National Association of Teachers of Singing

Central Region Governor’s Report

Spring 2017, Executive Summary

Central Region Board of Directors

Carol Chapman, Central Region Governor

Christopher Goeke, Treasurer

Chris Thompson, Auditions Chair

Chadley Ballantyne, Conference Chair

Karen Brunssen, Past Region Governor, NATS President Elect

Donald Simonson, Advisor, Past NATS President

Neal Woodruff, Illinois District Governor

Pamela Ellsworth-Smith, Missouri District Governor

Jonathon Struve, Iowa District Governor

Mark Crayton, Membership Liaison

Sarah Holman, Past Auditions Chair, Past Region Governor and Treasurer

Anne Petrie, Past Region Governor

Mitra Sadeghpour, SNATS Liaison

Dana Brown, Collaborative Pianists Liaison

Tom Hueber, NATS Foundation Liaison

Chapter Presidents:

MaryAnn McSweeney- Buhr, President, Lewis and Clark Chapter

Britney Rice, President, Kansas City Chapter

Kathryn Saulsbury, President, Iowa Chapter

Tracey Ford, President, Chicago Chapter

Stella Markou, President, St. Louis Chapter

Paula Patterson, President, Ozark Chapter

Leadership Meeting: October 28, 2016, 5:00 pm (evening before conference/auditions)

2 hour meeting, first half included all on the conference and student auditions committees. The

2nd half was for chapter presidents and district governors. Karen Brunssen and Linda Snyder also

attended. Chapter ideas were shared among chapter Presidents and District Governors with input

from me and NATS President Linda Snyder and President-Elect, Karen Brunssen.

Region members Meeting: October 30, 2016 (Sunday morning breakfast meeting, NATS

President Linda Snyder remarks, Carol Chapman remarks and discussion)

Mini-Meeting and Munchies for all Central Region members at the national conference, July 10,

2016, 6:15-7:15 (Introduced as new Region Governor by Karen Brunssen)

SNATS Region Meeting: October 28, 2016, led by SNATS Liaison, Mitra Sadeghpour

2017 Central Region NATS Conference and Student Auditions will be held October 28 and

29, 2017 University of Northern Illinois

Site Host-Orna Arania

Student Auditions Chair, Chris Thompson

Student Auditions Assistant, Ann Marie Daehn

Communication Coordinator, Amanda Taylor

Conference Chair, Chadley Ballantyne

Conference Chair Assistant, Ingrid Kammin

Conference Consultant, Mark Crayton

Topical Breakfast Chair, Jonathon Struve

Student Poster Session Chair, Mitra Sadeghpour

Presentation Review Committee Chair, Chad Ballantyne

Presentation Review Committee members, Yvonne Redmon, Jeffrey Carter, Mitra Sadeghpour,

Carol Chapman

Registration Coordinator, Jeffrey Carter

NATSAA-October 27 and 28, 2017 Central Region competition, University of Northern

Illinois

NATSAA-Region level for the Central Region will be held before and during Conference and

Student Auditions, Friday night October 27-first round, Saturday 7 pm-second round-featured

event for the Fall Conference and Student Auditions.

NATS Interns selected for 2017

3 singers and 1 pianist from the Central Region were selected, and are among 15 selected

nationally, to participate in the NATS Intern Program: Collaborative Pianist, Nicholas Shaneyfelt

and Singers, Katherine Petersen, Kathryn Leemhuis, Katherine Jolly.

