Rio Grande Chapter
National Association of Teachers of Singing
Rio Grande NATS Conference
The University of New Mexico
Feb 27 - 28, 2026
Conference Schedule
February 2 -- 16, 2026
Registration on AuditionWare (All fees due Feb. 16)
February 27, 2026
2:00 pm Check-in Begins
3:00 pm Mandatory Adjudicators Meeting
4:00 pm Preliminary Round Auditions Begin
6:00 pm Dinner Break
7:30 pm Masterclass
February 28, 2026
9:00 am Preliminary Rounds Continued
11:00 am Preliminary and Semi-final Rounds as needed
12:00 pm Chapter Members Lunch Business Meeting (Finals judges secured during this time)
1:00 pm Empowerment Semi-final Auditions
2:00 pm Finals Round Concert
Category
To support our members’ and students’ knowledge of and interest in underrepresented composers, the Rio Grande Chapter is pleased to continue the third-annual “Empowerment” prize. This year’s Empowerment category includes art songs by African diaspora composers, including African Americans, Afro-Latinos, and other composers of African ancestry. In subsequent years, we will identify and amplify the repertoire of other underrepresented composers.
Competition
Junior undergraduate finalists and above whose competition repertoire includes one of these songs will be eligible to compete in the Empowerment semi-final auditions on Saturday. The top five finalists in this category will perform in the Finals Concert. A single prize will be given for the best performance in the Empowerment category.