Ed's Story...
Ed began his musical journey early, starting on clarinet at age 9. He soon moved on to saxophone, guitar and piano and gained experience on trombone, French horn and flute. Ed played guitar, sax and flute in a rock band, and baritone saxophone in a local community college big band all through high school. But it was then that he became very interested in singing, and a trip to the Metropolitan Opera sealed the deal. He was hooked! Soon, he was performing formidable solos in his high school choir and hit the stage in local musical theater productions for the next few years following high school. .
Ed graduated from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with a degree in voice. While there he studied with such luminaries as Luciano Pavarotti, Hans Hotter, Renato Capecchi, and others. In the 10 years following his studies Ed embarked on a career in classical singing and performed in over 30 leading roles in professional opera companies throughout northern California including San Francisco Concert Opera, Marin Opera, Oakland Opera, Sacramento Opera, Berkeley Opera and others. He was also a recitalist specializing in German and French classical and romantic art songs. In concert and oratorio Ed soloed in the Verdi Requiem, Bach B Minor Mass, Handel’s Messiah and many more.
A young Ed Cohn being congratulated by
legenday tenor Luciano Pavarotti after singing
"The Catalog Aria" from Don Giovanni
During this period Ed and his wife started a family and began raising two daughters. Family life was important to him. Instead of pursuing a "big career", necessitating being away from home much of the time, Ed focused on making a name for himself locally. Besides his heavy schedule performing on stage he became very active in opera education as well, having written, directed and performed in the acclaimed “How to Make an Opera” presented in over 200 schools in Northern California. He also co-wrote, directed and performed in operas for educational programs for the San Francisco Opera's in-school program, Operatunities.
In 1987 Ed and three classically trained comrades transitioned away from classical music traveling back to their popular music roots and formed a contemporary a cappella quartet called the EDLOS. During Ed's 17 years in this multi-award winning group he sang bass, wrote award winning songs and arrangements and recorded and produced their 7 albums. The EDLOS performed nationally and opened for many top acts. They also had their own PBS television special. In 1988 and ‘89 Ed performed with the avant garde musical theater company, George Coates Performance Works, in Stuttgart Germany, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, the Pepsico Festival in New York and in San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts and Herbst Theater.
Beginning in 1990 Ed began teaching and coaching singing and has been refining his craft ever since. Ed has shared his passion for a cappella singing by conducting a cappella community choruses and offering a cappella workshops since the mid ‘90s. From 2004-2006 Ed also taught both instrumental and vocal music at Arrowsmith Academy, a private high school in Berkeley, California. His broad range of singing and musical experience is unique among voice teachers, giving him a rare perspective and insight. Today, teaching and coaching are his primary endeavors.