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Student Auditions

Students of NATS members have access to one of the organization's most widely recognized activities: student auditions. During this annual event, voice students from the Kansas City area have the opportunity to perform and receive written feedback from a panel of experts. Cash prizes are awarded in each category. 

Join us for the 2025 Kansas City NATS Student Auditions!

The 2025 Kansas City NATS Student Auditions will be held Saturday, February 15, 2025 (8:00am-6:00pm) at William Jewell College (Liberty, MO). Registration will close at midnight February 3, 2025.

About Kansas City NATS Student Auditions

Eligibility

Student Auditions are open to students of voice teachers who are current in their National and Kansas City Chapter membership dues. Only those eligible will be able to enter the registration portal.​ Members must also either serve as judges, arrange for a qualified substitute judge, OR pay $100 in order for their students to be eligible to compete in Student Auditions.

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Not a NATS member? Join NATS here.​

To register

1. Collect your students' information. Here is a printable form from NATS.

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2. For minor students, also complete the NATS Chaperone Form. 

 

3. Log into NATS.org and navigate to the NATS Auditions Registration Portal (AuditionWare). There, enter data for each student, including repertoire.

 

4. Verify that your mailing address in the NATS Membership Directory is correct, and update it if necessary. Award certificates and prizes will be mailed to the TEACHER'S address on file if they are accidentally left at the audition site.​

 

5. Pay for teacher registration ($20) and student entries ($20 per audition) through the registration system using a credit card.

 

6. Educate your students and pianists about U.S. Copyright Law, especially as it applies to NATS auditions, and remind them to look for and respond to an email from AuditionWare through which they will acknowledge the NATS Copyright Policy.  (Remember to check your spam folders.)

 

7. Like our Facebook page, and encourage your students to do so as well. Announcements about Student Auditions will be posted to this page.

Preparing to adjudicate

  1. Before each Student Auditions event, there will be a MANDATORY JUDGE'S MEETING. Information about this meeting will be sent to you via email after you register.

  2. Familiarize yourself with the NATS Adjudication Rubrics. You must score students according to these rubrics.

  3. Watch the NATS adjudicator training videos on YouTube:

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Additional resources:

Repertoire

Read the full documentation on Categories of Entry at NATS.org.

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Categories

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  • ​Classical: â€‹Contrasting age-appropriate selections from classical repertoire. 

  • ​Musical Theatre: Contrasting age-appropriate musical theatre selections from musicals including film musicals, revues, operettas, musical theatre song cycles or musical theatre song literature. Only one selection may be chosen from operetta or musical theatre song literature.

  • ​African American Spiritual: American Negro Spirituals contrasting by composer, tempo, and text. See approved spirituals repertoire on NATS.org.

  • Commercial Music: Contrasting age-appropriate selections from commercial music repertoire. â€‹

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Ages

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  • Child: Ages 5-11, under 6th grade, 6-8 minutes

  • Youth: Ages 11-14, 6th-8th grade, 6-8 minutes

  • High School: Ages 14-18, 8-10 minutes

  • Lower College: Ages 18-22, freshmen and sophomores, 10 minutes

  • Upper College: Ages 18-25, juniors and seniors, 12 minutes 

  • Advanced: Ages 18-30, graduate school and emerging professional, 15 minutes

  • Adults: Ages 18-100, serious avocational adults of any age, 10-12 minutes

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Detailed song requirements for each age x category can be found here.

Accompanists

Contestants shall furnish their own accompanists. In order to facilitate scheduling, accompanists playing for more than one division may play for no more than 6 entries. If an accompanist is only playing for students in one division, there is no maximum number. Teachers shall not accompany their own students. The adjudication schedule shall take precedence.

Awards

Award amounts are contingent upon available funds from entry fees. Checks are made payable to the singer. The Auditions Coordinator may withhold any or all of the awards if a division has too few entries to pay for itself. In the event of a tie, the category judges will be asked to break the tie in order to award the full amount to the participating student.

FAQ

  • The deadline for registration has passed. May I still register my students? No. Unfortunately, we are not able to accommodate any late registrations. 

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  • What does it cost? Audition fees are $20 per event. Chapter dues are $30 annually and national membership is $140 annually.

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  • Will the NATS AuditionWare portal save my progress? Yes, you may exit the program and come back when you have more information. DO NOT submit your registration until all students, their repertoire, and their accompanists have been entered.

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  • Why can't I play for my students? All participating NATS teachers will serve as adjudicators for events in which they do not have students entered, so you will not be available to play for your students. Additionally, student singers benefit from working with a variety of professional musicians. You may also be recognized by an adjudicator, and this may cause an unconscious bias in scoring.

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  • What happens if we use photocopied music instead of an original? Any copyright infraction will be brought to the attention of the resident officers. If it is judged to be an actual copyright violation, then the student in question will be disqualified from placing in the competition. The student will receive comments but will be ineligible for any awards. Read more about our policies on copyright law.

Past auditions

  • February 10, 2024, UMKC, Kansas City, Missouri (View results)

  • January 28, 2023, KU School of Music, Lawrence, Kansas (View results)

  • March 18, 2022, Virtual Event (View results)

  • February 14, 2021, Virtual Event (View results)

  • February 8, 2020, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, Kansas

  • February 9, 2019, Kansas City Kansas Community College, Kansas City, Kansas (View results)

  • February 10, 2018, University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, Missouri

  • February 11, 2017, William Jewell College, Liberty, Missouri

  • February 6, 2016, MidAmerica Nazarene University, Olathe, Kansas (View results)

  • February 8, 2015, MidAmerica Nazarene University, Olathe, Kansas (View results)

  • February 9, 2014, University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, Missouri (View results)

  • February 3, 2013, MidAmerica Nazarene University, Olathe, Kansas (View results)

  • February 5, 2012, MidAmerica Nazarene University, Olathe, Kansas

  • February 6, 2011, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri

  • February 7, 2010, University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, Missouri (Program, winner's recital)

Questions?

Contact Michelle Allen McIntire, Auditions Chair, at kansascitychapternats [at] gmail.com​

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