Great Success For Stetson Voice Students At Regional Competition
Voice students from Stetson University made a strong showing at the 2022 SERNATS competition, (Southeastern Region-National Association of Teachers of Singing), held March 10-12 at Florida State University. This regional competition includes high-school, collegiate, and adult singers from Florida, Georgia, and Alabama.
With 23 Stetson students entering the Classical categories, 20 were passed through to the semifinal rounds, and 12 were named finalists. This large number of Stetson finalists represented an impressive percentage of the total 38 total finalists in the Classical categories. (Breakdown below of place rankings.)
In addition, two musical theater entrants placed in their respective categories. Alyson Culbertson (studio of Dr. Chadley Ballantyne) placed 3rd in Senior Treble, and Kyle Bjorge (studio of Prof. Jane Christeson), placed 3rd in Sophomore Tenor/Bass/Baritone.
The Hall Johnson Spirituals Competition is held every two years as part of the NATS National Conference. From the sponsor: “The purpose of this competition is to restore authenticity to the performance of the classically-arranged Spiritual, one of America’s unique contributions to world culture.” Stetson boasted the 2nd-place winner in this category: Tyshaun Knight, student of Dr. Chadley Ballantyne.
Some impressive stats from the Classical categories:
• Over half of all Stetson entrants became finalists
• 1 to 3 Stetson representatives in ALL Classical categories
• Out of 12 finalists: 4 first-place wins, 4 second-place wins, and 4 third-place wins
Congratulations to all who participated! Winners below:
CL 5A- Freshman Treble
2nd place, Rachel Castillo (Studio of Dr. Karen Coker Merritt)
CL 6A-Freshman Tenor/Bass/Baritone
1st place, Nicholas Dieux (Studio of Dr. Craig Maddox)
CL 5B- Sophomore Treble
1st place, Nidia Guevara-Nolasco (Studio of Prof. Jane Christeson)
CL 6B- Sophomore Tenor/Bass/Baritone
3rd place, Kyle Bjorge (Studio of Prof. Jane Christeson)
Honorable Mention- Peter Lorenzo (Studio of Dr. Craig Maddox)
CL 7A- Junior Treble
1st place, Kaylan Hernandez (Studio of Dr. Karen Coker Merritt)
2nd place, Roxana Triana (Studio of Dr. Karen Coker Merritt)
Honorable Mention – Christianne Wilson (Studio of Dr. Craig Maddox)
CL 8A- Junior Tenor/Bass/Baritone
1st place, Justice Yates (Studio of Prof. Jane Christeson)
CL 7B- Senior Treble
2nd place, Kira St. Pierre (Studio of Dr. Chadley Ballantyne)
Honorable Mention – Annabrett Ruggiero (Studio of Dr. Craig Maddox)
CL 8B-Senior Tenor/Bass/Baritone
3rd place, Wesley Krist (Studio of Dr. Chadley Ballantyne)
Semifinalists (from all categories)
Maria Almonte
Naika Belizaire
Alyson Culbertson
Annalycia Franklin
Grace Lauther
Annabrett Ruggiero
Daniela Sosa
Emily Szubielski
Jodi Ann Taylor