ESTEVAN — Chad Armstrong has enjoyed a lengthy and successful career as a baritone on the opera stage.
But before he was performing around the world, Armstrong was a student at the Estevan Comprehensive School, working hard to hone his musical skills.
Armstrong will be performing March 21 at 7 p.m. at a post-secondary alma mater, North Dakota’s Minot State University, as the baritone soloist for Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. It’ll be close to a homecoming for Armstrong, as Minot is less than two hours from Estevan. In an interview with SaskToday from his New Jersey home, Armstrong emphasized that Colin Grunert, his music teacher at the Estevan Junior High (EJH) and the Estevan Comprehensive School, is “solely responsible” for Armstrong doing so well.
“He was very influential, and he showed us as musicians in Estevan, that music can still take you places,” Armstrong said.
During his time at EJH, they went to the U.S. jazz nationals in Philadelphia, and they performed at the Canadian nationals in Vancouver and Halifax when he was in high school.
“It took us places that were amazing to see, and when I was looking to do something for a career, I talked to him, and was told to go to Minot,” he said.
Armstrong was a trombone player at the time, and he ventured to Minot to get an education, where he met Dr. Kenneth Bowles, who thought Armstrong had a voice that a school would want while Armstrong gets a graduate degree. He went to the University of Oklahoma and then moved to New York City.
“If it wasn’t for Colin Grunert, I’m not sure where I’d be right now, but I’m pretty darn sure it wouldn’t be here,” said Armstrong.
Estevan was a fantastic community to live in, Armstrong said, as he enjoyed playing hockey, being part of the bagpipe and drum band, and travelling to a lot of places.
“It was a great, great place to grow up, so I’m very grateful for my opportunities to grow up there.”
Armstrong said his parents moved to Medicine Hat, Alta., about 10 years ago, so he doesn’t get back to Saskatchewan as frequently as he used to. And he hasn’t been back to Minot in about 10 years. He knows of seven family members from Carnduff who will be at the Minot show, and he hopes others in Estevan will come down.
After living in New York for a decade, Armstrong moved to New Jersey, which has been home for 14 years. He keeps busy with his wife and children, sings in the chorus at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, teaches private voice lessons, and is the New Jersey regional director for the Art Smart non-profit that provides mentors and voice lessons for underserved communities in a number of areas.
With the Metropolitan Opera and other shows, he said he has about 40 concerts per year. Armstrong used to perform in Europe, but hasn’t done so for a while due to family commitments. As his kids get older, he expects that he’ll be performing more with his wife, who is a soprano.
Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 might be the most famous in classical music, he said, and it’s so well known because it’s great music. In the fourth movement, four soloists appear on stage and perform what he says might be the most recognizable piece of music in the classical repertoire.
“It’s truly one of the most incredible musical experiences I’ve had. This will be my third time performing it. The first one was in Carnegie Hall, the second time was in Minot State, I think it was 10 years ago, and the third time will be in Minot State again. And every single time I do it, it’s one of the experiences you never forget.”
