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A gospel-soaked childhood, a cafeteria duet in Zulu, and a Conservatory leap into grand opera—John Overholt’s journey charts how curiosity and courage can turn a voice into a compass. We sit down to explore how ETSU’s choral culture and a sharp-eared mentor shaped his sound, why Cincinnati Opera became a decade-long proving ground, and how returning to Knoxville opened doors to community gigs, cathedral acoustics, and a chance meeting that became an engagement.

From Handel’s Messiah at Fairfield Glade to Knoxville Opera’s seasonal slate, John talks about shifting gears between mic’d quartet work and unamplified sacred repertoire, and what each room asks of a singer. The Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus becomes a character in its own right—vaulted ceilings, lucid echoes, and the kind of space that insists on honesty. We dig into the emotional physics of music too: why audiences stand for Battle Hymn, how a perfectly placed high note in Nessun Dorma can reset a room, and why visual feedback from listeners feeds the performance in real time.

Threaded through the story is a tech backbone—dial-up nostalgia, homebuilt PCs, and a father’s pioneering direct-to-disc recordings that prized clarity long before the vinyl revival. That tinkerer’s spirit now powers smart rehearsal setups, better mics, and the practical know-how that turns gigs into sustainable work. Add in tour memories from Notre Dame to Costa Rica, the “trench coat scooter guy” campus lore, and the mentoring moments that spark new singers, and you get a portrait of an artist who treats style as a toolkit and community as the stage.

If music has ever caught your breath in a cathedral, or if you’ve wondered how a working singer blends opera, gospel, and tech into one life, this conversation is for you. Listen, share it with a friend who loves choral music or opera, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.

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