Press contact: Kyla Kruse

SPRINGFIELD — Four Lincoln Land Community College Music students studying voice competed at the National Association of Teachers of Singing Central Region Conference held Oct. 21-22 in Bourbonnais with college students from Illinois, Iowa and Missouri.

Jack John Barham of Chatham qualified to advance to the national level in the classical TBB (tenor, baritone, bass) category for those in their first two years of collegiate study. Miriam Carter of Springfield won first place in the regional Adult Classical Treble Voice category and earned a cash prize.

Barham, Carter, Brett Wisecup of Rochester and Tanner Stephens of Ashland competed in classical categories. In the first round, they sang three songs, with at least one in a foreign language, for panels of vocal professionals who provided scoring and feedback. Barham, Carter and Wisecup advanced to the semifinal round, in which they performed one song for a different panel. The top five scores in each category advanced to the final round.

The conference also provided opportunities for students to learn more about singing, view performances, network and attend a performance class with Grammy Award-winning soprano Christine Brewer.

Barham, Stephens and Wisecup are taught by Laurie Lewis-Fritz, assistant professor of music, and Carter is taught by Mina McIntire, private applied voice instructor. 

Learn more about LLCC’s music programs.