W Singers Triumph at Regional Competition
Four Mississippi University for Women vocal music students were recognized with honors at the Southern Regional Conference of the National Association of Teachers of Singing held Nov. 13-15 at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond. The competition hosted 382 student entries from Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Seven total W students advanced to the semifinals.
“Our W singers have scored multiple competition wins for nine semesters in a row now. It’s validating for the students to see their work recognized in this way,” said Dr. Susan Hurley, professor of voice. “Their consistent success, state and region-wide, also demonstrates the extremely high quality of vocal training that we offer at The W and highlights the excellence of our music department as a whole.”
Savannah Meyers, an early childhood education major and a voice student of Zane Lynn, won Third Place in Upper College Musical Theatre. Ricky Dubuisson, music performance major, won second place in Non-Traditional Musical Theatre. Zachariah Harden, music education major, took second place in Third Year Classical TBB while music therapy major Audrey Harper won second place in 4th/5th Year Classical Trebles. Dubuisson, Harden and Harper are students of Hurley. Additionally, both Harden, Harper and Meyers qualified for advancement to the National Student Auditions which will take place in 2026.
The competition began Thursday with a preliminary round. Participants offered a repertoire list of prepared songs in a variety of styles and languages to a panel of judges, then performed the chosen selections. Singers were scored on aspects of vocal technique, musicianship and artistry. Those with the highest scores advanced to Friday’s semifinal round. After semifinals, the three singers with the highest score in each category were selected for finals. Finalists were named late Friday night and performed a selection of their choice in a public recital Saturday morning held on the SELA campus.
In the finals, Meyers performed “I’m not afraid of anything” from “Songs for a New World”by Jason Robert Brown; Dubuisson performed “When I meet the Wizard” from “Wicked” by Stephen Schward. Harden performed the spiritual “Hard Trials,” arranged by H.T. Burleigh, and Harper sang the Italian aria “Stizzoso, mio stizzoso” from the comic opera “La serva padrona” by Pergolesi.
Winners were announced in an awards ceremony Saturday afternoon. W faculty member Dr. William Reber played the piano for each of the student singers in every round throughout the competition event.
Participating students also attended presentations, masterclasses and recitals throughout the three-day conference.