Voice students to compete in national competition

Two UNC Charlotte music students will compete in the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) National Student Auditions on Tuesday, July 7.

The students, Hunter Aldridge and Tyrez Dabbs, are tenors who study with Brian Arreola, assistant professor of voice and director of the Department of Music opera workshop program.

To qualify for the National Student Auditions, Aldridge and Dabbs advanced through three rounds of competition spanning the past five months. In February, the two singers competed against college voice majors from across North Carolina. Both received scores high enough to qualify for the Mid-Atlantic NATS Conference, held in College Park, Md.; this competition featured students from North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia.

At the Mid-Atlantic competition, Aldridge and Dabbs each placed first in his respective division. They submitted videos to a national online adjudication round to advance to the national level.

The National Student Auditions are being held at UNC Greensboro at the NATS National Conference. More than 150 students will compete in 12 categories. After two rounds of competition, 24 students will receive cash prizes – two from each category.

Watch a recent WSOC-TV segment about Aldridge and Dabbs.

Photo: Tyrez Dabbs is one of two UNC Charlotte voice students vying at the National Student Auditions.