Utah Festival Opera ready to stage 20th Season

Tickets are on sale now for Utah Festival’s riveting 20th anniversary season July 11-Aug. 11 in Logan. More than 250 musicians, performers and crew members will come from renowned stages across the nation, including Broadway and the Met, to the historic Ellen Eccles Theatre to present 11 productions and 38 performances.

The Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre’s 2012 season includes four Mainstage Productions in repertory, seven concerts, backstage tours, breakfast with the stars, talkback sessions and 22 Academy classes where guests can enhance your festival experience with behind-the-scenes instruction and interactive courses taught by industry experts.

Mainstage Productions
The Mainstage productions begin with Gounod’s immortal “Faust,” starring lyric tenor Marc Schreiner, Grammy nominee Kristopher Irmiter, Kyle Pfortmiller from the Metropolitan Opera and returning soprano Jessica Medoff. In this classic tale, Faust would give anything to have it all. To get it, he sells his immortal soul to Mephistopheles, but when you deal with the devil there is hell to pay.

Cole Porter’s Broadway favorite “Kiss Me Kate” opens next with a heady blend of modern showbiz and classic Elizabethan theater when actor Fred Graham stages a musical version of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. He casts film star Lilli, his temperamental ex-wife, in the leading role. They can’t live with each other, but they can’t live without each other. Add a couple of bumbling gangsters, a second feuding romantic couple and songs like “Another Opening, Another Show,” “So in Love,” “Too Darn Hot” and “Faithful in My Fashion” for an irresistible entertainment experience.

Puccini’s masterpiece “Tosca” comes to life through soprano Carla Hanson. Of her New York City Opera premiere in the role, the New York Times noted, “Ms. Hanson made a strong debut as Tosca, by turns fiery and vulnerable, her voice agreeably dark in its middle range and sufficiently full on top.” The production is full of passion, power and politics. What price must Tosca pay for love and art? The desperate heroine does what she must in this passion-packed Gothic thriller that has kept audiences glued to their seats for 100 years.

And finally, what the New York Times calls “the perfect musical,” “My Fair Lady.” Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre General Director Michael Ballam plays the part of Alfred Doolittle, father of Eliza, which is played by Ballam’s real-life daughter, Vanessa. Kyle Pfortmiller takes on the role of Henry Higgins. When the linguistics professor meets disheveled Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle, he wagers that within six months he can change her into a proper lady simply by teaching her to speak proper English. My Fair Lady features favorite songs “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “On the Street Where You Live,” “The Rain in Spain” and “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face.”

Special Performances and Concerts
8 Hands 2 Pianos, July 11: UFOMT’s highly accomplished pianists create an evening of inspired artistry, innovative programming and adrenalized performance.

Girl Crazy, July 18 & Aug. 2: A wealthy New York playboy is sent West to get him away from his preferred friends-gamblers, hustlers, actors and gangsters. The city slicker brings his friends with him and they clash hilariously with the locals. Favorites by George and Ira Gershwin include “I Got Rhythm,” “Embraceable You” and “Bidin’ My Time.” 2012 marks the 90th anniversary of Judy Garland’s birth. She starred in the movie. To celebrate her remarkable talent UFOMT presents Girl Crazy, which also marked Ethel Merman’s Broadway debut and made her a star. This production is concert-style.

A Tribute to Judy Garland, July 19 & 28: Judy Garland attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles. Join us in a tribute to America’s musical sweetheart.

Pioneers and Patriots, July 24: Celebrate Pioneer Day and the western pioneer spirit with a combination of popular tunes, rousing military anthems, a variety of lighthearted favorites and irresistible classical melodies.
International Opera Competition, July 25 & 31: Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre hosts more than 20 extraordinarily talented artists, competing in the Michael Ballam Fourth Annual Operatic Competition. The winner, selected by a panel of judges and by audience members, will head for Italy to compete for the ultimate title.

Operafest, Aug. 1: The UFOMT ensemble, soloists and orchestra join forces to perform your favorite overtures, arias and ensembles from some of the world’s most fabulous operas.

St. Matthew Passion, Aug. 8: Widely regarded as one of the masterpieces of classical sacred music, J. S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion is a moving work of musical richness and grand scope. The text narrates the story of Christ’s crucifixion (Matthew 26-27) in a simple but dramatic way, while the magnificent Baroque music is one of the most ambitious compositions of all time. UFOMT teams once again with the American Festival Chorus, conducted by Craig Jessop, to bring you this exquisite musical event.

For tickets or more info, visit www.utahfestival.org or call the box office at 800-262-0074. Performances are held in the Ellen Eccles Theatre, 43 S. Main St. in Logan.
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