Editorial Desk

Darin Adams Dec 3, 2018

Welcome to the December issue of Classical Singer magazine! It’s a privilege to serve on the Editorial Board because I am a great believer in the value of Classical Singer.

I first used Classical Singer as a voice major in college to find auditions for summer programs and other work and found it helpful to learn about what other singers did to find their way in the business. Then, when I first moved to New York, I used it to find professional auditions, agent information, and industry insight. Today, I continue to use Classical Singer to inform my teaching and coaching, fine-tune my performance career, and help my students stay connected to the industry.

I just can’t imagine a singer who is serious about pursuing a career in classical or musical theatre performance not utilizing this relevant and essential resource. The articles are practical, lending insight into important facets of educational or professional development. Classical Singer places a high priority on keeping singers informed on the larger industry trends as well as sharing the wisdom of other professionals in the business.

So, what advice do I have for singers?

First and foremost, recognize that your vocal talents are a gift meant to bring joy and inspiration to you and others. Therefore, train those gifts with the respect and effort they deserve.

You are not identified by your voice or your achievements in performance. Those are just a reflection of your talent, work, and willingness to share. Your identity comes from the state of your heart and spirit—keep those full and growing, and the voice will do the work it’s meant to do.

If the work feels like work, there’s nothing wrong with that. Great artists work harder than most people know. But if the passion stays lit for the art, even the hard work brings tremendous happiness and satisfaction. The voice is an instrument, and instruments take an intense amount of practice to master.

Be patient with yourself and just keep showing up. If you’re getting good training, the muscles will eventually cooperate, and you’ll be amazed at what comes out of you.

Explore new repertoire—there is so much to experience, learn, and share. Your audition book is safe and full of favorites, but it stops informing and stretching you over time. Keep moving forward.

Be kind to the people you are fortunate enough to collaborate with. Kindness and good rapport with colleagues goes much further than the very best singing in opening doors to new opportunities.

Finally, sing when your mom or your aunt or some colleague or neighbor asks. Sing in that funny piano bar you visit with friends. Sing at the karaoke club. Sing auditions and performances and church gigs and weddings and funerals and anywhere else you can bring joy with your voice. Don’t let it sit idle when there are chances to use that gift. That’s why you have it.

I hope you enjoy this issue and the magazine as much as I do!

Darin Adams

https://www.appcompanist.com/

As a leading Broadway voice teacher, Darin Adams draws on over 30 years education and experience in performing arts. Darin did his undergraduate, graduate and performance certificate work at Pepperdine University, Azusa Pacific University, Indiana University and Music Academy of the West in music, vocal performance and stage direction. He performed countless leading roles in opera and musical theater in the US and overseas, and worked with his wife, Sheri Adams, as a concert and recording artist, artistic director, church music director, and the couple even spent 3 years traveling the world as headline artists for Seabourn Cruise Lines. They are the founders and co-artistic directors of a New York City based non-profit arts organization called Joemoe Arts, and founding creators of Appcompanist, a revolutionary new app that gives singers and voice teachers total control over the world’s best accompaniment recordings from any mobile device. As a composer and playwright, several of Darin’s works have been commercially produced on the west coast, and one of his full-length musicals is currently in the commercial development process in New York after two successful runs in California. In recent years, Darin has had the opportunity to mentor and train over 300 Broadway performers in shows including Wicked, The Book of Mormon, Phantom of the Opera, The Prom, Chicago, Something Rotten, and many others; teach master-classes with some of the industry’s top casting directors and coaches; and guest teach thousands of aspiring classical and musical theater performers at high schools, universities, and national conventions. Darin and Sheri live on Manhattan’s Upper West Side with their 3 children, Samuel, Sydney, and Jessie.