Mack Smith Places First at 2026 NATS National Student Auditions

Recent Stanford graduate and baritone Mack Smith won first place in the Classical Upper College Men's category (TBB - Tenor, Baritone, Bass) at the 2026 National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) National Student Auditions (NSA), held at the national conference in San Antonio, TX.

The competition took place over two days as semifinalists performed on July 3, with three finalists from each category advancing to perform on July 4. For his semi-final audition, Mack performed four classical songs in different languages and musical styles for a panel of three judges. For the finals, which were performed in a well-attended public recital, he chose to sing "En sourdine" by Gabriel Fauré. Each singer was assigned a conference pianist; Mack was accompanied by Dr. Richard D. Seiler, Jr., Professor and Keyboard Area Coordinator at the School of Visual & Performing Arts, Louisiana State University, Monroe.

A lifelong singer, Mack has been surrounded by music since childhood. He grew up performing in school choirs, and just last year made his musical theatre debut as Cinderella's Prince in the Stanford Music Department production of Into the Woods. Mack was also the recipient of  2026 Rita Taylor Prize from the Stanford Department of Music. During his time at Stanford, Mack studied with Kathryne Jennings and coached with pianist  Steven Lightburn. He is currently working for a computer science company in Seattle, with plans to work remotely from Palo Alto after completing his three-month training period in October. He also plans to continue vocal study with Kathryne as he prepares for graduate school auditions in vocal performance.

Congratulations, Mack!