Steven Dorian
Encyclopedia
Steven Dorian is an American
singer best known as a tenor
in the a cappella
group Rockapella
since January 2010.
, Massachusetts
to parents who were both teachers and musically involved, his father playing saxophone
and clarinet
and his mother a singer, Dorian has always been surrounded by music, and began playing the guitar
at age 13. His first gig was at a pub
his high school science teacher owned, playing a duo show with his brother, Greg Asadoorian. Over the next 6 years, Dorian and his brother continued to play shows both by themselves and with various bands on through their college years. Dorian credits this to be the experience that taught him how to sing lead and harmonies. "I owe most of my musical knowledge to my brother during those years. He taught me so much, and still does to this day." In high school, however, music always took a backseat to Dorian's interest in sports. Being a football, baseball, and basketball player at Northbridge High School
, his free time was scarce and playing trumpet in the school's marching band at the same time was near impossible. After he graduated in 1996, Dorian continued to focus on sports and exercise more than music, seeing it as only a hobby, and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst
, where he played baseball and majored in Exercise Science on an athletic scholarship
all four years.
, performing in bars around the Tampa Bay
area on the side. Then, in 2001, he auditioned for a job as a singer-guitarist in a rock and roll
show at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay for the fun of it, and was hired, simultaneously starting his performing career and ending his career as a personal trainer. For the next four years, Dorian perfected his stage presence through choreographed dancing and performing without a guitar in his hands. Seeking a new experience, he moved on from Busch Gardens to Carnival Cruise Lines
, working for six months in two production shows that found him singing broadway
, Latin, and pop music
in a cast of two singers, 18 dancers, and a live show band. After his short stint in cruise ship entertainment, Dorian went to Branson
, Missouri
in 2005 and found a year of work in two tribute shows entitled Lost in the Fifties and Stuck in the Seventies. He has stated it was this engagement where he really learned to blend his singing and performing with others whom he shared the stage with. Coming back to Tampa from his time in Branson, Dorian found himself in various shows at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, a regional theater, and ultimately auditioned for and got a part in his first show with the Walt Disney World Resort
at the Polynesian Resort
. From 2006 to 2008, he was cast in Mickey's Twas the Night Before Christmas Show, a part of the Magic Kingdom
's Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party
. Having proved himself to the company, Dorian acquired a much coveted spot in the Festival of the Lion King
in Disney's Animal Kingdom
from 2007 until 2009, when he first learned of the audition for his biggest break yet.
in September of that year; Dorian was one of those ten singers. The band sent him three songs to learn: their original show opener "Tonight", their rendition of The Beatles
' "Got To Get You Into My Life
", and a song titled "Imagination", a Temptations
/John Lennon
mash-up
of "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)
" and "Imagine
". "I worked for about two weeks to learn those songs, and, for me, it was very new so I was busting my neck to learn them." Dorian was offered the job as tenor of Rockapella, and began in January 2010 after the departure of Wright the previous holiday season. As a member of the nationally acclaimed group, Dorian has contributed two songs to the group's accumulation of songs: "Cupid", a Sam Cooke
mashup of "Another Saturday Night
", "Cupid
", and "You Send Me
", and "Malibu Grand Prix", an original written by Dorian and a friend that the group arranged into an a cappella recording for their 2010 album Bang
.
His brother Rick Asadoorian was the first round pick to the Boston Red Sox
in 1999.
When Dorian isn't touring with Rockapella, he still does showings of the Festival of the Lion King
at the Walt Disney World Resort
, playing the role of Nakawa.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer best known as a tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
in the a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
group Rockapella
Rockapella
Rockapella is an American a cappella musical group formed in 1986 in New York City. Their name is derived from the words "rock" and "a cappella". They sing original vocal music and a cappella covers of pop and rock songs; over time, their sound has evolved from high-energy pop and world music...
since January 2010.