2016 Central Region NATS Conference and Student Auditions

University of Iowa, Voxman School of Music, Iowa City, Iowa

394 students auditioned

89 teachers entered students/attended

81 pianists

Site Hosts-Katherine A. Eberle-Fink and Susan Sondrol Jones

Student Auditions Chair, Sarah Holman

Student Auditions Assistant, Chris Thompson

Student Auditions Assistant, Ann Marie Daehn

Communication Coordinator, Amanda Taylor

Conference Chair, Mark Crayton

Conference Chair Assistant, Chadley Ballantyne

Topical Breakfast Chair, Jonathon Struve

Student Poster Session Chair and Book Corner, Mitra Sadeghpour

Presentation Review Committee Chair, Mark Crayton

Presentation Review Committee, Carol Chapman, Chadley Ballantyne, Donald Simonson

Student Poster Presentation Chair, Mitra Sadeghpour

Student Poster Presentation Review Committee, Erin Matonte, Katherine Osborne, Jacob

Lassetter

Onsite Posters adjudication, Steve Tharp, Donald Simonson, Karen Brunssen

Registration Coordinator, Jeffrey Carter

Book/CD Project Corner and Signing Coordinators, and Raffle Tom Hueber and Paula Patterson

Master Class Coordinator, Pamela Ellsworth- Smith (Tag Team Master Class with Karen

Brunssen and Pianist Natalia Rivera)

9 Topical Breakfast Table Leaders and Topics

Tracey Ford-A Comprehensive Voice Curriculum for Young Singers: Using the Royal

Conservatory of Music’s Music Development Program

Andrew Whitfield-Creating Meaningful Study Abroad Opportunities for Musicians

Janet Alcorn-The Body Map-a useful tool for singers and teachers

Liz Jackson Hearns-Teachers of Transgender Singers; Where to start, and how to continue

supporting your students.

Karen Brunssen-The Evolving Voice: The Senior Years

Linda Snyder-NATS STATS: Leitmotifs for the Future

Christine Seitz-Everybody Sing! Involving freshman through graduate students in opera

workshop classes and productions

Pamela Shannon-The Development of the American Art Song

Loralee Songer-Giving Women a Voice: Art Song Settings of Women Poets

8 Presentations

Aaron Humble and Jacob Sentgeorge-What’s Next?

Paula Patterson-Intercultural Sensitivity in Students of Singing

Mitra Sadeghpour-(with Michelle Monroe, Kelly Noltner, Kelly Behling, Rachel Storlie)

Redefining “Success”: a Singer and Teacher’s Guide

Ann Marie Daehn and Elizabeth Avery-A New Crop of Old Chestnuts: Living Composers/

Pedagogical Choices

Jeffrey Carter-A Second Golden Era: The Music of Post-Millennial Musical Theatre Composers

Jane Smolen-Teaching the Individual: Differentiation as a Teaching Strategy in the Private

Studio

Jay Carter-Defining Countertenor: Unpacking the Repertoire

Stephen Swanson-Enhance Your Foreign Language Song and Aria Preparation with the ANKI

Flash Cards

7 Student Posters

Chloe Adamo-Sing ouT: My Summer Working with Transgender Singers

Jordan Nigus: Vocal Care

Rebecca Reed: Help! My Nerves!

Lauren Richarson: Singing with TMJ

Laura Rowe: Healthy vs. Unhealthy Belting

Jordan Ulrich: Examinations of How Singing Affects Neuroproteomics: Is Music

Neuroprotective?

Ben Worely: Harry Lawrence Freeman: Pioneering the African-American Grand Opera

Book/CD Corner at 2016 Conference

Karen Bauer - her book, The Essentials of Beautiful Singing.

Rachel Joselson - CD "Songs of the Holocaust"

Tim Schmidt - 2 CDs, 1) a one act opera setting of Eugene O'Neill's play Where the Cross is

Made, and a full-length opera setting of Shakespeare's Hamlet, both works composed by Nancy

Van de Vate.

Loralee Songer -Songs of the Second Viennese School: A Performer's Guide to Selected Solo

Vocal Works

Chris Thompson - CDs featuring his performance of Winterreise.

