This week the Utah Opera announced a line-up of blockbuster productions for its 2015-2016 season.
Each year the Utah Opera show cases four opera’s at the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theater. According to Utah Opera and Utah Symphony manager, Michelle Peterson, this year’s lineup boasts some of the world’s most beloved performance art including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca. Peterson says that the nature of theater keeps each performance unique.
“When you come to a live performance you’re hearing a group of singers that have not sung together. They’re working with a new director, perhaps with new costumes, and it makes it something special each time and I think that’s what keeps opera and live performance in general so exciting," says Peterson.
Peterson says that while audiences generally experience the creativity of a performance after curtain call, its planning stages can take years. This includes countless hours of craftsmanship that goes into sets and costumes, cultivating talent in local singers and traveling annually to New York for international auditions.
“We hear you know, sometimes over 200 singers in any give audition year just so it’s a real combination and I think that’s what’s exciting for some of the local performers is that they’re working side by side with some of these international stars," says Peterson.
The season also includes Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida and Franz Lehar’s The Merry Widow.