Early life
Born in NorthbridgeNorthbridge, Massachusetts
Northbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 15,707 at the 2010 census. The Northbridge Town Hall is located at 7 Main Street in Whitinsville. The town is now a part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, of the National Park...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
to parents who were both teachers and musically involved, his father playing saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
and clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
and his mother a singer, Dorian has always been surrounded by music, and began playing the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
at age 13. His first gig was at a pub
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
his high school science teacher owned, playing a duo show with his brother, Greg Asadoorian. Over the next 6 years, Dorian and his brother continued to play shows both by themselves and with various bands on through their college years. Dorian credits this to be the experience that taught him how to sing lead and harmonies. "I owe most of my musical knowledge to my brother during those years. He taught me so much, and still does to this day." In high school, however, music always took a backseat to Dorian's interest in sports. Being a football, baseball, and basketball player at Northbridge High School
Northbridge High School
Northbridge High School is a public high school in Whitinsville, Massachusetts, United States. Michael P. Gauthier is the school's principal....
, his free time was scarce and playing trumpet in the school's marching band at the same time was near impossible. After he graduated in 1996, Dorian continued to focus on sports and exercise more than music, seeing it as only a hobby, and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...
, where he played baseball and majored in Exercise Science on an athletic scholarship
Athletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
all four years.
Musical career
After obtaining his degree in 2000, Dorian moved to Florida and became a personal trainerPersonal trainer
A personal trainer is a fitness professional involved in exercise prescription and instruction. They motivate clients by setting goals and providing feedback and accountability to clients. Trainers also measure their client's strengths and weaknesses with fitness assessments...
, performing in bars around the Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and estuary along the Gulf of Mexico on the west central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay."Tampa Bay" is not the name of any municipality...
area on the side. Then, in 2001, he auditioned for a job as a singer-guitarist in a rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
show at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay for the fun of it, and was hired, simultaneously starting his performing career and ending his career as a personal trainer. For the next four years, Dorian perfected his stage presence through choreographed dancing and performing without a guitar in his hands. Seeking a new experience, he moved on from Busch Gardens to Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Doral, Florida, a suburb of Miami in the United States. Originally an independent company founded in 1972 by Ted Arison, the company is now one of eleven cruise ship brands owned and operated by Carnival Corporation & plc...
, working for six months in two production shows that found him singing broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, Latin, and pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
in a cast of two singers, 18 dancers, and a live show band. After his short stint in cruise ship entertainment, Dorian went to Branson
Branson, Missouri
Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
in 2005 and found a year of work in two tribute shows entitled Lost in the Fifties and Stuck in the Seventies. He has stated it was this engagement where he really learned to blend his singing and performing with others whom he shared the stage with. Coming back to Tampa from his time in Branson, Dorian found himself in various shows at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, a regional theater, and ultimately auditioned for and got a part in his first show with the Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort , is the world's most-visited entertaimental resort. Located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida ; approximately southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States, the resort covers an area of and includes four theme parks, two water parks, 23 on-site themed resort hotels Walt...
at the Polynesian Resort
Disney's Polynesian Resort
Disney's Polynesian Resort is a Disney owned and operated AAA Four-Diamond Award–winning resort located at the Walt Disney World Resort. It began operation on October 1, 1971 as one of Walt Disney World Resort's first two on-site hotels. The resort has a South Seas theme, and originally opened...
. From 2006 to 2008, he was cast in Mickey's Twas the Night Before Christmas Show, a part of the Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom Park is one of four theme parks at the Walt Disney World Resort located near Orlando, Florida. The first park built at the resort, Magic Kingdom opened Oct. 1, 1971. Designed and built by WED Enterprises, the park's layout and attractions are similar to Disneyland in Anaheim, California...
's Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is a hard ticket event hosted at the Magic Kingdom theme park. It runs around mid-November and running until Christmas. The party is held on specific days announced at the Walt Disney World website. The event goes from 7:00 PM to midnight...
. Having proved himself to the company, Dorian acquired a much coveted spot in the Festival of the Lion King
Festival of the Lion King
Festival of the Lion King, an original interpretation of the Disney animated film The Lion King, is a live stage musical performed in Disney's Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World, Florida and in Adventureland at Hong Kong Disneyland...
in Disney's Animal Kingdom
Disney's Animal Kingdom
Disney's Animal Kingdom is an animal theme park located at the Walt Disney World Resort. The fourth park built at the resort, it opened on April 22, 1998, and it is the largest single Disney theme park in the world, covering more than . It is also the first Disney theme park to be themed entirely...
from 2007 until 2009, when he first learned of the audition for his biggest break yet.