Books by Central Region Authors listed on website in “Knowledge Base”

Karen Tillotson Bauer

The Essentials of Beautiful Singing: A Three-Step Kinesthetic Approach

Scarecrow Press

Jan Bickel

Vocal Technique: A Physiological Approach for Voice Class and Studio

Plural Publishing

Judith Carman, William K. Gaeddert & Rita Resch

Art Song in the United States, 1759-1999: An Annotated Bibliography

Scarecrow Press

Julia Davids & Stephen LaTour

Vocal Technique: A Guide for Conductors, Teachers, and Singers

Waveland Press

Sangeetha Rayapati

Sing Into Your Sixties... And Beyond!

Inside View Press

W. Stephen Smith

The Naked Voice: A Wholistic Approach to Singing

Oxford University Press

Kathleen Van de Graaff

· Italian arias: from 18th century comic chamber operas

· Italian duets: from 18th century comic chamber operas

· A Systematic Approach to Voice Exercises

· Winning Warm-ups for the Voice

Domenico Productions

Karen Wicklund

Singing Voice Rehabilitation: A Guide for the Voice Teacher and Speech-Language Pathologist

Plural Publishing

Finals Judges

Raymond Feener

Donald Simonson

Sylvia Stone

Todd Payne

Leanne Freeman-Miller

Linda Snyder

Honoree: Donald Simonson

Guest Adjudicator: NATS President, Linda Snyder

Chapter Reports

Iowa Chapter

Leadership:

President: Kate Saulsbury

Vice-President: Bruce Brown

Treasurer: Ann Cravero

Auditions

The Iowa Chapter did not hold auditions this year because in a year that the Central Region

Auditions are held in Iowa, the Chapter does not hold separate auditions.

2016-2017 Workshops November 14, 2016 Dr. David Jones Workshop at Morningside College, Sioux City IA

• The Morningside College SNATS Chapter presented Dr. David Jones, University of Iowa

Alumnus and Professor of Communication Disorders at the University of Wyoming. Dr.

Jones managed to make the subject of Vocal Health both humorous and interesting, AND

used a laryngoscope on himself for our viewing pleasure.

• Open to the public

December 11, 2016 Opera Scenes Presented by the Drake University Chapter of SNATS

• The scenes were all student led, directed, accompanied and performed by the Drake

SNATS Chapter. They performed scenes from Così fan tutte, Don Giovanni, L'elisir

d'amore, Les Pêcheurs de Perles, and Il Matrimonio Segreto.

• Open to the Public

February 14, 2017 The Morningside College SNATS chapter presented a workshop by Dr.

Judith Carman: Yoga for Singers

Current Projects A great deal of time and effort was put into creating a better infrastructure for the Iowa Chapter

including the following:

• A newly formed and comprehensive website: iowanats.org

• A newly developed Facebook page that will be used for auditions and to document events

happening at the local, regional and national levels as it pertains to the Iowa Chapter

• Completion of new Chapter Bylaws which expand the board and give detailed

information about Chapter rules as well as board and officer responsibilities

SNATS Chapters

The Iowa Chapter now has three active SNATS Chapters. They all had a productive year which

included performances, fundraisers and workshops. For the first time in 2017-2018 the Iowa

Chapter Board will include an appointed representative from one of the SNATS Chapters.

Warmest Regards,

Kate Saulsbury

President, Iowa NATS Chapter

Lewis and Clark Chapter

President: MaryAnn McSweeney

Vice President: Cindy Moeller

Treasurer: Pam De Hann

Dordt College hosted Julianna Emanski, a Doctoral Student from the University of North Texas

on January 2 as a Chapter Winter Event.

The Lewis & Clark Chapter held student auditions on Saturday, April 1, 2017 at Morningside

College in Sioux City, Iowa.

Final plans are being made to host a Fall Event in September hosting Sean Buhr & Bich Van,

a Pop/Jazz Duo that will include a Master Class/Private Coaching/Concert Format.

Van and Sean work with all musical genres, styles, languages and skill levels from amateur to

professional singers that currently work on Broadway, National Tours, Bands and CEOs who

speak for their companies throughout North America and Internationally. They focus on healthy

optimal vocal function and how to effectively and efficiently communicate through a song or

through speaking.

