OPRF High School alumnus Nathan Chester, best known for his time on the hit reality television show NBC’s “The Voice,” came back to his old high school this week to inspire the next generation of stars hailing from the halls.
“It feels so good,” Chester, a 2013 graduate, said about being back at OPRF. “I am so grateful. It has also changed a lot; it makes me feel old. I hope cookies are still a dollar.”
Chester competed in this year’s Season 25 of the show, which features contestants singing during “blind auditions” in hopes of having a celebrity judge turn their chair around for a chance to be on their team during the competition.
He included an Aug. 21 stop at OPRF’s Little Theatre on his “Hometown Tour,” which also included throwing the first pitch at a Chicago Cubs game on Friday, Aug. 16, a show at City Winery Chicago on Aug. 19 and an appearance on NBC Chicago.
Michelle Bayer, director of theater and performing arts chair, who directed Chester in two productions, said he is a “sponge” and one of the best students she has had. When Bayer heard that Chester was going on the “Hometown Tour,” she reached out and asked if he would be able to squeeze OPRF High School into his schedule.
Bayer said Chester was more than happy to come back to his old school and not only perform for the acting and theater students, but also to host a Q&A as part of an in-school fieldtrip.
Chester sang a rendition of “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder before opening up the floor to students for the Q&A portion.
Many students had questions. These included:
- How many theater productions has Chester been in? (Answer: approximately 30.)
- Does he see himself first as a singer or actor? (Answer: singer because it brings him the most joy.)
- What is working on a cruise ship like? (Answer: a lot of fun but he misses his family when working.)
- What he would be doing if he weren’t a singer? (Answer: being an entrepreneur.)
Students also asked more specific questions about how to pursue singing or acting, what the process of getting onto a show like “The Voice” was and how to continue to pursue this type of career even if your parents are not supportive.
“They are good questions, questions some of which I don’t think I have the answer to,” Chester said when asked what he thought of the student’s questions. “I am just hoping I can offer something. I have been in their shoes, literally, so I am trying to think of what I would have wanted to hear if I was sitting there and what would have actually helped me make the best decision for my life.”
Despite not winning “The Voice,” as he was eliminated after making it to the Top 5, Chester said he never felt like he hadn’t won.
“As soon as somebody’s chair turned [during the blind audition], I already felt like “whoa, I am in it, I’ve done it. We’ve won,” he said. “To make it as far as I did, it really didn’t feel like elimination. It felt like a congratulations to me.”
That glass half full mentality will be applied to his future projects.
Currently Chester said he is focusing on his production company, Em&N Productions, which he owns with his fiancée Emily Viancourt, creating various shows for cruise productions.
New original music is also in the works, with hopes of releasing more music around late October, Chester said.