Nickolas Barnes

July's Featured Artist

Nickolas Barnes

In what artistic medium do you primarily work?
I am foremost a musician and love the stage, whether in a group setting or solo. I also do work in other mediums such as graphic design, as I am a web designer. I think artistic talent transfers through all mediums. Music just happens to be the one that taps directly into my soul.

Where are you from originally and where do you live now?
I am from Hendersonville, TN. I just recently moved back to Nashville. I had been in Birmingham, AL for almost 8 years before.

The city of Nashville has a vibrant art and music scene. Has it influenced you creatively and if so, how?
I think I was influenced by Nashville's artistic community mostly when I was a child. Crossing paths with many famous performers, song writers, and studio musicians helped me shape and direct my passion at an early age. Now that I have moved back as an adult, I am amazed at the talent that flocks to this city. As they say here, "everyone can play, and everyone is better than you are." It may be cliche but there is a lot of truth to it. In Nashville, you can see incredible live music 7 nights a week. And not just country. I tend to think that Nashville's day job is country music. Everything else comes out at night when the locals want to unwind.

Do you come from an artistic family and are they supportive of your career?
My father and mother both can sing and my mother still does so in church choir. They have always been supportive of my choices in the arts. In middle school and high school I was involved with every ensemble that was offered; wind ensemble, marching band, jazz band, musical theater, select chorus, etc. etc.

You sing with the Nashville symphony. Is there any experience or performance with them that stands out in your mind?
I just recently got a spot in the Symphony Chorus in February of this year, shortly after my relocation. Unfortunately, our months of preparation to perform Gustav Mahler's 8th Symphony was cancelled, along with the rest of our choral season, due to the flood damage to the hall. Many of the Symphony's other concerts could be moved to other venues but this work could really only be done in the Schermerhorn (our performance hall which is a beautiful, acoustically superior, ornate reproduction of a famous Viennese opera house). We are resuming rehearsal in August which will be quite a feat as we pull together Beethoven's 9th Symphony in only three rehearsals before show time.

What singers have influenced you?
One of my all time favorites is Stevie Wonder. I love the emotion and expression he can achieve. Great singers like that don't have to work for a note or style, they just think it and it comes out. Motown is very satisfying to me as a vocalist. Soul, funk, R&B, all push my button so to speak. When I listen to singers like Stevie I sometimes can feel tears of musical joy welling when I hear them hit a certain note or phrase. It makes me want to shout sometimes. Good music can do that to you. It just reaches in and pulls it right out of you.

Where do you see the future of classical music headed? Do you feel there is a renewed interest in young people or is it waning?
I'm not really sure which way the classical barometer is leaning these days. I know that the Nashville Symphony usually has a packed crowd when I attend. I think stations like NPR do a great job of slotting excellent classical in their programming schedules. The future is certainly avant garde. If you listen to modern choral music such as Eric Whitacre you can definitely hear a shift in aural thinking. Cluster tones, longer passages of dissonance before a large consonant release, and generally just a bit crunchy. In essence, the more modern the music gets the more classical rules are thrown out the door. Everything taught in Theory 101 is tossed out at one time or another. Its very reflective of society, this "do what you feel" attitude instead of walking by the rules.

Where did you get your training? Do you feel that voice is something you're born with or that with the right amount of instruction anyone can learn to sing?
I trained at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama under Dr. Randall Richardson. I loved my time in the ensembles there particularly the A Cappella Choir under direction of Dr. Milburn Price and Dr. Timothy Banks. We did such challenging choral music and that's particularly when I honed my ears. Singing a half step off from your neighbor in an 8 part harmony dissonant choral work will really stretch you. You force yourself to be absolutely accurate on what's written. I also had fun doing Opera there under Dr. Bill Bugg. Voice study is something that anyone can master when it comes to learning how to sing on pitch and use correct technique. However, true talent is innate and can never be taught.

What's your favorite kind of music to listen to? To perform?
Lately I have been into bluegrass and traditional folk music. There's something very basic in the way this music is presented. Something that resonates within my spirit. I like something you can dance and tap your foot to. My favorite music to perform is definitely a cappella choral music. There is nothing like singing in perfect harmony with 100 other voices, creating beautiful, moving, thought provoking music using only the tools God gave you, nothing more.

Thanks Nickolas! Check out his blog at www.nickolasbarnes.com and listen to some current music on his my space page.