Today we’d like to introduce you to Luca Thompson.
Hi Luca, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always loved to sing. Over the years I have pursued this love quite passively, singing for mostly my own enjoyment and of often debatable quality. Some of the highlights of which including a Beauty and the Beast Jn performance as trusty LeFou and a few seasonal choir performances with my church. But once my voice deepened, the bar for quality rose, and the opportunities dried up. I began to lose the love of using my voice. This changed upon my arrival at Truman State University. My sister, an upperclassman at the University had told me stories about a group called the True Men. She told stories of an all men singing group that was impressive both in quality and showmanship, and once I had decided on Truman State, auditioning became my first goal as a college student. Since joining the group I’ve really come a long way in leadership, character, and musical skill. Just as importantly, I have grown valuable friendships with the other members of the group with many years yet to come.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
When I was auditioning for the group, my admittance was by no means an easy goal, I had no formal training in singing and had not developed my new deep vocal range. If those challenges weren’t enough, I went through a breakup just days before my audition. But despite this, my goal was to push myself beyond my comfort zone and grow both as a singer and a young man. So, I swallowed my anxiety and auditioned for the group. While all the members of the group were warm and welcoming, the audition process revealed many of my shortcomings in range and sight reading, so when the process concluded the result was dubious at best. The acceptance email came as a bit of a shock and even more so, a welcome surprise. I was now a part of this incredible group, but the challenges did not stop there. An event performance of 3 songs in 1 week, and a huge 9 song performance in a month and a half. Learning over a dozen songs in such a short time was a huge task, but one that forced us new members to adapt quickly to the standards of the group. Even past that the challenges did not relent, at the semester, Aiden, the leader of the bass part with near perfect pitch that I had relied on, graduated from the group. Now without this crutch to lean on, I had to become more confident and skilled quickly to compensate. After overcoming that my vocal health became an issue, between chorus concerts and multiple True Men performances in just a few days, my inexperienced singing technique led to a vocal injury that left me unable to sing without pain for the rest of the semester. Despite all these challenges True Men has allowed me to grow not only my own voice and character, but relationships with a great group of guys doing the same.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Well to begin with I am a bass part. My comfortable range is pretty limited about C2 to C4 and my greatest musical strengths are my tonal memory and ability to listen and mimic what I hear. I am not the most musically experienced nor educated members of the group, however I am a fast learner and have been improving significantly through rehearsals and vocal lessons. Outside of the music I am currently vice president of True Men, which I am very proud of. The position of vice-president is very much an open role, meant to be able to fill in for other executive positions if they are not present, and filling in any roles not specifically tied to another position. So far during my short term I am responsible for the group calendar, heading one of our fundraising events this semester, responsible for booking venues and equipment for concerts and rehearsals, as well as a committee member for our big 30th anniversary concert next semester. I have taken up some smaller side roles as well, becoming familiar with our sound equipment and how to set it up as well as working on my musical arranging skills to make music for the group to sing.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Our group only being 14 people requires all of our members to collaborate and support one another. Our music directors as well as regular members all work together to point our room for improvements and help one another fix any issues. Regarding executive positions I work most closely with The president, and risk manager/secretary. All executive positions as well as regular members work together to make decisions and execute plans for the group. The best ways I have found that I can be supported is through feedback, instruction, and affirmation as I am learning many new ways to better the group.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://truemen.truman.edu/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tmacappella/
