Utah Opera to present “Flight” and favorites in 2021-22 season

Mon Mar 22, 2021 at 11:20 am
Jonathan Dove’s Flight will have its Salt Lake City premiere in Utah Opera’s 2021-22 season. Photo: Duane Tinley, Des Moines Metro Opera

Utah Opera’s 2021-22 season will present two Italian favorites, the local debut of a contemporary opera and a beloved operetta. All four works are rescheduled from cancelled productions of the past two seasons due to the Covid-19 pandemic  

“To paraphrase one of the most significant sports figures in history, ‘we’re back,’” said Utah Opera artistic director Christopher McBeth in a released statement. “Because of the incredible community and donor support over the last year, Utah Opera looks forward to bringing outstanding large-scale opera performances back to the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre and welcoming audiences to a very special season.”

The fall season will open with Rossini’s comedy The Barber of Seville, running October 9-17. Baritone Michael Adams is the wily barber Figaro with Sarah Coit as Rosina and Matthew Grills as Count Almaviva. Gary Thor Wedow conducts. 

Jonathan Dove’s Flight will have its Salt Lake City debut January 15-23, 2022. The 1998 opera was inspired by the true story of an Iranian refugee who lived for eight years at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. The cast stars John Holiday, Julie Gershkoff and Edith Grossman, with Robert Tweten conducting.

Puccini’s Tosca returns March 12-20 with Katie Van Kooten as the besieged title diva, with Dmitri Pittas as Cavaradossi and Stephen Powell as Scarpia. Steven White conducts.

The season concludes with Gilbert & Sullivan’s light-hearted  Pirates of Penzance, May 7-15. The cast includes Craig Irvin, John Risen, Curt Olds, Leia Lensing and Madison Leonard with Thor Wedow conducting.

Season subscriptions go on sale Tuesday, March 23; call 801-533-6683 or visit utahopera.org. Single-opera tickets go on sale June 15.


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