Welcome
Cascade Chapter ~ Classical Auditions ~ Online 2025
Registration Deadline: Thursday January 30th, 9:59 PM
Video information and guidelines
Best practices for making an audition recording
TO REGISTER, LOGIN AT THE NATIONAL WEBSITE: www.nats.org
scroll to the bottom of your membership homepage and click the green AuditionWare button.
Contact Information
Auditions Co-Chairs:
Registration Deadline: Thursday January 30th, 9:59 PM
Student Auditions Structure At-a-Glance
REGISTER: Teachers complete registration in Auditionware, online at www.nats.org
FEES: Teachers pay a one time $25 fee, plus an additional $25 per entry. Teachers make online payment as part of registration.
SCHEDULE: The audition schedule will be visible to members in Auditionware on www.nats.org approximately 5 days after online registration closes. No changes, no refunds.
AUDITION: Students online audition consists of videos uploaded by teachers when registering, adjudicated by three NATS members, who assign scores and written comments.
ADJUDICATORS: Auditions are heard by teachers who’ve registered students. Teachers must login to Auditionware to complete their adjudication assignments by the deadline.
RESULTS: First, second, and third place winners in each room will be posted by February 16th.
REGISTRATION
To register, login at www.NATS.org which will land you on Member Home. Scroll to the bottom and click on the green AuditionWare button. In AuditionWare, find “Cascade Classical 2025 Auditions”.
Registration Fees: Teacher: $25 Student: $25 per student
Members serve as adjudicators. Adjudicators must review NATS Adjudicator training materials and be familiar with adjudication rubrics. (https://www.nats.org/nsaresources.html#adjudication
RESOURCES
https://www.nats.org/national_student_auditions.html
https://www.nats.org/_Library/NSA_Files/2024-25_NSA_Full_Regulations.pdf
SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS
For our high school singers:
The Dagny Gustafson Scholarship Award for Young Singers was established in 1978 in memory of Dagny Gustafson, one of the first members of the Cascade Chapter of NATS. She was a beloved teacher of all ages and talents. Before moving to Oregon she had a substantial performance career as a mezzo-soprano. She taught on the faculties of Portland State University, Lewis and Clark College and University of Portland and had a full complement of students in her downtown Portland studio for many years. Her students won awards on local and national levels, including several NW regional winners of the NATSAA. Many members of Cascade NATS were her voice students. She was also an advocate for collaborative pianists and nurtured their development.
The recipient of this annual award will be a high school singer who displays potential, technical advancement and artistry. The student must sing in the Honors Recital.
Criteria for this award are:
· Appropriate literature for the development of the singer
· Good breath management, posture, free tone production
· Language skills
· Ability to bring the song to life with understanding of style and text
The student will be selected by either the guest clinician during the Classical Festival or, in the year(s) no clinician is hired, elected board members (President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer) will select the student to be awarded the Gustafson Scholarship. Any board members with students in the honors recital will recuse themselves. If all executive board members are ineligible, the President will select judges (up to 3) from the rest of the board in attendance.
For our lower and upper college singers performing art songs:
The Bel Canto Art Song Award for Vocal Excellence was established in 2016 and will be awarded to an advanced singer of college age for excellence in Art Song. An anonymous donor has established this award to celebrate beautiful professional level singing.
The recipient of this annual award will be an advanced singer in the Lower or Upper College Divisions who demonstrates excellent technique, vocal resonance and beauty singing an art song in the Honors Recital.
Criteria for this award:
· Perform an Art Song in any language on the Honors Recital
· Balanced, vibrant resonance
· Excellent technique as demonstrated in breath management and posture
· Poised, polished performance
· Excellent diction in all languages
· Thorough understanding of style
· Artistic attention to vocal color, nuance and text
The student will be selected by either the guest clinician during the Classical Auditions and Festival or, in the year(s) no clinician is hired, elected board members (President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer) will select the student to be awarded the Bel Canto Art Song Award. Any board members with students in the honors recital will recuse themselves. If all executive board members are ineligible, the President will select judges (up to 3) from the rest of the board in attendance.