National Association of Teachers of Singing, Las Vegas Chapter

11/19/2025

Congratulations to the winners of our NATS-Vegas Chapter Student Auditions last Saturday at UNLV 👏👏👏

Classical Categories:

CL 3: High School Treble voices
1st: Nevaeh Jackson - student of Emily Meyers
2nd: Emmalee Martin - student of Regina Sommer
3rd: Ella Martin - student of Regina Sommer

CL 4: High School TBB voices
1st: Hardy Brigham - student of Kristin Briggs

CL 5: Lower College Treble voices
1st: Ralayna Amy - student of Terri Metcalf-Peterson and Carol Modesitt
2nd: Emily Mabb - student of Carol Modesitt
3rd: Janet Crane - student of Matthew Clegg

CL 6: Lower College TBB voices
1st: Galvin Escalona - student of Matthew Clegg
2nd: Nikolas Pretchel - student of Shannon Rae
3rd: Ronan Woodruff - student of Alphonse Anderson

CL 7 and 8: Upper College Treble and TBB voices
1st: Madelyn Salazar - student of Monica McCullough
2nd: Valerie Knapp - student of Melissa Glenn
3rd: Tie:
Carey Goetz - student of Linda Lister
Zachary Smith - student of Matthew Clegg

CL 9 and 10: Advanced College Treble and TBB voices
1st: tie:
Miarphe Lapingcao - student of Alphonse Anderson
Avery Smith - student of Monica McCullough

CL 13 and 14: Adult Non-Traditional Treble and TBB voices
1st: Dasia Intil - student of Monica McCullough
2nd: Kurt Sedlmeir - student of Alphonse Anderson
3rd: tie:
Kayla Winslow - student of Monica McCullough
Petya Ford- student of Valentine Baron

Musical Theatre Categories:

MT 2: Middle School
1st: Shira Beeman - student of Michelle Latour
2nd: Charlotte Hoban - student of Michelle Latour
3rd: Samantha Villanueva - student of Jessica Vargo

MT 3: High School Treble voices
1st: NeVaeh Jackson - student of Emily Meyers
2nd: tie:
Caroline Williams - student of Shannon Rae
Ashlyn Holt - student of Shannon Rae

MT 4: High School TBB voices
1st: Trasen Hayden - student of Jackie Jackson
2nd: Gage Leehy - student of Diane Kujeba
3rd: Hardy Brigham - student of Kristin Briggs

MT 5 and 6: Lower College Treble and TBB voices
1st: Hermione Pressgrove - student of Jackie Jackson
2nd: Emma Carr - student of Matthew Clegg
3rd: Sheila Rains - student of Jackie Jackson

MT 7 and 8: Upper College Treble and TBB voices
1st: Kate Felt - student of Kristin Briggs
2nd: Mia Ellingson - student of Jackie Jackson
3rd: Faith Illyra Joseph - student of Kristin Briggs

MT 13 and 14: Adult Non-Traditional Treble and TBB voices
1st: Cody Stover - student of Michelle Latour
2nd: Kayla Winslow - student of Monica McCullough
3rd: Cassandra Krupp - student of Michelle Latour

Adult Avocational Categories:

A 11: Adult Avocational Treble voices
1st: Samantha Sifuentes-Jolly - student of Michelle Latour
2nd: Ryn Cunningham - student of Jessica Vargo
3rd: Emily Keller - student of Jessica Vargo

A 12: Adult Avocational TBB voices:
1st: tie:
Brian Kung - student of Lisa Elliott
Oliver Hakim - student of Valentine Baron

Commercial Music categories:

CM 2: Middle School
1st: Isyss Bertley - student of Valentine Baron
2nd: Shira Beeman - student of Michelle Latour
3rd: Gabriel Savannah - student of Michelle Latour

CM 3: High School Treble voices
1st: Ella Martin - student of Regina Sommer
2nd: Caroline Williams - student of Shannon Rae
3rd: tie:
Aiya Kiefer - student of Michelle Latour
Francesca Harbour - student of Michelle Latour

CM 5: Lower College Treble voices
1st: Hayden Mortensen - student of Kristin Briggs
2nd: Sha Lyce White - student of Lara Smith
3rd: Natalia Burton - student of Melissa Glenn

CM 7 and 8: Upper College Treble and TBB voices
1st: tie:
Faith Illyra Joseph - student of Kristin Briggs
Kate Felt - student of Kristin Briggs
3rd: Sophia Nelson- student of Jackie Jackson

CM 11: Adult Avocational Treble Voices
1st: Ashleigh Jaramillo - student of Valentine Baron
2nd: Rachael Tharp - student of Michelle Latour
3rd: Melanie Walsh - student of Lara Smit

03/06/2025

Don't forget to RSVP to Lisa Elliott whether you'll be able to join us in person a month from now for our Spring chapter meeting and subsequent baby shower for Valentine and Angela. A zoom link will be available for anyone too far away to attend. Hope to be able to enjoy time together with you in person next month!

