$14,000 of cash prizes and $4.2 million in scholarships were awarded at the 2022 CS Vocal Competition. Meet the winners in a series of online features.
Introducing our First, Second, and Third Place winners in the Musical Theatre High School I division!
FIRST PLACE WINNER: JAMES NELSON
1. What is your artist level and school if applicable?
I competed in the High School Division 1 Musical Theater and I am going into my sophomore year of high school in the Fall.
2. What is your dream role?
Evan Hansen in the musical Dear Evan Hansen or SpongeBob in SpongeBob the Musical.
3. What advice would you give to future participants in the CS Music competition?
Of course, know your music and work out your vocal technic but then I would tell them to really know their character, commit to it 100%, be honest in what you’re saying and be friendly. Really get to know your character, and just be them, not act. People love to see you have fun, just be comfortable in that character!
4. How do you feel that singing, and music in general, can have an impact on the world?
When you sing, you allow people to travel away from this world into a different one. It allows people to see another persons life and perspective. Singing and acting I feel speaks directly to the heart. It can heal people, open peoples hearts and make them love people more. Making somebody laugh, making them cry, even just making them grin, that has an impact on their lives. For me, I know I have had all those same feelings while sitting in the audience and getting to listen and watch professionals. It has changed me, I am able to sympathize with others. It helps me be a kinder person. So yes, music can make a huge impact and can help us love one another more, which is what we all need!
5. Name one of your favorite professional singers and why they are so impactful.
The first person that comes to mind is Sutton Foster. I think her vocal technique and comic timing is perfect. I love how bright her sound is and she can change it to color the words and mood. She commits 100% and is so fun to watch. She has done 100s of shows and is still performing. I’ve never seen her perform live but I think it would be life changing!
6. In terms of singing and performing, what has been your biggest struggle and how have you overcome it?
My biggest struggle is with the serious characters. I love to sing and act the comic songs and I love the laughs, but when it comes to the serious or romantic songs, I struggle to know how to connect and be real with the audience. I know I haven’t overcome it yet, am still working on being honest and open with the audience in a very still serious moment.
7. How did you come to participate in the competition? (How did you hear about it and what steps did you take in order to make it happen?)
My parents are opera singers and have knew about the competition because they did it when they were right out of college way back in the day! They enjoyed it and when they found out that there was a Musical Theater division, they encouraged me to try for it. I decided to submit online, I worked up my pieces and recorded myself several times between several days until there was a version I liked. This helped me! I could hear and see what worked and what didn’t. I could see when I dropped character or hear when I hit a sour note. So then at the competition in the other rounds, I had done it so many times, I knew what worked and what didn’t. I also could just be me because I knew it so well, I wasn’t worried about my voice or my words.
8. Were you offered any scholarships? If so, tell us about what you were offered, if it will be of help to you, and how you feel about it.
I was offered a 50% off to a summer voice camp and am excited to look into it for next summer. Because it was my first year doing it as a freshmen, I don’t think scholarships applied to me. I also didn’t sign up for any masterclasses because I wanted to observe and see what it was like. I do plan on coming back next year for the classical division and signing up and taking advantage of those masterclasses. I think can be very valuable in connections!
SECOND PLACE WINNER: VICTORIA JOHNSON
1. What is your artist level?
I competed in the high school division I and am going into 10th grade.
2. What is your dream role?
I have many dream roles such as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde; Regina George and Cady Heron in Mean Girls; Judy in 9 to 5; and Lydia in Mrs. Doubtfire.
3. What advice would you give to future participants in the CS Music competition?
Do not let your nerves overcome you!! Nerves are an AMAZING thing, they show that you care enough about succeeding. Nerves provide adrenaline, and they are only to help you if you acknowledge them and let them be on your team!
4. How do you feel that singing, and music in general, can have an impact on the world?
Music is SO powerful, it provides an outlet for people to connect to and heal. Music holds the power to change lives and brings emotions to millions of people instantly – not many things can do that. This is the exact reason why I want to create my own music and share my talents and provide outlets for those around the world who need it.
5. Name one of your favorite professional singers and why they are so impactful.
One of my artistic idols is Michael Jackson. I admire his hard work and extensive passion for performing. He achieved his goals and earned his place in music history because of his hard work, creativity and efforts. After every show he would rehearse every song for hours to make sure it was perfect. He always evolved and always had a message people could relate to, connect with and feel.
6. In terms of singing and performing, what has been your biggest struggle and how have you overcome it?
My biggest struggle throughout performing has been accepting my imperfections. A lot of the time I strive to be perfect and must have everything go exactly how I wanted it to be, but most times that doesn’t work out. There are always things I can improve upon but acknowledging those imperfections helps me improve for my next performance. It is hard to accept imperfections sometimes but I always remember that it is a lifetime and in the long run those imperfections help me become the best performer I can be.
7. How did you come to participate in the competition? (How did you hear about it and what steps did you take in order to make it happen?)
I found out about this competition online and found it very exciting and interesting. The program/group had a great reputation. In order to make it happen I talked to my mom and we booked a trip to Chicago with my family! I practice and prepared for many weeks until we finally arrived in Chicago!
8. Were you offered any scholarships? If so, tell us about what you were offered, if it will be of help to you, and how you feel about it.
I was not offered any scholarships, but am extremely proud of my fellow competitors who did! I believe it was probably due to my age. I think I was one of the youngest competitors in the group. I have a few more years until I am off to college.
THIRD PLACE WINNER: CLAIRE JANSEN
1. What is your artist level and school if applicable?
I am going to be a Senior.
2. What is your dream role?
My dream role right now is Lydia Deetz from Beetlejuice.
3. What advice would you give to future participants in the CS Music competition?
The advice I would give to future participants is to be confident, and don’t let the judges distract you or make you too nervous.
4. How do you feel that singing, and music in general, can have an impact on the world?
Singing and music in general can have a huge impact on the World because it connects everyone from every corner of the globe. It is a universal language that can be used by anyone to communicate a message with everyone. Music is truly impactful because it brings people together.
5. Name one of your favorite professional singers and why they are so impactful.
One of my favorite professional singers is Jessie Mueller. She is incredible to watch on stage and she’s an incredible actress as well as singer.
6. In terms of singing and performing, what has been your biggest struggle and how have you overcome it?
A few years ago I started having throat issues, where it would hurt everytime I tried to sing. This continued for about two years while I went from doctor to doctor trying to find out the cause. I ended up in vocal therapy where I was told I had muscle tension dysphonia caused by stress. With the help of my vocal therapist and voice teacher I learned how to sing again without tensing my throat muscles.
7. How did you come to participate in the competition? (How did you hear about it and what steps did you take in order to make it happen?)
My voice teacher sent me a link to the competition and she told me I should do it. I knew nothing else other than what was on the website. I typed my information in and clicked submit, and because I lived so close, I was able to take the train into Chicago with my mom every day as the rounds progressed.
8. Were you offered any scholarships? If so, tell us about what you were offered, if it will be of help to you, and how you feel about it.
I was not offered any scholarships, but I was able to learn about so many different college programs during the college fair, which was incredibly valuable.
Photo of the finalists in the Musical Theatre High School I division:
