Interview: A Moment with Neil Gartner
Article by Alex Thio
Behind every great woman, a great man.
Wait. Or is it the other way around?
Among the brave few who have joined the ranks of the SCSS is Neil Gartner. Tenor extraordinaire and husband to SCSS’s director Linda Gartner, Mr Gartner is no stranger to the choral group. Here’s an interview with the man himself:
AT: As always, it’s great to have you on this SCSS trip, Neil! Linda has always spoken of you and your vocal skills as a tenor in the most complimentary terms. Share with us a little more about your memories as a vocal arts student in college.
NG: My mother wanted me to be a doctor (like all the other adults in the choir, it seems!), so I started out as a biology major at Muskingum College, a small liberal arts college east of Columbus. I really wasn’t keen on medicine as a career, but I have always been very interested in wildlife and the natural world so that really wasn’t too much of a stretch. (Although I did begin to question the wisdom of my choice when I had to memorize the call of EVERY bird native to Ohio for one of my classes!) I also joined the college choir, studied voice and received a fair amount of encouragement regarding my singing.
Near the end of my freshman year a buddy from high called me up and talked me into coming home to Cleveland to audition for the live shows at Cedar Point. We got to the audition site (at Baldwin-Wallace College) just as the audition team was leaving! Although my friend wasn’t too good at punctuality, he was an extroverted, natural salesman type, so he convinced them to stay and listen to us. I got a job, he didn’t. I was cast as the Irish tenor (despite the Gaelic first name, I’m not Irish) – my big solo was “A Little Bit of Heaven.” (I can also do a mean Danny Boy.) Anyway, it was a lot of fun, so when I went back to Muskingum I decided to become a Theater major. That lasted about a semester. While I enjoy acting and singing, I discovered I really wasn’t single-minded enough about it to pursue it as a career. So I switched to the only other major I could finish in 4 years – Speech Communication!
Right after finishing my undergrad degree, I enrolled at BGSU as a full-time MBA student. For two years I lived off my earnings as a graduate assistant in the Marketing Department – $180 a month – yes, that was a while ago! I also sang in various groups at BGSU and continued taking lessons. In fact, I probably hung around the music building as much as the business school, and that’s how I met my wife. Actually, we never officially met – I just called her up one day and asked her out. That’s the only time I ever asked a girl out cold like that, and look what happened! (So guys, don’t be afraid to take a chance!)
AT: Voice student then. Marketing researcher now. Which one is your greater passion, and why?
NG: Marketing research has been a very good career for me, but I would have to say singing/music is more of a passion. Business school was a bit of a default choice for me – since I couldn’t decide on anything specific to pursue, I thought I should get a degree that was generalizeable and marketable. I stumbled upon marketing research while helping a professor at BGSU with a survey related to some research he was doing. It’s been a good career for me, as marketing research is both right and left brained – it’s really as much art as it is science. But honestly, if I could sing high C’s reliably I’d probably be trying to make my living as a singer today!
AT: You and Linda make a great team! Can you remember the last time you sang a duet together? Tell us a little more about it.
NG: We do make a good team, musically and otherwise! We’re really quite different (obviously!), but we share the same fundamental values and like to think we have very complementary strengths. I think we last sang together in church: “On Thee Each Living Soul Awaits” from The Creation, an oratorio by Haydn . The Creation is generally viewed as Haydn’s masterpiece – it’s an oratorio like The Messiah with solos and choruses – check it out, it’s wonderful! Anyway, that particular duet is supposed to be two angels singing – typecasting, I know!
AT: Those who have studied with and have come to know your wife (and our fearless leader) Linda have nothing but the best things to say about her. Now, we’d like to hear something nice from one who has been married to her for ages!
NG: Where do I start? In his speech at his retirement party this week Paul Alexander said his wife Sally was the best thing that ever happened to him. Well, I feel the same way about Linda. I hope I have been half the blessing to her that she’s been to me. You younger folks will soon be off on your own, and life will present you with many choices and decisions. If you want to choose wisely, just remember what Mrs. Gartner taught you by example:
- That a rich life is based on relationships, not things
- That God has blessed us all with an unlimited supply of love, and the more you give the more you get, and..
- That the secret to choral success is having altos with a big, meaty sound!
Neil grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, but has lived in Cincinnati for 30 years. He graduated from Muskingum College and BGSU, obtaining both his MBA and wife Linda (our fearless leader!) from the latter. Neil studied voice and participated in a range of musical and theatrical activities at both Muskingum and BGSU. Although you may find this hard to believe based on his SCSS choreography skills, he helped finance his college education working as a performer in the live shows at Cedar Point.
Neil works in marketing research and has two adult sons, one on each coast. Neil and his highly-trained cat Tommy have competed in prestigious cat obedience competitions worldwide. Neil’s secret ambition is to become “The Cat Whisperer” and host an eponymously-named series on the National Geographic channel.
