Christopher McBeth, Artistic Director

2008-2009 SEASON

Dear Friends Opera has never been more popular

than it is today. There are more opera companies in

the United States than there are in Italy, and the same

number of Americans attend live opera performances

as attend NFL football games! Opera is now so popular,

people even flock to movie theaters around the country

to see performances. Why is opera so exciting? It’s

the beautiful voices and music combined with drama,

scenery, and costumes all rolled up into one exhilarating

art form. Be a part of this trend when you see Utah Opera

performances, and experience for yourself why opera is

so thrilling. In this season, you will see the most beloved

of all operas, Madame Butterfly, an uniquely American

opera in Regina, as well as one of my personal favorites

The Marriage of Figaro, plus the hilariously funny Don

Pasquale. We’ve engaged some of the world’s finest

artists to bring these operas to life, and I’m eager to

share them with you. So, be a part of the excitement

and I’ll see you at the opera!

Sincerely Christopher McBeth

Opera Artistic Director

Become a suBscriBeremBrace the romance!

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J oin us for a season of beautiful music and

amazing productions. As a season subscriber, you will

have a seat to call your own at the events you want

to attend—all with one simple phone call! And if last-

minute schedule conflicts come up, don’t worry. Your

season tickets are as flexible as your schedule is com-

plicated—meaning free exchanges to all performances.

B u y N o w a N d S av e .

As a subscriber, your season tickets not only claim

your seat at Capitol Theatre—but at a price 20% less

than the price of single tickets. Any additional tick-

ets you purchase for the 2008-2009 Utah Opera

season and popular Deer Valley® Music Festival are

also 20% off. And Utah Symphony tickets are 25%

off. You’ll also receive our Subscriber Advantages

Card with special discounts at the area’s best res-

taurants, theaters, spas, book/music stores, muse-

ums, and more! Visit utahopera.org/advantages for

complete list of subscriber savings.

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madame Butterfly is ranked number 1 on opera america’s

list of the top 20 most-performed works in north america.

some scholars suggest its tragic tale reflects actual events that

occurred in nagasaki, Japan during the early 1890s. madame Butterfly passionately explores the consequences of obsessive

devotion. pinkerton, a u.s. navy officer in Japan, contracts

what he considers a temporary marriage to cio-cio-san, called

Butterfly, who renounces religion and family in her adoration

for him. When pinkerton leaves for america, he promises to

return “when the robins nest again.” Butterfly blissfully ignores

warnings of his unfaithfulness and adamantly insists that her

husband would never forget their son, “sorrow.” pinkerton does

come back, but Butterfly’s devotion and heart are shattered

when she realizes he has not returned for her. in her despair

she makes the ultimate sacrifice.

OCTOBer 18, 20, 22, 24, 2008 | 7:30 pM Sung in italian with EngliSh SupErtitlESOCTOBer 26, 2008 | 2 pMCApITOL TheATre

JOSeph MeChAvICh ConduCtor

GArNeTT BrUCe direCtor

BArBArA ShIrvIS Cio Cio San

SCOTT pIper Pinkerton

ANDreW OAkDeN SharPleSS

G i A C O M O P U C C i n i

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ReginaMArC BLITzSTeIN

B ased on the play the Little Foxes by Lillian

hellman, regina holds special note for utahns

as it premiered on Broadway in 1949 with conductor

maurice abravanel. set in the Deep south in

the year 1900, this distinctively american opera

chronicles the demise of a wealthy southern family

torn apart by greed. regina Giddens schemes

and double-crosses until she is left with only her

wealth and loneliness. in regina, Blitzstein adeptly

blends operatic lyricism, spirituals, ragtime, blues,

and Dixieland. though Blitzstein’s work is little-

known today, it has been said that in his era, no

one surpassed his genius for setting american

words to american music.

JANUAry 17, 19, 21, 23, 2009 | 7:30 pM JANUAry 25, 2009 | 2 pM

Capitol thEatrE

Sung in EngliSh with EngliSh SupErtitlES

keITh LOCkhArT ConduCtor

MIChAeL SCArOLA direCtor

DeANNe Meek regina

krISTOpher IrMITer horaCe

LISA vrOMAN Birdie

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Marriage of FigaroThe

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Marriage of FigaroWOLFGANG AMADeUS MOzArT

t hey say that sequels are never as good as the original…but

in this sequel to the Barber of seville, mozart created one

of his most successful works. set in count almaviva’s castle in

seville, spain in the late 18th century, the marriage of Figaro is

an opera of love triangles. Figaro is set to marry the beautiful

susanna. susanna is constantly repelling the repeated advances

of the count. a creditor of Figaro, marcellina, plans to sabotage

Figaro’s nuptials and allow him to settle his debt by marrying

her. cherubino, the page, is lovesick over the countess. and the

countess seeks to re-attract the attentions of her husband.

it is not difficult to imagine the confusion and hilarity that

ensues. through an elaborate domino-effect of blunders, follies, and

mistaken identities that are sure to entertain, all parties discover

the identity of their rightful partners, repentance and forgiveness

abound, and all rejoice in a rightful happily ever after.

