Main Line voice coach celebrating 50 years

WYNNEWOOD, Pa. (WPVI) -- This weekend, local stars of stage and screen will bring their voices together to celebrate an influential, inspirational figure in their lives: their voice coach.

Renowned operatic tenor Paul Spencer Adkins has been teaching in his home studio on the Main Line for 50 years.

He's coached countless voice students at the piano in the front parlor of his Wynnewood home.

"I've even done recitals here," he says with a smile.

Adkins is celebrating his five decades of teaching, and many of his former students are making a big mark on the music world. That includes EGOT winner and Friends Central alumnus Benj Pasek, part of the writing duo behind classics like Dear Evan Hansen, La La Land and The Greatest Showman.

"My greatest joy is seeing these kids find success," Adkins says.

This weekend, Pasek will join a star-studded lineup of Adkins' students. They are coming from around the world, here to the Main Line, to celebrate his 50th anniversary.

And yes, they will all be singing.

"We're going to do our best to make Mr. Adkins proud," says Valley Forge native Amanda Jane Cooper. "We're going to show off all of the things we learned in his studio."

Cooper is a Broadway "Glinda" in Wicked, among other roles.

"I feel very, very blessed and privileged to be one of the many students who got to grow in his presence," she says.

Nathaniel Stampley has been in seven Broadway shows, including Mufasa in The Lion King.

"He's honest," Stampley says, "and supportive. If there's anything that's there, he's going to pull that string until you're making art. What still amazes me about him is that even after 50 years, he still has that spark."

Paul Spencer Adkins' 50th anniversary concert is this Sunday, July 27, at the Church of the Redeemer in Bryn Mawr.

Click here for details.