Regional Governor
Brian Leeper
I am in my 20th year at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where I teach Studio Voice, Opera Workshop, Hawk-Kor and advise our Student Chapter of SNATS. A Wisconsin-Chapter NATS member, I served previously on the board for several years in the following offices: Member-at-Large, Membership Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President and President. As a performer, I remain active - in recent summers I presented masterclasses at Operafestival di Roma and FIO-Italia and travelled to Frankfurt to coach American art song with vocalists at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst. In June, 2022, I sang the premier performance of Children of the Moon with the Nebraska Chamber Players in Red Cloud, NE at the 67th Annual Willa Cather Spring Conference, in celebration of the centenary of Cather's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, One of Ours. Later that month at the Norwegian Singers Association of America’s Sangerfest, I performed as soloist with the festival choir and collaborated with Jessica Paul, piano, on a solo recital of songs by Edvard Grieg.
My vision for our region is to find new ways to connect with each other over the vast distance between our districts. Early in my career while teaching at Western Illinois University and Nebraska Wesleyan University, I attended regional auditions of the West Central and Central regions of NATS. I found these auditions quite beneficial to my own students and I grew to know many of the teachers from the other state chapters in those regions. Being a member now for 20 years in Wisconsin, I rarely have the opportunity to connect with teachers from other districts in that same manner, except at national events. Yes, we are separated by several hundred miles, but I would like to give thought to how we might be able to offer a regional audition for neighboring states within our region, even if that may mean organizing separate auditions that make it possible for our membership to take part in a mini-regional audition. I would also like to continue to champion diversity and inclusion within our region, as we should strive for membership nearly as diverse as our geographical distance. I believe that we should seek out as many varied perspectives as possible when looking at leadership positions within our region for the future.
My vision for our region is to find new ways to connect with each other over the vast distance between our districts. Early in my career while teaching at Western Illinois University and Nebraska Wesleyan University, I attended regional auditions of the West Central and Central regions of NATS. I found these auditions quite beneficial to my own students and I grew to know many of the teachers from the other state chapters in those regions. Being a member now for 20 years in Wisconsin, I rarely have the opportunity to connect with teachers from other districts in that same manner, except at national events. Yes, we are separated by several hundred miles, but I would like to give thought to how we might be able to offer a regional audition for neighboring states within our region, even if that may mean organizing separate auditions that make it possible for our membership to take part in a mini-regional audition. I would also like to continue to champion diversity and inclusion within our region, as we should strive for membership nearly as diverse as our geographical distance. I believe that we should seek out as many varied perspectives as possible when looking at leadership positions within our region for the future.
