NATS Cal-Western Region Officers
Region Governor
Region Governor
Region Governor
Region Governor
Region Governor
Katie Tupper
NATS Cal-Western Regional Governor
Katie is proudly the Region Governor for Cal-Western Region of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and the former President of the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of NATS (SFBAC NATS), past Co-VP of Student Auditions and past VP of Recitals for the SFBAC of NATS. Katie is also the Co-Founder of Voices For Liberation (http://voices for liberation.org), recently granted 501C3 status. She is also Board President for Repertory Actors Theatre (REACT-Seattle) and is a board member at-large with North California Arts Collective (NCAC-SF Bay Area). She is also a member of the organization, MTEA (Music Theater Educator’s Alliance). She also co-founded the Asian Adult Adoptees of Washington (AAAW-Seattle) which is still going strong and she has sat on various additional boards over the past 25 years. Aside from her active non-profit work, she has performed across the United States in both theatrical, musical theatre and concert-style roles, maintains an active private voice studio and enjoys spending time with her husband, two kiddos and straight-eared Scottish Fold named Gigi. She is originally from the greater Seattle area, Ms. Tupper has an MM in Vocal Pedagogy and Performance, from Westminster Choir College and holds a BA in American Ethnic Studies from the University of Washington.
Region Governor
Region Officers
Jennifer Erickson
Jennifer Erickson
Jennifer Erickson
CWR Treasurer
Dr. Jennifer H. Erickson is a passionate educator and singer who enjoys a diverse and unique career. A native of Utah, Jennifer has sung, directed, music directed, conducted, and coached diction with various groups throughout the area, most notably NEXT Ensemble, Utah Opera, Utah Symphony Chorus, Moa
CWR Treasurer
Dr. Jennifer H. Erickson is a passionate educator and singer who enjoys a diverse and unique career. A native of Utah, Jennifer has sung, directed, music directed, conducted, and coached diction with various groups throughout the area, most notably NEXT Ensemble, Utah Opera, Utah Symphony Chorus, Moab Music Festival, Weber State University, and University of Utah, as well as recitals, big band concerts, and other solo and group performance opportunities.
Jennifer has a passion for teaching and has particularly enjoyed working at the university level for the past decade. She currently teaches voice, vocal jazz ensemble and other lecture-based courses for Weber State University, and voice at the University of Utah in the Musical Theatre Program. She previously taught voice and diction at Utah State University as well. Jennifer has a love for many styles of singing and has worked to be proficient in singing and teaching classical, musical theatre, and CCM techniques. Jennifer has been a guest master clinician for voice studios and choirs at the university level, and for private studios and public schools.
A long-time member of NATS, Jennifer has served as Audition Coordinator, Vice-President, and most recently as Chapter President for the Northern Utah Chapter. Along with her teaching responsibilities at the university level, Jennifer teaches private voice from her home studio, and has had students at all levels win NATS auditions at the chapter and regional levels.
Jennifer holds a DMA and MM in Voice Performance from the University of Utah.
Monica Williams-McCullough
Monica Williams-McCullough
Monica Williams-McCullough
SNATS Region Coordinator
Allison Houston
Monica Williams-McCullough
Monica Williams-McCullough
CWR Webmaster
Allison is the NATS CWR Webmaster and also serves as the Valley of the Sun Chapter Treasurer. She is a graduate of Arizona State University's Music Theatre program and currently heads the theatre, voice, and dance department at East Valley High School in Mesa, Arizona. She runs a private studio in Quee
CWR Webmaster
Allison is the NATS CWR Webmaster and also serves as the Valley of the Sun Chapter Treasurer. She is a graduate of Arizona State University's Music Theatre program and currently heads the theatre, voice, and dance department at East Valley High School in Mesa, Arizona. She runs a private studio in Queen Creek and is the founding artistic director of Places! Productions, a non-profit performing arts program. Her performance credits include over 30 productions, with favorite roles including Natalie in Loves Makes the World Go 'Round (World Premiere), Olive (...Spelling Bee), Kate Monster/Lucy (Avenue Q), and Lucy (...Charlie Brown).
