Meet our Music Director:
Dr. Jadrian Tarver

Jadrian Tarver, a native of Haines City, Florida, has maintained an active roster as a conductor, clinician, composer, and recitalist and has soloed and conducted in many performances. He has performed with  Atlanta Opera, Peach State Opera, Capitol City Opera Company, and Michigan State University Opera and Opera Grand Rapids. Operatic roles include Germont in La Traviata, the title role of Gianni Schicchi, Dr. Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro, King Balthazar in Amahl and the Night Visitors, The Bonze in Madama Butterfly, and Marcello in La Boheme. Musical Theater roles include Mr. Lindquist in Little Night Music and the Duke/Dr. Carrasco/Night of Mirrors in Man of La Mancha.

​

In addition to performing, he is an advocate for musicians of color.  He established an independent publishing company, Indigo Press LLP, which focuses on publishing the works of underrepresented composers of color. In a similar vein, he curated the Sankofa Recital Series, a vocal artist collaborative that brings awareness to the music of African diasporic composers. While as a doctoral candidate a Michigan State University, he was appointed project manager of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) for the Wharton Center for the Performing Arts and the College of Music. In this joint position as a student leader and project manager, he developed relationships across campus, cultivated programming, and activities important to Michigan State University’s community while advancing progress in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

​

Dr. Tarver holds the Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Bethune-Cookman University, the Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Georgia State University, and a Doctoral Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance from Michigan State University.  (Bio from Gonzaga University)