CENTERVILLE — Sometimes, being true to your music means leaving what seems like the best opportunity for it.

Centerville musician Adam Ward, who sang with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for three years, left the group in order to write, record, and produce his debut album, “The Door.” Though he enjoyed his time with the choir, he felt that it was important to devote all of his energy to his own music.

“People thought I was crazy, since just about every other person you talk to here aspires to be in the choir,” said Ward. “But I decided that it was finally time to pursue my own music, my own way. And because of the obvious time constraints, I couldn’t do that and be in the choir at the same time.”

Ward has already performed several of the songs from the album at concerts throughout Davis County, including some at the Centerville Library and at the Ed Kenley Amphitheatre in Layton. The music, which ranges from the big-band flavored “If My Lady Were an Automobile,” to the folksy “Brothers” and the jazzy “Something About Love.”

After a lifetime of classical piano training, Ward took to both jazz and choral music in college. For graduate school he headed to New Orleans, which ended up having an unusual effect on his music.

“Interestingly, my time there had more of an effect on my singing than on my jazz playing,” said Ward. “I started singing with the New Orleans Symphony Chorus, and the thrill of choral singing with a professional orchestra was like nothing I had ever experienced.”

After moving back to Utah he joined the Utah Symphony Chorus, then later became a part of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. During his time there, he recorded 11 CDs and DVDs with the group, and toured throughout the United States and Canada.

Though he’s now a solo performer, Ward admits that a resume like his has had a lasting effect on his music (more information on that resume, and his music as a whole, can be found online at adamward.us).

“I’m a classically trained pianist who also plays the guitar and the accordian, with a jazz and choral background, who likes to tell a good story,” said Ward. “As such, my songs are all a little different.”

Of course, being different can be a very good thing.

“There is too little time in this life to spend it listening to dull, unintelligible, banal and—dare I say—downright stupid songs,” he said. “If you’re going to tell a story, you owe it to your listeners and yourself to make it a good one.”