Nathan August signed up to audition for Revere’s Variety Show. Simply writing, “Opera,” he showed up for the audition and won a spot in the show. The night of the Variety Show, August stepped out onto stage in a bright orange Hawaiian shirt, prepared to sing “La Donne e Mobile.” The judges asked him what the Italian phrase meant, to which he replied “Wrecking Ball” as he blew away the audience with his voice.

August is completely self-taught. He simply decided he wanted to learn how to sing opera his freshman year and never told anyone. Listening to his IPod while driving and studying, August learned to sing opera by ear. In addition to opera singing, August also possesses talent in rugby and welding.

“I was always into rock and roll, but I was watching a movie and Nicholas Cage just started singing “La Donne e Mobile,” (The Woman is Fickle) and I just started singing opera. I listened to my iPod and sang while studying or in the shower…. I did not tell anyone, nobody in my family had any idea [I sang opera],” August said.

August never told anyone about his new hobby, meaning that he never took voice lessons or anything else related to opera. He has developed excellent breath control through scuba diving and swimming.

“I do not even know [what language] I sing sometime. I have always been good at accents, so I hear it, learn it and sing it…. I am in the pool as much as I can be in the summer,” August said.

Laurie Russell, the director for Revere Players, was one of the first people to hear August sing opera when he auditioned for the 2013 Variety Show.

“All he said was opera [on the audition sing-up sheet]. We did not know anything about him, so when he sang, we thought, ‘Oh my goodness!’” Russell said.

August performed in the Variety Show again in 2014, after which Russell asked him to join a small group that perform at Barnes and Noble in Montrose. Russell was most impressed by August’s humility and his variety of skills, which include rugby and welding.

“What is really cool about Nathan is that he has so many options. He has this unbelievable voice, and he is very skilled at rugby, and he has so many other options in life…. He is a really humble kid and he loves to [sing opera],” Russell said.

August also possesses a few other talents. In addition to playing on All-Ohio and All-Star teams for rugby, he played with the All-American team. The USA Rugby team even scouted August for the professional team. He also takes Machine Tech during the afternoon at CVCC, and hopes to become an underwater welder, which involves welding on such projects as bridges and oil rigs. August hopes to continue singing opera on the side.

Along with rugby and welding, August added another talent to his list by teaching himself how to sing opera. Thanks to the Variety Show, August found an audience for his singing that he hopes to continue later in life.