Ralph Conrad Immel was born July 25, 1936 in Wichita Falls, TX to an engineer family. His father was a mechanical engineer who started his own business in Texas with an expectation that both of his sons would follow in his footsteps. Conrad attended the University of Texas at Austin where he majored in chemical engineering and math; however, he could never shake away his love for music, especially singing. He would earn a B.A. in Voice in 1963 and did his vocal study with Miss Willa Stewart. Conrad spoke German, Italian, French, and Spanish and wrote his thesis under Dr. Hans Draeger titled “The Relationship Between Text and Music in Anton Webern’s ‘Das Augenlicht.’” It was during his time at the University of Texas that, through a mutual friend, he met his life-long love, Nancy. The two wed on September 7, 1963 and began their musical journey together through which they would travel for the next 61 years.

In 1964, Conrad was the First Place Winner in the Advanced Division for NATS, Southwestern Division (National Association of Teachers Singing). In this same year, he won a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to study voice at the Vienna Academy of Music where he was under the tutelage of Joseph Witt, Ludwig Weber, and Wilhelm Loibner. Also in 1964, he became a National Scholarship Winner and Finalist in New York at the National Metropolitan Opera Auditions. For this, he received the Mrs. Ogden Phipps Award of $2,000 which he used towards going back to Germany so he could join opera ensembles, as well as study operatic interpretation and vocal coaching with the esteemed Maestro Giuseppi Pais in Milan, Italy which he did between 1967-1971. During that time, Conrad and Nancy welcomed their son, Chris.

In 1974, Conrad, Nancy, and Chris returned to the United States where Conrad took a job teaching voice at the University of Southern California (USC). They settled in Santa Monica and Conrad continued to immerse himself in a world of music. From 1976-1978, he was a concert soloist at USC, as well as a Bass Soloist at the First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica; a position he held through the early 2020s. Between 1979-1982 he held major roles with the Los Angeles Opera Repertory Theatre Ensemble.

While the arts was his life, he found ways to tap into his math side. Beginning in the 1980s, he worked for Northrop Grumman Aerospace and worked there for many years, gaining much success and developing life-long friendships. However, as much as he gained while at Northrop, he made sure to never stray far from music. During this time, he taught voice at Santa Monica College for a number of years and would, by the end of the 1990s, become part of the Music Department Staff at Cerritos College teaching voice part-time. One of his most beloved positions was working as Director and Conductor for the San Fernando Valley Chorale. He began there in 1988 and continued to be involved with the Chorale up until his passing. His love for music, song, and voice, and how it all brought people together clearly shined through in all that he was involved in, but the light was especially bright with the San Fernando Valley Chorale. He touched many lives, stemming from working with students of all ages to adults, and pushed all of them to reach their full potential.

His love for the arts didn’t only lie with music. In the 1990s, Conrad began to collect art. He wasn’t necessarily drawn to one particular style as much as how a painting may have spoken to him. In his collection, one will find art not just by well-established artists, but by artist friends and neighbors whose talents he appreciated. Walking into his and Nancy’s home would guarantee an experience reminiscent of a small art museum where one could get lost in thought looking at the beautiful paintings donning the walls. In addition to collecting art, he also began to collect books. His collection spans many genres and includes famed authors such as William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, and Virginia Woolf. One could easily find Conrad engaged in a spirited conversation about his most recent acquisition(s) discussing the author’s life and/or the subject matter of the book(s).

After a period of health difficulties, Conrad passed away peacefully on December 24, 2024 in Culver City, CA. He leaves behind his grieving wife, Nancy, son Chris (Bianca), and two grandchildren, Dylan and Brooke.