Issue date: 7/12/07 Section: LIFE

The 3 Redneck Tenors, a classically-trained singing group which includes NT alumnus Alex Bumpas, is moving on to the next round of "America's Got Talent" after the group's performance on June 26 impressed the NBC show's celebrity judging panel.
Dressed in jeans, a green T-shirt and tuxedo jacket with tails, his hair coiffed in a mullet, Bumpas belted out the high notes of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony to move on to the next round of the reality talent show judged by David Hasselhoff, Piers Morgan and Sharon Osbourne. Bumpas said while the publicity was great, the experience of being on TV was especially fun.
"The other guys are seasoned artists, but TV was a new experience for all of us," Bumpas said. "We represent three different generations, but the fact that we could come together and experience something for the first time together was really neat."
Bumpas, who graduated from Richardson High School and received his vocal performance degree from NT in 2005, said he knew NT would be the best school to prepare him for the professional world, which is why it was the only college to which he applied.
"The great thing about NT is that the entire faculty is onboard with preparing students for the outside world," Bumpas said. "The ensemble of professorship is what makes the college as strong as it is."
He cited his voice teacher, Linda Di Fiore of the College of Music, as the professor who had the greatest impact on him.
"He has a very dynamic, interesting, funny, high-energy personality," Di Fiore said in an NT news release. "He is fearless when it comes to singing high notes, and he can do almost anything with his voice."
Bumpas has been a cast member of the "3 Redneck Tenors," a musical written by Matthew Lord, for nearly a year. The show, described as "Greater Tuna meets Das Barbecu," features Bumpas, Lord, Dinny McGuire and John Wilkerson. With a variety of music including "Elvis to Puccini," Bumpas said his favorite part of working with the show is bringing classical and opera music to the common man.
"These forms of high art were all written for the people but regular people don't see or listen to them anymore because they feel they're unworthy, like it's above them," Bumpas said. "I love it when someone comes up to us after the show and says that they've never gone to an opera before and really appreciated us singing for them."
The group is currently recording another album and will tour the country again beginning in August. The tour includes a show at 8 p.m. Sept. 1 at the Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth. Ticket prices range from $25 to $100 and can be purchased online at www.basshall.com.

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