Pictured are Larry, Krista and Autumn Clouse, 12.

After some morning rain, Monday afternoon turned out to be beautiful. Patrons from Wicked Warrens were sitting at tables outside enjoying their meals and drinks as afternoon turned to evening. They were also enjoying music. But that music wasn’t coming from the radio, it was coming from a family of singers across the street at the point.

I heard the singing from blocks away and finally found the source beside the downtown water fountain. It wasn’t music you would expect to hear in Warren. It was a beautiful opera. As I sat on a bench to listen to their performance, I felt transported to Venice, Italy.

Venice was one of the birthplaces of opera in the 1600s. Today you can hear opera singers in public squares, courtyards, outside of cages, and from gondoliers. That’s where I felt like I was.

Larry, Krista, and Autumn Clouse, 12, just moved to Warren after years living in Washington, D.C., and Ohio. Much like their performance at the point, they used to sing on the street in Washington DC-outside of the White House. Michelle Obama would come outside to listen to their singing.

“She would always send a Secret Service agent over with a $100 bill,” Larry Clouse remembers.

Besides the Obamas, the Clouses would also serenade members of Congress, Senators, and even celebrities like Whoopi Goldberg.

Larry Clouse is a vocal pedagogue (teacher), conductor, pianist, organist, and producer. He has taught more than 700 students over his career and had students go on to perform in major opera companies, singing alongside famous singers like Placido Domingo.

Krista Clouse is an internationally trained vocalist who has performed in leading roles in several operas. She has had performances at the State Department, the Brazilian Embassy, and performances in both Brazil and Italy.

When asked what brought them to Warren, Clouse answered with a single word. Music.

They have plans to start the Clouse Music Foundation, which will help kids take singing and musical instrument training that may not have otherwise had that opportunity. They will also be instructors at the Warren County Summer Music School.

Clouse said to watch for performances at this point in the days and weeks to come. He said next time he will have his grand piano. If you see the Clouse family performing, sit down on a nearby bench and allow the music to transport you as it did to me Monday evening.

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