Arizona District
Mary Jane McCloskey
Mary Jane McCloskey
Mary Jane McCloskey
Arizona District Governor
Mary Jane is pleased to serve as Arizona District Governor for the National Association of Teachers of Singing. She has previously served on the board of the Valley of the Sun NATS Chapter as Co-Chair for the Arizona District Student Auditions, as well as the Arizona Summer Heat CM Audition
Arizona District Governor
Mary Jane is pleased to serve as Arizona District Governor for the National Association of Teachers of Singing. She has previously served on the board of the Valley of the Sun NATS Chapter as Co-Chair for the Arizona District Student Auditions, as well as the Arizona Summer Heat CM Auditions.
Mary Jane has been active in Arts Education for more than years in public, private and charter schools. She was honored to be awarded “West Valley Teacher of the Year” for her arts education work in the public schools.
She also served as Education Director for Arizona Opera, where she developed their “Opera in a Box” school presentation. The program was awarded several state and local grants to bring a simple, fun opera introduction into classrooms around the Phoenix Metro area.
Mary Jane is also the co-founder of the Muddy River Opera Company, for whom she wrote and was awarded a National Endowment Grant to bring opera to underserved schools in rural Illinois. The Muddy River Opera Company is still thriving in Central Illinois where its mission is to give emerging singers a chance to perform in fully-staged productions as they develop their careers.
Mary Jane has preformed in opera, concert and musical theatre. She is an adjunct voice teacher at Arizona Christian University, and maintains a busy private voice studio.
Mary Jane has an MM in Vocal Performance from The University of Michigan
Katherine Scally
Mary Jane McCloskey
Mary Jane McCloskey
Southern Arizona Chapter President
katescallysoprano@gmail.com
Nichole Jensen
Mary Jane McCloskey
Nichole Jensen
Valley of the Sun Chapter President
Northern California District
Theresa Cardinale
Jacque Wilson Scharlach
Christine Buckstead
Northern California District Governor
Christine Buckstead
Jacque Wilson Scharlach
Christine Buckstead
Jacque Wilson Scharlach
Jacque Wilson Scharlach
Jacque Wilson Scharlach
San Francisco Bay Area Chapter President jwilson1897@gmail.com
Jacque Wilson Scharlach is hailed as a "passionate singer with beautiful warm tones." She has more than fifteen years of teaching at the college and university level. She is currently on the voice faculty of San José State University, West Valley College and Ch
San Francisco Bay Area Chapter President jwilson1897@gmail.com
Jacque Wilson Scharlach is hailed as a "passionate singer with beautiful warm tones." She has more than fifteen years of teaching at the college and university level. She is currently on the voice faculty of San José State University, West Valley College and Chabot College, as well as maintaining a small private vocal studio. She is currently the President of the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of NATS. Previously she was the Co-VP for the Singing Festival/Student Auditions.
Jacque holds a Master's degree in opera performance from The Boston Conservatory and a Bachelor's degree from California State University, Northridge. She has appeared with numerous orchestras and choruses across the country including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Opera and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra. She has performed to great renown on both coasts in opera and musical theatre. Some of her favorite roles include: Meg Page (Falstaff), Meg (Little Women), Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro), Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus), Julie Jordan (Carousel), Sarah Brown (Guys and Dolls), and Pitti Sing (The Mikado). She believes in teaching a bel canto technique to all her students whether they are singing classical, musical theatre or jazz.
Eve-Anne Wilkes
Eve-Anne Wilkes
Eve-Anne Wilkes
Hanna York
Eve-Anne Wilkes
Eve-Anne Wilkes
Central California Chapter President
Southern California District
Joel Balzun
Melodee Fernandez
Melodee Fernandez
Southern California District Governor
Praised as a "mature artist with a voluminous sound," baritone and composer Joel Balzun has held teaching posts at Biola University, Fullerton College, Pepperdine University, University of Rochester and University of Southern California. He is the Winner of the 2021 Fulham Opera Ro
Southern California District Governor
Praised as a "mature artist with a voluminous sound," baritone and composer Joel Balzun has held teaching posts at Biola University, Fullerton College, Pepperdine University, University of Rochester and University of Southern California. He is the Winner of the 2021 Fulham Opera Robert Presley Memorial Verdi Prize, and prize-winner in Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition (Los Angeles District and Western Region) and Pasadena Vocal Competition. His continually-expanding repertoire includes the title roles of Don Giovanni and Gianni Schicchi, Giorgio Germont (La traviata), Scarpia (Tosca), Marcello (La bohème) the Four Villains in Les contes d'Hoffmann, Prince Yeletskiy and Count Tomskiy (Pikovaya Dama). Albert (Werther), Belcore (L'elisir d'amore), Dr. Malatesta (Don Pasquale), Valentin (Faust), Sid (Albert Herring) and John Brooke (Adamo’s Little Women), among others, with companies including Opera Saratoga, Pacific Opera Project, Pittsburgh Festival Opera and Opera Santa Barbara.
