HOUGHTON, NY – Amanda Cox, instructor of voice at Houghton College, recently performed in a National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) master class with American composer Ricky Ian Gordon.
NATS is the largest professional association of teachers of singing in the world, and seeks to continually educate its members by offering workshops, internship programs, master classes, and conferences. One such event is the Winter Workshop, which is hosted annually in the beginning of January. This year’s workshop, titled “Polishing the Apple,” took place in New York City and featured casting directors, teachers, agents, and musicians.
Cox worked with Gordon on two songs she had prepared, receiving constructive critique and performing with him. “What an absolute joy and privilege it was to be able to work with a composer I have admired and respected for so long,” says Cox. “It was an incredible experience!”
Gordon, who graduated from Carnegie Mellon University, has won several prestigious awards, including from the National Endowment of the Arts and the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. His most recent works include the operas The House Without a Christmas Tree and The Grapes of Wrath.