Sadeghi placed second in her category at the National Association of Teachers of Singing competition from among 14 first-year and sophomore national semifinalists.
Sitare Sadeghi ’25 won second prize in the National Student Auditions competition held annually by the National Association of Teachers of Singing. She competed as a semifinalist and finalist in the Lower Musical Theatre Treble Voice category, performing July 1-2 at the NATS conference in Chicago.
A music theatre major from Potomac, Maryland, Sadeghi began rehearsing her selections in fall 2021 with Senior Lecturer in Music Polly Cornelius.
Each music theatre major is paired with a vocal instructor for weekly lessons as part of the program curriculum. Cornelius encouraged Sadeghi to enter the state and regional NATS student audition competitions.
“Polly worked with me to find new ways to use my voice and express my artistry. I hadn’t ever done any competitions before, but I’m used to auditioning and singing in front of people is what I do for a living,” Sadeghi said. “I was not expecting to be a finalist. You can hear everyone auditioning, and all of the singers were very, very good. When they called my name, I felt like, ‘I don’t know what’s real right now!’”
In qualifying for the national competition, she placed first in the NATS Mid-Atlantic Region competition for First-Year Musical Theatre Treble.
One of 14 national semifinalists, Sadeghi auditioned for finals by performing three pieces: “Wait a Bit,” from the musical “Just So,” “I Didn’t Know What Time it Was,” from “Too Many Girls,” and “The Finer Things” from “Jane Eyre.”
Selected as one of three finalists in her category, she performed “Wait a Bit” in the final concert. She received a $600 prize with the award.