USD Music Students Advance to Regional Competition
University of South Dakota music students Dana Carlson of Somerset, Wisconsin, and David Asmussen, of Sioux Falls, have advanced to the regional level in the annual Music Teachers National Association competition.
Carlson won a first in vocal competition, and Asmussen took a first with his cello. The MTNA and South Dakota Music Teachers Association competitions were held in Aberdeen on Nov. 4. They will compete in Boulder, Colorado, in January.
Rachael Biggerstaff, singer from Sioux Falls, placed first in the Junior/Senior division of the SDMTA competition.
Bradley Sowell, of Waynesboro, Georgia, placed second in the MTNA competition, and Bailey Quade, of Rapid City, placed second in the Freshman/Sophomore division of the SDMTA competition. De Shonté Helm, of Bloomington, Illinois, and Eldon Warner, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, both received an honorable mention in the SDMTA competition.
The six vocal students study with Tracelyn Gesteland, D.M.A., associate professor of voice and opera at USD, and Amussen studies with Marie-Elaine Gagnon, D.M.A., associate professor of cello. The student musicians were accompanied by pianists Deanna Wehrspann and Spencer Smith.