Adam Kontras

Born October 9th, 1975 in Columbus, Ohio, Adam Kontras knew at a very early age that he wanted to be an entertainer. His father, Michael Kontras, was the first to influence his artistic side with music. Michael played piano and sang in numerous professional touring bands throughout Adam's childhood and into his mid-twenties. Growing up in a musical household was further cemented by his mother, Raelynne, who sang and played the flute around Adam from the moment he was born.
"I remember always singing as a kid. Constantly. My mom always encorporated music in everyday chores. I'd sing in the bathtub, sing at school, sing myself to sleep...music was everywhere. As well, I was tinkering on the piano as soon as I could sit-up, even playing at my pre-school when I was 3. It was very clear the direction I was going."
Adam's gift for comedy was apparent even in elementry school when he would retell his favorite Bill Cosby jokes in class for crayons. The teachers took notice of Adam's talents and his 6th grade english teacher, Carolyn Barton, pulled him aside and asked him to perform Spike Jonze's "Gloworm" for the school talent show. A request that meant Adam would dress in drag and lip-sync to an opera singer while another student played the male role. It never occured to Adam to be anything but enthusiastic about the opportunity.
"Only now do I look back on that moment and realize how unique it is for an 11 year old boy to be willing to do that skit. At the time, I was so excited to be able to surprise the audience and the reaction was deafening. I can't tell you how appreciative I am of Mrs. Barton for supporting that. I'm not sure I'd have the same confidence now, without her."
After that debut, Adam always jumped at the opportunity to be in the spotlight. Doing other musical numbers in talent shows to even writing and starring in a full length motion picture in 8th grade entitled "Slick Tracy", his talent for creation and performance was never in doubt. Choosing an area of expertise however, always posed difficulty.