Sigma Alpha Iota

sai-national.org • Spring 2025 3 M ember Laureate Audrey Nossaman Snapp passed away on March 17, 2024. She was 100 years old. Audrey was an initiate of the Alpha Pi chapter at Fort Hays State College in Hays, Kansas. She continued her education at Wichita University, and received her undergraduate degree from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey. She went on to receive a Master's degree from the University of Hawaii. Her summers were spent studying at the Juilliard School of Music and Indiana University, and she received a Fulbright Grant to study in Milan, Italy. Audrey often appeared with the Kentucky Opera Association, where she created, sang, and recorded the leading soprano roles in a number of operas commissioned by the Association: The Transposed Heads by Peggy Glanville-Hicks; The School for Wives by Rolf Liebermann; The Holy Devil by Nicolas Nabokov; and Beatrice by Lee Hoiby. She also recorded and appeared as a soloist for the Louisville Orchestra, performed at the National Gallery of Art and the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, and appeared in recitals across the United States. She was a professor at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and the University of Louisville before accepting a position at the University of Maryland, College Park. Audrey taught in their Opera Studio until her retirement in 1985. Many of her students went on to have successful careers in both music and academia. Audrey was also music director for several churches and was an adjudicator for the Metropolitan Opera Auditions in Virginia and Kentucky. Notably, she was made a Kentucky Colonel for her services to Kentucky through music. Audrey was soprano soloist at the Convention Foundation Benefit Concert for the 1962 SAI National Convention. It was a varied program including pieces by Mozart, Strauss, Brahms, and Poulenc. In the November 1962 edition of PAN PIPES, it is said "[she] received a much deserved prolonged ovation" following the performance. It was at this Convention that she was initiated as an Honorary Member. Audrey celebrated her 100th birthday on April 8, 2023, surrounded by five generations of her family. I N M E M O R I A M Audrey Nossaman Snapp Audrey Nossaman Snapp seen in the November 1962 Audrey Nossaman Snapp seen in the November 1962 PAN PIPES. PAN PIPES. Grace Notes CIRCLE OF PEARLS $5,000 – $9,999 CIRCLE OF RUBIES $10,000 – $24,999 CIRCLE OF DIAMONDS $25,000 – $49,999 CIRCLE OF EXCELLENCE $50,000 and above DONOR CIRCLES Donor Circles is a prestigious living donor recognition program presented by Sigma Alpha Iota Philanthropies, Inc. It honors the dedication of individuals who have made significant contributions to advance the mission of our fraternity's charity, consisting of four distinct recognition levels: These circles represent not only the depth of gratitude we hold for our donors but also the profound impact their contributions have on influential musical endeavors on our campuses, in our communities, and around the world.

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