1. Applicant must be at least 21 but not more than 35 years of age on the deadline entry date: November 16, 2007
   
2. Membership status of teacher or applicant:
   
   
   1. The applicant's most recent teacher must be a full member of NATS (in good standing) with whom the applicant must have studied continuously for at least one academic year;
      - OR -
      
   2. The applicant must be a full member of NATS in good standing for at least one year prior to November 16, 2007
   
   
3. First-place winners in prior NATSAA national auditions are ineligible.
4. The final decision on all matters of eligibility rest with the Vice President of NATSAA.
5. Note: Performers in NATS-sponsored auditions, competitions, recitals, and other activities such as workshops, shall perform from lawful editions and shall support and obey the law relative to copyright.

Entrance Procedure

ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY.

Online applications are available at www.nats.org, under "Competitions." If you have any questions about the application process, please contact the NATS Executive Office at 904-992-9101 or info@nats.org. The completed application, including payment of the fee of $45 U.S. by credit card, e-check, or money order, must be received in the Executive Office no later than November 16, 2007. Late and/or incomplete applications will not be considered.

1. Online applications must include:
   
   
   1. payment of the non-refundable entry fee of $45.00 in U.S. funds via credit card (Visa or MasterCard); e-check, or money order (made payable to NATS-NO CHECKS ACCEPTED)
   2. Applicants MUST provide proof of legal age at the district or chapter audition site. This proof must be provided in the form of an original, government-issued document such as a valid driver's license, and the applicant must provide a copy of this documentation which will be retained by the Association until the completion of the NATSAA competition. Failure to bring both the original and the copy of this documentation will result in disqualification. (COPY CANNOT BE RETURNED)
   3. the NATS member number AND Email address of the applicant or the sponsoring NATS teacher
   4. complete entries for all repertoire, including:
      
      
      1. TITLE of each selection
      2. COMPOSER of each selection
      3. KEY of each selection
      4. ACCURATE TIMING (duration) of each selection
      5. COMPOSER birth and death dates
   
   APPLICATION RECEIPT DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 16, 2007. ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS MUST BE RECEIVED IN THE NATS EXECUTIVE OFFICE BY THE DEADLINE DATE. LATE OR INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.
   
   
2. Completion and submission of the application is followed by:
   
   Preliminary Auditions
   
   
   1. Applicants must compete in the district or chapter auditions of their legal residence or where they are currently studying singing.
   2. If a preliminary audition winner is unable to participate in his/her scheduled regional audition, the singer may participate in the at-large regional, TBA; Permission to transfer to the at-large regional audition must be obtained from the Vice President of NATSAA.
   3. There is no at-large category at state or district preliminary auditions

1. Qualified adjudication will be provided for all competitions. There will be at least three judges but no more than five at each audition. Teachers having students in auditions will not be eligible to adjudicate that audition.
2. Contestants will remain anonymous until the audition is completed.
3. Contestants will be heard for 12-15 minutes.
4. Contestants will sing one selection of their choice at each audition. The balance of the numbers to be heard will be requested by the judges from the repertoire submitted.
5. National finalists will present a program of fifteen minutes of their own choosing, selected from the submitted repertoire.
6. NATS will publicize the availability of award winners for professional engagements.

1. Contestants must be prepared to sing at each audition level all of the songs and arias specified in Sections a, b, and c below:
   
   
   1. An aria from an opera to be sung in the original language and key.
   2. An aria from a major oratorio, mass, requiem, or cantata to be sung in the original key.
   3. Sixteen (16) additional recital selections divided into four groups. The number of pieces in each group may vary but must total 16 in all, and each group except the English set must have at least two selections therein. Special note - At least one art song composed after 1950 (not an arrangement of a folk song) must be included in Group II, III, or IV.
      
      
      1. Songs or arias composed before 1800. No more than two arias may be included in this group.
      2. German Lieder or French Mélodies.
      3. A second group of National Art Songs. French (if German is chosen in Group II), Slavic, Spanish, Scandinavian, or any other national art song school in the original language other than English.
      4. American, Canadian, or British Art Songs. Art songs with English as the original language. A minimum of three songs must be included in this group.
   
   
2. Note that the arias in Sections a. and b. are in addition to and not part of the 16-song recital requirement of Section c.
3. Memorization: All repertoire must be memorized with the exception of the oratorio selection (Section b).
4. A contestant entering the auditions for a second or third time will be expected to present a reasonable amount of new repertoire.
5. Any questions concerning the stated repertoire requirements should be addressed to the Vice President of NATSAA.
6. Repertoire changes are NOT allowed at the state, district, or regional levels. Only Regional winners may change repertoire.

1. Applicants may secure the date and location of district and regional auditions from their teachers, district or regional governors, and the NATS web page.
   
   
2. Preliminary Finalists. Auditions will originate at the district or chapter level. Each local audition will be assigned a quota of finalists based on the number of entrants in that area. Those finalists will proceed to the appropriate or the at-large regional auditions.
   
   
3. Regional Winners. Each region will select a winner from the regional auditions to be sent to the national semifinal auditions, which will be held in Nashville, TN, on June 26, 2008. Regional winners must be certified by their regional governor of their availability to participate in the national semifinals.
   
4. Expense Stipends. Semifinalists will each receive a stipend of $200 from the NATS executive office to assist in covering travel costs. Regions usually contribute additional funds. Contestants are expected, however, to be responsible for the remainder of their own additional expenses, as well as for making their own travel arrangements and hotel reservations.
   
   
5. Finalists. Six finalists will be chosen at the semifinals to sing in the final auditions during the National Conference in Nashville, TN, on June 27, 2008. Finalists and semifinalists will earn prizes of not less than $700.
   
   
6. Accompanists. Contestants will provide their own accompanists at preliminary auditions. At regional auditions accompanists can be provided for a fee if the regional governor is notified at least three weeks before the audition.

At the national semifinal and final auditions contestants are urged to provide their own accompanists; the NATS executive office will provide a travel stipend of $200 for accompanists. However, if so desired, professional accompanists will be available without expense to contestants. Notification of the need for accompanists must be given to the Vice President of NATSAA by May 15, 2008. NATS teachers are not allowed to accompany their students at any level.