Samford University associate professor of voice Brad Diamond has performed extensively across the U.S. and internationally during his three-decade career. A talented tenor, Diamond in October performed excerpts of Schubert’s song cycle Die Winterreise (Winter’s Journey) at Saint Martin in the Fields in London. Earlier this summer, he performed in the Aspen Music Festival as a member of Seraphic Fire, a nationally recognized ensemble of professional singers.
Diamond feels the biggest benefit of such performances is the added scope and significance they bring to his teaching.
“Saint Martin in the Fields is a significant venue for classical music and I was honored to have been invited to perform there,” he said. “In the discipline of classical vocal training, teaching is supported by professional performance opportunities. These keep us relevant to our students and colleagues and help to demonstrate a thorough understanding of what is required at the highest levels of vocal performance.”
He described his London program as “a large work for voice and piano” and noted that he performed it on his faculty recital in 2018. “My teaching at Samford was strengthened and validated by my performance at a historically significant venue like Saint Martin in the Fields.”
The Aspen Music Festival is one of the oldest and most reputable music festivals in the U.S. Diamond has performed there with Seraphic Fire for the past two years and is scheduled to do so again in the summer of 2020. He has been a member of Seraphic Fire for the past 10 years. The Grammy-nominated ensemble brings together professional voices and instrumental artists to perform a varied repertoire of concerts around the nation.
“This past summer, I was also asked to present a masterclass in vocal pedagogy, my area of specialization, at the Aspen festival,” said Diamond. “Getting to present a class in my area of specialization at an international summer festival adds significance to my teaching and helps my students see that I am relevant in my field.”
He has been invited back to present the lecture/masterclass again next summer.
Over the years, Diamond has performed “Messiah” with the Buffalo Philharmonic, Jacksonville Symphony, Oratorio Society of New York, Nashville Symphony, Tulsa Philharmonic and others. He was featured artist in “An Evening with Gilbert and Sullivan” with symphonies in Cedar Rapids, Buffalo, Lakeside, Richmond and St. Louis.
A specialist in oratorio repertoire, Diamond has performed the Evangelist in Bach’s St. John Passion with the Winter Park Bach Festival and Trinity Church at Wall Street. He has also performed the Evangelist in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with the Richmond Symphony, Trinity Church at Wall Street and Winter Park Bach Festival.
In addition, he has performed with the Charleston Symphony, Nashville Chamber Orchestra, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Spokane Symphony and others.
Diamond earned his bachelor of music degree from Westminster Choir College and master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. While attending Westminster, he sang as a soloist under the baton of the noted composer and conductor, Leonard Bernstein.