Even though Andrew Fisher always knew of his aptitude for singing, numerous ventures led him astray from his passion for years.

After joining the Army and serving four years, he rediscovered his talent with the Seattle Symphony Chorale.

The 29-year-old tenor gave a junior recital in Wiedemann Hall, where he presented his audience with a variety of classical pieces in different languages, including German and Italian. Fisher said he finds the precise pronunciation of the pieces his greatest challenge when performing.

“That’s one of the hardest things we have to do,” he said. “Not only pronouncing things right, but also understanding what you’re saying.

Those are definitely where the vocal seizures start, with the translation and the International Phonetic Alphabet.”

Fisher spoke about his origins in his church choir, which eventually put him on a path toward vocal performance.

“My first solo was Jingle Bells,” he said. “There was a musical director in our church and she heard that and she approached my mother and asked if I wanted voice lessons.

I’ve been singing since I was about six.”

Following his Army and National Guard experience, Fisher found himself drawn to music again, despite majoring in something else.

“I was working in physical therapy — I thought that’s what I wanted to do,” he said.

“We were singing ‘Messiah’ one year, then the soloist came out and I thought that’s where I really wanted to be.”

Fisher subsequently expressed admiration for the vocal performance program at Wichita State, which he praised for supplying him with renowned professors.

He said he enrolled at WSU because of his positive experience with the “Canta in Italia” program, which takes students to Lucca, Italy for a summer seminar.

“If you’re trying to have an undergrad and graduate program, you just have to start with the classics,” he said.

“That’s why I like this program. Not only do we do two operas a year here that are fully funded — the big productions — but we also have Alan Held and Sam Ramey to work with, which is incredible.

I brag about that all the time to my friends in other places.”

The Charleston, Ill. native explained his main drive to sing and the elements that intensify his performances.

“I just love doing this music so much,” he said.

“It is such a pleasure to me.

If I can give that pleasure to anybody, even for a little bit, even if there was one moment in that half-hour that you really connected, there was something in there that spoke to you, reminded you of something you’d forgotten, I think that music just taps into a side of us that we just can’t explain with words.”