He’s only 19 and has been singing seriously for barely two years but Devin Eatmon just might be the most promising young talent in The Villages and Central Florida.
“He’s the most talented 19-year old I have ever worked with,” said Maestro Bill Doherty, who has shaped and coached many of the best known classical singers throughout Florida and New York. The list includes Fernando Varela and Mary Jo Vitale.
“Devin was at the head of the line when God was handing out voices,” Doherty said. “It’s not just the voice. He’s 6-2, handsome and has charisma. It’s like he was designed to be on stage. He is a natural and a special talent. We are lucky to have him in The Villages.”
Eatmon, a tenor, is among the cast in Verdi’s opera “La Traviata (The Fallen Woman),” presented Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m. in the Savannah Center. The stars are internationally-known singers Takako Yamamoto and Melissa Briozzo, along with Oscar Feliu and Sam Reynolds. Andrea Elena, famed tenor at La Scala Opera House in Milan, Italy, is stage director for the production of the Central Florida Lyric Opera Company.
Eatmon, who plays the role of Gaston, will get plenty of stage time in the opera, which was the basis for the movies “Moulin Rouge!” and “Pretty Woman.” Eatmon may be younger than most of the cast but feels right at home working with major talents.
“I work well with all the people in the opera company,” Eatmon said. “I’m very comfortable working with older people. It’s not unusual for me.”
Doherty believes Eatmon could perform the starring tenor role in the production. “He could sing the lead,” he said. “But the thing about Devin is that he’s still only 19 and he’s still a baby in terms of his experience. You hear that voice and you forget how young and inexperienced he is. We don’t want to put too much pressure on him.”
Eatmon has proved he can handle all kinds of pressure in his young life. He attended Villages Charter High School where he was a scratch golfer and competed in tournaments throughout the Southeast.
“Golf taught me how to focus and deal with pressure,” said Eatmon, the son of Stephanie Smallridge and Trevor Eatmon. “Golf, in a way, is a lot like singing: when they call your name at that first tee, you have to go out there and put on a show.”
Eatmon lives with his family in Belleview. He grew up listening to rock and pop music. Nobody in his family was involved with music. “I wasn’t really aware of classical or opera,” he said. “I didn’t really like it, but I didn’t dislike it, either.”
During his freshman year at VHS, he became a member of the school choir. By his senior year, Eatmon auditioned for the Harold S. Schwartz Music Scholarship. He earned a scholarship after graduation in 2013, and caught the eye of Doherty and Oscar Feliu.
Eatmon now attends the College of Central Florida and has appeared in many productions for the Central Florida Lyric Opera Company. He will also perform with The Villages Opera Club. He is in the process of applying to continue his music study next year at such acclaimed institutions as the Julliard School of Music and the Manhattan School of Music.
On stage, everything seems effortless for Eatmon but it’s not as easy as it looks.
You can view him singing below:
“I obsess as being as perfect as I can,” said Eatmon, who cuts a swashbuckling figure on stage with his sandy-blond hair, rugged looks and impressive physical stature. “I wouldn’t call myself a perfectionist but I internalize things to make myself better.”
Eatmon seems happiest in front of an audience.
“It’s a great joy to sing for people,” he said. “I get excited and nervous before I go on, but once I’m out there, everything is fine. It’s an awesome feeling to be performing on stage.”
The future is unlimited for Eatmon but it does present a challenge.
“Talent can only take you so far,” Doherty said. “Devin is a diligent worker who tries to get better every day. He’s the kind of person who will text me at 11:30 at night with a question about singing. That’s just the way Devin is.”
Eatmon, who likes to draw in his spare time, says the work ethic is “part of my personality. Things seem to come fast and easy for me, but it’s not like that. There is a lot of competition in this business and I know I have to work hard to keep improving.”
That means some sacrifices for a 19-year old. Between studies, working and opera rehearsals, Eatmon has little time for a social life and dating.
“I’m going 20 hours a day,” he said. “I need those other four hours for sleeping.”
