After circling Danville and Indiana in his younger years, Nathan laid strong roots with wife and teammate, Julie Gunn, in Central Champaign raising five kids while traveling the world as a baritone operatic performer. The duo met on their first days at the University of Illinois in the program they now run together, the Lyric Theater @ Illinois.

 Listen as the man behind this rich voice describes singing at the MET, how the pandemic changed his lifestyle for the better, how being hidden by corn and soybeans allows him and his students to take risks they couldn't in press soaked areas like LA or NY, why auto tune has hurt modern music, why music and sports run parallel to each other and why he puts his "People Magazine Top 50 Sexiest" accolades at the bottom of his list of accomplishments. In the end, I sing Do, Re, Mi and Nathan counters putting my voice to shame. To support the Gunn's mission at the Lyric Theater @ Illinois, visit advancement.illinois.edu/2281867-2/?cfpage=/o/university-of-illinois-urbana-champaign/i/urbana-crowdfunding/s/lyric-theatre-giving.

I’d like to thank this episode’s sponsor, the Champaign Central C-Club. On Saturday, December 6, the public is invited to honor these local athletes as they are inducted into the Champaign Central Hall of Fame. Cocktail hour will begin at 4 p.m. at 2501 Village Green Place next to Jupiters at the Crossing. For tickets, visit this link or contact [email protected].

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