Gustavo Castro, who has held several roles including opera music director and conductor across more than 60 productions worldwide, will bring his talents to the second Cascadia Chamber Opera Festival, which continues through Aug. 25.

What does it mean to be the parent of a Black child who is starting to drive on their own in 21st-century America?

That’s the intricate and weighty question tackled in Susan Kander and Roberta Gumbel’s “dwb (driving while black),” which will be presented during the Cascadia Chamber Opera’s second annual opera festival in Astoria, between Friday and Aug. 25.

During the swift 45-minute performances of “dwb” — which will take place at 7 p.m. Aug. 16, and 3 p.m. Aug. 18 — listeners can follow the 16-year journey of a Black mother, feeling her growing fear as her son transitions into adulthood.

The intention is to inspire audience members to “take a moment and think,” said Bereniece Jones-Centeno, Cascadia Chamber Opera co-founder and artistic director, adding, “It’s a big step for our company.”

Last year’s inaugural festival included a piece called “Free Men,” a chamber opera by Eugene resident Ashley Hastings that explores a love affair between two men in post-Civil War America.

According to Jones-Centeno, the production was well-received, and they asked audiences if they would be interested in more pieces dealing with social justice.

“There was a positive response to it, so we thought we’d do ‘dwb,’” she said. The hope is to continue an important conversation.

“That’s the point of continuing to program a work like this, while at the same time, allowing people to have entertainment,” Jones-Centeno said. “There is still the music behind the storytelling. So that’s what this is about: keeping the conversation going.”

The story is inspired by the personal experiences of Gumbel, the librettist.

Following the production, Gumbel will participate in a talk with other panelists, including Jones-Centeno, who is directing the piece.

There also will be a pre-show discussion about the music, which is unique, as it is scored for just a soprano, cello and percussion.

Another highlight of this year’s opera festival is the addition of two youth-centric productions.

The first piece, commissioned from Hastings and titled “When Dragons Come to Play,” tells about two children, Olivia and Lucas, whose family has just moved into a new home. As the family unpacks and settles in, the children discover a magic door that opens them up to a world of new friends.

The second youth production is an arrangement of “Grimm Tales: Little Red Riding Hood” by Sarah Cohen, of the Astoria Conservatory of Music. This jukebox musical is billed as a hysterical and funky retelling of the Brothers Grimm classic that features witches, goblins, fairies, and other fantastical creatures.

According to Jones-Centeno, it was important to the company’s board to have youth productions. It’s especially meaningful to her as she and her husband, Vincent Centeno, along with other individuals involved with the company, work with young people in the area through the local schools and other capacities.

While the artists performing in “When Dragons Come to Play” are students from the University of Oregon, the “Grimm Tales” will include talented youth from the Astoria Conservatory.

“We’re trying to be all things to all people through this little company,” Jones-Centeno said, adding the festival also will include a traditional opera from the 19th century Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti, entitled “The Elixir of Love.” It is scheduled for 7 p.m. Aug. 23, and 3 p.m. Aug. 25.

Although originally produced in Italian, the piece, like all others included in the festival, will be presented in English.

That’s an important part of the event’s mission of making opera more accessible and appealing to contemporary audiences on the North Coast.

“We wanted to have opera that is not scary, and not in a foreign language,” Jones-Centeno said. “We select repertoire that is accessible.”

She feels that since the company relocated to Astoria in 2018, she’s observed the audience growing and more people getting introduced to opera as an art form.

“What’s been really fun is the number of people who say, ‘I’ve never seen an opera before, and that was amazing,’” Jones-Centeno said. She’s passionate about exposing the public to a medium that combines numerous artistic art forms, from intricately-designed set pieces and costumes to singing and storytelling.

It requires a good deal of discipline, technique, and collaboration. “You can’t do opera unless you’ve done a lot of work beforehand,” she said.

Another aspect of the festival’s accessibility is to keep costs low.

Because of volunteers, and families that offer homestays to performers, prices are much lower than the cost of attending many operas in metropolitan areas.

“We like to believe this is the growth of a relationship with our community,” Jones-Centeno said. “What’s important to us, the opera company, is to feel like we’re a part of this community and [the festival] is this thing people should start planning on. … This is an important part of what happens in Astoria.”

All the productions will take place at the Charlene Larsen Center for the Performing Arts in Astoria, except for the “Pint-Sized Opera” at Fort George Brewery at 7 p.m. Wednesday. During that event, cast members from “The Elixir of Love” will perform their favorite opera songs and musical numbers for patrons.

“People can get introduced to the vocal talent up close and personal,” Jones-Centeno said.

Cascadia Chamber Opera Festival

Cascadia Chamber Opera Festival

Charlene Larsen Center for the Performing Arts, 588 16th St., Astoria, and Fort George Brewery, 1483 Duane St.

Tickets range between $20 and $35 for adults, are $5 to $10 for children ages 11 to 18, and are free for children under age 10

For adults who wish to be listed in the program as “Opera Enthusiasts,” a special ticket for all three opera performances can be purchased for $85, rounding up to $100 with an extra $15 donation to the opera company

To purchase tickets, visit www.cascadiachamberopera.org