An avid proponent of the music of living and contemporary composers, Mr. Balzun won critical acclaim for his portrayal of the titular Joseph de Rocher in the South Florida premiere of Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking with Miami Music Festival. On the concert stage, he has championed rarely-performed works such as George Rochberg's String Quartet No. 7, Peter Maxwell Davies's virtuosic Eight Songs for a Mad King, Kurt Erickson’s Here, Bullet and numerous performances of Robert Denham's Sutter Creek. Mr. Balzun is the founding curator of Black Dog Commission, a new commissioning series for art song repertoire which openly discusses life with mental illness, as inspired by his own journey with depression.
Melodee Fernandez
Melodee Fernandez
Melodee Fernandez
Los Angeles Chapter President
Soprano Melodee Fernández, a native Angeleno, opera singer and voice teacher is currently in her second term as president of the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS-LA). Recently she was heard as Granny in Theatre West’s
Los Angeles Chapter President
Soprano Melodee Fernández, a native Angeleno, opera singer and voice teacher is currently in her second term as president of the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS-LA). Recently she was heard as Granny in Theatre West’s production of Little Red Riding Hood and will continue in this role for performances in English and Spanish. This summer she was an invited soloist in a Zarzuela pre-show concert for LA Opera’s simulcast of Aida. Melodee was a semi-finalist in the Metropolitan Opera Western Regional Auditions, has been a featured soloist with the Pacific Symphony and the Miami City Ballet as well as Opera Pacific, USC Opera, Opera Theatre of Lucca (Italy) and Comedy Central. Among various operatic roles to her credit she premiered the role of La Doctora in Voces en el Polvo by Bruno Louchouarn, sang the role of Isabela with Daniel Catán in a workshop of Rappaccini’s Daughter and performed in Ed Begley, Jr.’s musical, César and Ruben.
As a specialist of Spanish Zarzuela Melodee has been the lead teaching artist, director and featured soprano of the LA Opera Zarzuela Project since its inception in 2012 and enjoys bridging her passion for Zarzuela with her love of teaching. The Zarzuela Project has twice received awards for promoting Hispanic Culture and the Spanish Language from Cal Poly Pomona’s Spanish Language Association. Melodee has given lectures and lecture/recitals celebrating Zarzuela and Spanish Opera for such organizations as the Opera League of Los Angeles, LA Opera, Hispanics for LA Opera, NATS-LA, Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA), Guild Opera, and the Cal State Universities at Los Angeles, Bakersfield, Long Beach and Fresno. At the Biblioteca Nacional in Madrid Melodee conducted extensive Zarzuela research. She sang with Opera Cómica de Madrid in a national tour of Spain performing in Agua, Azucarillos y Aguardiente and El Chaleco Blanco, sang in master classes led by Teresa Berganza, Ana Higueras, Marimí del Pozo, Martin Katz, Sherrill Milnes, Mignon Dunn, George Shirley and Graham Johnson, twice toured Japan as a featured soloist with the Roger Wagner Chorale, sang the lead female roles of Paloma in El Barberillo de Lavapiés (Santa Barbara Grand Opera) and Susana in La Verbena de la Paloma (Center Stage Theater, Santa Barbara), stage directed Goyescas (Lyric Opera of Los Angeles) and La Verbena de la Paloma (Cal State Los Angeles) and has been a featured Zarzuela soloist with the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts. For her excellence in the interpretation of Spanish music, Melodee received the Joaquín Rodrigo Award from “Música en Compostela” (Santiago de Compostela, Spain).
She has been an adjunct music professor at the University of Southern California and Cal State Los Angeles and has also taught voice at College of the Canyons. Earning her MM and BM in Voice from the USC Thornton School of Music, she was a Voice Fellow at the Music Academy of the West, sang with Opera Pacific for ten years and is a member of AGMA and Actor’s Equity.
