ALTOONA, Pa. — Bonnie Cutsforth-Huber, professor of music at Penn State Altoona, has been named the 2026 winner of the Richard Sjoerdsma Excellence in Writing Award.

Named in honor of editor in chief emeritus Richard Sjoerdsma, this biennial award honors the best feature article written for the Journal of Singing over the most recent two-year cycle. The journal is a scholarly publication of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS).

Cutsforth-Huber’s winning article, “Bel Canto des Wortes — The Pedagogy of Cornelia (Cornelie) van Zanten,” appeared in the Nov./Dec. 2024 issue of the journal. The article examines van Zanten’s 1911 treatise from the Neapolitan school that offers insight into the history of the bel canto movement, a type of opera singing and music that originated in Italy.

“I am truly humbled and honored to be the recipient of such a prestigious award and am thrilled to have had the opportunity to introduce NATS members to the worthy work of Cornelia van Zanten,” Cutsforth-Huber said. “I am grateful to NATS and the Journal of Singing for the opportunity to raise awareness about the pedagogical work of this remarkable woman.”

The selection committee selected Cutsforth-Huber’s article along with an honorable mention article from 30 peer-reviewed submissions.

“The two articles selected by this year’s committee are an illustration of the vast variety of excellent scholarship published in the Journal of Singing,” said Matthew Hoch, editor-in-chief of the journal. “We are fortunate to have so many astute writers devoting their minds and talent to exploring voice pedagogy and literature across all styles, genres and eras.”

Cutsforth-Huber was recognized at the 2026 NATS National Conference banquet held in San Antonio on July 6. The Sjoerdsma Award includes a $1,000 award endowed by the Richard D. Sjoerdsma fund.