Music On The Divide will host tenor Nick Palance at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22, in a concert at the IOOF Hall, 6240 Main St., Georgetown.

Palance embodies high tenor sounds that navigate effortlessly between delicate moments and full-bodied crescendos. He exemplifies a new “popera” or “pop opera” form of music that has sprouted within the past 15 years. This new music trend has taken the world by storm – a genre that fuses classical and modern sounds. Talents like Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman and Josh Groban have adapted this approach to music, putting a contemporary spin on classical music as we know it.

A native of Los Angeles and the youngest of five siblings, Palance was drawn to music right from the start. His father had a career as a flutist for the New York Philharmonic. His mother, a teacher from Mexico City, had a long line of family decedents who were accomplished musicians and artists. Palance taught himself how to play the organ at age 6 and discovered guitar at the age of 12. He convinced his mother to let him have guitar lessons and practiced eight hours a day. At the age of 17, he was accepted to the prestigious Southern California Conservatory of Music to study classical guitar.

While studying at the conservatory, Palance began to discover that he possessed musical talents and abilities beyond the classical guitar. One of his piano teachers took notice of his strong vocal techniques and encouraged him to try out for the performing arts vocal scholarship.

“The next thing I knew, she was gathering music for me and handing me tapes to practice with. I was shocked and scared,” Palance shared. “Not only was I not expecting this, I wasn’t sure if I could do it. My only experience was occasionally singing background vocals in a rock band. I was faced with learning three opera arias and three Broadway songs in two weeks. I was a mess. I didn’t even like opera at the time. Don’t get me wrong, I was a good musician, and I listened to all types of music, but opera was too mature for me at the time. But once I opened my mouth to sing opera, that moment changed my life forever. It’s completely addictive.”

The artist says that what he wants people to know most about him is his love and desire to communicate through music.

“There really is no other profession where you can actually touch someone’s heart. Music can help us cope with whatever it is we’re dealing with in the present. If my music can touch just one person, that means more to me than anything.”

Tickets are $15 each and $5 for children, available at the door. For other information about Music on the Divide’s concert schedule, or to join or help sponsor the organization, visit www.musiconthedivide.org.