As of February, Kiara Kiah is the first student from Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) in over 20 years to audition in the Virginia National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) competition, a fierce contest between the state’s finest college-age singers. And the soprano vocalist will compete virtually in regionals next week.
“It was a really good experience,” Kiah said. “It was just really good to be back in the competition realm and get feedback and hear things from an outsider’s point of view on things that I can work on.”
Kiah performed four pieces in three different languages ranging in style from musical theater to stormundrang, and earned an “honors” distinction among some 500 competitors, allowing her to advance to the regional level.
“If you’ve heard Kiara sing, you recognize she’s uniquely gifted and brimming with raw talent. Her various music successes will come as no surprise,” Professor James Richardson said. “Kiara has a large and powerful, resonant, yet lyrical and versatile, soprano voice with a mature timbre for her age.”
NATS requires more than just raw talent of a performer, though. The competitors must demonstrate intense vocal stamina.
“It’s one thing to be a fine singer, and it’s another to do it with polish when the pressure is on – making it all seem ‘easy’ and ‘natural’,” said Richardson.
Kiah has been to these auditions before, when she competed at the high school level of NATS while a student at the Governor’s School for the Arts in Norfolk. And she earned advancement to the regional Mid-Atlantic competition several times while there, but didn’t have the confidence to actually go.
“It gets ten times more competitive. Now you’re competing with a bigger range of voices and people and regions,” Kiah explained. But this year, “James, my voice teacher here, was like, ‘no, you’re going!’”
These competitions “are truly considered the gold standard of trained singing,” Richardson explained. “Success at the state level and beyond – such as that of Kiara’s – speaks volumes to anyone who knows anything about opera, art songs, and music theater.”
This push and pull, whether or not to pursue the opportunities her talent brings, has been a pattern for Kiah since the beginning of her musical career. In middle school, she had a negative experience in choir. But Kiah’s aunt, who adopted her, saw her potential – and took the rising ninth grader to audition for the Governor’s School.
“Originally, I was like, I don’t care for opera. Who sings this? And so I went to the audition and purposefully bombed it. I just did not want to go,” Kiah said. But her attempts to obscure her abilities failed – the school accepted Kiah, and she began rigorous school days that began at 7 a.m. and often ended at 10 p.m. after rehearsals.
While there, she saw an opera for the first time – The Magic Flute by Mozart, and was hooked.
“I just fell in love with it. The strength, and the stamina it takes to sing for two and a half, three hour shows, I was just amazed when I saw my first opera. … I want to learn how to do this.”
After high school, Kiah was accepted into a number of conservatories, including the prestigious Julliard. She chose to attend EMU for music education. Kiah still wants to work with kids, and will graduate in December with a degree in vocal performance and social work. If a double major and singing competitions weren’t enough, Kiah is also involved in the community – serving on the Black Student Alliance and Destiny’s Daughters organization for young women’s empowerment, volunteering with Bethel AME Church, and working part-time at the Hallmark store and EMU’s fitness center.
Kiah and her husband, piano performance student Earnest Kiah, are considering moving out of state after graduation. But her ultimate dream would be to start a youth nonprofit in her hometown of Portsmouth, Va.
“Where I grew up, I’ve seen a lot of people in trouble, and then they turned to music and it’s been a great outlet for them to put their energy into something positive,” Kiah said. “I want to do the same for youth that are cast away, labeled as bad kids, and I just want to be that person to show them music is powerful.”
What an inspiring story! This would be wonderful news with a sound recording.
What an inspiration! “A song of hope!”
Yes, I would love to hear a recording of her singing as well. :)