CSU voice professor, Nicole Asel, recently presented at two major vocal conferences in Summer 2022. The associate professor presented her research on the songs of Augusta Holmés at the 57th National Association for Teachers of Singing National Conference in Chicago held July 1-6, and the International Congress of Voice Teachers conference held Aug. 3-6 in Vienna, Austria.

The National Association for Teachers of Singing (NATS) bienniel conference is for association members and other voice teachers from around the world, who “share in programs, demonstrations, lectures, master classes and competitions that help celebrate the art of singing and increase knowledge of teachers to help them better assist their students.” (nats.org)

The International Congress of Voice Teachers (ICVT), which was postponed from it’s 2021 date, is a worldwide gathering of voice teachers held every four years. According to the congress’ website, singing can be “viewed from points of education, health, arts, and it serves a wide variety of cultural and social functions.” (icvt2021.univie.ac.at) For 2022, ICVT emphasized singing itself with the theme “For the Sake of Music;” presenters were called to show their admiration and passion for the expressive form.

Augusta Holmés was a 19th-century composer born in France to Irish parents and became a French citizen. Over the course of her career, she wrote more than 100 art songs, as well as other choral and instrumental works. Known for political pieces, Holmés was commissioned to write a piece celebrating the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution for the 1990 World’s Fair. Asel will perform a Holmés’ piece in her upcoming Virtuoso Series Concert at CSU on Oct. 3.

At NATS, Asel also performed Lauren Spavelko‘s Baby Book with fellow CSU faculty artists Timothy Burns, senior instructor of music, and Madeline Harvey, associate professor of dance. The award-winning, contemporary song cycle, Baby Book features poetry by Chloe Yelena Miller and explores miscarriage, pregnancy, and early parenthood with raw honesty and beautiful simplicity.