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Gabriella Carr
  • Pickerington, OH

Pickerington Resident Wins Third Place at the Ohio NATS Competition

2018 Feb 21

Pickerington resident Gabriella Carr, a freshman at Ashland University, competed at the Ohio National Association of Teachers of Singing competition at Youngstown State University and placed third overall in the Lower College Women and Men's Musical Theatre category.

Carr is the daughter of Edward and Lisa Carr of Pickerington and is a 2017 graduate of Pickerington Central High School.

The National Association of Teachers of Singing Inc. is the largest professional association of teachers of singing in the world with nearly 7,000 members in the United States, Canada, and nearly 30 other international countries. Their competitions are designed to showcase talent performers, who are rising stars in the profession.

Carr competed in the competition with multiple other students, male and female, in her age group. For the competition, she sang three contrasting musical theatre pieces with good technique and acting. Carr sang "Show Me" from My Fair Lady, "Moonfall" from The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and "Here I Am" from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

When asked to compete as only a freshman, Carr was excited but skeptical she would place because the other Ashland contestants had a semester to prepare. Carr's vocal coach and teammates helped her through the competition.

"My vocal coach Denise is fantastic and really helped me to put together a great package and gave me the motivation and instruction I needed to take home the prize. My fellow Ashland NATS competitors, Maya Rickard and Jacob Ellis, were super supportive and I couldn't have asked for a better pair to attend with," Carr said.

Carr was excited and honored to place third overall in this category. She was rewarded with a certificate, a small cash prize, and an invitation to compete at the Great Lakes Regional Competition this upcoming March.

The Great Lakes Regional Competition consists of students from Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Ontario. Five singers from each regional category will advance to a national online screening round. Fourteen singers from each of the 14 categories will then advance to the semifinal round. Three singers from each category will then be selected to compete in the final round. The Great Lakes Regional Competition takes place March 3, 2018.

Ashland University, ranked in the top tier of colleges and universities in U.S. News and World Report's National Universities category for 2017, is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) deeply values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong, applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students. ###