A Message from Michael Ballam

A Season Of Seasons

On July 25, 1847, the day after Brigham Young lead 148 pioneers through the arduous and sometimes deadly 17-month trek from Missouri to the Great Basin, he broke ground for three buildings. The first was a school house, the second a theater and the third a temple. His prophetic words to the gathered immigrants and refugees was, “If we are to survive we must educate, entertain and edify.” We at the Festival strive to provide all three every season. We take our mission statement very seriously – “Elevating lives through ennobling artistic experiences.”

This is a hallmark season for us. Unlike any previous and probably any future year, with the substantial help of the U.S. and Utah governments to bolster our season, we are able to offer what is also our most ambitious season. What you are seeing is a tangible demonstration of “your taxes at work.”

Verdi’s most popular and widely known opera AIDA has an interesting history in this beautiful theatre. It was presented by Utah State Agricultural College (now USU) in 1937 and played on this very stage. The majestic entrance of Ramdames was him appearing in a gilded Roman chariot drawn by the College’s mighty black stallion. Apparently the steed mistook the address of the Capitol Theatre (now Ellen Eccles) and thinking it was the adjacent bank, made a “deposit.” The city sanitation department made an unscheduled entrance and saved the show.

When the Festival was founded in 1993 I asserted that of the ABC’s of opera: AIDA, BOHEME/ BUTTERLY and CARMEN only B and C would ever be presented at the Festival. My only experiences with AIDA were in Italian colosseums and the grandeur of the Metropolitan Opera.

Then, after reluctantly attending Sir Elton John’s setting of the story, my opinion about producing Verdi’s epic made a 180-degree turnabout. I found Sir Elton’s music to be powerful and very accessible. Moreover, I finally “got it” AIDA is the story of a simple love triangle that had been eclipsed by spectacle.

With that epiphany, I felt confident in presenting Verdi’s masterwork in 2008 thinking it would be fascinating to produce both works in the same season, designed and directed by the same team. My fondest hope is that both opera aficionados and musical theatre fans will take the plunge into the “alternate” version and be enlightened by the introduction.

My last experience with Wagner’s LOHENGRIN was 18 years ago at the Metropolitan Opera. His sweepingly romantic setting of a fairy tale-legend is reminiscent of Walt Disney’s early films based on whimsical fairy tales. Last March, I watched five performances of LOHENGRIN at the Metropolitan. Each performance brought me to tears with the thought that this legendary knight of the Holy Grail will spend a summer in the town in which I was born. He has never visited Utah before.

Thornton Wilder’s OUR TOWN is one of the greatest of American plays. Multitudes have either read it, seen it performed live, on television or watched the three movies made in 1940, 1988 and 2003. Ned Rorem’s music has the ability to suspend time heightening the drama of Wilder’s powerfully poignant work. I believe OUR TOWN will be remembered as one of our finest hours.

On February 9, 1964, a substantial segment of OLIVER! appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. It had such a profound influence on me that I barely noticed the five young Brits from Liverpool who sang about wanting to hold our hands that night. Two years later I climbed into the shoes, coat and top hat of the Artful Dodger and Dickens’ immortal OLIVER TWIST has lived in every fiber of my being ever since.

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Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre

Celebrating 31 Years of Enjoyment

2023 Season

July 5–August 5

Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre

Dansante Building

59 South 100 West Logan, Utah 84321 www.utahfestival.org

Administration: 435-750-0300

Box Office 435-750-0300 ext. 3 or 800-262-0074

Publisher: Mills Publishing, Inc.

Cover Design: Rocketbox Creative

2023 Season Sponsors

July 5, 15m, 21, 28m, August 3m