Published: November 28, 2008 09:48 am      

Music students attend national competition

Three freshmen students from Hill College were selected to attend the National Association of Teachers of Singing Annual Competition by their teacher Joanie Brittingham, a member of NATS and instructor of music in voice at Hill College.

Brittingham took Hill College’s Adrian Bumgarner of Springtown, Victor Toruno of Alvarado and Maegan McCarthy of Venus, along with accompanist and Hill College Choir Director, Shirley Erickson, to Oklahoma City, Okla., to perform in the competition for the first time.

“I selected the students based on skill and voice range,” said Brittingham.

Each student sang an assortment of three songs that included a selection in English, a selection in another language and an aria from an opera or an oratorio.

“I was definitely nervous, but the experience was great, and I’m so glad I did it,” said Bumgarner, who, in addition to singing, plays four instruments and would like to pursue a career in music business.

“It was good for them to sing in front of other people and get feedback from someone other than their teacher,” Brittingham said.

The students agree the competition was a learning experience.

“I was able to hear a lot of other singers, and it inspired me to work hard and get better,” said Victor Toruno, who also plays three instruments and hopes to compose music in the future.

“It was cool to be in an environment with many singers,” said McCarthy, who sings and is learning to play the piano.

Brittingham used the competition as a final grade to substitute the student’s semester juries, where they must perform in front of professors.

“Out of 651 singers, in a group that includes graduate students, I was very impressed by our freshmen,” said accompanist Erickson. “Each one of them rose to the occasion and handled themselves professionally.”

Although none of the students progressed to the semifinal round, they all received good comments on their performances, and Bumgarner missed the next level by only three points. All three students look forward to attending the competition again.