11/20/2024

Congratulations to the winners of the NATS Vegas Chapter Student Auditions. The competition was held at UNLV last Saturday!

Commercial Music 2:
1st: Aiya Kiefer
(student of Michelle Latour)
2nd: Sarah Al-Tameemi
(student of Valentine Baron)
3rd: Isyss Bertley
(student of Valentine Baron)

Commercial Music 3:
1st: Sydney Rasmussen
(student of Jackie Jackson)
2nd: Miyah Luekenga
(student of Selma Greer)
3rd: Alexander Chan
(student if Suzanne Stone)

Commercial Music 4:
1st: Eva Yazdanpanah
(student of Lara Smith)
2nd: Shoko Domoto
(student of Melissa Glenn)
3rd: Faith Illyra Jospeh
(student of Kristin Briggs)

Commercial Music 5:
1st: Brandon Cox Sanford
(student of Valentine Baron)
2nd: Meg Robbins
(student of Jackie Jackson)
3rd: Armando Jeronimo
(student of Valentine Baron)

Musical Theater 1:
1st: Samantha Villanueva
(student of Valentine Baron)
2nd: Xyryn Rivera
(student of Selma Greer)
3rd: Victoria Jordan
(student of Cho Hee Hwang)

Musical Theater 2:
1st: Gabriella Anahi Almaraz
(student of Selma Greer)
2nd: Nikki Gallardo
(student of Michelle Latour)
3rd: Chloe Clyde
(student of Michelle Latour)

Musical Theater 3:
1st: Luke Andrews
(student of Diane Kubeja)
2nd: Sophia Johns
(student of Selma Greer)
3rd:
Courtney Wilcox
(student of Michelle Latour)
Ashlyn Holt
(student of Shannon Rae)
Honorable Mention: Tatym Dishon
(student of Michelle Latour)

Musical Theater 5:
1st: Faith Illyra Joseph
(student of Kristin Briggs)
2nd: Makadie Miller
(stufent of Kristin Briggs)
3rd: Darcy Ryan
(student of Carol Modesitt)

Musical Theater 6:
1st: Zane Covington
(student of Melissa Glenn)
2nd: Brad Bishop
(student of Diane Kubeja)

Musical Theater 7:
1st: Tessa Washburn
(student of Melissa Glenn)
2nd: Mia Ellingson
(student of Jackie Jackson)
3rd: Savannah Billeter
(student of Carol Modesitt)

Classical 4:
1st: Makayla Thomas
(student of Emily Meyer)
2nd: Kenna Rushforth
(student of Emily Meyer)
3rd: Aubryone Townsend
(student of Valentine Baron)

Classical 5A:
1st: Makadie Miller
(student of Kristin Briggs)
2nd: Leonora Lund
(student of Carol Modesitt)
3rd: Amelia Hutchings
(student of Kristin Briggs)

Classical 5B:
1st: Olatz Unamuno
(student of Carol Modesitt)
2nd: Valerie Knapp
(student of Melissa Glenn)
3rd: Carey Goetz
(student of Linda Lister)

Classical 6 A&B:
1st: Anthony Apodaca
(student of Alphonse Anderson)
2nd: Stephen Coolman
(student of Lisa Elliott)
3rd: Zachary Young
(student of Jawan Jenkins)

Classical 7A:
1st: Alexia Hamilton
(student of Monica Williams-McCullough)
2nd: Annie Faux Gough
(student of Carol Modesitt)
3rd: Michaela Briggs
(student of Monica Williams-McCullough)

Classical 7B:
1st: Madelyn Salazar
(student of Monica Williams McCullough)
2nd: Christian Abbo
(student of Alphonse Anderson)
3rd: Tessa Washburn
(student of Melissa Glenn)

Adult Classical 1&2:
1st: Katlyn Morris
(student of Michelle Latour)
2nd: Adam Smith
(student of Terri Metcalf-Peterson)
3rd: Sara Kuenstler
(student of Michelle Latour)

Adult Classical 3:
1st: Dasia Intil
(student of Monica Williams-McCullough)
2nd: Beatrice Gerfin
(student of Jackie Jackson)
3rd: Daniel Frank
(student of Regina Sommer)
Honorable Mention: Carla Mowen
(student of Valentine Baron)

Classical 9:
1st: Christian Shelton
(student of Alphonse Anderson)
2nd: Valeria Dapena Torres
(student of Monica Williams-McCullough)
3rd: Lehi Moran
(student of Lawrence Johnson)

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

10/03/2024

08/08/2024

Let's give a friendly welcome to our new Chapter President, Dr. Lisa Elliott!

Dr. Lisa Elliott is the Music Director at Grace Presbyterian Church Las Vegas where she directs the traditional choral music program, including the Grace Concert Choir and orchestra, and the Grace Summer Sings community concert events. Recent major works include Handel’s Messiah, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Durufle’s Requiem, Mozart Vespers, Shaw The Many Moods of Christmas, Saint-Saëns Christmas Oratorio, and the Mozart Requiem.

