John Burgin

NATS Past President John Burgin passed away at the age of 90 on February 7, 2022, in Jefferson City, Tennessee.

A longtime member, Burgin held an active role in NATS leading up to his term as president. He was chair of the committee that recommended Richard Miller as editor-in-chief of The NATS Bulletin. He also served as vice president in charge of field activities and was editor of the Inter Nos newsletter.

During his tenure as president from 1982-1985, several key achievements occurred that positively affected NATS to date, including:

• NATS established the Art Song Composition Award, and the first award was given in 1984.
• The first computer was purchased for the NATS national office in 1983.
• NATS agreed to co-sponsor ICVT (International Congress of Voice Teachers) for 1987.
• NATSAA first prize was raised to $5,000, making it among the most prestigious in the nation.

Burgin continued to serve NATS after his presidency. In 2000, he began working to create the first online index for the Journal of Singing. Before this, no print index was available in a digital format. It had to be scanned and reconstructed using character recognition software, edited by people, and then prepared for entry into the online database. Burgin spearheaded efforts for this significant project and donated countless hours to developing this invaluable online resource.

He also served as chair of bylaws revision committee.

“John Burgin was an active member and leader in NATS for many years both before and after his term as president,” said Allen Henderson, executive director. “I had the opportunity to visit with him in East Tennessee several times in recent years and thank him for his service to NATS. He shared with me his fond memories of how important his membership in NATS was to him throughout his career. NATS is fortunate to have had his leadership during an important time of growth for our association.”

In addition to his involvement with NATS, Burgin was very prominent during his more than 30-year teaching career.

Burgin was a professor of music and chair of the voice department at the University of Louisiana, Monroe (formerly Northeast Louisiana University). While there, he introduced the Christmas Madrigal Dinners and conducted performances of A German Requiem by Brahms, Dubois' Seven Last Words, Rutter’s Gloria, and Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast. He also served as president of the faculty senate and was the organizing first president of the university credit union.

After his retirement from ULM, he went on to serve as adjunct professor of voice at Carson-Newman College (Jefferson City, Tennessee), where he was named Distinguished Alumnus in 1998.

Burgin earned his bachelor’s degree from Carson-Newman College in 1952, his master’s degree in music from Indiana University in 1958, and his doctorate in voice pedagogy and church music from George Peabody College (Vanderbilt University) in 1971. Burgin’s dissertation was published into a book in 1973, and “Teaching Singing” was an authoritative graduate textbook on voice pedagogy used for decades. He also conducted master classes and clinics in Tennessee, Florida, Montana, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Texas.

Burgin often performed as solo tenor in performances of Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Creation, Paisiello’s Barber of Seville, Verdi’s Requiem, and Rossini’s Stabat Mater, with symphonies in Nashville, Monroe and New Orleans. He also led the Beltones at Belmont College.

Outside of academics, Burgin served as a minister of music at several churches in the Monroe area, in Nashville, and East Tennessee.   

A memorial service for Burgin was held Friday, February 11, 2022 in White Pine, Tennessee at the White Pine Cemetery.

To read his full obituary or leave a message for the family, please visit the memorial page.