Hope College freshman Sarah Ashcroft and high school student Audrey Rink, both of Holland, each earned honors during the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Great Lakes Regional Competition, held at BallStateUniversity in Muncie, Ind., on Saturday, March 1.
Ashcroft took third place in the First-Year College Women's Division. Rink, who is a junior at Holland Christian High School, took second in the High School Women 16-and-Under Division. They both study with Linda LeFever Dykstra, who is an associate professor of music and chair of the voice division at Hope.
Ashcroft and Rink were among four students studying voice at Hope who competed in the regional event based on their achievement at the NATS Michigan State Chapter Auditions in November. Ashcroft had earned second place in the First-Year College Women category, and Rink had earned first place in the 16-and-Under High School Girls Division.
Some 190 singers from Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Ontario, Canada, competed in the regional event on March 1.