ECA hosts young opera performers

The acting singers of Seattle Opera’s Young Artists program return to the stage of the Edmonds Center for the Arts Nov. 4 to present two productions of complete one-act operas, Leonard Bernstein’s “Trouble in Tahiti” and Gaetano Donizetti’s “Rita.”

Under the direction of internationally famed tenor and Artistic Director Peter Kazaras, the themed marital comedy double bill will be performed in English and accompanied by piano.

Leonard Bernstein’s “Trouble in Tahiti” is an ironic masterpiece concerning a typical suburban American couple who can’t get along with each other and can’t figure out why their life isn’t as perfect as what they see in the movies and commercials all around them. Bernstein, known for the beautiful music of “West Side Story” and “Candide,” mixed popular and classical music with comedy and tragedy to create a heartfelt expression of anger, frustration, and yearning.

Mostly known for the traditional operas “The Barber of Seville” and “The Elixir of Love,” Gaetano Donizetti’s “Rita” is a true comic opera, with a startlingly modern take on marriage that features Donizetti’s lyrical, traditional music. This rarely performed farce concerns Rita, a lady innkeeper with two husbands — neither of whom wants her.

Now in its 10th anniversary year, Seattle Opera’s Young Artists Program continues to provide career guidance and training for young professional singers, typically between 22 and 32 years old. A highly competetive program with a track record for producing paid performers, the program attracts hundreds of applicants a year, from which only 12 are chosen. What follows is a 20-week intensive training that includes acting, master classes, auditions, networking and role study. The culmination of the program is a principal role in a fully produced opera with an orchestra.

“This group of young adults is talented ­­— and fun,” said Seattle Opera’s Rosemary Jones. “They are terrific acting singers, which make the show really interactive and engaging. This is truly a great introduction to opera, perfect for the family, and you get two shows for the price of one.”

Sunday’s performance will be a second homecoming for Marcus Shelton, an Edmonds local and the only Washington native in this year’s selected group, and whose connections to the arts community come through his parents, Steven and Leanne Shelton, owners of the Barclay Shelton Dance Centre. Shelton, a lyric tenor, is back to perform at ECA, where last year he showcased his talent when Seattle Opera’s Young Artists Program presented a streamlined production of Bizet’s “Carmen.”