“I long to hear them shouting ‘Viva’ to the diva
Oh, very lovely that must be
That’s what I’m dying for
That’s what I’m sighing for
Art is calling for me”
Victor Herbert – “Art Is Calling for Me” (performed by future Broadway superstar Kristin Chenoweth as her talent during the 1991 Miss Oklahoma competition)
From the operetta “The Enchantress” by Victor Herbert, “Art Is Calling for Me” is a song sung by one of the princesses as she hopes to catch the eye of a prince by becoming an opera singer. She finds singing a much more appealing life than being a royal.
“The Enchantress” premiered in Washington, D.C., in 1911 and quickly moved to Broadway, playing for 104 performances. It then had two years of tours throughout North America. While many of the songs were popular as the show toured and enjoyed Broadway revivals, “Art Is Calling for Me” remains the most enduring piece from the operetta.
The song is also the song that Huron native Jamee Kattner used as her talent portion of last year’s Miss South Dakota competition. Saturday night, she will place the crown that she was given last year on the head of a new representative from the state.
To be blunt, I’ve known Jamee her entire life. My mother is her godmother, and her mother was my church choir director and the choir sang at her wedding, so to say that our families have been tied closely long before Jamee was even born is putting it lightly.
While Jamee was involved in many of the things that would portend a good pageant candidate, she wasn’t a huge pageant participant until the end of her collegiate career. Her focus was on music, and specifically on music education, as Jamee was able to lead the South Dakota State marching band as they played in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, and she had lined up a position for fall 2025 with a school district after she graduated.
May 31 changed her plans when she was selected as the 2025 Miss South Dakota. Changes in the Miss America timeline meant that Kattner had to fundraise all of her trip to the national competition in a short three months. An article outlining Kattner’s early experiences traveling the state in her new role and her upcoming fundraising over the final month before Miss America was planned for the Plainsman before our unexpected closure. Instead, that same article was published on a personal Substack, on the South Dakota Searchlight site, and the story was a feature story of our “we’re back” editions for two of our South Dakota papers when Champion Media opened the doors up.
Jamee has shown up for interviews in my office, and the problem is slicing through my recording of that interview for an article, because we can chat about music, life, and so much for hours, as long as her busy schedule in her role allows it.
As she turned over the crown Saturday, Kattner left enormous shoes to fill. No, I’m not saying she has some sort of clown shoe-sized high heels on, but few are going to go through the life challenges Jamee did this year with the grace, the sense of duty, and the genuine interest in every person she meets that Kattner has shown throughout the year.
Her grandmother passed last fall, and she was able to take some time to mourn her, but this spring, she was also able to honor her by spearheading the Huron participation in the National Music Week celebration.
Kattner drove miles upon miles to visit every corner of the state during her reign, singing in every level of venue, from performing the national anthem for sporting events with thousands in the stands to singing at a senior center with a crowd measured in the dozens. She did all of it with a smile on her face and encouraged everyone to follow their own path.
With three daughters who followed Jamee’s every move, I’ve often heard when she appeared at an event. One thing that a daughter who heard her at a Huron Middle School event took away from her talk to those students was that my daughter can be whomever she wants to be, as long as she’s true to who she is.
Jamee has represented the state well and, more importantly, she’s been a tremendous representative for Huron as she traveled the state. Best of luck, Jamee, as you become a member of the “Forever Miss South Dakota” alumni and begin your work teaching music to South Dakota youth this coming fall. You have shown this year that you will continue to impact the world, with or without a crown atop your head.
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