Jordanian tenor quits bank job to have his voice heard

AMMAN — Ady Naber, 35, started his career as an opera singer as a tenor just five years ago.

That is late, but not too late. “Many tenors mature in their 20s, others start as early as 18 years, and few begin singing at even an earlier age,” he explained in a recent interview with Jordan News. اضافة اعلان

It was not about the maturity of his voice. Naber was an average Middle-class banker, and becoming a tenor was a far-fetched dream. However, he decided to take the first step in the 1000-mile journey: believing in himself.

“I was used to singing at home, and occasionally at private gatherings, until one day five years ago, while at work, I just decided to quit. And that was it,” Naber said, describing that time as the “turning point” of his career, as he took a drastic shift from a bank employee to an opera singer, “and that was the moment when I felt the utmost freedom and satisfaction.”

His family was not into classical music, and the musical talent did not run in the family, but they supported him and believed in him and the quality of his voice, and that was all he needed, Naber said.

“I believe that my singing voice is a God-given gift that I am blessed with, and I work hard on a daily basis to hone and protect it. For me, opera singing is more of a calling than a career.”

Naber participated in the Arabic version of the opera “Oliver”, staged locally by the Royal Cultural Centre, but his big break came in 2019, when he had the “unique opportunity” to participate with Berlin Opera Academy, playing the role of Monostatos, one of the main characters in the famous opera “the Magic Flute”, and later at Vienna Opera Academy, where he played the Duke in “Rigoletto”.

“There’s no practice that would eventually give a person a tenor voice, and so protecting my voice from any harm is a daily mission,” Naber said, adding that he “willingly and gladly” stopped smoking. He also avoids speaking loudly, has honey in his daily diet and practices special breathing exercises as part of his morning routine.

He took advantage of the lockdowns dictated by the spread of COVID-19 to do more practice and self-study that would further support his career as a tenor.

Naber said that opera singers are usually trained to sing loud enough to be heard over the orchestra, and now that his voice is heard, he, like the rest of us, is waiting for the pandemic to subside to resume life as usual.

His next step is a domestic event: the Culture Ministry wants him to take part in the Kingdom’s centenary celebrations in May.