Webster University Music Students Win Hal Leonard Vocal Awards

The 2023 Hal Leonard Vocal Competition, a national event that drew more than 1,000 entrants this year, announced results this week. 

Three Webster University students, all students of music professor Jeffrey Richard Carter, were winners in the Young Adult Musical Theatre division (age 18-23). 

Vera Brown (BFA ’26) was named winner in a second-place tie. 

Alex Daspit (BFA ’25) was named winner in a third-place tie.

Isaiah Henry (BFA ’24) was also one of the 12 finalists in this category. 

Brown and Daspit are musical theatre majors; Henry is an acting major.  All are students in the Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts.  Carter leads the Music Direction for Musical Theatre program. 

To view a playlist of the singers in the Young Adult Musical Theatre category, please visit YouTube.   

The Hal Leonard Vocal Competition was one of the first music competitions to be held entirely on YouTube. Now in its 13th year, the mission has remained constant: 

•  to allow equal opportunities for North American singers, despite location, without any entry fee 
•  to recognize the efforts and accomplishments of young singers 
•  to deliberately value the contribution that voice teachers make to our communities 
•  to allow singers from various geographical locations to hear one another and learn from one another 

The entries in the Hal Leonard Vocal Competition reflect diversity in North America, with students of various ethnic heritages, and from various economic backgrounds.  

Hal Leonard is the largest publisher and distributor of music in North America, with particular strengths in musical theatre literature.