Coming from the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House, choir collaborative pianist Joel Atella has found a new home at Fossil Ridge High School.

Atella graduated from Rocky Mountain High School and then went to the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where he studied music conservatory and voice performance.

“After graduating with a degree in voice, I had no understanding of the trajectory of what it would be like to become an opera singer,” Atella said, “You have to audition and constantly be rejected and turned down.”

Atella worked for over a decade mainly as a stage manager, tour manager, and assistant director in opera. 

Atella said his favorite part of working in opera was seeing all the huge sets and amazing costumes and getting to work with artists from the Metropolitan Opera.

Atella has worked all over the country, including San Diego and Indianapolis. The biggest show he was a part of was a production of “Aida,” where there were 130 people on the stage.

“Throughout that whole career, when I was stage managing and tour managing, I really wasn’t making any music myself, and I really missed it a lot,” Atella said. “So, when the pandemic came, it kind of shut the performing arts down, and I started playing piano again.”

After not playing piano for a few years, it took Atella time to re-learn. Once he was hired by a woman to play at her house every week, he started getting his passion back.

“For two years, I went over to her apartment and played piano. It was really cool, and I started getting better, and started learning a bunch of new music, and it was just like, wow, I think I should be playing piano,” Atella said. “Then I got hired at Lesher, so I was playing for their choir, and it just felt right.”

Atella said his main influence was his high school choir director.

 “Mr. Johnson, he taught me that you should start every day looking at yourself in the mirror, and saying, ’it’s a great day today,’” Atella said.

Fossil’s choir director John Garner said the music staff worried about finding a pianist with as much skill as Nathan Wambolt, Atella’s predecessor.

“I just feel really lucky that we have him, and that we were able to find someone with as much skill and that he’s willing to do this,” Garner said, “He definitely works really hard and has to do a lot of the same things that teachers do.”

With Atella’s background he is able to help students through private lessons.

“I’m going to be taking voice lessons with Mr. Atella. I feel like he’ll be able to help me with my voice technique,” junior Grace Mese said. “I’m interested in majoring in voice, so his background is interesting.”

Although Atella has just started at Fossil, his experience has been very positive.

“This school is amazing.” Atella said, “I love all of the opportunities that the students have. The resources are strong. Everyone has what they need when they need it.”