As I look back on this past weekend’s competition sponsored by the Wisconsin chapter of NATS – the National Association of Teachers of Singers – my thoughts keep circling back to something that was said at our chapter meeting on Saturday. We were in the midst of a discussion about a potential change in our competition schedule when another teacher mentioned that her favorite moment from that morning’s finals was “when those three sophomore guys” – the three young men who sang in the finals for second year classical men – went up to the front for the awards ceremony and quite spontaneously embraced each other – as though they were the best of friends. (We often see something that at the end, once the awards have been announced, but it’s rather uncommon to see hugs right off the bat – especially hugs that seem to be so freely and naturally exchanged.) And as she talked about this, I saw teachers all around the room smiling and nodding, remembering the same lovely moment.
This meant a lot to me because one of those three guys who had won the hearts of the audience in that moment was Austin Merschdorf, one of my Carthage voice students. And it underscored what I had already been thinking both about Austin and his classmate and friend, Matt Burton ….. that for as proud as I was about how beautifully these two young men sang on the stage this weekend, I was perhaps even prouder for the way that they carried themselves and represented themselves and Carthage off the stage …. with such maturity, appreciativeness, integrity, and joy.
When I think back to my own days of competing at NATS, which was over 30 years ago, I have absolutely no memories of warm, friendly interaction with my fellow singers – save for a brief chat with a tenor from Simpson College (where I almost went instead of Luther) who finished second to me both our freshman and sophomore years. Aside from that, what I remember is being incredibly nervous and wanting not to do anything that would somehow distract me from singing to the very best of my ability; I remember at least most of us warily keeping our distance from each other.
NATS nowadays – at least here in Wisconsin, and at least in the men’s divisions in which my students compete – seems to be a much less frosty sort of competition. I consistently see singers from different schools having friendly, easy interaction in the hallways …. and I especially noticed that with Austin and Matt and the men in their division both last year and this year. It’s as though it would never occur to them to be anything except open-hearted and friendly with their fellow singers. They know a number of their colleagues by name- know where they go to school- and seemed genuinely delighted to see them again. And it’s not like my guys weren’t nervous; they both were. (Austin was bearing the responsibility of having won his division last year, so he was especially nervous.) But their nervousness did not cause them to see the other guys in their division as adversaries or enemies – but actually as friends, to a remarkable degree. And I suspect that they sang as well as they did at least in part because they didn’t isolate themselves the way the typical figure skater does at big competitions. (It makes me wonder if a lot of these young skaters wouldn’t actually skate a whole lot better – and go splat on far fewer jumps – if they allowed themselves to be friendlier with their peers.) It somehow made them freer, looser, and more open – all helpful to the cause of good singing.
I, on the other hand, was a complete and nervous wreck as I stood out in the hallway, eavesdropping on their performances in the preliminary round. (I didn’t have to judge until later in the day.) I was anxious for Matt to sing the tricky rhythms of his Finzi song correctly, and to sing his Mozart recitative with the kind of fluidity that does not come naturally to him but is essential to being stylish. And I was anxious that Austin would negotiate a tricky soft high note in his Carlisle Floyd song and remember certain crucial details in his German pronunciation. But more than anything, beyond doing things right and avoiding certain errors, I just wanted both of these guys to sing really well – quite apart from the matter of whether or not they would advance to the next round. So I stood outside the room where they each sang and listened and watched as they both delivered fantastic performances, very close to the top of their potential. At several points, I found myself punching a fist in the air when something went especially well- and at the end of each of their performances, I nearly collapsed to the floor – literally! – with relief and joy. (You would think that by now I would have a better grip on this sort of thing.)
By the way, it was eye-opening (or should I say “ear-opening”) to experience Matt and Austin’s performances through the door rather than in the room with them. I think it somehow allowed me to listen to them with a different kind of critical attention – and it also gave me a new appreciation for the size and beauty of their voices. Austin possesses one of the warmest, richest baritone voices I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with – and Matt’s voice may very well be the largest instrument of any student I’ve ever taught. But there was something about hearing those voices through the door that just drove home for me just how exceptionally impressive their voices are – let alone what they’ve gone on to do with those voices.
And of course, later that day when the two of them slipped into the room where I was judging (sophomore women) to give me two thumbs up – indicating that they had both advanced to the semi-finals – I could not have been more thrilled.
It only occurs to me now as I think back on the weekend that maybe one of the reasons why Austin and Matt reached out to their fellow singers so whole-heartedly is because this year it was just the three of us who had made the 300-mile trip to Eau Claire for this competition. I think that one effect of that is that you don’t end up spending every waking moment of the competition in the company of friends from your own school – and while it’s a shame not to have that sense of camaraderie with a bunch of your school buddies who there to cheer you on, maybe it was also a gain for Austin and Matt in that it prompted them to find that camaraderie in singers from other schools. But I should say that even last year, when they were at NATS with Nick Huff and Mike Anderle, I loved how all four guys were not only there for each other – but seemed genuinely interested in reaching out to other singers, watching them perform, and learning from them. It reminds me of something that perpetually frustrates me about Solo & Ensemble- that the vast majority of singers seem only interested in listening to the performances of their own friends (if they listen to anyone else’s performances at all) rather than taking the time to listen to, enjoy, and learn from the performances of complete strangers. They are losing out on one of the most valuable aspects of participating in contests like this – which is to reach beyond yourself and your own performances to appreciate the performances of others.
Matt and Austin’s division (sophomore men) was larger and more competitive than last year, so I was proud of them for advancing to the semi-finals. (Just because they had done so last year was no guarantee whatsoever that they would manage to do so again this year.) And I was pleased that Austin advanced to the finals and sang so very, very well there. One thing I told him ahead of time is that there was no way to control what the subjective judgment of the three judges would be. All he could do is go in there and sing to the very best of his abilities- and enjoy every moment of it – which he really did. And it did my heart a world of good (and Austin’s) to see so many singers and teachers seeking him out afterwards to say how much they had appreciated his singing. To me, that was worth everything. That’s one image I will take away from this NATS competition ….. Austin surrounded by well-wishers, almost all of whom were complete strangers – but in a sense made friends through the gift of music. The other image is of the sophomore guys who were gathered in the commons area late Friday afternoon, waiting for the posting of the names of the three singers who would be in the finals Saturday morning. Smiling, joking, commiserating. It made me so proud …….
proud to be the teacher of two young man like Matt and Austin ….
and proud to be part of such a loving community of singers.
