A record number of students in the South Carolina School of the Arts at Anderson University qualified for the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Semi-Finals in a variety of categories. Harper Krimm won second place in her Commercial Music category as well as qualifying for the Semi-Finals in her Musical Theater category. She sang “Use Me,” a hit song from the seventies by Bill Withers.
Krimm was accompanied in the Finals by Nathan Fowler, a Worship Leadership major at AU and an extraordinary guitar player. Molly Tripp accompanied on piano Krimm and all of the students in the Semi-final round.
According to Associate Professor of Music Deirdre Welborn, these students have been through many rounds of adjudication to get to this point.
Placing second in the Commercial Music category is special for Krimm, since this is the first year for the category to appear in NATS competition.
“I love performing live, and getting to perform for people that don’t usually watch me was extra special as well,” said Krimm. “To create connections in a different area of the country was really great. I got to meet musicians from Seattle and Hawaii and all sorts of places.”
Krimm, whose parents are Anderson University alumni, looks forward to returning to AU for her junior year.
“This year I get to be the band leader for AUthenticity. We’re currently up in the studios recording an album to be released,” she said. “We’re excited about that, too.”
The students below are the top 14 from across the United States and including several international qualifiers as well. They sang in the Semi-Final Round at the National Student Auditions Semi-Finals at the NATS National Conference in Knoxville, Tennessee, June 27-30.
Semi-Finalists
(Top 14 students in each category from across the US and some international chapters)
Nathaneal Browne – Musical Theater, Lower College, Tenor, Baritone, Bass – student of Seth Killen
D’Andre Hicks – Hall Johnson Spirituals – student of Seth Killen
D’Andre Hicks – Musical Theater, Lower College Tenor, Baritone, Bass – student of Seth Killen
Harper Krimm – Commercial Music, Lower College Treble – student of Deirdre Welborn
Harper Krimm – Musical Theater, Lower College Treble – student of Deirdre Welborn
Gabe Pattersonn* – Commercial Music Lower College Tenor, Baritone, Bass – student of Seth Killen
Evelyn Ruff – Musical Theater, Upper College, Treble – student of Deirdre Welborn
Jacob Sabella – Musical Theater, Lower College, Tenor, Baritone, Bass – student of Seth Killen
Sydney Wells – Commercial Music, Upper College Treble – student of Deirdre Welborn
Other students advanced to the Preliminary round and Quarter Final round but were not selected for the Semi-Final Round:
Scarlett Freeman – CM Lower College, Treble, Preliminary Round – student of Seth Killen
Sydney Loop – Classical, First Year College, Treble, Preliminary Round – student of Deirdre Welborn
Rebecca Menoni – MT Upper College, Treble, Preliminary Round and Quarter Final Rounds – student of Deirdre Welborn
Isabella Murrell – MT Upper College, Treble, Preliminary Round and Quarter Final Rounds – student of Joel Dupont
Mattie Murdock – CM Lower College, Treble, Preliminary Round – student of Alex Birch
*Gabe Patterson was selected as a Semi-Finalist but was unable to participate due to an injury just before the NSA Semi-Finals