Centenary music students win awards

Dr. Gale Odom poses with Centenary singers at NATS. Left to right: Andrew Echols, Victoria Sundin, Janine Cunningham, Sierra Worman, Timothy McCoy, and Marcus Thomas

SHREVEPORT, LA — Six students from Centenary’s Hurley School of Music competed in the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Louisiana Chapter Auditions at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana on March 10. All six singers advanced to the finals round of the competition and five won prizes.

“This is the first time in my memory that 100% of our students have made the finals at NATS,” says Dr. Gale Odom, dean of the Hurley School of Music. “I am very proud of this group and their artistry.”

The following students won prizes in the competition:

            Timothy McCoy (Keithville, LA) – 1st place Senior Men

            Victoria Sundin (Tyler, TX) – 2nd place Junior Women

            Sierra Worman (Dallas, TX) – 1st place Sophomore Women

            Marcus Thomas (Shreveport, LA) – 3rd place Lower College Musical Theater Men

            Andrew Echols (Dallas, TX) – 2nd place Freshman Men

Janine Cunningham of Dallas, TX was a finalist in the Freshman Women category. All students were accompanied by Hurley staff accompanist Daniel Ley. McCoy, Thomas, and Echols are students of Centenary’s artist-in-residence Cindy Sadler, while Sundin, Worman, and Cunningham study with Odom.

Freshman Marcus Thomas was attending his first NATS competition and soaked in the experience.

“NATS is a great opportunity for singers to show off our hard work in solo performances,” says Thomas. “We are representing ourselves but also our college, and when we do well it reflects positively on the training we receive at Centenary. I also really enjoyed the chance to meet other singers, especially the other competitors in the musical theater category. I hope that I’ll be interacting with them for many years to come in the professional world.”

 
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