Two Pacelli music students, Michael Bergstrom and Stephanie Kasel, participated in the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) auditions held Friday and Saturday on the St. John’s University campus in Collegeville, Minn.

NATS was founded in 1944 and is now the largest association of teachers of singing in the world. The NATS mission is “to encourage the highest standards of the vocal art and of ethical principles in the teaching of singing; and to promote vocal education and research at all levels, both for the enrichment of the general public and for the professional advancement of the talented.”

Students of NATS members have the opportunity to compete at a national level through the National Association of Teachers of Singing Artist Awards.

Both Bergstrom and Kasel are students of Scott Blankenbaker, Riverland Community College faculty member.