Concordia vocalist takes bronze at singing competition

Published by Concordia University, Nebraska 12 years ago on Sun, Nov 6, 2011 7:59 PM
Concordia freshman Luke Wohlgemuth sang “Ich Grolle Nicht” by Robert Schumann and “The Vagabond” by Ralph Vaughan Williams to earn third place at the NATS competition.

Concordia’s freshman Luke Wohlgemuth received third place at the 2011 Nebraska State National Association of Teachers of Singing student auditions held Oct. 7 at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln.

“I got involved with NATS because my advanced lesson professor, Stepahnie Valerick, thought it would be a neat opportunity for me,” said Wohlgemuth. “In high school I had been involved in many solo and ensemble competitions, and it was very rewarding.”

Wohlgemuth, from Alton, Iowa, competed in the freshmen men’s division. Divisions are divided by gender and age, ranging from high school through graduate students. The competition brings together musicians from all over the state; this year’s competitors came from as far west as Scottsbluff and as far east as Omaha. Students represented various sized music programs and some private studios in Nebraska.

“The point is to have our members bring their students to a single location to sing for other NATS members in our state,” explained Dr. Adrienne Dickson, Concordia voice and diction coach.

Wohlgemuth found that connection to other musicians especially rewarding. “What I probably enjoyed most was listening to the other students, especially the grad students sing,” Wohlgemuth said.

Competitors were critiqued by three judges in both the preliminary and final rounds. A score of at least 90/100 was needed to advance to the final round, where the vocalists are ranked.

Other Concordia students participating in the event were James Jensen, Denver, Colo.; Brittany Pottschmidt, Brownstown, Iowa; Ashley Rengstorf, Bremen, Kan.; and Amanda Schroeder, Stevens Point, Wis.