Bio
Born in Jerusalem, Israel and moving to the United States at 5 years of age, lyric tenor Arie Perry began his musical training playing folk guitar at age 10, gradually adding voice to his arsenal of musical talents when he became the lead singer of a rock band in high school. Feeling the need for vocal training to handle the technical challenges of Journey, Rush, and the Police, he joined the high school choir and started voice lessons. He quickly caught the classical music bug, which transformed into a lifelong passion.
Known for his versatility and effortless high notes, his solo repertoire has ranged widely (see resume and discography for details), focusing mostly on choral compositions from the baroque and classical periods, but also easily encompassing operatic arias, art songs, pop, and musical theater. He has sung as a professional chorister and soloist for over 30 years with various groups, including the Dallas Bach Society, Rochester Choral Arts Ensemble, American Kantorei, San Francisco Concert Chorale, Oakland City Chorus, the American Bach Soloists, and the Bay Area men’s a cappella group, Musaic. Favorite solo assignments have been Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, and Britten’s St. Nicolas.
Arie is primarily a physician and currently serves as Professor of Pathology and the Chief of Neuropathology at UCSF. In his role of mentor and educator, he has used his vocal talents to record a CD entitled “Neuropathology Songs”, which combines music and neuropathology terms to help students remember salient features of common neurological disorders. This novel educational tool, utilizing both original music and musical parodies, has been the spotlight of media stories by the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Washington University Record, KWMU radio, American Public Media’s Marketplace, the Singer Network (a service of Chorus America), the UCSF Pulse, the KCBS Radio Show, and the San Francisco Chronicle. With help from Musaic, he also put out an educational YouTube video entitled “Brain Tumor Rhapsody”, which summarizes some of the newest genetic biomarkers in clinical use and is set to Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. He is a published author and renowned expert in the medical field, and is regularly invited to speak all over the world, usually ending his talks with one of his famous “Neuropath Songs”.
Arie has been a Bay Area resident since 2010, where he continues to be a sought-after vocal soloist and performer. He can be contacted at Arie.Perry@ucsf.edu for concert engagements.