Teacher Profile: Darien Roby

About Darien Roby

Born in Decatur, Georgia (raised in Alexandria, VA), Darien has dedicated his whole life to music. Beginning as a singer in his church's children's choir, Darien's talents were quickly recognized and he began taking lifelong private voice lessons at age 8.

Darien is also an adept stage performer, securing numerous lead roles in musicals and plays throughout his high school career before beginning his operatic journey at James Madison University (JMU) where Darien continued to thrive as “Don Giovanni” in Don Giovanni and the “Pilot” in The Little Prince.

Although his primary instrument is voice, Darien also dedicated 9 years to playing the Alto Saxophone as well as 5 years to learning Guitar and Piano.

During the summer of 2024, Darien was selected to travel across seas to Graz, Austria to participate in the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) opera institute where he received instruction from world-class opera singers and professors for six weeks.

Darien made his Carnegie Hall debut in March 2025 as a singer in the JMU Carnegie Collective, performing Triptych, a three-section collaboration piece that combines percussion, dance, and voice by world-renowned English composer Tarik O’Reagan (who watched from the audience!)

Darien graduated from James Madison University with a Bachelor's of Music in Vocal Performance in May 2025. He combines serious musical study, academic achievement, stage performance, and creative songwriting with a genuine love for teaching the next generation about the joys of music as well as the plethora of opportunities music can bring.

In his free tine he enjoys winding down with his two cats, Basil and Wednesday, playing video games, and creating electronic music on his computer.