Upper Floor Studio Natonal Associaton of Teachers of Singing Regional Student Auditons Saturday and Sunday January 18th-19th CSU East Bay Saturday, January 4th, 2020 4-8pm NATS Mock Audition for Participants Opportunity to perform our pieces for each other for feedback and pizza! (I’m also going to hire our accompanist to come and play for us so we get a chance to work with them in advance!) Saturday, January 18, 2020 Meet Neil Townsend in the parking lot of the Safeway on The Alameda. The address is 2605 The Alameda Ave Santa Clara, CA 95050. You MUST be on time. 7:00 am Meet in the Safeway Parking Lot 7:30 am Van is pulling onto the road. We wait for no one! 8:30 am Meet Sheila at CSU East Bay Music Building What to Bring: • One backpack or carry-on sized bag for the weekend • Upper Floor Studio music bag • Black binder with sheet music and lined paper. Please write your full name on the inside cover. • Pen or pencil • Sheet music books or hard copies (We’ll discuss this as the date gets closer but the festival requires that the student shows the book where the photocopy is from or shows proof of purchase with the student’s name on it.) • Reusable bottle of water • Clothes for two days: Something nice to wear for your audition and dinner on Saturday night. You’ll be receiving a UFS sweatshirt for the first day. Bring layers! • Copy of birth certificate • Personal Items (Toothpaste/brush, comb, sunscreen, chapstick, etc) • Any medicine you might need (inhaler, epi pen, aspirin etc.) Optional/At Guardian’s Discretion • Spare lenses or glasses • Sunglasses • Cell phone • Mp3 player w/headphones • Makeup (minimal!) • Ear plugs 9:00 am Preliminary Rounds of the Student Auditions begin Meet and watch students from Arizona, New Mexico, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Hawaii!!! 12:00 pm Lunch 2:00 pm Head to Head: Cross-Training for the Professional Singer with Korianne Johnson & Diane Reich Korianne Orton Johnson has been seen all over the United States in theaters such as: National Theatre in Washington, D.C., Hale Center Theatre Sandy, Provo Theater Company, San Diego Convention Center, and has been a featured performer with Starkey Productions in Denver, Colorado. Some of her favorite roles include: "Audrey" in Little Shop of Horrors; "Amneris" in Aida; "Mother" in Ragtime; "Lily" in The Secret Garden; "Frankie" in 110 in the Shade (starring Audra McDonald); "Adelaide" in Guys and Dolls; "Adele" in Die Fledermaus; Yum Yum" in the Mikado; "Millie" in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers; and "Babette" in Beauty and the Beast. Korianne is vocal faculty over contemporary voice at BYU where she teaches group lessons, private lessons and music directs mainstage productions. She received her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre and Masters of Music in Vocal Performance from Brigham Young University. Diane Thueson Reich, soprano, is a Professor of Voice at Brigham Young University where she serves as Division Coordinator for Classical Voice. She has earned doctoral and master’s degrees from Indiana University. Operatic roles include Marguerite in Faust, Anne Trulove in The Rake’s Progress, the title role in Strauss’ Arabella, Nanetta in Falstaff, Mimì in La Bohème, and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte. Diane has appeared with professional symphonies throughout the country; as a featured soloist with Vietnam National Opera, and the St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic in Russia; and has sung several concerts throughout Vietnam and China. She has been an Artist-in-Residence at the Conservatorio Statale di Musica in Pescara, Italy; and the National University of Arts Education in Hanoi, Vietnam. Diane has been a multiple Metropolitan Opera Audition winner in both the Utah and Indiana Districts. 3:00 pm Master Class for Musical Theatre and Commercial/ Contemporary Music Singers with Sheila Townsend Yes indeed, your teacher is doing a Musical Theatre masterclass! I (Neil) am including Sheila’s bio despite her vociferous objection! Sheila Townsend earned her Bachelor's of Music in Musical Theatre (MCL) at the esteemed Bass School of Music at Oklahoma City University. After a few years of classroom teaching and music direction, she founded Upper Floor Studio and is grateful every day to teach incredible singers who are also amazing people. From Madison Square Garden to middle school choir, her beloved “Upper Floorians” are taking the world by storm. Ms Townsend was awarded the Joan Frey Boytim and the Leigh Weimers Emerging Artist Awards. In addition to teaching, she performs all over California as a member of Actor’s Equity Association. One critic said that she has “fabulous pipes” (John Orr) and another said the she is “the best singer in the whole wide world.” (Sheila’s Mom) This Spring, Ms. Townsend is excited to be touring North America with the cast of “Llama Llama Live” as Mama Llama. Her favorite roles are “Wife" to Neil Townsend and “Dog- Mom" to Stella the Westie puppy. 