Ron Vidika, The Morning Journal – It was five years ago on NBC’s hit TV show “America’s Got Talent” that The Texas Tenors burst onto the national scene. More than 100 million people from around the world tuned in to see the trio become the top vocal group in the history of the show.
Since then, The Texas Tenors have performed more than 700 concerts with major symphony orchestras in the United States and internationally, including a 24-city tour in the United Kingdom and China.
All three singers, tenors J.C. Fisher, Marcus Collins and John Hagen, are close friends and hail from the Lone Star State. A tenor is defined as “a singing voice between baritone and alto … the highest of the ordinary adult male range.” “They do a little bit of everything,” said David L. Taylor, executive director of the Sandusky State Theatre. “They do country, Broadway show tunes, gospel, and, for giggles, they’ll do some Italian arias.
“They were one of the finalists on ‘America’s Got Talent,’ which was the top, highest-viewed show in the series. They didn’t win. They were a finalist.” It was Fisher’s idea to form The Texas Tenors. Fisher has performed operatic roles, including Rodolfo in “La Boheme” and Tamino in “The Magic Flute.” His travels took him to Lucca, Italy, where he sang in the Puccini Festival under the direction of acclaimed Italian maestro Lorenzo Malfatti. Fisher then sailed the high seas aboard more than 75 entertainment cruise ships with his one-man show.
The collective result was a multi-faceted repertoire containing numerous genres of music and top-flight musical arrangements, which led to the formation of The Texas Tenors. Hagen has performed many operatic roles, as well, and received a number of accolades, including as a finalist in the New Jersey Opera Association of Verismo Opera competition held at Carnegie Hall. Collins also has performed throughout the world on cruise ships and in numerous stage productions, plying his melodic trade in performances in Times Square with the Broadway cast of “Hairspray,” and acting in more than 100 different episodes of network TV.
In their first PBS special, “You Should Dream,” which the trio performed with the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, they brought their own blend of sweeping, dynamic vocals, humor, harmony and so-called cowboy charm, which resulted in winning the program three Emmy Awards. “This will be the first time they’ve played the Sandusky State Theatre,” Taylor said of the trio. “They’ve played in Tiffin, Mansfield, Cleveland and Toledo. (Ttickets are) selling now, everywhere they go.” To their credit, Taylor had words of praise for the sponsors of the evening’s entertainment.
“Dr. Dale and Maura Braun are really big (philanthropic) supporters of the community and the theater, and they help provide wonderful opportunities for the community to experience this historic venue,” Taylor said.
Details
Who: Texas Tenors
When: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 15
Where: Sandusky State Theatre, 107 Columbus Ave.
Tickets: $30 and $60
Info: 419-626-1950, 877-626-1950 or SanduskyState.com
Concert Information Click Here
VIA: MorningJournal.com
Photo Courtesy of ©2014 Christian Dalbec Photography
