BIO
Born and raised in Montreal, I had two passions early on, baseball and clarinet. I played organized baseball from age nine up to my first year in college. I was a good outfielder with speed—but I was only an average hitter. Music was a different case. I became accomplished at a young age, practicing clarinet obsessively when I wasn’t doing schoolwork or playing baseball, or at the dinner table with my family. Eventually, I added tenor and soprano saxophones to my arsenal.
I attended McGill University, graduating with a BA in General Studies and a minor in sociology. However, I spent most of my time there practicing music and playing my first paying gigs—and working long hours in the university’s radio station where I became sports director and ultimately station manager. I did play-by-play for football games and I was also an on-air personality with my own regular programs. The first voice-acting seeds were planted!
Soon after graduating, I moved to Boston, studied at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, earned my Master of Music at New England Conservatory, and spent the next two decades as a professional jazz saxophonist, composer, college professor, and author. Consequently, I spent countless hours in front of demanding audiences!
I moved to Philadelphia for doctoral studies at Temple University. When I had finished, it dawned on me that I really wanted to start concentrating on voice acting. I didn't stop playing or composing music, but I still needed more direction in my voice work. I found a super mentor and teacher in Chuck McKibben, acclaimed producer/director and former audio producer for the legendary Mel Blanc in Hollywood. He’s also a fantastic announcer and voice actor. He never pulled any punches in teaching and coaching me. With hard work and Chuck’s direction I was eventually ready to tackle voice acting professionally.
It has been a great ride so far! I am excited for many more years of successful work. Oh yeah!
Norman Drake
+1 267-738-2604 (Philadelphia, USA)
normandrake@comcast.net
https://normandrake.com