It has been a good year for NSAL. We have a lot to celebrate!

Our membership is growing, slowly but we are growing. Hurrah!

The amount of award, scholarship and support money distributed to young artists continues to increase. Our national programing and financial support to young artists is expanding. This year National awarded over $100,000: $45,000 in Annual Awards, $55,000 in scholarships (Winston 2-D Visual Art – $17,500, Winston Classical Voice – $17,500, Martorella Classical Voice – $10,000, NSAL Writing Scholarship $10,000) and $5,000 for career award opportunities. Hurrah!

At a recent meeting with the Strategic Planning Committee, Ron Ivey pointed out a basic truth: the young people we serve are our clientele. With that in mind, we need to improve and adapt the way we communicate with our clientele to meet their needs. This year Andy Lunsford, Chair of Winston Classical Voice, offered a centralized online application (as well as a printable application). The centralized application compliments the outreach and application distribution happening at the chapter level. So, in addition to the local applicants chapters attract, national will help attract more applicants and distribute them to the chapters the applicants select. This year Andy received 71 applicants through the online application process. Hurrah!

We improved the way we match contestants to share rooms at the national competition. Previously, we matched contestants as we received their registrations. Now they are matched in a similar manner, but we reach out to them and learn if they are interested in sharing. The answer is almost always yes. Then we share the email address of their prospective roommate so they can get to know each other and learn their itineraries prior to the competition. This works. No one has been awoken at 3 am by a stranger with a key to their room.Thank you, chapter competition chairs. Hurrah! Late last summer NSAL learned that the Nicholson- Nielsen Endowment Fund did not complete its 501(c)3 application. It did have its own EIN number but hadn’t completed the process to obtain a designation. With the help of attorney, James Warren and the Board of Trustees, the proper forms were completed, submitted and accepted. The NSAL Nicholson-Nielsen Endowment Fund received a favorable determination in January. Hurrah!

The National Bylaws have been updated and just need National Board Approval. Hurrah!

Thank you, NSAL Little Rock! The Little Rock Team is hard at work putting together an exciting Annual Meeting and High Brass Competition. Hurrah!

Special shout out of Thank You’s to Dr. Brent Shires, Paul Wigley, Dr. Laura Hutchins, Mary Robertson, Harold Dean, Sherry Henderson and Vincent Henderson.

It’s been a good year for NSAL!

Best always,
Twyla Martins
NSAL National President