June 19, 2024
Contact Anthony Slaby at 608-796-3042 or aaslaby@viterbo.edu
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF TEACHERS OF SINGING TO HONOR VITERBO FACULTY MEMBER DAN JOHNSON-WILMOT WITH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
LA CROSSE, Wis. – The National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) will present Viterbo University music faculty member Dan Johnson-Wilmot with its Lifetime Achievement Award at the organization’s 58th national conference in Knoxville, Tennessee Monday, July 1.
Johnson-Wilmot has taught voice at Viterbo for 51 years. His students have performed on Broadway, at the Metropolitan Opera, and have won numerous prestigious awards. A dedicated NATS member since 1976, Johnson-Wilmot has served in various leadership roles, including the Wisconsin Chapter auditions chair, region governor, and Vice President for Membership on the NATS Board of Directors. He has been the NATS National Student Auditions Coordinator since 2014.
“Viterbo University has provided the fertile ground for me to flourish and grow as a voice teacher and person,” said Johnson-Wilmot, who earned degrees in music from St. John’s University and University of Wisconsin-Madison. “The Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration value and treasure their heritage of music and I was fortunate to be mentored by them and given the opportunity to work with five decades of wonderful Viterbo students in choral and solo music making. My colleagues in the music department continue to inspire me and provide support for the work we continue to do. The La Crosse community is a wonderful place to work and grow and I am grateful to the many people in La Crosse and the Coulee region who support the arts and specifically the vocal arts. It takes a village.”
In addition to his work as a faculty member at Viterbo, Johnson-Wilmot spent 30 years as the director of the La Crosse BoyChoir and worked extensively with other community ensembles over the years. He would like to dedicate his award to the memory of his voice teacher, Sr. Mary Helene Juettner of the College of St. Benedict.
Founded in 1944, NATS is the largest professional association of teachers of singing in the world with more than 7,000 members in the U.S., Canada, and over 35 other countries. Its mission is to advance excellence in singing through teaching, performance, scholarship, and research.
“Dan has been an incredible teacher and colleague at Viterbo for more than five decades,” said Viterbo University President Rick Trietley. “His dedication to the university and our students is truly inspiring. Congratulations Dan on this prestigious award. It is greatly deserved.”
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