The Yellowknife Youth Choir will perform an evening of popular opera arias and classical music on May 31 at 7pm.
The show, Opera Stars, takes place at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre (NACC). Tickets are $30 for adults and $25 for youth and seniors, and are available at NACC or at the box office.
Susan Shantora, the Yellowknife Youth Choir’s conductor, said this is the first time the show will focus on opera music.
“It’s a natural progression,” she said of the performers who have continued to develop their vocal abilities since starting with the choir in middle school. Now the choir members who are in high school have an opportunity to not only sing as a group, but as part of duets and as soloists.
Diana Rockewell, a founding member of the choir, is returning to perform. She is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree at the University of Manitoba. Also singing is Jayden Fraser, who hails from Winnipeg, and studied under award-winning opera singers.
Advertisement.
Advertisement.
The concert will feature Alberta performers John Tessier and Shannon Hiebert.
Tessier is a Juno Award-winning tenor who has performed with symphonies and operas around the world, from Carnegie Hall to Teatro alla Scala Milano.
Hiebert has worked in opera and on Broadway, and is currently the chorus director for the Edmonton Opera.
Both Tessier and Hiebert are on the faculty of the University of Alberta.
Shantora says the evening will have something for everyone. Audiences will likely recognize some of the popular songs, as well as music from the television show Bridgerton.
