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Singin’ in the Rain: Idaho Student Accepted into Prestigious Seattle Opera Young Artists Program

Posted on: April 29, 2008

MOSCOW, Idaho—Tenor Joseph Bray Wilkins will soon be singin’ arias in the rain: The University of Idaho student has been accepted into the Seattle Opera’s Young Artist’s (SOYA) program.

Currently a graduate student in vocal performance, Wilkins will take a year off to pursue the professional performance opportunity before completing his master’s degree in the Lionel Hampton School of Music.

Young Artist participants perform in numerous concerts and operas, including performances on the main stage with the Seattle Opera. The program also includes language classes, stage courses, voice lessons and musical interpretation courses. Students receive a stipend while they participate.

“Seattle Opera is among the top opera houses in the states,” said Wilkins. “Like many careers, networking plays a very important role in an opera career. Working with Seattle Opera will provide valuable contacts and open many doors.”

Wilkins studied voice under Pamela Bathurst, assistant professor of voice, as an undergraduate and graduate student at Idaho. “She took me as a very green and lazy singer and turned me into a very promising operatic tenor,” said Wilkins, who feels the greatest strength of his education was the “quality and availability of the teachers.”

Though he is only 27 years old, Wilkins’ experience in the profession is diverse. He has performed in operas and in Broadway musicals, and after earning a bachelors’ degree in voice performance in 2004, was hired to rebuild the music program at Chamberlain-Hunt Academy at Fort Gibson, Miss.

“My wife —a graduate of University of Idaho in piano performance— and I began by starting a choir, then incorporated a very comprehensive music appreciation course involving the basic studies of aural skills, music theory and comprehensive listening. The education we received at the University of Idaho was the foundation for the choir and music appreciation course. I was not an education major, but this fact didn’t hurt me because I was so well equipped by the music program at the University of Idaho that I could take on these challenges.”

While still a student, Wilkins has earned numerous awards for his performances. He recently garnered a Metropolitan Young Artists honorable mention at regional competition in Seattle, and winning both University of Idaho and Coeur d’Alene Symphony Orchestra aria competitions.

The chance to perform professionally with the Seattle Opera is a dream realized, he said, but he hopes his career will accommodate more than one stage. He envisions a career that incorporates both opera and Broadway performances, and eventually leads to a mentoring and teaching role of his own.