Katherine Polit
Melodee Fernandez
Katherine Polit
San Diego Chapter President
Hailed by Opera News as “vibrant,” Dr. Katherine Polit is a passionate performer and educator. At home in the concert hall and on the operatic stage, recent appearances
include Belinda in Dido and Aeneas with Bodhi Tree Concerts, Pamina in The Magic
Flute with Pacific Symphony, Mo
San Diego Chapter President
Hailed by Opera News as “vibrant,” Dr. Katherine Polit is a passionate performer and educator. At home in the concert hall and on the operatic stage, recent appearances
include Belinda in Dido and Aeneas with Bodhi Tree Concerts, Pamina in The Magic
Flute with Pacific Symphony, Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate with Helena Symphony, and Vivaldi’s Gloria at David Geffen Hall.
She apprenticed with Virginia Opera for two seasons and returned to their mainstage to
perform the role of Ännchen in Der Freischütz. Her other notable operatic roles include Musetta (La Bohème), Nannetta (Falstaff), Despina (Così fan tutte), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Johanna (Sweeney Todd), and Josephine (H.M.S. Pinafore). She has been featured with San Diego Opera, La Jolla Symphony, The Ohio Light Opera, Opera
Naples, Charlotte Symphony, Orchestra Santa Monica, Evansville Philharmonic, Opera Louisiane, and Charlottesville Opera. Accolades include being chosen as a finalist in the Rochester Idol Competition and the Fritz and Lavinia Jensen Foundation Competition. Currently a member of the voice faculty at San Diego State University, Katherine completed her Doctor of Music in Vocal Literature and Performance at Indiana
University, holds a Master of Music in Opera Performance from the University of Texas
at Austin, and a Bachelor of Humanities and Arts from Carnegie Mellon University. She
previously served on the board of San Diego NATS as vice-president.
Hawai'i District
Rebecca Chock
Dr. Martina Bingham
Dr. Martina Bingham
Hawai'i District Governor
Rebecca Chock has been teaching private voice since 2003. She began her deeper study of voice as a choir teacher; frustrated that she didn’t have all of the tools she wanted to help her choir singers find their best voice, and determined to find vocal pedagogy that was accessible for all
Hawai'i District Governor
Rebecca Chock has been teaching private voice since 2003. She began her deeper study of voice as a choir teacher; frustrated that she didn’t have all of the tools she wanted to help her choir singers find their best voice, and determined to find vocal pedagogy that was accessible for all singers. She found amazing and friendly organizations that took her in and pushed her to be a better teacher. She will be forever grateful for SLS, IVA, and International Voice Teachers of Mix (IVTOM), with whom she is an accredited teacher. She is happy to be part of the NATS ohana and feels grateful for the depth and breadth of vocal education that is found here. She believes that vocal educators have made huge strides in learning how to connect with each other (from various organizations) and to share knowledge - anything to benefit our students! Her strength as a voice teacher is releasing tension to unlock the uniqueness in each voice. She is comfortable in the styles of classical, musical theater & pop, but she is happy to help any singer find a better way to sing their chosen style. She is the choir director at ULS, grades 6-12. She was the music director of Little Women, The Pirates of Penzance, Aida, Pippin, and Les Miserables in Provo, Utah. She and her husband live on O’ahu. They have 5 children and 3 grandbabies. She enjoys biking to work, hiking amidst waterfalls and rainbows, swimming and paddling.
Dr. Martina Bingham
Dr. Martina Bingham
Dr. Martina Bingham
Hawai'i Chapter President
Nevada District
Dr. Lawrence Johnson
Dr. Lawrence Johnson
Dr. Lawrence Johnson
Nevada District Governor
Dr. Lawrence Johnson has sung extensively throughout the Midwest and Southwest, as well as such diverse venues as Munich, Germany and Disneyworld. He was an international finalist in the Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition in Philadelphia. Other awards include the Wisconsin State NAT
Nevada District Governor
Dr. Lawrence Johnson has sung extensively throughout the Midwest and Southwest, as well as such diverse venues as Munich, Germany and Disneyworld. He was an international finalist in the Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition in Philadelphia. Other awards include the Wisconsin State NATS Winner and Chicago regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera Auditions. He has had the privilege of working with such distinguished luminaries as Sherrill Milnes, Mignon Dunn, Martin Katz, Elly Ameling, Geoffrey Parsons, and Tony Randall. Possessing degrees in both voice and piano performance from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and Northwestern University, he has also accompanied numerous concerts, operas, recitals, and shows. His favorite roles include Rodolfo, Tamino, Don José, and Werther. He has been active in the Las Vegas NATS Chapter for the last 17 years, including serving as treasurer and auditions coordinator. Dr. Johnson is currently chair of the Department of Music at Southern Utah University.
