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PLU music major Jack Burrows awarded first place at national singing competition
PLU music major Jack Burrows awarded first place at national singing competition
By Liza Conboy
PLU College of Professional Studies
Jack Burrows ’25 won first place in the 2023 National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Competition in San Diego earlier this month. The Pacific Lutheran University music major participated in 5 rounds of auditions and competition to earn first place in the Upper Classical TBB (Tenor-Baritone-Bass) Voice category.
“When I won first place for the upper college classical TBB division I felt ecstatic and felt how much growth I’ve had since I started applying for the NATS NSA when I began vocal study in 2020 with my first voice teacher Ryan Bede and Holly Boaz in 2021,” Burrows said. “This fabulous win couldn’t have been possible without all the coaching I’ve had from voice lessons, recording sessions with incredible accompanists, and the world-class music program at PLU.”
In the final round of the competition, Burrows performed “Se Vuol Ballare” from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. This was one of several selections that Burrows had performed to advance through all five rounds of the competition beginning in December 2022.
Burrows relied on the training he has received at PLU to deliver captivating performances at the competition. “Pursuing a [degree in] vocal performance, I’ve learned how to sing in other languages using the International Phonetic Alphabet, how to engage a song’s text to give an expressive performance, and of course how to sing with better technique and control,” he explained.
Burrows enjoys performing and taking part in contests such as NATS. He has been a finalist in many other competitions like PLU’s very own Angela Meade Vocal Competition, Bremerton Symphony’s Concerto Competition and Opera Grand Rapids’ Vanderlaan Prize.
Burrows will be featured in numerous productions throughout the coming academic year. This fall, he can be found performing with PLU Opera as Sam in Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti and as Falke in Strauss’s Die Fledermaus scenes with Northwest Sinfonietta.
Burrow’s national qualifying round submission can be found on his YouTube channel.