Luke Mott ’19 Places in National Vocal Competitions

Luke Mott ’19 began an impressive series of singing competition appearances this summer at the Schmidt Vocal Arts Competition, held at the Katzen Arts Center at American University on June 23, placing 2nd overall among a group of over 50 students. On June 28, Mott participated in the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) National Student Auditions (NSA) competition. Comprised of several different categories (including Men and Women’s High School and College divisions, as well as several Musical Theater categories), the NSA competition, held at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., included almost 180 participants in the semifinal round.

To qualify for the competition, Mott placed first in the District of Columbia NATS Competition and second in the NATS Mid-Atlantic regional competition. He then qualified for the live national semifinal round, as one of fifteen students in his category from around the U.S. and Canada, by submitting materials for an online audition.

Asked to prepare a 3-piece repertoire for the competition, Mott sang “Arise, Ye Subterranean Winds” by Henry Purcell, “Lungi dal Caro Bene” by Giuseppe Sarti, and “When Big Profundo Sang Low C” by George Botsford in the semifinal round. In the finals, Mott won 1st place in the High School Men’s category for his performance of “Arise, Ye Subterranean Winds.”

Congratulations to Luke! Enjoy the video of his incredible semi-final performance.