PAUL SPENCER ADKINS TENOR (review excerpts) "Adkins has an effortless tenor voice and a very natural stage presence..." -Kyle Gannon, Chicago Tribune (Pearl Fishers) "To Pinkerton, Paul Spencer Adkins brings a winning presence and a gleaming tenor with free and easy high notes." -Robert Baxter, Courier-Post Hollybush Festival "Armed with the instincts of a showman, tenor Paul Spencer Adkins gave a breezy yet thoroughly captivating Chamber Music in Historic Sites recital... Adkins produced his best work in the superb concluding medley of spirituals. These were strongly characterized, deeply felt renditions, a near-ideal combination of ringing operatic timber and idiomatic note-bending." -Richard S. Ginell, Los Angeles Times "He showed the big-time tenor's knack for making long, high notes glide up like a rocket just beginning liftoff and brought as much character to conversational or patter numbers as to the romantic arias." -Clarke Bustard, Richmond Times-Dispatch "Paul Spencer Adkins, whose lyric tenor reveals uncommon warmth and richness, gave 'real person' quality to Calaf, the 'unknown prince' who wins the battles of riddles with Turandot. And nowhere did that lyrical, passionate, dramatically human dimension show to better advantage than in Adkins' eloquent and moving 'Nessun dorma.''' -Joan Bunke, Des Moines Register (Des Moines Metro Opera) "Adkins has an incomparable voice. The man's got a very special tenor sound and acting skills to match. He makes you believe anew in the wondrous and wonderful trans-formative power of love. His soaring voice matches the transcendent feelings he's professing. Adkins' voice andperformance heighten Manon's callousness; she must be unfeeling not to reciprocate feelings from someone who sounds so beautiful." -Steve Barnes, Post-Star (Lake George Festival) PAUL SPENCER ADKINS, Tenor A winner in the First Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition, as well as the Philadelphia and Princeton Metropolitan Opera auditions, tenor Paul Spencer Adkinsenjoys a career here in the U.S. and abroad. He has performed with a number of opera companies which include the Greater Miami Opera , the Opera Company of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, Tulsa Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Opera Delaware, Orlando Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Virginia Opera, Cleveland Opera, Sarasota Opera, Lake George Opera, Opera Columbus and the touring company of Sarah Caldwell's Opera Company of Boston. Favorite operatic roles performed include: Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly , Rudolpho in La Boheme , MacDuff in MacBeth, Alfredo in La Traviata , the Duke in Rigoletto, Edgardo in Lucia Di Lammamoor , the title role of Faust, Des Grieux in Manon, Mario in TOSCA and the title role of Hoffman in THE TALES of HOFFMAN. Mr.Adkins' European operatic debut was with the Netherlands Opera Forum as Nadir in THE PEARL FISHERS. Symphonic engagements include the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra , Silvio Varviso conductor (The Verdi Requiem), the Milwaukee Symphony (with Lukas Fosse), the Toronto Philharmonic Orchestra, the Richmond Symphony (with George Manahann), Mexico's National Symphony and the Philadelphia Orchestra, William Smith conductor( Handle's MESSIAH), the Hilton Head Symphony, among others. Mr. Adkins has also sung with the Flanders Opera in Ghent and Antwerp, Belgium(Britten's WAR REQUIEM) appeared in concert with the RAI Orchestra in Milano, Italy,the Swedish Radio Orchestra along with the Bournemouth and Portsmouth SymphonyOrchestras in England. Mr. Adkins has participated in a number of world premieres, including Menotti's THE HERO, Anthony Davis'X, and Leslie Adams' opera BLAKE . His New York operatic debut took place at Alice Tully Hall in December,1985, in the title role of Virgil Thompson's Lord Byron. He returned to New York for ten performances of Garibaldiin the Philip Glass-Robert Wilson opera, THE CIVIL WARS, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Mr. Adkins television credits include the featured artist in the PBS broadcast of THE MUSICAL LEGACY of ROLAND HAYES. He is a frequent guest soloist on the worldwide telecast of THE HOUR OF POWER from the Crystal Cathedral in California.His appearance on MR.RODGERS NEIGHBORHOOD is rebroadcast annually. Mr. Adkins is a senior lecturer at The University of the Arts, Philadelphia and was the first vocal director of Peter Nero and the Philly Pops Voices of the Pops resident ensemble . Paul sang a solo performance for the Israeli Consulate, New York City, honoring jazz legend Lionel Hampton. CD Notes and Thankyou's This CD project is a documentation of my sacred musical journey thus far. I am verythankful to the good Lord for the gift of song bestowed upon me and my family Growing up in Monongahela, PA., music was a very intrical part of my home, church andschool life. Thank goodness my parents encouraged and provided the opportunity for meto pursue my music passion. During the late 1950's through the 1960's, I, along with my mother and sisters, would attend my father's sacred song recitals. I still recall the"goosebump chills" I enjoyed from my father's singing. Many Sunday afternoons afterchurch , I would spend time listening to the wire recordings of my father's "live"performances. Those recordings and memories are the inspiration for this project. The location for this session was in a church sanctuary and recorded in two, two day sessions with the intent of creating the ambiance of a "live" concert experience. Most ofthe final product were selected from the first or second take without edits. You will hear improvised arrangements on ten of the songs. I believe we were successful in creating this retro style recording . The only thing missing is the very light hiss of the wire moving through the wire recording machine. I would like to thank my parents, voice teachers and church choir directors for their faithin my abilities : Mary, my wife, our children Alex, Tim and Kathryn for their love andsupport: Tom McCoy for his superb artistry and inspiration: Glen Faracone for his recording and mixing mastery: Aasim Jackson for your superb viola tone: Calvery Luthern Church West Chester,Pa. and staff for the use of their santuary and piano: Kathi Ridl for yourvision and artistry: Dr.Schuller and the Crystal Cathedral family: my private students pastand present who have helped to shape the singer in me. How Can I Keep from Singing?