Tenor Dr. Darian Clonts is a native of Atlanta, Ga., where he attended the Cobb County Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts (CCCEPA) at Pebblebrook High School as a vocal major. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Morehouse College in Atlanta, where he studied voice under Dr. Uzee Brown, Jr. He was a member, soloist, and accompanist of the world-renowned Morehouse College Glee Club, under the direction of Dr. David Morrow. Dr. Clonts received his Master of Music degree and Doctor of Music degree from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, where he studied voice with Dr. Brian Horne. While attending Indiana University, he earned a minor in Musicology and a certificate in Vocology.
Clonts has an extensive performing career that spans various genres of music, from opera to gospel. Clonts has performed with several prestigious opera companies, including Cincinnati Opera, The Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theater, The Princeton Festival, The Atlanta Opera, and the Indiana University Opera Theater. Some of his operatic roles include Benvolio (Roméo et Juliette), The Witch (Hansel and Gretel), Mingo (Porgy and Bess), Hérrison (L’Étoile), Goro (Madama Butterfly), and El Remendado (Carmen).
Clonts is member of the Music & Worship Arts staff at Elmwood United Presbyterian Church in East Orange, NJ., and serves on the Board of Directors for the New York City Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. He also holds memberships with the National Association of Negro Musicians, the African American Art Song Alliance, the Collegiate Music Society, and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. In the summer of 2022, Clonts was selected to participate in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Intern program. He is currently a voice faculty member at the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University, and William Paterson University. In addition to his faculty positions, he also maintains a private voice studio of students from various age groups. Clonts taught as an associate instructor at Indiana University in the department of African American and African Diaspora Studies. The main focus of his musical research includes opera and African American music, and he has lectured on his research at schools and institutions across the United States.