Scottish Opera has announced the four singers who will take part in its 2020/21 Emerging Artists Programme. The programme was established eleven years ago and aims to provide career opportunities for young opera singers, offering specialist coaching, diverse performance experience and professional guidance. The selected singers this year will receive opportunities to perform with the Scottish Opera in digital and live productions, as well as working in-house with visiting teachers and in masterclasses. 

The selected singers – Scottish soprano Catriona Hewitson, French mezzo-soprano Margo Arsane, Chinese tenor Shengzhi Ren and Scottish baritone Arthur Bruce – will also perform in an online version of the company’s Opera Highlights production. 

Soprano Catriona Hewitson has already started the programme with a recent live-streamed production of Janáček’s The Diary of One Who Disappeared, which aired on 20 September as part of the Lammermuir Festival.

Arthur Bruce has previously worked with Scottish Opera and this will be his second year as a selected Emerging Artist with the company. He also recently performed as Schaunard in the company’s production of La bohème, staged at Scottish Opera’s Edington Street Production Studios in Glasgow.

Scottish Opera’s Head of Casting Sarah-Jane Davies said: 

We are extremely delighted to welcome four talented artists to the programme this year. Arthur Bruce returns, fresh from his success in our outdoor live performances of La bohème along with new artists Catriona Hewitson, Margo Arsane and Shengzhi Ren. It’s the first time we have representatives of the four main voice types – soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor and baritone – which will make for some exciting opportunities as they embark on their programme with us.

For more on the Emerging Artists Programme, visit: www.scottishopera.org.uk/about-us/emerging-artists/