Events

Fall Touring Production

After a few introductory weeks of pedagogy and intensive musical and dramatic coaching, the Young Artists begin to rehearse their first opera of the season. This opera, directed and musically prepared by established professional artists, is performed with piano and tours to some of the most beautiful theaters in Washington. Because the opera is performed with minimal sets and costumes, it affords audience members the rare opportunity to experience the intimacy of the drama to an extent which would not be possible in a larger production. This November, the Young Artists will present Donizetti’s wild farce Viva la Mamma.

Recitals

This winter, all Young Artists will perform in an evening of German art song with Music Director Brian Garman at the piano. In addition, Young Artists are often featured at special previews, donor events, Bravo! Club events, and even at partner organizations, such as the Seattle Philharmonic, Seattle City Hall, Music of Remembrance, and the Yakima Symphony Orchestra, to name a few. Upcoming events are found on our calendar of events.

Fully Produced Spring Opera

No amount of training can replace the experience of singing from the stage, over an orchestra, in a professionally produced opera. Under the direction of Peter Kazaras and Maestro Brian Garman, with the help of the skilled hands of the Seattle Opera mainstage production teams, and the musical talents of the Auburn Symphony Orchestra, our Young Artists mount a fully produced opera each spring in the intimate 400-seat Theatre at Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, Washington. Ambitious programming and impeccably high standards are the hallmarks of our spring productions. In April 2011, the Young Artists present the tale of the rakish
Don Giovanni.

Opera Goes to School

The most important skill for any performer is the ability to enthrall an audience—to capture their interest and get them to care not only about the performer, but also about the character’s journey. Performing for young audiences is the ultimate proving-ground because an audience of children is always honest: they reward success and aren’t afraid to vocalize disappointment. For nine years Seattle Opera’s Young Artists Program has partnered with elementary schools around Washington to produce high-quality operas with and for children, both to introduce young audiences to this wonderful art form and to challenge singers in the program to become consummate opera performers, able to tell a story with voice, words, and bodies. The ultimate Gesamtkuntswerk, or total work of art, is Seattle Opera’s signature piece, Wagner’s Ring cycle. For several years our Opera Goes to School program has presented hour-long, English adaptations of these operas, which are performed by a group of Young Artists—who are not necessarily Wagner specialists—and about 60 children who sing, act, dance, and play Wagner’s music on simple instruments. Find more information on Opera Goes to School.