Student selected for vocal master class

Renee Ausborn, a Northwestern College junior and vocal student of Dr. Linell Gray Moss, is one of five area college students chosen to sing in a vocal master class with international opera singer Nicolle Foland. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, Saturday, Oct. 10, at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa.

Foland will be presenting a workshop entitled “Body Awareness in Singing Through an Introduction to the Alexander Technique,” with a master class to follow. The event is sponsored by the Lewis and Clark chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS). Ausborn participated in a Lewis and Clark NATS audition in 2008 and was a finalist in the freshman category, making her eligible to participate in this master class with Foland.

Foland has performed with major opera houses nationally and internationally, including New York City Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Boston Lyric Opera, Los Angeles Opera and Opera Bilbao in Spain. Originally from Des Moines, Foland received her undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Northern Iowa and was a member of San Francisco Opera Center’s Adler Fellowship program. Foland has made many appearances with the San Francisco Symphony and presents solo recitals throughout the United States.

“I am really excited because I get to sing for a famous opera singer,” says Ausborn. “I think it will help me to improve my style of singing. I am grateful for the opportunity because she is very well-known and successful, and we will work side-by-side in a recital for the master class.”

Ausborn is a theatre major and French minor from Lytton, Iowa. A soprano in Northwestern’s A cappella Choir, she participates in the Theatre Production Ensemble and takes private voice lessons.