Ouachita Stories

Eleven Ouachita Baptist University students were named finalists last weekend in the annual Southern Region National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) auditions held at Mississippi College.

“The annual Southern Region Conference gives OBU students the opportunity to compete with the best NATS students from throughout Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi,” explained Dr. Jon Secrest, coordinator of OBU’s vocal studies program. “Along with the competitive aspect of the conference, our students are exposed to new repertoire, teaching techniques and artistic expression at the highest level available in our region.”

More than 500 singers from colleges and universities such as Ole Miss, Louisiana State University and Arkansas State Univeristy competed in the auditions.

“I love being able to simply perform,” said Bethany Swiontek, a junior musical theatre student of Margaret Garrett from Colorado Springs, Colo. “As singers and actors, we spend the majority of our time rehearsing, in the practice rooms and auditioning, so I love being given the opportunity to just perform.”

“What I enjoyed most about the conference would definitely be the many master classes and performances that I attended,” said Josh Wayne, a freshman vocal performance student of Jon Secrest from Bella Vista, Ark. Wayne placed first in the freshman men division. “It's amazing to think of how much you can learn from watching and observing professional performances. Through experiencing them, I can take action to improve my own singing.”

Thirty-three OBU students participated in the conference auditions, with eight students choosing to complete in both the classical category and the music theatre category, for a total of forty-one entries from OBU. Staff accompanists John Briggs, Susan Monroe and Phyllis Walker accompanied Ouachita’s students on piano for the auditions.

“Only three of our school’s entries did not advance to the semi-final round, and we were blessed to have eleven finalists in this year's competition,” Secrest said. Ouachita had the second largest number of finalists of all the participating universities; only the University of Southern Mississippi had more finalists than OBU.

“The results of this event are a testament to the hard work of our OBU voice principals, their wonderful accompanists and their teachers” Secrest added. “For a school our size to be consistently among the most noteworthy of participants is truly a blessing for the OBU School of Fine Arts, Division of Music and the Vocal Studies Program.”

Xavier Lagunas, a senior musical theatre student of Glenda Secrest from Arlington, Texas, is a veteran NATS performer, having attended six NATS conferences throughout his time at OBU. “It definitely has helped me grow into a better, more confident performer and musician,” he said. “It feels good to know that through hard work and perseverance you can achieve great things.” Lagunas earned first place in the senior men division and fourth place in the upper division music theatre division.
The following students were NATS finalists, in order of hometown:

Arkadelphia, Ark. – Caitlin Secrest, a sophomore vocal performance student of Glenda and Jon Secrest, earned first place in the sophomore women division. Secrest also was a semifinalist in the lower music theatre division.

Arlington, Texas – Xavier Lagunas, a senior musical theatre student of Glenda Secrest, earned first place in the senior men division and fourth place in the upper music theatre division.

Bella Vista, Ark. – Josh Wayne, a freshman vocal performance student of Jon Secrest, earned first place in the freshmen men division.

Colorado Springs, Colo. – Bethany Swiontek, a junior musical theatre student of Margaret Garrett, earned the first place in the upper music theatre division.

Dalworthington Gardens, Texas – Andrew Miller, a junior vocal performance student of Jon Secrest, earned fourth place in the younger advanced men division.

DeSoto, Texas – Gemma Guiomard, a junior musical theatre student of Jon Secrest, earned third place in the lower music theatre division.

Grapevine, Texas – Shay Michael, a senior musical theatre student of Jon Secrest, earned second place in the upper music theatre division.

Justin, Texas – Ashley Bundy, a sophomore vocal performance student of Jon Secrest, earned fifth place in the sophomore women division. 

Sherwood, Ark. – Victoria Mantooth, a sophomore vocal performance student of Glenda Secrest, earned third place in the sophomore women division. Mantooth also was a semifinalist in the lower music theatre division.

Wynne, Ark. – Jacob Watson, a senior musical theatre student of Jon Secrest, earned first place in the younger advanced men division.
The following students were NATS semi-finalists, in order of hometown:

Bentonville, Ark. – Maria Falcon, a freshman music education student of Jon Secrest, was a semi-finalist in the freshman women division.

Bryan, Texas – Alyssa Eskelsen, a junior music and business administration student of Steve Garner, was a semi-finalist in the lower music theatre division.

Carrollton, Texas – Christina Moon, a freshman vocal performance student of Jon Secrest, was a semi-finalist in the freshman women division.

Cleburne, Texas – Garrett Whitehead, a sophomore music theatre student of Steve Garner, was a semi-finalist in the lower music theatre division.

Dallas, Texas – Ben Stidham, a freshman musical theatre student of Glenda Secrest, was a semi-finalist in the lower music theatre division.

Fort Worth, Texas – Jillian Turner, a freshman vocal performance student of Glenda Secrest, was a semi-finalist in the freshman women division and in the lower music theatre division.

Garland, Texas – Lauren Casteel, a senior musical theatre student of Margaret Garrett, was a semi-finalist in the upper music theatre division. Emma Patterson, a sophomore musical education student of Steve Garner, was a semi-finalist in the freshman women division.

Glen Carbon, Ill. – Joel Rogier, a sophomore vocal performance student of Jon Secrest, was a semi-finalist in the sophomore men division and in the lower music theatre division.

Little Rock, Ark. – Brooke Ault, a senior musical theatre student of Jon Secrest, was a semi-finalist in the upper music theatre division. Gabi Baltzley, a sophomore musical theatre student of Margaret Garrett, was a semi-finalist in the lower music theatre division.

North Little Rock, Ark. – Ben Perry, a sophomore musical theatre student of Margaret Garrett, was a semi-finalist in the lower music theatre division.

Overland Park, Kan. – James Wood, a junior music student of Glenda Secrest, was a semi-finalist in the junior men division.

Paron, Ark. – Tim Drennan, a sophomore musical theatre student of Margaret Garrett, was a semi-finalist in the lower music theatre division.

Saginaw, Mich. – Hannah Garner, a junior vocal performance student of Jon Secrest, was a semi-finalist in the junior women division.

Sanger, Texas – Alyssa Reynolds, a music student of Glenda Secrest, was a semi-finalist in the upper music theatre division.

Springdale, Ark. – Rachel Harris, a senior musical theatre and vocal performance student of Margaret Garrett, was a semi-finalist in the senior women division.

Tyler, Texas – Grace Johnson, a senior vocal performance student of Jon Secrest, was a semi-finalist in the senior women division.

Van Buren, Ark. – Loren McDaniel, a freshman musical theatre student of Glenda Secrest, was a semi-finalist in the freshman women division and in the lower music theatre division.

West Monroe, La. – Alayna Rutledge, a freshman church music student of Glenda Secrest, was a semi-finalist in the freshman women division.

White Hall, Ark. – Bethany Gere, a freshman musical theatre student of Margaret Garrett, was a semi-finalist in the lower music theatre division.

For more information, contact Dr. Jon Secrest, coordinator of Ouachita’s vocal studies program, at [email protected] or (870) 245-5134.

By Nicci Fillinger