Hannah Vestal, ’21, first performed on stage in the ensemble of the musical “All Shook Up” with her high school. Even though she was nervous about her first on-stage singing role, she loved the experience. Now, she is passionate about showcasing her talents.
“Being able to create something that somebody else can enjoy, is an amazing human experience… It’s almost like a projection of emotion that you can transfer to an audience and you can’t get that anywhere else except for a live performance,” Vestal said.
Vestal has been a part of a choir, several theatrical performances, a community theater group and now NCC’s all-female a cappella group, Tonacity.
Along with being one of the original members of Tonacity, she is also the publicity chair. One of her most prominent memories from this group is from one of their bonding activities last year, traditionally starting as a group sleepover. In preparation for this long night, Vestal took a nap to save her energy. However, it went longer than she predicted and she almost missed the fun because of it. Luckily, she was able to meet up with the other girls and partake in the bonding experience.
So far, Vestal has been a part of two theater productions at NCC, “Vinegar Tom” and “The Laramie Project.” In the future, she hopes to be involved in other performances. “Hopefully I will get to do more because I really love doing shows here,” said Vestal. “The theater department is great.”
After years of singing lessons, she said the most helpful thing she’s been told is to breathe with her diaphragm. This allows her to project her voice and hold notes longer. Another valuable lesson she learned is to be confident.
“One of my biggest things is, even if you are not completely confident in your singing, just pretend like you are. Just smile, have confidence and have fun…then it’s not so much about whether I hit the notes right, it’s just about me looking like I’m enjoying myself and that helps the audience enjoy your singing,” said Vestal.
Her passion for music stems from her family members.
Majoring in English and theater, Vestal hopes to combine her love of writing and acting for her career. She would also like to learn to play an instrument like the piano or guitar in the future.