Rockapella
After tenor Kevin Wright announced his leave from Rockapella in August 2009, the group began a nationwide search for their newest band member. Having sorted through over 150 singers, ten applicants were chosen to audition with the group in BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
in September of that year; Dorian was one of those ten singers. The band sent him three songs to learn: their original show opener "Tonight", their rendition of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' "Got To Get You Into My Life
Got to Get You into My Life
"Got to Get You into My Life" is a song by The Beatles, first released in 1966 on the album Revolver. Written by Paul McCartney , it made prominent use of a brass section...
", and a song titled "Imagination", a Temptations
The Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
/John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
mash-up
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...
of "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)
Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)
"Just My Imagination " is a song by American soul group The Temptations. Released on the Gordy label, and produced by Norman Whitfield, it features on the group's 1971 album, Sky's the Limit. When released as a single, "Just My Imagination" became the third Temptations song to reach number one on...
" and "Imagine
Imagine (song)
"Imagine" is a song written and performed by the English musician John Lennon. It is the opening track on his album Imagine, released in 1971...
". "I worked for about two weeks to learn those songs, and, for me, it was very new so I was busting my neck to learn them." Dorian was offered the job as tenor of Rockapella, and began in January 2010 after the departure of Wright the previous holiday season. As a member of the nationally acclaimed group, Dorian has contributed two songs to the group's accumulation of songs: "Cupid", a Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke
Samuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
mashup of "Another Saturday Night
Another Saturday Night
"Another Saturday Night" is the title of a 1963 hit single by Sam Cooke from the album Ain't That Good News. It reached number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 and was number one on the R&B chart for a single week...
", "Cupid
Cupid (Sam Cooke song)
"Cupid" is a 1961 hit single recorded and written by Sam Cooke. The song is ranked #452 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.-Cover versions:* In 1964, Johnny Rivers covered the song on his live album In Action....
", and "You Send Me
You Send Me
-Background:Cooke made a demo recording of "You Send Me" featuring only his own guitar accompaniment in the winter of 1955. The first recording of the track was made in New Orleans in December 1956 in the same sessions which produced "Lovable", the first release outside the gospel field for Cooke...
", and "Malibu Grand Prix", an original written by Dorian and a friend that the group arranged into an a cappella recording for their 2010 album Bang
Bang (Rockapella album)
Bang is the sixteenth overall and eleventh North American album by the a cappella group Rockapella. It is the first studio album the group has released since 2002. It also marks band members John K. Brown's and Steven Dorian's first recording appearance with Rockapella, having been with the group...
.
Personal life
Dorian has 3 siblings: Greg, Sara, and Rick, all of whom are musically involved and can play at least one instrument, while all of the 4 Asadoorian children can play the guitar. Dorian has said that their parents are their inspiration and influence for not only their music goals, but their lifelong goals.His brother Rick Asadoorian was the first round pick to the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
in 1999.
When Dorian isn't touring with Rockapella, he still does showings of the Festival of the Lion King
Festival of the Lion King
Festival of the Lion King, an original interpretation of the Disney animated film The Lion King, is a live stage musical performed in Disney's Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World, Florida and in Adventureland at Hong Kong Disneyland...
at the Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort , is the world's most-visited entertaimental resort. Located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida ; approximately southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States, the resort covers an area of and includes four theme parks, two water parks, 23 on-site themed resort hotels Walt...
, playing the role of Nakawa.
Discography
| Release Date | Album | Line-up | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 2011 | A Rockapella Holiday A Rockapella Holiday A Rockapella Holiday is the seventeenth overall, twelfth North American, and fifth holiday album released by the a cappella group Rockapella... |
Leonard, Dorian, Brown, Baldi, Thacher | Shakariki Records / PAID, Inc. |
| September 2010 | Bang Bang (Rockapella album) Bang is the sixteenth overall and eleventh North American album by the a cappella group Rockapella. It is the first studio album the group has released since 2002. It also marks band members John K. Brown's and Steven Dorian's first recording appearance with Rockapella, having been with the group... |
Leonard, Dorian, Brown, Baldi, Thacher | Shakariki Records / PAID, Inc. |