David Young Wins NATS 2022 National Musical Theatre Competition

David Young placed first in the National Association of Teachers of Singing 2022 National Musical Theatre Competition on Saturday, January 8 at the Neidorff-Karpati Hall, Manhattan School of Music.

An alum of Depauw University, Young received $5,000 in cash and prizes for winning first prize. He was most recently a student of Caroline Smith and is from the NATS Eastern Region.

"I am so incredibly thankful to all of my teachers and coaches who have helped me get to this point," Young said. "It was such an honor to receive this prestigious award and to have met such esteemed and accomplished judges. I cannot thank NATS enough for this opportunity and I'm so happy to be a part of this family!"

Among the 21 finalists who performed, Lauren Salazar, a student of Donna Hinds Sawyer, placed second; Eric Sebek, a student of Jan Prokop, placed third; and Blake Stevenson, a student of Thomas Michael Allen, placed fourth.

Remaining finalists were Delaney Bigley, a student of Abigail Martin; Taylor Goodwin, a student of Craig Allen; and Brianna Reed, a student of Kelly Holst.

The semifinal and final rounds of the 2022 National Musical Theatre Competition were held in conjunction with the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Winter Workshop. The singers performed in front of a live audience of top professionals in the music industry as well as through a livestream on the NATS website. Sponsors include Hal Leonard Corporation, Manhattan School of Music, and the Foundation Heritage Fund of the NATS Endowment.

View the program

As first place winner, Young receives a $5,000 cash award, a concert at the 2022 NATS National Conference in Chicago, and a $1,000 gift certificate from Hal Leonard Corporation. In 2020, Young took first place in the NATS National Student Auditions Upper Classical TBB division and second place in the Upper Musical Theatre TBB division.

The NATS National Musical Theatre Competition (NMTC) was launched in 2011 as the first national competition for the emerging professional musical theatre soloist. Now in its sixth iteration, NMTC has provided industry connections to past competitors and winners that have led to their success.

A complete list of winners is below:

1st place ($5,000 in cash and prizes): David Young, New York, NY

2nd place ($3,000 in cash and prizes): Lauren Salzar, Houston, TX

3rd place (Louise Lerch Prize - $1,000): Eric Sebek, Nutley, NJ

4th place (Bill Hayes Prize - $750): Blake Stevenson, San Juan Capistrano, CA

Honorable Mention (sponsored by the NATS Foundation - $500): Delaney Bigley, Lancaster, PA, Taylor Goodwin, Rock Hill, SC, and Brianna Reed, Oklahoma City, OK.

Adept in a wide range of the performing arts, David Young is often recognized for his "immense versatility" and "great moves, dancing, and singing."

David started his vocal training when he was only 8 years-old with Relana Luss at the Bay Area Theater and Voice Academy. From 2007-2016, he performed in over 25 musicals with the academy and competed several times at the Junior Theater Festival in Atlanta, Georgia where he also performed the role of Doctor Dolittle in the 2012 premiere of Doctor Dolittle JR. David earned his Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance at DePauw University, where he studied with Caroline Smith and was awarded the prestigious Fitzpatrick Opera Award. Recently, David made his professional debut with Opera Grand Rapids as Martin Halstrom in Penny by Douglas Pew.

While at DePauw, David performed in a variety of musicals, operas, plays, and short films, such as A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder (Monty Navarro), La bella dormente nel bosco (Il Principe), Macbeth (Macbeth), Cendrillon (Le Prince Charmant), Le nozze di Figaro (Don Basilio), Young Frankenstein (Victor Frankenstein, The Hermit), and Street Scene (Harry Easter). He was also a winner of the 2017 and 2019 DePauw Concerto Competition, where he performed Mozart's "In quegl'anni," and R. Strauss' "Heimliche Aufforderung" and "Morgen" in concert with the DePauw Symphony Orchestra.

In 2018, he performed the role of Eisenstein in Opera in the Ozark's Die Fledermaus, where he was the youngest person in OIO's history to perform a lead role in a mainstage production. In 2019, David joined the College Light Opera Vocal Company where he performed the roles of Captain Corcoran (H.M.S. Pinafore), Sir Francis Chesney (Where's Charley?), Conrad Birdie (Bye Bye Birdie), George Banks (Mary Poppins), and Sir Roderic Murgatroyd (Ruddigore).

Throughout the pandemic, David achieved great success in numerous competitions across the nation. Some of these included Opera Grand Rapids' Collegiate Vocal Competition (1st Place), the 2020 Dayton Opera Guild Tri-State College Vocal Competition (1st Place), the 2020 National Association of Teacher's of Singing (NATS) National Auditions: Classical (1st Place), the 2020 NATS National Auditions: Musical Theater (2nd Place), the Classical Singer National Competition: College Classical Division (2nd Place), the 2020 SAS Performing Arts Company Vocal Competition (Finalist), the 2020 & 2021 James Toland Vocal Competition (Finalist), the 2020 Grand Concours Vocal Competition (Finalist), and the 2021 American Traditions Vocal Competition (Quarterfinalist).

Learn more at davidyoungsings.com.