07 Feb 2018

2018-19 Season Announcement

by Kathleen Sykes

The secret is out! If you just couldn’t get enough of our 40^th Anniversary Season, you’re in luck. Our 2018/19 season is about to knock your socks off with four operas you can’t miss. Every voice in these operas certainly does tell a story, and it’s as though each of these stories jumped from the pages of great literature to join us on the stage!

First up, we bring you the drama of two ill-fated lovers from fair Verona in Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet. The classic score brings the Bard’s tale to life once again in this opera. If you loved the performers in Moby-Dick, you’ll fall in love with this production. Joshua Dennis (who played Greenhorn) will return to play Romeo. Anya Matanovič, who was last here for the March 2012 production of The Elixir of Love, will return to play Juliet.

Our next opera will have you reliving your childhood. Rachel Portman and Nicholas Wright’s The Little Prince is a magical experience that will take you out of this world. This dazzling new production of a modern classic.

We’ll be building new sets and costumes in our own production studios, and The Madeleine Choir School will join us. It’ll be a show the whole family can enjoy!

While we’re on the subject of magic—this opera will have you believing in it. Mozart’s The Magic Flute is an audience favorite. Utah Symphony Music Director, Thierry Fischer, conducts and Celena Shafer will sing the Queen of the Night in this musical journey you won’t want to miss.

Finally, opera, passion, and fashion collide in Bellini’s Norma. Sparks will fly in this rich semi-staged production in Abravanel Hall. This opera will contain projections from filmmaker Greg Emetaz. And Bradon McDonald, a finalist from season 12 of Project Runway, will design lush, fashion-forward costumes for this unforgettable production.

BONUS OPERA: As if we didn’t have a knock-out season already—we’ll be teaming up with Utah Symphony for their semi-staged production of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide. This musical adventure will take you on a trip around the world with the ever-optimistic Candide and his friends.