The National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) has received a $50,000 lead gift from Lisa Reagan Love to underwrite an expanded vision for the National Musical Theatre Competition (NMTC).

NATS plans to raise a $1 million endowment to:

• Increase the influence the competition has on the musical theatre community by bringing forward phenomenal new talent from every corner of North America,
• Shift the competition from biennial to annual, and
• Elevate the prestige of NMTC to the most respected competition of its kind

Love’s gift was given to honor Florence Birdwell, who will be honored at the gala finals of NMTC on January 8, 2024, at the Neidorff-Karpati Hall, Manhattan School of Music. Birdwell was a NATS member and a hugely influential voice professor at Oklahoma City University. Her students included Tony Award winners Kristin Chenoweth and Kelli O’Hara, among many other successful performers and teachers.

Love, a singer, composer, pianist, musician, and former Miss Oklahoma, was a student of Birdwell’s at OCU.

NATS launched the first national competition for emerging musical theatre professionals in 2012. Since NATS has a long history of hosting and adjudicating auditions and competitions, it meant the National Musical Theatre Competition (NMTC) immediately became one of the most prestigious competitions in the industry. This spring, former participants are starring in the title roles of Broadway productions, including “Aladdin” (Michael Maliakel) and “Bad Cinderella” (Linedy Genao).

Notable NMTC Alumni

Now NATS envisions a powerful collaboration between New York professional theatre, the world’s largest network of voice teachers, and visionary investors in musical theatre. This partnership will further open the process for aspiring singing actors across North America who otherwise do not see a clear path to careers as professional actors. NMTC will introduce young, skilled, diverse, authentic singing actors to the community of musical theatre professionals.

The funding initiative will give NMTC a financial foundation to match its vision. The endowment will:

• Provide funding for competition expenses of finalists, semi-finalists, and collaborative pianists.
• Increase engagement with the musical theatre industry.
• Transform the gala finals into a hot ticket musical theatre event.

Learn more about the campaign on the NATS Gala Finals page. If you would like to make a gift or purchase tickets, please visit our secure NMTC Gala Finals form.