What’s NEW at the Auditions in 2020?
Please read carefully!

Wisconsin's Chapter Auditions will be held ONLINE this year.

Video Submission Guidelines

Chapter auditions are online this year. The Wisconsin NATS chapter will be following the Updated Video Submissions Guideline posted on the national website.

A video tutorial on creating unlisted YouTube videos can be found here.

When entering repertoire and video links, you will be asked to select one piece of repertoire that will be used in the semi- and final rounds.
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Questions about video submissions can be directed to Nathan Krueger.

New Singing Category: American Negro Spiritual

The National Student Auditions team worked over the summer to create a new category which our chapter Auditions Committee would like to open up to our students for the chapter auditions.

From the NSA auditions team:

“During the National Student Auditions Final Rounds Finals on June 28 this year an anonymous donor gave a challenge gift to establish a non-conference year Spiritual Category in NSA.  The purpose of the gift is to honor and heighten awareness of the history and culture of our African American citizens at a time when it is deemed necessary to organize nationwide protests proclaiming “Black Lives Matter." This is an active, peaceful response generated by the poignant Opening Ceremony of the NATS National Conference and the diversity work of the NATS Advocacy Committee in supporting music education.
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Five members of the Regulations Committee met and created a subcommittee of NATS members Barbara Hill-Moore, Alexis Davis-Hazell, Marcia Porter and Everett McCorvey to advise in the creation of the spiritual category. The subcommittee suggested the name of the category, defined the terminology, wrote the history and developed the repertoire list for the NATS new biennial “American Negro Spiritual Category”.“

These are the specifications for the American Negro Spiritual Category:

What is the NATS’ Definition and Terminology of American Negro Spirituals?

The American Negro Spirituals are the folk songs created by the enslaved Africans after their arrival in North America between 1619 and 1860. Although slavery ended with Abraham Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation, which went into effect January 1, 1863, the enslaved people in Texas did not receive the notice until June 19, 1865, hence the Juneteeth Celebration.
The songs created and sung by enslaved women, men and children were born in North America and recant with dignity, resolve and sometimes joy, their stories of life, death, faith, hope, escape, and survival. These melodies and stories have been passed down orally from generation to generation in the plantation fields, in churches and in camp meetings and have presently taken their places on concert hall stages and recital series around the world. 

Although most of the composers of the spirituals we now sing are unknown, the melodies and lyrics have been arranged by hundreds of arrangers in many different styles. The spirituals approved for performance in NATS auditions are the classical arrangements of the North American Negro Spirituals and arranged by classical North American composers. The terminology for singing in the American Negro Spiritual category is outlined and defined in the classical Audition Terminology.

While the American Negro Spirituals’ geneses are of and by African Americans, they tell the stories in music of the history of our country. NATS encourages all singers to explore, study and perform these beautiful songs.  

What is the difference between a Spiritual and a Gospel selection?
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The American Negro Spirituals category is only for classical renditions of American Negro Spirituals in the classical art song tradition. Gospel, Contemporary Christian, Jazz and Blues selections are not allowed in this category. In addition, students should sing what is written in the particular arrangement they are using, with only mild deviations and interpolation to what is written in the music. The goal is to celebrate the music and the meaning of the text and not to focus on interpolated histrionics not written in the music. For a more in-depth discussion of the Gospel music, please see the Oxford Online definitions of Gospel music, please refer to the Oxford Online Dictionary entry on Gospel music (37.2.5).

American Negro Spiritual Audition Terminology

Spiritual Definition	Arrangements in classical style of the North American Negro Spirituals, by composers similar to the style of Hall Johnson, R. Nathaniel Dett, Florence Price, Moses Hogan, Edward Boatner, Undine Smith Moore, James Weldon and J. Rosamond Johnson, Margaret Bonds and others. The classical style excludes Gospel, Blues and Jazz music. More extensive definition in NATS FAQ-Student Auditions.
Memorization	All repertoire must be sung from memory.
Diction	Because of the idiomatic nature of the spiritual, diction restrictions will be relaxed and standard English pronunciations may be observed. (“de” or “duh” may be replaced with “the” for instance).
Transposition	Published transpositions consistent with the NATS Copyright Policy are allowed.
Spirituals in English	English must be the original language of the art song.
Spiritual Classical Performance Style	The word “classical” in this context refers to singing spirituals in the classical style with only mild deviations and interpolation to what is written in the music and without music theater, pop, gospel, contemporary Christian, soul, jazz, rhythm and blues expressions or vocal technique. See the NATS FAQ-Student Auditions for the difference between Spirituals and Gospel Songs
Judicious Cuts	Piano introductions, piano interludes, piano music after the vocal solo is completed, and internal cuts of spiritual selections are allowed as in common performance practice. Cuts of a verse or verses of selections are not allowed. In the case of strophic pieces, all verses should remain that are traditionally included.
Comment Only	Any student may register to sing for comments only and participate in the preliminary audition round.

American Negro Spirituals Category – Biennial Audition Category

​The American Negro Spirituals Category will be added to regularly scheduled regional student auditions with the top five regional winners advancing to the NSA rounds, as with all other categories.  Chapters are also eligible and encouraged to add this competition to chapter auditions. Where applicable, Chapter auditions serve as qualifying rounds for advancement into region auditions. The American Spiritual Category will alternate with the Hall Johnson Spiritual Category nationally, with the Hall Johnson Category offered in even numbered years.

CATEGORY NUMBER AND TITLE	LENGTH OF STUDY	AGE LIMIT	TIME	VOICE TYPE	*REPERTOIRE: all repertoire is sung from memory
17 - High School  ​American Negro Spiritual	No limit	14-19	8 minutes	All	Three American Negro Spirituals contrasting by composer, tempo and text. *See publications list
18 - First Through Third Year College Age ​American Negro Spiritual	0-3 years post high school	23	10 minutes	All	Three American Negro Spirituals contrasting by composer, tempo and text. *See publications list
19 - Fourth/Fifth Year College Age and Graduate Age American Negro Spiritual	4+ years post high school	30	12 minutes	All	Four American Negro Spirituals contrasting by composer, tempo and text. *See publications list

*Authorized scores of repertoire not found on the publications list can be vetted/approved by contacting one of the following NATS members:
Alexis Davis-Hazell 
Barbara Hill-Moore  
Everett McCorvey  
Marcia Porter