Two University of Lynchburg students are competing in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference in Charleston, South Carolina this weekend.
Hattie Bays ’18 and Katie-Lee Melvin ’18 each scored honors for their solos in the statewide conference last month to secure spots in the regional competition.
Hattie is performing “Sure on this Shining Night” by Samuel Barber, “Bel Piacere” by Handel, and “In Uomini” by Mozart. Katie-Lee is singing A. E. Housman’s “Loveliest of Trees” and two Italian songs — “Para Gloria” and “Ill Mio bel Foco.”
Both singers said their music instruction at LC has transformed their talent. The music department has “phenomenal” faculty, said Hattie. “I am so blessed to work with such a talented group of individuals who provide me with encouraging instruction on a daily basis.”
Katie-Lee has been singing ever since she could talk, but her music professors have helped take her talent to another level. “They have changed the way I viewed ‘good’ singing and forced me to open my mind to find the better singer within myself,” she said. “They pushed me forward and helped me to find the courage to step up to the plate and do my best.”