A rich baritone voice will fill the Ames community with music and knowledge next week.

Randall Scarlata, artist in residence, will be visiting Ames next week giving lectures and demonstrations, as well as performances and mini-recitals.

“Each year we work closely with the Young Concert Artist management in choosing a performer for a residency here sponsored by the Martha-Ellen Tye Performing Arts Institute,” says Sara Compton, outreach assistant at the Iowa State Center.

“The students are very excited to have the opportunity to hear a professional sing and perform,” says Donald Simonson, associate professor of music.

Students will also have the chance to sing in front of Scarlata and be critiqued by him, Simonson says.

“There will be a Master Class on Saturday morning that six voice majors are involved in,” he says. “Each student will sing for him, and he will work with specific issues such as interpretation, technique, stage presence and diction.”

Simonson says the students are looking forward to discussing aspects of the music career with him, such as what they will need to do in preperation for a singing career.

“While still a young performer, Scarlata has a wealth of experience to share with students,” Compton says.

“Working in a Master Class setting, students are reinforced in what they are learning at ISU and also offered new perspectives and interpretations about the music and vocal techniques.”

Scarlata’s background includes a master’s degree from the Juilliard School of Music, participating in Master Classes with Elly Ameling, Ernst Haefliger and Christoph Eschenbach, according to the Young Concert Artists, Inc. Web site, www.yca.org.

He has performed and studied in Europe. His awards include first prize in the 1997 Das Schuber Lied International competition in Vienna, Debut Recital Award of the Juilliard School, and second prize at the 1999 Walter W. Naumburg Foundation International Vocal Competition.

Simonson says it takes many elements, such as desire, ambition, talent and luck, to achieve Scarlata’s status.

“I would say that it is very difficult [to achieve these awards],” he says.

“There are thousands of singers trying to make it, and a very small percentage make it to where he is.”

Compton says she thinks Scarlata is on the way up.

“While Scarlata may not be a household word just yet, chances are you will hear more and more of this baritone,” Compton says.

The Master Class will be at 10 a.m. Saturday and is free and open to the public.

Tickets for Tuesday’s 7:30 p.m. performance at Martha-Ellen Tye Recital Hall are $5 at the door.