Sue Auclair
A young Jamaica Plain couple will be featured soloists in an upcoming Chorus pro Musica concert Sun., Nov. 7 at Old South Church in Copley Square at 3 p.m.
Tenor Gregory Zavracky and soprano Deborah Selig got married over Labor Day weekend in 2009 and have lived on Lourdes Avenue in Parkside, JP ever since. Selig is 31, and Zavracky will be 31 in January.
It is unusual that the two are in the same production together because they have separate operatic careers that involve lots of travel.
The two award-winning singers met in 2004 at the Chautauqua Opera in upstate New York where they were both participating in Chautauqua’s famous apprentice program for young singers. Zavracky, who is from Norwood, and Selig, who is from Washington, D.C., have to travel frequently to perform in various productions, often in different parts of the country.
For example, Selig had an apprenticeship with the Pittsburgh Opera and also the Santa Fe Opera while Zavracky was in Boston getting master’s degrees at New England Conservatory in voice and opera studies.
“Now that I have finished with the ‘young artist’ portion of my career it is more possible for the two us to be together,” Selig said.
“The biggest benefit of one opera singer being married to another opera singer is that we both understand about how life as an opera singer works,” according to Zavracky.
What do they like about JP? They like the restaurants. “Another reason why we love JP is all the parks. We went to the Lantern Parade last week at the Pond and we frequently go to Franklin Park and the Arnold Arboretum,” Zavracky said.
On Sunday, Zavracky will be heavily featured in the concert’s performance of Leo Janáek’s “Our Father.” Selig will be featured in Antonín Dvoák’s “Mass in D.”
For more information about the singers, see deborahselig.com and gregoryzavracky.com.
Old South Church is located at 645 Boylston Street in Copley Square, Boston. Concert tickets are $25, $35 and $45, with discounts available on selected seats for groups, students, seniors and WGBH members. Reserved seats may be selected and tickets purchased at www.choruspromusica.org or by phone (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) at 800-658-4CPM (800-658-4276). For wheelchair-accessible seats, call 267-7442.