Recent stage performances include Adele, Die Fledermaus, Mabel, Pirates of Penzance, Mrs. Nordstrom, A Little Night Music, Madame Heartmelt, The Impresario, and Mabel, Pirates of Penzance.

Recent soprano soloist performances include the Schubert Mass in G, Rutter Requiem, Rutter Magnificat, Haydn Little Organ Mass, Fauré Requiem, Dubois Seven Last Words of Christ, Handel
Messiah, Orff Carmina Burana, Clausen A New Creation, and the Saint-Saëns Christmas Oratorio.

In 2020, Lisa completed her DMA degree in vocal performance through the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), having already earned a Master’s degree at San Diego State University in vocal performance, and a Bachelor’s degree in choral conducting at Scripps College in Claremont, CA. Her
DMA document: Sacred Song Sisters: Choral and Solo Vocal Church Music by Women Composers for the Lenten Revised Common Lectionary, is a practical guide for church musicians that highlights many vocal works by women composers.

In 2014, Lisa was the Founding Artistic Director and Conductor of the Millennium Master Chorale of Central Florida. An auditioned, 40-voice SATB community choir in Central Florida, created to meet the needs of singers interested in performing masterworks and other quality choral pieces.

Dr. Elliott is an adjunct voice professor at UNLV and also maintains a vibrant private voice studio.

08/01/2024

Continuing to introduce the new members of the Las Vegas Chapter board, say hello to Dr. Valentine Baron!

After a Bachelor, and a Master in Musicology obtained in France, she moved to New York in 2014 to continue her studies with a Master of Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from New York University. While at NYU she was an adjunct instructor of Voice for two years. After her graduation in 2016, she stayed in New York and took a non-credit vocology class where she observed the work of speech pathologists at the NYU Voice center.

In 2017, she returned to France and established her private voice studio in Paris. In 2018, she moved back to the United States to complete her Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in voice in the studio of the soprano Dr. Linda Lister at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Valentine's dissertation focuses on the use of the neglected French opera comique repertoire to develop vocal agility of light lyric coloratura soprano voices. Valentine is the winner of the 2022 National Opera Association dissertation competition.

During her journey at UNLV Valentine was the treasurer of the University of Las Vegas, SNATS. As a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, she is the Vice President of the NATS Las Vegas Chapter.
​
Valentine is a Doctor of Music since May 2022 and is the recipient of the UNLV Outstanding Graduate Student Top Tier Award. She is part of the UNLV Voice Faculty and opened a school of singing in 2023 called Vegas Singing School (vegassingingschool.com).

07/26/2024

Last month brought the election of some new chapter officers and we'll be sharing some background on them over the next several weeks as part of our initiative! First up is Angela Trupiano David as Secretary.

Angela began her music journey with piano lessons at the age of 5. At 13 she added voice lessons and continued to develop her skill in classical technique, performance, and songwriting. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Music degree from Belmont University, studying vocal performance, music technology, collaborative piano, composition and arranging, and leading worship.

She discovered her passion and natural inclination for teaching in 2014 and launched Trupiano Studios LLC in 2018. Angela belongs to the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), and Vibrant Music Teaching (VMT). Angela freelances as a producer, arranger, songwriter, worship leader, and performer, and enjoys volunteering in different capacities with the local chapters for MTNA and NATS.

Angela is currently serving as Secretary for the Las Vegas chapter of NATS, and served on the board of Las Vegas Music Teachers Association (LVMTA) as the Interim VP of Programs from 2021-2022. In 2022 she released two albums of original music, Through the Storm and Declaration, currently available for streaming on all digital platforms. In her spare time, Angela enjoys reading, composing, gardening, and spending time with family.

05/11/2024

NEWS!!! 🤩 📣

NATS is offering a couple promotions for new members!

From June 1, 2024, through September 30, 2024 new members can join NATS choosing these two following offers:

Option 1: Join at the special $100 rate for the remainder of the year. Renew at regular price January 1, 2025.

Option 2: Join for the next 18 months at the special price of $199. Membership good through January 1, 2026.

Bonus: Anyone who joins NATS during this period can use this special code, freechapter and join one chapter free!

For any questions on this promotion: Contact Amandia Carnahan, Membership Services Coordinator, [email protected], or 904-992-9101, ext. 400

🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩

03/25/2024

📣📣📣 ANNOUNCEMENT 📣📣📣
From Dr. Lisa Elliott, our Summer Scholarship Concert Chair:

Happy Spring NATS member teachers!

Applications for our Summer Scholarship Concert are now being accepted through Fri Mar 29th. Similar to last year's concert, this event is to help students that have been accepted to summer programs (for example, AIMS) raise money for their travel expenses.
3-5 students will split the $1000 prize money. AND the selected students will all equally divide the freewill offering, so please invite friends and family.
The concert is at Grace Presbyterian Church, 1515 W. Charleston Blvd, on Sunday April 28th at 2p.
Please have your students complete the application and submit by March 29th.
Best,

Dr. Lisa Elliott