4:30 pm 24 Italian Songs & Arias for 21st Century Singer with Judith Cloud, Stephanie Fox, & Magic Voice Studio Judith Cloud is well known for her vocal writing that originates from her own experiences as a performer/teacher. Built on romantic principals, her songs are lyrical and harmonically intriguing. Most notable of her compositions is "Feet of Jesus" (Langston Hughes), recorded by BIS-Northern Lights label. Her songs are “eminently singable, displaying a rich harmonic palate with an audience-entrancing sense of vocal line that is both dramatic and beautiful.” Stephanie Fox is founder and teacher at the Magic Voice Studio in Oro Valley, Arizona. With a solid background in theater, degrees in Voice Performance from California State Fullerton and University of Arizona, she has performed and recorded extensively and has won many accolades including a Grammy award and an award for best supporting actress in a play at the New England Theater conference. 5:30 pm Dinner! 7:30 pm Guest Artist Recital, Dr. Julia Nielsen with collaborative pianist Daniel Lockert As a performer. Ms. Nielsen made her stage debut at age five with the San Francisco Opera in a production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, starring Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, and continues to perform opera, concert, contemporary music, Baroque, and classical cabaret to this day. As the winner of the Center for Contemporary Opera’s international competition, Ms. Nielsen gave her New York debut recital in 2001 at Carnegie Hall in Weill Recital Hall. She debuted the leading role of Rose in the West Coast premiere of Elliott Carter’s opera What’s Next? with the Berkeley Symphony under the baton of Kent Nagano. Throughout California and Oregon, she has appeared in roles such as the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro, Fiordiligi in Così Fan Tutte, Mimì and Musetta in La Bohème, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, Romilda in Handel’s Xerxes, Maria in West Side Story, and Yum-Yum in The Mikado with companies such as Festival Opera, Opera San Luis Obispo, Eugene Opera, Oakland Lyric Opera, Pocket Opera, Stockton Opera, Sonoma City Opera, Open Opera, and the San Francisco Opera Guild. Internationally, she has performed with the Rome Festival Opera and the AIMS/Graz Orchestra in Austria. Most recently, she was heard as Musetta in Island City Opera’s production of La Bohème, and she created the title role in the world premiere of the chamber opera The Voyage of Mary Magdalene by Bay Area composer Nancy Bachmann. 9:00 pm Head to the hotel and dream wonderful dreams about students who all practice. (What else do people dream about?!?) Sunday, January 19, 2020 9:00 am Breakfast 10:00 am Leave for NATS 11:00 am Meditation for Singers with Shauna Fallihee / Focus of Attention with Melissa Treinkman 12:00 pm Guest Artist Master Class with Julia Nielsen See bio on Day 1 1:30 pm I'm Scared! Performance Anxiety Strategies with Connie Jensen Constance Jensen holds master's degrees from the University of Utah and California State San Bernardino in Vocal Performance and Choral Conducting. She teaches Voice and Group Voice at Utah Valley University and has also conducted the UVU Concert Choir. As co-founder of VoiceLine, a nine-man a cappella group at UVU, Constance was both Musical Director and Faculty Advisor. Performing and teaching in the Utah County/Salt Lake City area, she regularly sings jazz at The Shops at Riverwoods and has also sung for the City of Orem Arts in the Park Series. Recent classical performances include solo recitals on the Tabernacle Series in Logan, Utah, the role of Magda Sorel in The Consul with UNIPAC, and an Alumni Solo Artist Recital at Cal State. Honors include Vocalist of the Year at Cal State and a nomination for Faculty in Excellence teaching award for UVU’s School of the Arts. 6:00 pm Dinner! 7:30 pm Awards Presentation / Audition Finals 9:00 pm Head back to Santa Clara ~10:00 Arrive back in Santa Clara at Safeway Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day the next day! By sleeping in and doing homework!!! Total Cost for a Participant: $350 (Limited to 15 students) Priority is given to students who are Juniors and Seniors in High School and those who are able to submit in multiple categories. There are no refunds for any reason. Sickness, act of God, missing the bus… We have to put down deposits and with the limited number of students who can attend, there is no way to refund any amount or any reason. If you’re uncertain about the dates or always get swine flu in January, please carefully consider your decision to attend this trip.