UTAH FESTIVAL TO PRESENT ?THE DESERT SONG? IN PARK CITY

The Utah Festival Opera will tour one performance of Sigmund Romberg?s The Desert Song to the Eccles Performing Arts Center in Park City on August 5 at 7:30 p.m.

This swashbuckling romance created by the composer of The Student Prince is set in exotic French North Africa. A beautiful young Frenchwoman is abducted into the Sahara?to the enthralling strains of a glorious succession of romantic melodies?by the mysterious, masked Red Shadow, leader of the rebellious Riffs. Of course, he is a French nobleman in disguise. The Desert Song was inspired by the exploits of Lawrence of Arabia and the sizzling Rudolph Valentino films The Sheik and Son of the Sheik. It will be sung in English with projected English titles.

Mark Womack will lead the cast as the mysterious Red Shadow. Mr. Womack was with UFO last year as Lt. Joe Cable in South Pacific. Mr. Womack?s experience includes both grand and light opera roles with companies such as Chautauqua Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Connecticut Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Light Opera Oklahoma, Sarasota Opera, and Opera North. Mr. Womack is a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate at the University of Connecticut.

New to UFO this season, Margaret Lloyd will sing the role of Margot Bonvalet. Recent Lloyd performances include Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier with Opera Carolina, Josephine in H.M.S. Pinafore with Santa Fe Opera, and Zerlina in Don Giovanni with Opera Omaha. Ms. Lloyd will debut with Utah Opera in May 2003 as Lightfoot McClendon, a role she created in the acclaimed world premiere at Houston Grand Opera of Carlisle Floyd?s Cold Sassy Tree. Ms. Lloyd is also first-prize winner of the district Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the Judith Raskin Memorial Award.

John Easterlin, a performer of remarkable versatility and the winner of numerous awards, will perform the role of Benjamin Kidd. Engagements for Mr. Easterlin during the 2001-02 season included his debut with Lyric Opera of Chicago as Monostatos and as Fourth Esquire in Parsifal. Upcoming engagements include a debut with Seattle Opera as Jaquino in Fidelio, Dallas Opera as Pang in Turandot and Attalo in Ermione, and with Opera Memphis as Beppe in Pagliacci.

Another delightful returnee is Danielle Hermon, who entertained UFO audiences last summer with her comic turn as Lisette in Naughty Marietta. This season, Ms. Hermon will play the role of Susan. Previous engagements for Ms. Hermon have included the musical theater roles of Maria in West Side Story and Adelaide in Guys and Dolls with Brevard Music Center, and Mrs. Lyons in Blood Brothers with Company Theater (Boston).

Mark Panuccio is Sid El Kar. Mr. Panuccio?s roles have included the title role in Albert Herring, Ernesto in Don Pasquale, Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville, Rodolfo in La Boheme with the Bel Canto Nortwest Festival. Additionally, he has appeared as El Remendado in Carmen with Nevada Opera, as well as roles with the Cincinnati Conservatory, Central City Opera, and the Opera Company of Philadelphia.

Another returning performer is David Barron as General Birabeau. Mr. Barron appeared in two roles with Utah Festival Opera in 1997: Baron Zeta in The Merry Widow and Thomas Clegg in Greenwillow. He is a versatile actor/singer whose musical theater roles have included Judge Turpin in Sweeney Todd at the Circle in the Square in New York City, Daddy Warbucks in the national tour of Annie, and El Gallo in The Fantasticks at the Sullivan Street Playhouse. His opera credits include roles with Glimmerglass Opera, Cleveland Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Theatergroep Hollandia (Amsterdam), and Opera Comique (Paris).

Returning to UFO as stage director of The Desert Song is Dorothy Danner, who directed last summer?s production of South Pacific, as well as The Merry Widow (1997) and I Do! I Do! (1998). Ms. Danner turned to stage directing in 1980 after appearing in numerous Broadway productions as a performer. Since then she has directed and choreographed more than 140 productions of operas, operettas, musicals and plays. She is particularly noted for her inventive staging of comic works. She also directed An Evening with Gilbert & Sullivan with the Boston Pops Orchestra, which is shown annually on PBS television.

Maestro Karen Keltner will conduct The Desert Song. This summer marks Ms. Keltner?s sixth season with UFO. She also conducted South Pacific and Susannah (2001), The Mikado (2000), Carousel (1999), I Do! I Do! (1998) and Greenwillow (1997). Mo. Keltner is the Resident Conductor and Music Administrator for San Diego Opera, where she recently conducted Carlisle Floyd?s Cold Sassy Tree. The 2000 season marked one of the highlights of her career, conducting André Previn?s A Streetcar Named Desire. Michael Anania designed the set for Central City Opera. Costumes are by Brent Sjodin.

The Desert Song is one production of Utah Festival Opera?s 2002 summer season, which also includes Mozart?s fast-moving fairy tale, The Magic Flute, Johann Strauss? intriguing masquerade, Die Fledermaus, and Rodgers and Hammerstein?s heartwarming romance, The Sound of Music. All four productions will run in repertory in Logan?s Ellen Eccles Theatre from July 10 through August 10.

Ticket Information

Single ticket prices for The Desert Song range from $15 to $50. To order by phone, call the Dansante Box Office at 800-262-0074 or 435-750-0300, ext. 106. Tickets are also available through all ArtTix outlets, and on-line at www.tickets.com or www.arttix.org.

About the Utah Festival Opera Company

The Utah Festival Opera Company?s inaugural performances were presented in the summer of 1993. The company is located in northern Utah?s Cache Valley, a setting of spectacular mountain scenery. Productions take place in Logan?s Ellen Eccles Theatre, an 1100-seat European-style theater featuring neo-classical design. Built in 1923, it has been exquisitely restored to state-of-the-art theatrical capability. Performers are drawn from the national and international professional pool. The ten-year-old Utah Festival Opera Company was ranked one of the top 20 summer opera festivals in the world by Money Magazine.