Drew Seigla
Singer and actor Drew Seigla is willing to try anything — musically, that is.
The Henrico native and current New York City resident began his stage career in theater and opera productions in Virginia. He’s gone onstage off-Broadway in classic roles — including singing in Yiddish in a production of “Fiddler on the Roof” — and has contributed his voice to numerous worship spaces, offering Gregorian chant in a Catholic church and singing Hebrew prayers in Jewish synagogues.
This season, he adds contemporary Christian to his repertoire, releasing “The Carpenter’s Son,” a new song that brings the role of Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father, to the fore. Earlier in the year, Seigla connected with composer Thomas Raniszewski through a friend and jumped at the chance to record a Christmas song that might someday become a staple of the season.
“I think about Andy Williams, Mel Tormé, Elvis [Presley], Josh Groban — they all have a Christmas song or album,” Seigla says. “This song is an opportunity to join that canon.”
A graduate of J.R. Tucker High School, Seigla felt a calling to music and performing early. His parents, Harrison and Marian Seigla, who now live in Mechanicsville, met in a community theater production of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” in South Boston.
“Dad has an incredible tenor voice, and Mom has great theatrical presence,” Seigla says. “I feel like I got something from each of them, and I was always supported by them.”
As a child, Seigla sang in local churches, which helped him adjust to performing before a crowd. He spent two years at Elon University in North Carolina in the musical theater program, then, at a professor’s urging, he auditioned for The Juilliard School’s classical voice program. He was accepted — as a freshman. “So, I had six years of undergrad,” Seigla says with a laugh.
But Seigla made good use of his summers, returning to his home state to perform with Lyric Opera of Virginia and Virginia Repertory Theatre, enabling him to acquire the necessary “points” to earn his Actor’s Equity card. He returned to New York City full time in 2014, and since then has been seen off-Broadway in “The Fantasticks,” “Sweeney Todd” and “Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish,” while also teaching voice lessons. He has continued to sing for a variety of religious services, too. “Someone always needs a singer,” he says.
Most recently, Seigla toured with the German band Gregorian, an eight-voice ensemble that performs contemporary rock and pop songs in Gregorian chant style. He joined the group for two weeks of its November tour in Canada and a few U.S. cities. “It was a cool opportunity to do something different,” he says. “I’m open to singing all types of music.”
Seigla was drawn to “The Carpenter’s Son” because it shines a spotlight on Joseph. “He’s a simple carpenter with the responsibility of taking care of a child in hard circumstances,” Seigla says. “I think a lot of fathers wonder, ‘Am I living up to what I envision myself being?’ All those thoughts Joseph has are relatable in contemporary life.”
And while the song itself requires a wide vocal range, its strength lies elsewhere.
“It’s a simple melody, poignant and reflective, but the chorus has a driving passion,” he says. “This is really more of a carol or hymn where I could see a whole congregation singing it.”
“The Carpenter’s Son” is available now from Amazon, Apple Music, Pandora, Spotify and additional streaming platforms.
Never miss a Sunday Story: Sign up for the newsletter, and we’ll drop a fresh read into your inbox at the start of each week. To keep up with the latest posts, search for the hashtag #SundayStory on Facebook and Instagram.
