Why do you sing professionally?

When I started out singing, I had no idea how far my voice would take me. I had a passion, a love, a need to sing. I put my whole heart into it without knowing what the next day would bring - which is both exciting and scary. Whenever an opportunity came along, I never thought anything more than, “that’s one step towards my goal” even though I didn’t know what that end goal was. At first, it was just to be paid to sing and when I hit that checkpoint, it was one step in the right direction.

Funny thing is, I still have that feeling today of “how far can my voice take me?” I don’t know because I still have new roles I want to share, more companies to sing for, and new places to see. In a way, I still don’t know what that end goal is for me.

I sing professionally because I can. It makes me unbelievably happy to do so.

I’ve gone through my career thinking, I’m going to hit the ceiling or I’m going to become the best I can be. I’ve come to realize that when you hit that ceiling, there’s no more room for growth and forward momentum. So hopefully, the day I hit the ceiling will be the day they put me in the ground.

What do you know now about the singing career that you wish you knew 10 years ago?

• Hard work pays off.
• Learn another language ASAP.
• Always pay the tax man more than you owe him.
• Don't take success for granted.
• Invest wisely and often.
• Don't party so much.
• Anything is possible.

Can you tell us about your being “discovered” by Susan Graham while singing karaoke?

Of course! I was in Stuttgart for my first gig abroad as a hopeful young baritone, fresh out of the Adler program [at San Francisco Opera], and my buddy Paul Groves was over in Paris. I went to visit him during a break from rehearsals and one night, a bunch of famous opera singers, who were friends with Paul, and I went out for some karaoke on the Parisian town.

I didn’t know Paris and I didn’t know French but I knew how to sing karaoke. I jumped right up and sang “I Believe I Can Fly.” I put my heart out there. Well, Susie remembered that karaoke performance of mine and down the road she and Paul recommended me as a last-minute replacement for the ailing Simon Keenlyside at the Chicago Lyric Opera. Crazy!

How do you see the role of social media - your blog, video posts - in your career? Do you have a line between showing your followers your professional life, versus your personal life?

I see social media as a necessity. It’s where many people get their information and news on the classical music world because of its immediacy and convenience. Social media is a recent development for me because as soon as I realized this, I needed to change my thinking and start sharing my experiences as an opera singer.

I have few reservations of what I’m willing to post online - it’s more about what I think my followers would find interesting. No one cares what I do every second of the day so I try to center my posts around things that will entertain my followers or make their lives better in some way.

My blog started when I realized I had a lot of thoughts I wanted to share with others about my journey as an opera singer. Young opera singers would ask me questions like, “which agent should I pick”, “how do I file my taxes”, or “how can I sing my high notes better?” so I decided to just type out the answers and share it with whoever was willing to listen.

I didn’t wait around for an interview that wasn’t going to happen - I took it into my own hands through my blog. It’s a lot of work and I’m proud to say I’ve posted consistently for over a year now. Phew! What motivates and inspires me most are real conversations I have with others in the opera world. That’s what makes it so authentic.

If you could sing a role outside of your voice type, which one would it be?

I’d really love to sing Calaf in Turandot. I wanna sing that high note while banging that gong. Everytime I see that moment in opera, I get chills and I’d love to be a tenor for just one hot second. As long as I can come back as a baritone!