The Barbara Hill Moore Emerging Teaching Artist Award is a biennial award designed to encourage, support, and facilitate the professional development of a NATS teacher of singing who is also pursuing an active vocal performance career. The winner of this award is determined in a competition for teaching artists with a bright future on a dual career-track.
Award Timeline
| June 15, 2025 | Applications Open |
| January 15, 2026 | APPLICATION SUBMISSION DEADLINE |
| February 15, 2026 | Vetting of Applications Complete |
| March 15, 2026 | National Finalists Announced/Adjudicators’ Feedback Available |
| July 3-7 2026 | LIVE Finals Competition at NATS National Conference in San Antonio |
Eligibility to Apply
- Applicants must be a minimum of 33 years of age and no more than 43 years of age on the application’s submission deadline.
- Applicants must be professional members of NATS in good standing from the application deadline through the competition’s finals.
- Applicant must have a minimum of five consecutive years of experience teaching voice, not including the current academic year.
- Applicants must have at least three professional contracts for vocal performances on dates within the four-year span of two years prior through two years following the application’s submission deadline. (January 15, 2024 through January 15, 2028)
- Independent voice teachers, adjunct or full-time voice teachers, graduate students, and any rank of professors, who meet requirements A through D above—are all eligible to apply.
- Applicants from underrepresented communities are encouraged to apply.
The final decision on all matters of eligibility rests with the NATS Vice President of Auditions and NATS Competitions and Auditions Coordinator.
Application
All applications must be completed and submitted online at NATS.org on or before January 15, 2026. Incomplete and late applications will not be considered. For specifics on repertoire requirements, video submissions, documenting professional experience, and required verifications, see Guidelines.
Entry Fee
Payment of the non-refundable entry fee of $75 in U.S. funds via credit card (Visa or MasterCard) is required to complete your application. No refunds will be issued.
Announcement of Finalists
Mid-March in even-numbered years, the names of three to five finalists will be announced along with up to seven names of applicants receiving Recognitions of Excellence.
Finals
At the Biennial NATS National Conferences, each finalist will present a live fifteen-minute, solo vocal performance with live collaborating instrumentalist(s) of the finalist’s choosing. No staff pianists will be provided. Each finalist will have their NATS National Conference Registration fee waived.
Awards
As soon as possible after the finals are heard by a panel of voice professionals, the winner will be announced and presented with a cash award of $3,000.
Meet the Award’s Founder
Barbara Hill Moore is Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Meadows Foundation Distinguished Professor of Voice at SMU Meadows School of the Arts. She began teaching at Meadows in 1974 and served as chair of the voice department from 1977 through 1992. Prior to her SMU appointment (1969-1974), she taught at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, the St. Louis Public School System and the St. Louis Archdiocese. She received a B.S. from Lincoln University of Missouri and an M.S. as a graduate fellow from the University of Illinois in Champaign, Illinois.
Hill Moore has performed extensively with orchestras throughout the United States and Europe. She was a frequent performer in Western Europe, especially Germany, where she sang in opera, concert, and recital, premiering the works of many American composers. Her recent focus has been in serving as master teacher, mentor and advisor to aspiring young vocal artists in classes, private lessons and advisory sessions throughout the U.S. and South Africa. She has worked with singers in master classes throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Africa.
Former students of Hill Moore have been featured in opera companies throughout the world, including the St. Louis Opera, Houston Opera, Dallas Opera, New York City Opera, La Scala, Salzburg Opera, San Francisco Opera, Chicago Opera, Paris Opera, Berlin Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Fort Worth Opera and Cape Town Opera. The 2023-24 opera season will find her students singing with the New York Metropolitan Opera, the Santa Fe Opera, The Dallas Opera, the Fort Worth Opera and the Houston Opera.
Hill Moore is a recipient of the prestigious M Award at SMU; was named The Meadows Foundation Distinguished Professor of Voice in May 2005; the SMU Distinguished University Citizen in 2009-10; and in 2022 was awarded the SMU Faculty Career Achievement Award in 2022. In March 2010, the South Dallas Business and Professional Women’s Club honored Hill Moore as a Trailblazer for excellence in education. She is the 2022 recipient of the Lift Every Voice “Legacy Award” presented by the National Opera Association and received the 2023-24 Elizabeth Mathias Lifetime Achievement Award at the Mu Phi Epsilon International Convention in Dallas. Hill Moore also received the Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from Lincoln University, her undergraduate alma mater, in 2023.
Learn more about Barbara Hill Moore’s career.
