MSU faculty vocal studio produces multiple NATS winners

This year, Morehead State University's Department of Music, Theatre & Dance hosted the conference and student auditions of the Mid-South Region of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. One of that department's longtime faculty members, Professor of Music & Voice Dr. Roma Prindle, had several voice students from her vocal studio compete and earn NATS honors.  

Six of Prindle's students registered for the competition, with three winning in five categories. Ashley Vela, a sophomore from Lexington, won in both sophomore-level classical and music theater. Eli Campbell, a junior from Flatwoods, took fourth place in junior-level music theater. Erin Grace Rudd, a junior at Magoffin County High School, won in high school classical and music theater. They all now proceed to the national competition this month.  

Nearly 300 singers, voice teachers, and collaborative pianists met in the Baird Music Hall for two days and three rounds of competition. It culminated in a five-hour gala concert and the presentation of nearly $10,000 in prize money to the best high school, collegiate, and graduate-level singers in Kentucky and Tennessee.  

Prindle, a former Mid-South Region NATS governor, was the site host for the two-day event. Under her direction as the advisor of the Morehead Chapter of the Student National Association of Teachers of Singing, 30 MSU vocal and instrumental students organized to run the 30 competition categories.   

Founded in 1944, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Inc., is the largest professional association of singing teachers in the world, with more than 7,000 members in the United States, Canada, and more than 35 other countries.  

For more information on MSU's Department of Music, Theatre and Dance, contact mtd@moreheadstate.edu or 606-783-2473.  

For inquiries about Prindle's voice studio, contact her at r.prindle@moreheadstate.edu or 606-783-2481.

Photo: Dr. Roma Prindle (center) with her students Erin Grace Rudd (left), a junior at Magoffin County High School, and Ashley Vela (right), a sophomore at MSU.