This column previously appeared in the Telegraph-Journal on July 13th, 2010.
The article was written by FUSION Saint John’s Claire Ryan:
This week the final performance of Opera New Brunswick’s Young Artist Recital Series will take place at the Saint John Arts Centre.
The Young Artist Recital Series was created in 2008 to as a way to give up-and-coming New Brunswick-born singers experience and exposure in the province and to support their vocal development. Each season, recitals are presented in three communities to allow for greater exposure for the singers and the organization.
The recitals are approximately an hour long and performers cover a variety of material ranging from opera arias to oratorio and art song. This range in the programming highlights both the performers’ repertoire and the diversity of the opera genre. The performances also typically include one piece written by a Canadian composer and published in the last 25 years. The series is sponsored in part by the RBC Foundation, Canada Council for the Arts and the province of New Brunswick. Winners of the Young Artists Recital Competition are selected by an independent review panel of local musicians and are awarded a honorarium in addition to the costs of travel, accommodation and accompanist fees.
The Young Artists Recital Series is open to singers aged 18 to 30 who have not yet reached full-time professional status. The 2010 competition winners are Lauren Esty, a soprano from Rothesay entering her third year at Dalhousie University; Fredericton tenor Jeremy Dutcher, also a third-year student at Dalhousie; mezzo-soprano Christiane Bélanger, who recently completed an artist diploma at the Université de Montreal; and second-time competition winner Carol Léger, a soprano from Dieppe who is completing a master’s in music at the Univerisité de Montreal.
Opera New Brunswick is a provincial arts organization with a mandate to be a vehicle for the production and performance of live opera showcasing New Brunswick artists and to enrich the province’s overall cultural community. Integral to this is providing a mechanism to support the province’s next generation of operatic talent.
The Young Artist Recital Series gives young musicians a chance to add to their portfolio by performing in front of a local audience. It is also an opportunity for the public to learn about opera and the opportunities that exist within the province to learn more about this genre of music, and the provincial organization that promotes it. This year the series has included performances in Grand Falls, Fredericton, Moncton and Dieppe.
Opera New Brunswick’s next Young Artist’s Recital Series performance will take place Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Saint John Arts Centre. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors and are available at the door.
Claire Ryan is on the FUSION Saint John board. Reach her at cyran@mtlpr.ca.
