On this page you will find a history of the chapter.  Please check back to find a completed history, which is in progress.  In the meantime, two of our past presidents, Mitzi Gatlin and Martha Peabody, have graciously provided reminisces about their activity with the NATS-Boston Chapter.  Enjoy! 

Irida Pilla (Boston Conservatory)
Ellalou Dimmock (Boston University)
Adele Babcock (New England Conservatory Preparatory Dept.)
Rita Beatie (New England Conservatory
Mitzi Gatlin
Martha Peabody (Northeastern University)
Eleanor Edwards

At the time I was president, the chapter sponsored two or three master classes yearly. Peter Elvins and Allen Rogers were co-chairs of the Program Committee. The people they brought for the master classes were extraordinary, but the nature of Peter's introductions was what I remember the most. He never used any notes and his delivery was warm, informative and flawless.

Melinda Crane, a talented and wonderful vocal coach from Boston University, helped me bring Mignon Dunn to Boston. Melinda was the glue of the organization at that time, and arranged for us to hold summer workshops at Craigville Beach on Cape Cod. What fun!  Leslie Holmes, who was working at a classical radio station WCRB, helped showcase some of our NATS songfest winners on a classical program.

We had a very enthusiastic and creative Board of Directors who decided on some “simultaneous”  workshops so that our teachers and students could choose what interested them the most. We also had a panel discussion given by some of Boston's top artists and critics: Craig Smith conductor at Emmanuel Church for the Bach Cantatas and many concert series; opera singer Phyllis Curtin, now director emeritus of Tanglewood Institute for Voice and Opera Studies; and Richard Dyer, critic and author from The Boston Globe, were among the panelists.

In 1980, the preliminaries of the NATS song festival were held in approximately eight different halls spread all over the city of Boston and in Cambridge. Most were held on Saturday and the Finals were held at Boston University on Sunday evening.   In those days, when computers were not yet in general use, Ellalou (Pete) Dimmock created a huge  poster with names, places and times for the contestants and their teachers. In 1990, John LaBella brought us into the initial stages of computing, but that year was a rough go! We had a LONG wait before the audience knew who the song contest winners were!

In the earlier days of Boston NATS the organization included many social functions, ranging from luncheons and dinners to memorial services.  We had an annual catered membership banquet, and on occasions one of our NATS song-fest winners would be part of the entertainment. When Rita Beatie was President she asked all the teachers to sing at the banque --anything that they would NOT normally sing. We had everything from Gilbert and Sullivan to barbershop.

About 1990 Lillian Lee from The Boston Conservatory of Music headed a committee to revise our very outdated by-laws. Those changes basically changed us to the professional organization we enjoy today.

When Martha Peabody took office as Boston Chapter President, the site of  the National Convention was offered to Boston.  Martha and her Board prepared diligently for the Convention and the result was one of the best and most memorable conventions to date, perhaps only exceeded by the New York NATS Convention at the Waldorf.

I still enjoy my NATS membership and getting together. Here I look backward a bit; but I also still look forward; to festivals, events, and time together with my colleagues.                          

Some NATS Boston Chapter History
Contributor: Martha Peabody, Adjunct Professor, Northeastern University

I was told by Gertrude Tingley of Boston University in the 1950's, when I studied singing with her, that the National Association of Singing Boston Chapter was spearheaded by a small group of Boston voice teachers in 1941 to develop a Boston-based group. Gertrude was also involved with the national organization and was a serious supporter of all its aspects.  Among her many students was Ellalou Dimmock, later President of Boston chapter in the '80's. Ellalou invited me to join the board when I moved back to Boston from Philadelphia in 1988. As closely as I remember, Rita Beatie of NEC was voted in as President in 1989 until her death.

Rita and I formed a partnership which published a booklet, called  "Singers in Boston." It was a   handbook for singers and  teachers, advertising resources for performance  venues,  costume, lighting, and sources for performance in Boston area. As an aside-- Lynn Shane adapted the handbook as an idea for the online resource Boston Singers Resource [link http://www.bostonsingersresource.com].

Mitzi Gatlin took over the NATS presidency until 1991, handling the transition with dignity and professionalism. In 1991, I was voted in as President with Jeanne Segal as Vice President. Some of the board members during this time were Luellen Best, John LaBella, Emily Romney,  with Executive Officers  Leslie  Holmes, Melinda Crane and Mitzi Gatlin----I'm certain I've left off a  name or two, but we were a very  active crew.

We wanted to get more participation from area and local home-based studio teachers as well as the Boston-based voice teachers—for example: we invited Kristin Linklater (author of Freeing the Natural Voice) and Phyllis Hoffman from Boston University to run an active class (individually) on breathing. Picture this, there we were around fifty or sixty of us dressed in sweats on the floor responding to Kristin's instruction for about an hour, breathing and making sounds;  and then Phyllis had us moving around, trilling, etc. It was fun and informative. I could go on and on about some of our programs.

Since I felt we needed to present more active events, I did hold two or three colloquiums around Massachusetts for local teachers. We offered subjects such as repertoire for kids, running the private studio, teaching the older singer, and any other concern that the members had.  It was fun, but also exhausting, because it went well beyond the regular NATS programs.

We had the Song Festival every other year and we were just starting to heat up interest in a Music Theatre division.  Oh yes, we hosted the National NATS Convention—with Melinda Crane taking a heavy part of the planning with assistance from me and our Committee-- that's another story. I declined a second term as board president., but I accepted Leslie's request  to be Massachusetts Governor for two terms. That involved the alternate years of New England Regional Voice Competition.

I'll be happy to follow up if anyone has any questions-- kudos to you all for developing a written history of our august organization. Boston is blessed with having some of the best singers and voice teachers in the United States.