The 2018 Lewis & Clark NATS Spring Auditions will be held on Saturday, April 21, 2018 at

Morningside College in Sioux City.

Chicago Chapter

Board Members

Tracey ford, President

Paul Thompson, Vice-President

Nadine Gomes, Secretary

Theresa Brancaccio, Director of Workshops

John Hacker, Director of Student Auditions

Jennifer Mather, Director of Membership

Stacy Eckert, Workshops and Membership

Allison Rosza Evans, Workshops

Tom Hueber, Treasuer in Training

Amy Pickering, Student Auditions

Rebecca Schorsch, Newsletter

Miscellaneous:

• We raised our dues from $20 to $25 annual fee

• John Hacker created a useful handout to use at Student Auditions based on Allen

Henderson’s Adjudicator Workshop

• Paul Thompson created a useful handout for students on how to work with a Collaborative

Pianists

• Several members participated in the 2016 Regional Conference: Tracey Ford and Liz Hearns

led “Topical Breakfast” talks. Sarah Holman, Mark Crayton, Karen Brunssen, and Chadley

Ballantyne played significant roles in the CRNATS Conference

• As of 4-30-17 we are at 187 Chapter members the exact same number as last year in August

Activity and Events

• 8-27-16 Board Meeting, Hinsdale IL

• On October 1, 2016, we hosted our annual Fall Workshop and this year, we collaborated with

Dr. Robert Bastian at Bastian Voice Institute in Downers Grove, IL. Our workshop presenter

was Ken Bozeman who presented on “Practical Vocal Acoustics.” It was a very successful

event with 43 teachers participating.

• On October 23, 2016, Jennifer Mather hosted an informal social event at her house and we

discussed a variety of topics related to singing. Eight people participated and it was a fun

evening!

• On November, 20, 2016 we presented our annual High School Audition Workshop at the

Oak Brook Public Library. A panel of four experts from local colleges coached students on

the ins and outs of auditioning for college in classical and musical theater programs. 30

people were in attendance and 5 students participated.

• On February 5, 2017 CCNATS member Elizabeth Knox hosted a New Member Event at her

home. There were six members in attendance.

• On February 12, 2017, Davin Youngs hosted a workshop for singers and teachers at his

studio led by him and Missy Wise on “Contemporary Commercial Singing.” Five student,

one accompanist and five teachers were in attendance.

• On April 1, 2017, we presented a “Teacher Partnership Workshop” at Northwestern

University. Led by Karen Brunssen, Steven Smith and Rebecca Schorsch, we had three

different rooms with accompanists where teachers could teach a student in front of other

students and receive feedback form one of the panelists. Two panelists were for Classical

singers and one for Musical Theatre. This was the first time we presented a workshop like

this and it was very well-received! Everyone left feeling inspired. Eight teachers taught

students in front of the panel and there were about 15 other attendees. Three collaborative

pianists participated.

Student Auditions (These numbers were also sent to Diana Alan)

Date of Chapter Auditions: Saturday, February 25 (College Classical)

Location of Chapter Auditions: North Park University, Chicago, IL

Number of Students who Auditioned: 74

Number of Teachers who Entered Students/Attended:

Entered: 21

Attended: 29

Number of Collaborative Pianists who Participated: 6

Location of Chapter Auditions: Saturday, March 11 (High School Classical and MT and

College MT)

Number of Students who Auditioned: 150 (12 entered in 2 categories)

Number of Teachers who Entered Students/Attended: 42/Attended: 39

Number of Collaborative Pianists who Participated:11

Location of Chapter Auditions: Saturday, May 6 (Youth Auditions 4th-8th grade)

Number of Students who Auditioned: 50

Number of Teachers who Entered Students: 16

Number of Collaborative Pianists who Participated: 4

•

Ozark Chapter

President: Paula Patterson

Vice President: Kristen Cartwright

Secretary/Treasurer: Jordan Wilson

Activities for Ozark NATS, July 2016 to July 1, 2017

July 2016: Seven members of our chapter attended the National Conference. One of our

members presented (Dr. Chris Thompson)

October 22, 2016: Ozark Chapter Auditions at Southwest Baptist University, Bolivar, MO

Number of Students Entered: 118 (29 Musical Theatre; 82 Classical)

Number of Teachers who Entered Students/Attended: 21 teachers entered students/19 teachers

attended

Number of Pianists: 22

October 29-30, 2016: Central Region Conference and Auditions

Six members of our chapter attended. Two of these members presented at the conference (Dr.

