Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Friday, April 18, 2008
Two Viterbo students finalists in music auditions
Two Viterbo University singers were chosen as finalists in the prestigious Schubert Club auditions in the Twin Cities.
Katherine Weber, a sophomore music performance major from Holmen, Wis., who studies with Daniel Johnson-Wilmot, is one of six finalists in the intermediate division. Sarah Shestak, a senior music performance major who studies with Jean Saladino, was one of six finalists in the advanced division.
Johnson-Wilmot said it is unusual for a university to have two singers in the finals.
“This is a competition that draws the best singers from the upper Midwest, and even singers from the East Coast fly in for the auditions,” he said. “It’s difficult to even make the finals.”
Johnson-Wilmot said Viterbo had two Schubert Club winners in 2002 — Suzanne Flater and Jennifer Ebner Josephsen. This year’s finals are Saturday at Macalester College in St. Paul. Johnson-Wilmot also has another finalist in the advanced division, Erin Donnelly of Minneapolis.
Last fall Weber won the sophomore college women division at the state auditions of the National Association of Teachers in Singing. Shestak was a semi-finalist at the auditions.
Terry Rindfleisch can be reached at trindfleisch@lacrossetribune.com.
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