Talent meets persistence
Picture this: A 13-year-old boy in a wheelchair rolls onto the stage, sporting a bright orange cast on a leg freshly broken while playing football, and belts out Remember When by Alan Jackson to a karaoke track as part of the school talent show. That was how it all began for Seth Allen after his high school music teacher, Dr. Morgan, encouraged him to open his mouth in public for the first time. The crowd of listeners was suitably impressed and Seth remembers his reaction as, “Woah, I can sing!”
Shortly thereafter he started taking rock voice lessons at Mehas Music in Hamilton, Ohio, near his home in the village of Seven Mile, screlting out Aerosmith and Led Zepplin tunes until his voice changed. He soon moved on to lessons with Nina Markle at the Performing Arts Academy in Middletown, Ohio. Fast forward to this year, when he returned as a guest performer in their Phantom of the Opera production.
Seth attended Edgewood High School in the small farm town of Trenton, Ohio, and sang in choir and show choir. He founded an a capella group cleverly called “Sol Fedge” (a play on words combining solfege and Edgewood) with a student teacher’s help. Outside of school, he also performed with an auditioned choir called the May Festival Chorus that often sang with the Cincinnati opera and symphony at places like Carnegie Hall in New York, and the Music Hall and the Aronoff Center for the Arts, both in Cincinnati. His mom was correct in telling him these experiences would look good on a resumé for college.
Seth was accepted to Ball State University as a theatre major, on track for a BA. He changed his major to music composition, then later again to vocal performance, so he could focus more on lessons and less on “having to write stupid 18th century style music for my composition teacher. They wanted me to follow too many rules. I can compose, and still do. I still got all of the same theory training, so it felt like the better move.”
Seth’s BSU voice teacher, Dr. Aaron Page, helped him grow and became an important mentor, telling him that he had a gift and needed to actually put in the work to use it. “I was a bit lackadaisical,” Seth recalls, “because my mom died my freshman year of college. My first semester I had a 4.0. Then she died during finals week and that made me shut down. I skipped class a lot, didn’t try as hard, my grades slipped, and I barely made it through the next two semesters. I had to sell my mom’s house to pay off her medical bills that insurance wouldn’t cover. I was 19 and it was very stressful and made me grow up fast. In terms of maturity, I accelerated about four times as fast as I should have in those two or three years. That was a lot to deal with in college, which hurt my artistic growth.”
When Dr. Page encouraged him to work harder and eventually apply to grad school, Seth kicked it into gear. “I started really working hard on my voice and practicing and growing as a singer and a musician. He is the reason I got the job at Heartland Sings because he learned they were looking for a full time PVA [Principal Vocal Artist] tenor. I thought they wouldn’t hire me since I would be leaving for grad school in a year. But Bob called and offered me the position and I accepted it, obviously,” he explains. Among other things, Seth was grateful that he didn’t have to bartend anymore, as he had been a server and bartender throughout his college years.
Seth feels like he grew more as a musician during his tenure with Heartland Sings than in all his time in college: “Being around Natalie, David, Lisa, and Bob as musicians was incredibly helpful. I really had to get into the music and try hard. I learned a lot about my voice and style while I was here that helped me solidify who I am as a vocalist.” Seth also has vast skills as an instrumentalist, particularly as a jazz musician: “I play bass guitar, percussion, and I play keys sometimes, depending on the style of music. I play a lot of African percussion instruments in a jazz setting, or a jam band setting,” he says.
Now 23, Seth will attend Hartt School of Music in West Hartford, Connecticut, for his two-year master’s degree program. Within the University of Hartford, Hartt has one of the best jazz programs in the country. “It’s a very advanced music school; they do a lot of new music, which really called to me because if I do opera professionally I would love to do new opera, American opera, jazz opera, and experimental stuff like that. I’m done with the old school,” Seth says. He cleverly leveraged the school against Arizona State University, where he also had a great offer, until he got the best deal from Hartt and has beyond a full-ride scholarship.
“For these next two years I’m going to be going through grad school and trying to do professional shows: operas, musicals, whatever the case may be. I’m going to be teaching voice, beginner and intermediate piano, and bass guitar at a studio called Summit Music Center in Manchester, Connecticut. And something called performing arts, which is its own little thing–teaching about performing,” Seth explains. Because he is used to working hard while still carrying a full load of classes, he will probably also have a job at either Infinity Music Therapy Services in Southington, teaching kids at daycares or those with mental disabilities, or at Playhouse on Park in Hartford, a nonprofit theatre that does workshops and classes for children.
As for his goals after graduation? Says Seth, “I’m not a picky performer or teacher; I love music for what it is and how important it is to me. Some things I’ve always thought would be really interesting would be working for a company that premiers new works, or new operas. There are a few of those in New York City where you are essentially an artist-in-residence and you just churn out new operas all the time, which would be very cool. I don’t have a particular place I want to live–I’m going to go where the job is. I want to hopefully find somewhere I can settle for a little while.”
“Bob [Maestro Nance] wants me to come back here, so that is always an option if there’s a position available, and I love it here,” he continues. “So I absolutely would not take that off the plate. Another cool thing would be booking a Broadway tour. I’ve always wanted to join a company for a national traveling show. Book of Mormon would be really fun to do. I love traveling, and it would be a really great way for me to see new places without having to spend lots of money.”
Seth’s experiences at Heartland Sings helped shape him as a teacher as well. “I had taught privately but I hadn’t taught extensively, like I have here,” he says. “I find a lot of gratification in teaching: unlocking people’s potential or, like the LALA programs and DIY, what we brought to those kids. They loved every minute of it, they absolutely adored us, and we did a lot for them. I definitely would like to keep doing something like that if I don’t perform.”
In his rare spare time, Seth enjoys the opposite environs of the natural world and the video game world. He prefers fantasy and role playing games where he can spend time on his character and do quests and unlock things. He has a dog he adores, Cedric, a strong 50-pound Pitbull mixed with a Catahoula Leopard Hound. Surprisingly, Seth describes himself as an introvert to the core. He does not enjoy talking with people or introducing himself. But because every time he does a performing job and someone says, “Life story–go!” or “Let’s hear about you,” it’s a good thing, and he’s glad they’re interested.
Seth Allen has not had an easy course in life, but his experiences have shaped him and positioned him well for the future. His pure tenor voice, wide ranging musical talents, and willingness to push the boundaries will take him far as a performer. We will miss him, but Seth will always be part of the Heartland Sings family and we look forward to following him and his career.