Ann Marie Wilcox-Daehn and Dr. Paula Patterson)

February 4, 2017: Ozark chapter hosted an American Art Song Recital at Grace United

Methodist Church with guest Mitra Sadeghpour. Following the recital Mitra Sadeghpour and

three SNATS students from the University of Northern Iowa gave a Presentation, “Success

Redefined” and followed with a question and answer session about the presentation and advice

for the Ozark SNATS chapter.

February 25, 2017: Ozark Chapter Spring Meeting

St. Louis Chapter

President: Stella Markou

Vice President: Emily Truckenbrod

Secretary: Kimberly Werner

Treasurer: Martha Hart

In the past year the St. Louis Chapter hosted two separate auditions, sponsored one master class

and one guest artist performance recital. Our Musical Theater Auditions were held Saturday

November 19, 2016 at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. At these auditions Dr.

Katherine Jolly from Saint Louis University hosted a presentation called “Five Yoga Postures

and Two Breathing Exercises to Reduce Music Performance Anxiety in High-Level Singers”.

Our Classical Auditions were held on Saturday February 18, 2017 at Clayton High School. On

Sunday October 23, 2016 the St. Louis Chapter sponsored a concert which was hosted by the

University of Missouri-St. Louis that featured the Welsh Baritone Jeremy Huw Williams and

collaborative pianist Paula Fan. Immediately following the concert Jeremy and Paula conducted

a master class. The master class featured students from Lindenwood University, SIUE, UMSL,

and Webster University. This was the first type of master class that the St. Louis NATS chapter

sponsored, that highlighted students from all the major Universities of its affiliated teachers. I

have also started a monthly newsletter that features the concert events of our affiliated teachers.

Kansas City NATS Chapter

Britney Rice, president

Ron Witzke, vice president

Jake Sentgeorge, secretary

Catherine Boone, treasurer

Board members: David Adams, Michelle McIntire, Stella Roden, Susan Quigley-Duggan, and

Jill Etter.

The Kansas City Chapter held their annual auditions on February 11, 2017 at William Jewell

College in Liberty, Missouri. We had 161 entries, and 30 participating teachers. We offered a

new division this year—‘Avocational Men and Women’.

Our chapter membership is up this year, with 40 total members. We will meet as a board later

this spring or summer to determine what additional activities may be provided this fall.

Respectfully submitted,

Britney Rice

SNATS Liaison

SNATS Liaison Report

Mitra Sadeghpour

May 1, 2017

With Iowa Chapter president Kate Saulsbury, I helped select the first SNATS Iowa Chapter

Board member. Kelly Noltner, president of UNI SNATS, will serve in this capacity.

For the second annual Central NATS Regional Conference in October, 2016, I re-wrote the call

for student posters based on survey feedback I received from the 2016 presenters. The call is

listed here:

Conference and Student Auditions

Students are “central” to the NATS Central Regional Conference and Student Auditions! Students who register will

participate in both Student Auditions AND our CONFERENCE. In addition to participating in all the regular

conference events, there are a variety of offerings especially for all students and some for SNATS members!

CALL FOR STUDENT RESEARCH POSTERS at the Second Annual Central Region Conference and Student

Auditions

All students of NATS members in the Central Region are invited to submit abstracts for presentation in Poster Paper

format at the Second Annual Central Regional Conference in Iowa City, Iowa, which will be held October 29 and

30, 2016 at the University of Iowa.

