Broadway veteran offering lessons in Whitefish

Singer Mike Eldred is ready to call the Flathead Valley home, and to make his mark on aspiring local performers.

Eldred, a veteran of Broadway shows including “Les Miserables” and a regular with the Alpine Theatre Project, is now offering private performance instruction in Whitefish.

Lessons are available for $55 for 30 minutes and $100 for a full hour.

The 51-year-old tenor has been an active performer for more than 30 years and decided last March to become a more permanent Whitefish resident.

“I spent the last four or five months in New York City but [Whitefish] has become home,” Eldred said. “I first moved here in 2004 as a second home, just to escape and get away … then I just sort of fell in love and wanted to stay here.

“I haven’t completely moved on from my career, but if I can find a reason to settle and stay here, and become more and more a part of the community, and work with the different arts organizations, it sounds really attractive to me,” he added. “It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.”

Eldred is available to begin working with students immediately and is branching out beyond simply voice and performance instruction. He believes his decades of experience on stage can help him instill confidence in those asked to perform in a variety of arenas, including the business world.

“I’ve seen what can be accomplished in teaching people who have to get in front of an audience, or with their co-workers present,” Eldred said. “I’ve seen the huge change in working with someone’s confidence level. Most people can get it pretty quickly; how to relax and just be themselves.

“I think it’s a crucial thing that a lot of folks could benefit from.”

Eldred is accepting students of all ages for lessons and is also available to lead corporate seminars. He taught previously with the Broadway Theatre Lab in New York and was a private coach and instructor in Nashville, Tennessee.

Eldred’s theater resume includes a turn as Jean Valjean in “Les Miserables” and roles in the Tony-nominated “The Civil War” and “Jesus Christ Superstar.”

The tenor was cast as Beadle Bamford in the Alpine Theatre Project’s production of “Sweeney Todd” earlier this year.

More information on Eldred and his lessons is available at www.mikeeldred.com or by emailing mike@mikeeldred.com.