Diamonds are Forever

Some people are precocious musical prodigies from the moment of birth. For Mark Diamond (’10), his leap from musical novice to musical sensation occurred instead during his junior year at Georgia Southern, under the cultivation, tutelage and encouragement of faculty.
The 23-year-old’s rich, baritone voice is stunning audiences, earning accolades and receiving rave reviews from The New York Times and Opera News. Not bad for someone who originally aspired to become a chorus teacher for students in grades K-12. Diamond didn’t even begin formal voice lessons until he arrived at the University.

Diamond’s former professor, Allen Henderson, provided the encouragement that the young singer needed to catapult his career to the next level by persuading him to audition for the Aspen Music Festival. “Sometimes it takes a professor to help open doors or guide a student toward that ‘light bulb’ moment,” said Henderson. After auditioning with thousands of other singers nationwide, Diamond’s ‘light bulb’ moment turned out to be winning one of the coveted 75 spots in the nine-week festival, which included performances of three operas.

“Dr. Henderson is the reason why I auditioned,” he admitted. “That summer I grew so much, and I had never been good enough before to say to myself, ‘I can do this’ until then. That’s when my voice really started to take off,” he said, realizing that his talent and ability compared favorably to singers from some of the country’s top voice programs. Last summer, Diamond performed the leading role of Top in “The Tender Land” during Glimmerglass Opera, a prestigious music festival held annually in Cooperstown, N.Y. The program also provided him with the opportunity to work with renowned singers and voice coaches from the Juilliard School and the Metropolitan Opera.

While the rising star could claim exceptional talent for his success, instead, he credits the faculty, voice lessons and challenging course of study within the University’s Department of Music. “Students are nurtured at Georgia Southern. You get a lot of attention here that you might not get at other schools,” said Diamond.

“We have a team approach to helping students progress,” said Henderson. “Our opera director, Dr. Arikka Gregory, contributes significantly to the development of students’ skills on stage and their ability to craft believable characters.”

Last year, Diamond began his studies at the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music to earn a Master of Music in vocal performance. In January, he captured first place at the Houston (Tx.) Grand Opera’s Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers, defeating 700 other singers entered in the national competition. After performing the title role of Figaro in “The Barber of Seville,” with the San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program for young artists this summer, he will return to Texas to perform with the Houston Grand Opera for their 2011-12 season.

Henderson believes that the career potential of this gifted young artist is limitless. “When I talk to those who hear Mark in auditions, they are quite impressed with his command of voice, his stage presence, and his interpretation of the arias he performs. The world will be hearing from Mark for a long time.”

~ Mary Beth Spence