Topics for poster papers may include voice pedagogy, vocal repertoire, performance practice, musicological

studies or any other topic related to the art and science of singing and the teaching and learning of singing. Projects

may come from single students or may be group projects. Examples could include projects/papers from voice

pedagogy or song literature courses, classical and musical theatre repertoire or performance practice, effective

practice strategies, and recital programming.

Abstracts should be 500 words or less, and in Microsoft Word format. The abstract should give the Title of the

project, identify the name or names of the presenters, and summarize or outline the project and the conclusions

drawn. For guidance on writing an abstract, there are numerous online sources. A good place to start

is: http://www.ncsu.edu/project/posters/index.html

Abstracts will be accepted between August 29 and September 30. The deadline for submission is 11:59 p.m. on

September 30. Abstracts should be submitted electronically to mitra.sadeghpour@uni.edu, with Student

NATS Poster Session Abstract in the subject line.

I selected three poster readers, one from each of the states in our region, and that group has also

agreed to help me create a specific selection rubric that will be used in the Third Annual Student

Poster Session. A thank you to Katherine Osborne, Jacob Lasseter, and Erin Matonte.

Fourteen student abstracts were submitted, and the panel of 3 readers selected seven to present at

the conference:

Vocal Care, Jordan Nigus

Singing with TMJ, Lauren Richardson

Examination of How Singing Affects Neuroproteomics: Is Music Neuroprotective? Jordan Ulrich

Help! My Nerves! Rebecca Reed

Sing ouT: My Summer Working with Transgender Singers, Chloe Adamo

Healthy vs. Unhealthy Belting, Laura Rowe

Harry Lawrence Freeman: Pioneering The African-American Grand Opera, Benjamin Worley

At the conference, two presenters were selected as winners of the best poster presentation: Benjamin Worley and

Jordan Ulrich. Each received $75.

This information was submitted to the student presenters in order to help facilitate the creation of

their posters.

Congratulations once again on being selected to present your research at the CRNATS conference this coming

weekend. The schedule has been finalized, and I have details to share with you!

1. The poster presentations will be from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29.

2. The location is the hallway in front of the Concert Hall 2101. I have seen a photo of the location and it is

beautiful, and will have lots of potential for foot traffic!

3. Set up will be from 12-1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 29. We will have 7 tables available, and you will select your own

table. You will need to provide the presentation board for your poster. These are easily purchased at Office Depot,

etc., and I recommend the use of velcro tape to fasten your poster to the presentation board.

4. You will need to be with your poster from 1-3 on Saturday. All 7 of you will be there at the same time, and will

be answering questions and presenting your research orally to the people that opt to attend the sessions. I personally

love this type of presentation, because it is essentially one on one conversations with people interested in your

research- so invigorating! You never know what opportunities will arise for you based on these conversations, so be

ready to speak clearly and effectively about your project and your passion for it!

5. A panel of three judges will attend the poster sessions and will select one poster to receive an award, which will

be presented at the awards ceremony on Sunday. Their decision will be based on the quality of your research, the

quality of your poster, and their conversations with you! They probably won't tell you who they are, so just relax

and don't worry about it.

6. You are invited to leave your poster up through Sunday for people to read it. However, the official poster session

is only 1-3 pm on Saturday and you are not required to be with your poster except during that time.

7. I would suggest having a hand out--this can be a one page overview of your research, or even a 8.5x11 reduced

copy of your poster (this is often what I do when I present in this format). You can choose to put any resources on

your table that you choose--if you have audio examples, I'd suggest having headphones so your audience can listen

without disturbing the conversations around you. If you have business cards, bring them, and be sure to list your

contact information on your handout so that people can contact you with questions or follow-ups. You may also

want a signup sheet for people to leave their contact info with you.

8. I am unsure about electrical outlets, so if you want to use a computer or other electronic devices, be sure to have

them charged up prior to the session.

