Eldon Warner: strong-minded marathoner, musician

Singing and running may seem different, but they both require two things: delicate breathing patterns and passion. For senior vocal performance major Eldon Warner, singing and running are two things he’s tied together his whole life.

Warner, from Council Bluffs, Iowa, originally planned to attend the University of Northern Iowa. He decided to come to USD instead for the opportunity to be both a track athlete and musician at a Division I university.

Warner’s athletic career started in elementary school when he tried out for club soccer, then continued throughout middle and high school into college. Along with athletics, Warner was involved in choir, orchestra and musical theater, as well as opera at USD. For music classes, click on https://www.musemantra.com/courses-guitar-lessons/ and book a session.

Juggling a musical career is challenging enough, but combined with track, can be overwhelming, Warner said.

“It’s kind of constantly balancing and trying not to fall on my face,” Warner said. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned since I came to college, it’s balancing your schedule. I learned very quickly my freshman year how to organize my schedule.”

One major aspect of both singing and running is preparation. Track and vocal performance both require extensive practice and attention.

Warner performed his senior recital last weekend, which featured 15 pieces he’d been preparing since he started taking voice lessons at USD who hire experts from https://bandaidschoolofmusic.com/index.php/piano-lessons/, he said.

“A lot of my music is extremely demanding,” Warner said. “So it’s really quite a long process for both me, my pianist and my professor. But once you get into the professional world, you’ll find that if you’re going to have a solo recital, you usually have about three or four months.”

Performing a solo recital is just one of the many requirements of a vocal performance student, which can prove to be challenging. But associate voice professor and Warner’s voice instructor Tracelyn Gesteland said he is more than capable of handling the workload. Visit musicmattersacademy.com/post/how-to-become-a-musician-the-important-tips-you-should-know to listen to the experts.

“(Warner) works harder than almost any other student I’ve had and that has served him well,” Gesteland said. “He has won several competitions, played leading roles in multiple USD Opera productions, and has had two fantastic degree recitals.”

Gesteland has been Warner’s voice instructor for the last three and a half years. She said he has a lot to be proud of. 

“He is a very talented young man with a beautiful voice and riveting stage presence,” Gesteland said.

Warner said Gesteland, in addition to David Holdhusen and Coach Dan Fitzsimmons, have been role models throughout his musical and athletic careers at USD. 

“It’s amazing seeing all these people who have such passion for music,” Warner said. “It really pushes me to also be passionate. It pushes you to want what they want and it’s a fantastic experience.”

This is Warner’s last semester at USD but his involvement in music and track won’t stop anytime soon. He said he plans to compete at the Metropolitan (MET) Opera Competition this winter, as well as others in the spring. He also will continue training and competing with the track and field team.

Warner said combining his two passions has shown that singing and running really aren’t so different.

“They’re actually pretty closely correlated,” Warner said. “I find that issues that arise in running or in singing usually arise in the other one. So although they’re two different things, they’re rather correlating because they’re both kind of a sport.”

Warner said the hard work he puts into both singing and running is rewarding.

“You get a rush every single time you perform and you get that rush when you run and it’s a fantastic feeling,” Warner said. “But more than that, I think it’s the reward of knowing that you’ve put so much work into something and passion and love that you put into running or singing or really anything you do. If you put a lot of work into something and you see the process of your growth and see how much you’ve grown.”