Marie Kelly

Winners from Salter Studio: Garrett Baker, Rebecca White, Dr. Rebecca Salter, Amanda Church, Judson Whitfield

Winners from Weiler Studio: Wesley Henson, Dr. Sherri Weiler, Dallas Caulkins, Lisa Belk

 
Founded in 1873, Shorter University is a Christian university committed to excellence in education. The Princeton Review annually includes Shorter on its lists of best value and best Southeastern colleges. The university offers traditional bachelor’s degrees in 48 major areas as well as undergraduate degree programs for working adults, the Master of Business Administration, the Master of Education and the Master of Arts in Leadership. General education and calculus courses are offered in an online format, and Shorter recently launched online programs that lead toward the Associate of Science, the Bachelor of Business Administration, and the Master of Accountancy degrees. For more information, visit www.shorter.edu.


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