Photo by Kenneth Dolin

Ben Bliss, one of the newest members of the Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program, will make his Company debut in just a few weeks as Benvolio in Romeo et Juliette. But he makes his NBC primetime debut tomorrow night, with a guest appearance on the new sitcom Whitney. He’ll even sing! Tune in Thursday at 9:30pm, when lead characters Whitney and Alex compete to see who can be more romantic.

This season, LA Opera welcomes three new singers to the Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program. Bass Erik Anstine (left) will perform the Captain in Eugene Onegin and Frère Jean in Roméo et Juliette, and cover roles in Eugene Onegin, Così fan tutte and Roméo et Juliette. He recently appeared in The Magic Flute and Porgy and Bess with Seattle Opera, after two seasons there as a young artist.

Tenor Ben Bliss (center) performs Benvolio in Roméo et Juliette and Parpignol in La Bohème, also covering the title role in Albert Herring. He studied at Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, minoring in vocal performance and performing Albert Herring and Tamino in The Magic Flute at the Chapman Conservatory of Music. After working in television production at Paramount Studios for three years, he recently decided to pursue singing full-time.

Mezzo-soprano Renée Rapier (right) will cover Dorabella in Così fan tutte and Stéphano in Roméo et Juliette. Last season she was a participant in San Francisco Opera’s prestigious Merola Opera Program, where she recently performed Rosina in The Barber of Seville,  and she has been a studio artist with Chautauqua Opera.

These new additions to the roster join several singers returning for their second seasons in the Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program: sopranos Janai Brugger, Tracy Cox and Valentina Fleer; tenor Alexey Sayapin; and baritone Museop Kim.