Pearson and Warner Ranked Highly in National Singing Competition
Two University of South Dakota music students competed in the semifinals of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Competition held on June 27 and 28 at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. Kaitlin Pearson and Eldon Warner competed at the regional level and in an online screening round to qualify for the nationals, and they ranked among the top 14 singers in their respective divisions from across North America.
Pearson, a second-year graduate student from Gretna, Nebraska, competed in the Advanced Women’s Classical division, and Warner, a senior from Council Bluffs, Iowa, competed in the Upper College Men’s Musical Theatre division. They are both students of Tracelyn Gesteland, D.M.A., associate professor of voice/opera and holder of the Walter A. and Lucy Yoshioka Buhler Endowed Chair.
“Kaitlin and Eldon performed beautifully and were outstanding representatives of USD on the national stage,” Gesteland said. “I am incredibly proud of both of them.”
