Amplifi Fellow Tori Tedeschi Adams takes us behind the scenes of a year spent building her career on stages across the country, and the support that makes it possible.
I think “Professional Opera Singer” evokes a sort of intangible glamour that I would like to debunk right now. Do I get to wear beautiful costumes and gowns while living out childhood dreams? Heck yeah! Do I get to travel and experience the world and meet interesting people who challenge me to grow in my artistry? Absolutely. Okay maybe it is a little glamorous…But behind the stage lights and the Instagram highlights there is a tremendous amount of work, expense, and all of the logistics required to run the business that is Me. In order to make it all happen, I depend enormously on the support of my family, friends, and (in the case of the past year) Amplifi Napa Valley’s Emerging Artist Grant.
My name is Tori Tedeschi Adams. I’m 29, a professional opera singer originally from Minneapolis, and I’ve been happily based in Napa Valley for a year now. I moved out here near my family in 2025 from the Midwest for several reasons, not the least of which being running out of money during a lull in contracts to be honest. I have had ties to Napa my whole life, but I really wasn’t sure what direction my career would go once I landed here. Having a home base can be a luxury amid this nomadic career path, and I wasn’t sure California would feel like home. I was in for a surprise, as it is in no small part due to the generosity of Amplifi that I have felt artistically tied to Napa. In all of my travels this past year, I have had a home to come back to. What were some of those grand adventures, you may ask? Allow me to tell you about them! I’ll go back to January.
Winter of 2026 I found myself in Madison, WI in -20 degrees Fahrenheit, a temperature I am not unfamiliar with being from Minnesota. I was at Madison Opera to perform the world premiere opera Everlasting Faint By Scott Gendel. Based on the true story of the Greenbrier Ghost, this was one of the most impactful pieces I’ve gotten to be a part of as it dealt with topics of domestic abuse, sisterhood, empowerment, and justice. But most importantly, I got to play a ghost. And that was pretty cool.
After a brief reprieve at home in California, I was off once again in March to begin work on Innocence at The Metropolitan Opera in New York City. This was a very exciting one for me as it is basically every opera singer’s dream to stand on that legendary stage. I was only covering a role so I didn’t end up performing for an audience, but the chances I did get to step in and perform in rehearsals were some of the coolest of my life! I remember looking out at that iconic opera house, it was a view I wasn’t sure I would ever have the privilege of witnessing firsthand. I will never forget it. New York City, however, I gladly put in the rear view until the next time I have to brave it. This was a time I was particularly grateful for the support of Amplifi as my career expenses stacked up. From lessons and coaching that I pay for out-of-pocket, to supplies for my physical and mental health, to transportation around the city for rehearsals, networking, and simply living. The list goes on, and without your typical per diem structure in place, it can end up an ironically expensive gig in a city like NYC.
After a brief stop in Connecticut to perform Rossini’s Cinderella with Salt Marsh Opera, I finally got to come home again in May. I spent this time soaking up some Cali sun and paying for more coachings (courtesy of Amplifi once again) on the music for my next gig at Central City Opera for the summer. I performed in The Ballad of Baby Doe and in Le nozze di Figaro through June and July, as well as appearing as a soloist in concert with the CCO Orchestra. A transformative and rewarding summer season. However, audition season approached! July through December is go-time for us early career singers, arguably the most expensive time of year. It comes with application fees, audition fees, more plane tickets, pianist fees, and making brand new recordings. Being able to hit send on those payments knowing I have help is a feeling I will never take for granted. No pun intended.
Beyond all of this, Amplifi has made some really special things possible for me this year. I now own my own recording equipment, a huge game changer as I won’t have to depend on renting or borrowing high quality devices for annual recordings anymore. Additionally, this fall I will be bringing free kids programming to schools, delivering opera to children up close. To do this there are the pianist’s fees for rehearsals and performances, buying the rights to the piece I’ll be performing, material expenses to produce it, etc. I absolutely love getting to bring opera where it is not normally heard, but cannot afford to do so without the help Amplifi has provided. In every classroom where classical music is performed, there is a child whose life is changed by being exposed to it for the very first time.
If you’ve read to the end, I hope I’ve painted a more accurate picture of the dream I have the absolute privilege of living out. It is glamorous, but it is also impossible to do alone. I think it is rare to find a place like Amplifi. They’ve given me the gift of resources, but also the gift of knowing I am representing the artistic heart of Napa Valley wherever I go. And that is as much a home as I could ask for.
