Centralight

I am Central: Adam Ignacio, '12 voice performance graduate student You started out a tuba player and then fell in love with opera. How did that happen? If you would've asked me five years ago, "Are you going to become an opera singer?" I would've said, "Are you kidding me?" I couldn't sing in tune. I was the worst singer this side of the Mississippi. Through hard work and great teaching, it just started coming together. Dr. Eric Tucker built my voice from the ground up. Favorite song to sing? German Lieder (art song). I love everything about it. I love the poetry, the emotion, the language. And I love that big band pop, like "Come Rain or Come Shine" or Gershwin's "Our Love is Here to Stay." Stuff that your grandparents used to listen to on the radio. It speaks to a time that we're so unfamiliar with. Do you have any strange rituals to maintain your voice? Neti-Potting. You have to constantly keep your sinuses clear. The biggest thing is I just drink ridiculous amounts of water. If I have to sing a show, I generally don't talk to anyone. And anytime before I have to sing I do 20 to 40 push-ups. Singers – we're quirky people. You've landed some lead roles in Central productions (most recently as Pirate King in "The Pirates of Penzance.") What is that like, going out on stage for the first time? You're so scared, you're so nervous. Your knees are shaking, and you know, "OK, I've done it a thousand times, but I've never done it in front of an audience." And the first time I was singing in Italian, so it's like, "Woo. Here we go!" What does your family say about your success? At my age, my dad was still in the Philippines living on the streets and trying to survive. He's so proud of me. It's great to be able to make your parents proud, to go out there and kind of change the status quo of your family. My sister, hopefully one day she'll say, "Yeah, my brother – he sings in the MET." • 40 centralight summer '13

• Cover