Doug Carpenter
Dr. Lawrence Johnson
Doug Carpenter
Las Vegas Chapter President
https://www.facebook.com/NATSLasVegas
Doug, a native of Las Vegas, graduated from the Las Vegas Academy of Performing Arts and received a BM in Voice Performance from UNLV. He received a MM in Voice Performance from UCLA. As a talented classical crossover performer, Doug has won both
Las Vegas Chapter President
https://www.facebook.com/NATSLasVegas
Doug, a native of Las Vegas, graduated from the Las Vegas Academy of Performing Arts and received a BM in Voice Performance from UNLV. He received a MM in Voice Performance from UCLA. As a talented classical crossover performer, Doug has won both the American Traditions Competition (2011) and the Lotte Lenya Competition (2013). He has performed principal contracts on Equity National Tours, the Broadway Stage, and numerous regional equity theatres around the country. Currently, Doug teaches voice and musical theatre while finishing a DMA at UNLV, and has a cocktail jazz duo with his wife, Rachel.
Selected Credits:
Broadway: Nick in Beautiful The Carole King Musical. National Tour: Billy in Dirty Dancing. Regional: Cable in South Pacific (Papermill Playhouse), Joey in Most Happy Fella (Goodspeed, Dallas Lyric), Lancelot in Camelot (Pasadena Playhouse), Curly in Oklahoma (Penn Shakes, FCLO), Tony in West Side Story (FCLO), Prince in Cinderella (CLOSBC), Chris in Miss Saigon (Moonlight), Gatsby in Baz(Venetian Hotel Casino), Billy in Carousel(Musical Theatre West).
Utah District
Janilyn Anderson
Aubrey Adams-McMillan
Aubrey Adams-McMillan
Aubrey Adams-McMillan
Aubrey Adams-McMillan
Aubrey Adams-McMillan
Aubrey Adams-McMillan
Northern Utah Chapter President
Aubrey Adams-McMillan joined the voice faculty of Westminster College, SLC, in August of 2011. Hailed for her incredibly balanced voice, even tone and sensitive musicianship, Aubrey enjoys an active career singing Opera, music theater,
Aubrey Adams-McMillan
Northern Utah Chapter President
Aubrey Adams-McMillan joined the voice faculty of Westminster College, SLC, in August of 2011. Hailed for her incredibly balanced voice, even tone and sensitive musicianship, Aubrey enjoys an active career singing Opera, music theater, chamber music, art song and symphonic works. Her love for music began young and she continues to explore repertoire that challenges
her. She discovered her love for twentieth century music and collaborating with composers during her work with Claudio Abaddo and the New York philharmonic singing Schönberg and Debussy. In her home of Salt Lake City, she performs with the prestigious Utah Symphony, Intermezzo, Utah Opera, Eutopia, Cathedral of the Madeleine concert series and Utah lyric Opera. Among the list of works Aubrey has performed: Sea Pictures, Barber of Seville, Mahler’s fourth symphony, Britten’s Noye’s Fludde, Man of La Mancha, St. Paulus, Rutter spirituals, Lucia Di Lammermoor, Handel Dixit Dominus, and Messiah. Mozart C Minor Mass, Requiem, La Clemenza di Titto, Marriage of Figaro, and Cosi fan Tutte. Aubrey has been a recipient of the Marion Anderson Scholarship at Westminster choir College, the Penrose Scholar at Central City Opera, and a two-time district finalist in the Metropolitan Opera competition and received the encouragement award. Aubrey also enjoys working with composers and singing new works. She was involved in the workshop of Ricky Ian Gordan’s Grapes of Wrath and has performed in Little Women by Mark Adamo at Central City and Utah opera. She debuted the Requiems of both Alfonso Tenriero, and Jeff Manookian. In addition to Aubrey’s busy performance career, Aubrey teaches and serves as Vice President of the National Association of Teachers of Singing on the Northern Utah Chapter. As professor of Voice at Westminster College, Aubrey has overseen the recitals of over twenty students and serves as the voice clinician and assistant conductor to the community choir.