Soundbite: Joshua Conyers
The trip from the Bronx to the Metropolitan Opera House is about 10 miles — an hour by train. Still, that trip has been long and winding for alumnus Joshua Conyers (B.M. '10, P.A.C. '15). Reached by phone in London, where he was about to perform with the English National Opera, the rising-star baritone described his early life as “years of moving from shelter to shelter in the Bronx.”
When he was 12, he went to live with his grandmother in Virginia and began to experience a degree of stability and security. Since then, Conyers has achieved personal, academic and professional success as an opera singer. He makes his Metropolitan Opera debut in October and New York Philharmonic debut in December. This fall, Conyers joins the Eastman School of Music faculty in Rochester, New York, as a full-time assistant professor of voice. But UNCSA has a special place in his story and heart.
When did you know that you wanted to be an opera singer?
I was a sports kid but I always knew I wanted to sing. I started a boy band, Boys in Harmony, in middle school. We planned to be the next Boyz II Men. In high school, a good friend started doing a program where he’d go to regular school for half a day and the Virginia Governor’s School for the Arts for the other half. He taught me a song in Italian, and I got accepted to the Governor’s School. I took music theory, music history, theater training and voice lessons every week. I thought that if I had to do all this to be an opera singer, just forget it!
But then we took a field trip to New York and went to the New York City Opera and the Met. I had never been to anything like that and just fell in love. As I started giving it a chance, I fell more in love.
Who have been your greatest influences and inspirations?
During my junior year, I met Drs. Marilyn Taylor and Steven LaCosse. They came and heard me audition for the college voice program because I couldn’t afford to go to Winston-Salem. I received the Kenan Excellence Award and a full scholarship to UNCSA.
When there were school breaks and I needed shelter, Drs. LaCosse or Taylor would let me stay at their homes. They are more than mentors. They are family. They support me to this day.
What’s a day in the life of a working opera singer?
I’ve only been home four days since Jan. 1. I’ve gone from Chicago to Washington, D.C., and from Washington to London. I do a lot of protecting myself to make sure I will be able to perform. I watch what I eat and drink, especially when coming up on a performance. I always ensure my voice is nice and clear and ready to go.
What’s on your bucket list?
My dream places to sing are La Scala in Milan, Italy; the Met, where I’ll be this fall; the New York Philharmonic, where I’ll be in December; and the Sydney Opera House in Australia.
How have you grown as an artist?
Life experience really matters for an artist — from being a homeless teen to having a lot of support in college, from thinking I wasn’t good enough, to getting married and finding my footing as a professional singer — it all informs me as an artist. I believe that journey will never end.
This article appeared in the 2023 issue of Scene.
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October 16, 2023