9. I will want to take a group picture of you, and can't wait to meet you all!

This spring, the following questionnaire will be sent to all who were accepted to present, asking

them how the process could be improved 1. How did you learn about the SNATS poster session opportunity? Do you have ideas for ways we can get the

word out to students?

2. Was the application process clear? Do you have suggestions to improve the process?

3. After being accepted to present, did you attend the Central Region conference? If no, why not? If yes, what

funding if any did you receive to attend, or to create the poster?

4. What resources were most helpful to you creating your poster presentation? Are there other resources which

would have been helpful?

5. If you attended the conference, what were the benefits you gained from presenting?

6. Any other suggestions for streamlining and improving the SNATS POSTER SESSION experience, or for

integrating students in the conference more thoroughly.

Here is a summary of my other duties at the conference.

1. Flyer for 400 students about SNATS activities

2. Facilitate set up for Student Posters

3. Inform Student Poster Presentations about everything having to do with their presentations: adjudicated,

set up time, being with their posters (may leave to audition and suggest they put a sign up saying they

will be right back)

4. Presented “Redefining Success: A Singer and Teacher’s Guide” with four graduate students from UNI

5. Adjudication

6. My UNI SNATS chapter hosted a gathering for SNATS members, which was attended by 40-50

students. I presented to those students on Available grant funding, possible projects and initiatives for

chapters, Collaboration with other organizations, and sustaining chapter activity throughout the

academic year. I also got the students into brainstorming/networking groups, and had them report ideas

back to the large group. It was really successful and ended up instigating several collaborations.

I was invited, along with my four graduate students Michelle Monroe, Kelly Behling, Kelly

Noltner, and Rachel Storlie, to give our presentation at Missouri State University in February

of 2017 for the Ozarks SNATS Chapter. Three of the graduate students and I traveled to

MSU, and were hosted by Carol Chapman and the SNATS chapter. We gave the presentation

and had a fabulous social gathering with the MSU SNATS chapter, hosted by Chris Thompson.

Currently, there are 6 SNATS chapters in Iowa, 0 in Illinois, and 6 in Missouri. This is

definitely an area where we can improve.

Iowa: Drake University, Iowa State University, University of Iowa, University of Northern Iowa,

Wartburg, Morningside College

Missouri: Central Methodist, Ozarks, St. Louis Area, Central Missouri, UMKC, Webster

University

Respectfully Submitted,

Mitra Sadeghpour

From Carol Chapman, Central Region Governor

The Central Region continued the plan put in place by Karen Brunssen, Past Governor, with a

yearly Conference and Student Auditions held October 29 and 30, 2016 at the University of

Iowa, Voxman School of Music. Immediately following, work began in planning the next

Conference and Student Auditions to be held October 28 and 29, 2017 at the University of

Northern Illinois. Site host is Orna Arania. One significant change to the 2017

conference/auditions will be the Regional NATSAA competition. The first round will be held

Friday evening before the conference begins on Saturday. The second round will be the featured

event for the conference on Saturday evening. This will replace the Master Class which has been

the highlighted event in the past. Current plans are to alternate the open NATSAA second round

with a master class on the NATSAA off years. Missouri District Governor, Pam Ellsworth-Smith

is currently working with members in Columbia, Missouri to form a new chapter to be called

Central Missouri Chapter, to be voted on at the board meeting, June 2017. Currently, there are

six chapters in the region. All are very active with auditions and workshops. I am particularly

pleased with the leadership in the region and the tremendous work that is being done by the

chapter officers and others to serve NATS members in standard and innovative ways. New

events were premiered by several chapters, previously mentioned.

In this first year as Region Governor, I have enjoyed connecting with many members through

emails, facetime, and planned meetings. It is a joy to get to know longtime and newer members,

to hear their stories, and to be inspired by their enthusiasm, talent, and knowledge. In addition, I

am tremendously grateful to mentors, Karen Brunssen and Sarah Holman for their guidance,

wisdom and constant availability.

Respectfully submitted,

Carol Chapman

Central Region NATS Governor

May 1, 2017