“Love’s Story,” a recital of songs and arias sung by tenor Kelly Burns and pianist Nicholas Shaneyfelt, will be presented by Western Plains Opera on Sunday at 4 p.m. in Ann Nicole Nelson Hall on the Minot State University campus.

Burns and Shaneyfelt have put together a program of songs and arias from Brahms, Verdi and Ravel to Adams and Bolcom that portray the transformative nature of love.

They will also present the world premiere of Emerson Eads’ Kahlil Songs, a cycle of four songs with poetry by Kahlil Gibran, written for and commissioned by Burns.

“I wrote these songs for Kelly over this summer,” said Eads. “These four songs are settings of Kahlil Gibran’s writings from ‘The Prophet.’ They trace aspects of love and loss throughout our lives. They have never been heard.”

Eads is director of choral activities at Minot State University, director of Western Plains Opera and artistic director of Minot Chamber Chorale.

Burns is an active performer of opera, concert works, musical theater and recital throughout North America. He also has a strong interest in new songs and chamber music. He is founder of the Unity Series at North Dakota State University, which promotes the performance of and education about music written by women, LGBTQ+ and BIPOC composers and regularly programs these works alongside traditional Western composers. He joined the voice faculty at NDSU’s Challey School of Music in 2019. He teaches voice lessons and diction and is director of NDSU Opera.

Shaneyfelt is associate professor of music in collaborative piano at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, where he coaches singers, provides musical direction for the opera program and collaborates in recital regularly with faculty and students. He serves as associate director of the International Music Festival of the Adriatic, a summer festival for instrumentalists, singers, and composers in Duino, Italy.

Shaneyfelt, originally from Knightstown, Indiana, tours frequently with Burns, supported by the Piatigorsky Foundation.

Tickets for the Sunday event are available at https://wpopera.org/events/loves-story/.