At the 2024 Virginia Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (VANATS) Conference, Rita Diamond ’24 took home First Place in Musical Theater and received Honors in Classical for the Upper College Treble Division.

The VANATS Conference, which took place at VCU’s Singleton Center for the Performing Arts in Richmond, Va., on Feb. 23, provides an opportunity for students to audition, gain performance experience, and receive feedback from a variety of voice teachers.

Diamond, under the tutelage of adjunct RMC music faculty member Sarah Walston, advanced to regional auditions based off the strength of her performances at the VANATS Conference. She performed four songs in each category, with each selection featuring a variety of tempos, major and minor keys, use of different parts of the voice, different source material, and for the Classical category, three different languages.

In Musical Theater, Diamond performed “The Girl in 14G” by Kristin Chenoweth & Jeanine Tesori, “’Til There Was You” from The Music Man, “Life of the Party” from The Wild Party, and “No One Else” from Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812. In the Classical category, she sang “Les oiseaux dans la charmille” from Jacques Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffman, “Central Park at Dusk” by John Duke, “Mausfallen Sprüchlein” by Hugo Wolf, and “O mio babbino caro” from Giaccomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi.

“I knew that regardless of how the auditions went or how I placed, I would leave with beneficial feedback that would allow me to continue growing as a singer,” Diamond said of the experience at the VANATS Conference. “At the end of the day when the results were being announced, I ran out of the auditorium to text my mom when I saw my name listed first because I could not believe my eyes! I don’t usually consider Musical Theater to be my wheelhouse, so not only doing well, but winning that category helped me realize that I have come a long way, and that I should give myself credit for the work I have done to get here.”