WNO Announces Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Participants For 2017-18 Season

By David Salazar

The Washington National Opera has announced the roster of emerging artists engaged for the 16th season of its Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program, which begins in September.

In sum, there are 11 singers and two pianists/coaches. The 2017–2018 Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists including baritone Michael Adams, tenor Frederick Ballentine, mezzo Eliza Bonet, bass Timothy J. Bruno, mezzo Allegra De Vita, tenor Arnold Livingston Geis, soprano Leah Hawkins, pianist and coach Paul Jarski, baritone Christopher Kenney, pianist and coach Christopher Koelzer, soprano Madison Leonard, tenor Alexander McKissick, and soprano Alexandria Shiner. Seven of the Young Artists are in their first year with the program.

For this season, the organization is expanding the number of performances as well as including mentorship of such artists as Eric Owens, Peter Kazaras, Neil Shicoff, Patricia Racette, James Morris and many others. Young Artists will showcase their talents in “Alcina” and “Il Barbiere di Siviglia.” They will also appear in “Proving Up,” a new opera by Missy Mazzoli.

“I am looking forward to returning to Washington National Opera to work with this impressive group of young artists, some of whom will appear alongside me in Don Carlo,” said Owens, who is Artist-in-Residence with WNO in 2017-18. “Young artist programs like this one gave me the tools I needed to build my career, and it is gratifying to be able to pass on my knowledge to the next generation of artists.”

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