MArCh 14, 16, 18, 20, 2009 | 7:30 pM Sung in italian with EngliSh SupErtitlESMArCh 22, 2009 | 2 pMCapitol thEatrE

ChrISTOpher LArkIN ConduCtor

DAvID GATeLy direCtor

ryAN MCkINNy Figaro

heIDI STOBer SuSanna

phILIp CUTLIp Count almaviva

NICOLLe FOLAND CounteSS almaviva

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Don PasqualeGAeTANO DONIzeTTI

While Don pasquale is traditionally set in rome, utah

opera’s production uses the Wild West as its backdrop.

Don pasquale is the story of an elderly, wealthy, (and miserly)

bachelor who has no heir. to remedy the situation, he tries to

persuade his young nephew ernesto to accept an arranged

marriage. ernesto refuses to obey his uncle since his heart

is already pledged to the glamorous yet penniless widow,

norina. in a fit of anger, pasquale turns the tables on his

nephew by disinheriting him and deciding to get married and

produce an heir himself.

after a bewildering chain of events involving a little fraud

and some bogus legal proceedings, the story ends well with

true love conquering all—as we hope it always does.

MAy 16, 18, 20, 22, 2009 | 7:30 pM Sung in italian with EngliSh SupErtitlES MAy 24, 2009 | 2 pMCapitol thEatrE

SUSANNe SheSTON ConduCtor

rOBerT herrIOT direCtor

STeveN CONDy don PaSquale

CeLeNA ShAFer norina

rOBerT MCpherSON erneSto

CArLOS ArChULeTA dr. malateSta

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Don Pasquale

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Fri/Sat/Sun Mon/Wed

Your Subscription Price Your Subscription Price

$ 332 $ 266* $ 332 $ 266*

$ 288 $ 230 $ 256 $ 205

$ 248 $ 198 $ 220 $ 176

$ 212 $ 170 $ 192 $ 154

$ 192 $ 154 $ 168 $ 134

$ 172 $ 138 Seniors $ 144 $ 115 Seniors

$ 120 $ 96 $ 68 $ 92 $ 74 $ 57

$ 60 $ 48 $ 42 $ 52 $ 42 $ 35

*Glade Peterson Society or Maurice Abravanel Society

With a $2,000 tax-deductible donation, you can become a member of one of these

new societies. You will be eligible to purchase up to two seats in the grand tier

of the Capitol theatre or in Section a or B of the First tier in abravanel hall. a

$3,000 donation provides membership in both the Peterson Society and abravanel

Society. With your membership, you will also receive free parking, admission to all

intermission receptions, and invitations to special events. Please call 801-869-9012

for further details.

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When you become a utah opera subscriber by purchasing season tickets, you’ll save in multiple ways.

❖ save 20% on season tickets compared with the price of single tickets

❖ 25% off single tickets to the utah symphony and 20% off single tickets to the Deer valley® music Festival

❖ no counter fees or phone fees❖ valuable savings at restaurants, stores, and

more with your subscriber advantages card.

plus

❖ a seat to call your own❖ Flexible ticket exchanges❖ Free subscription to e-notes newsletter❖ exclusive special event invitations

how to subscribeto purchase season tickets to the 2008-2009 season of utah opera, return

the order form included with this season brochure or call 801-533-note

(533-6683).

abravanel hall ticket office: 123 West south temple, salt Lake city, ut 84101

hours: m-F 10 am – 6 pm, sat 10 am – 2 pm

utahopera.org/subscriptions

Wheelchair seating is available.

subscribe now and save 20%!

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Keeping the music aliveutah’s rich artistic heritage is unmatched, as demonstrated by the international recognition garnered over the years by utah opera and the utah symphony. Both continue to thrive because of your generous support.

When buying your season tickets, please keep in mind that your ticket purchase accounts for only one-quarter of our op-erating cost. We hope you’ll consider adding a tax-deductible donation to your season ticket order. your contribution will be recognized in our monthly programs, and you’ll feel more connected to the music than ever before.

Join the ranks of our supporters today. For more informa-tion about making a tax-deductible donation call 801-869-9012 or visit utahopera.org.

student season ticketsstudents may purchase any four performances in advance for only $32. you’ll have access to performances that are nor-mally restricted—at the student price. you’ll also receive all the benefits of being a subscriber, including unlimited ticket ex-changes and the exclusive subscriber advantages card.

student season tickets will be available starting may 5, 2008. For information on student tickets, visit utahopera.org/students.

utah symphonyBe a part of Keith Lockhart’s Finale season with the utah symphony. For a complete list of concerts and pricing visit utahsymphony.org/subscriptions or receive a season brochure by calling 801-533-note (533-6683).

e-notesif you’d like to learn more about a perfor-mance, sign up for our weekly e-notes newsletter. We’ll e-mail you upcoming performance information, advanced program notes, synopses, music clips, radio spots, discounts, exclusive photos, and more. simply visit utahopera.org to join and al-ways be informed.

classical 89.1 Broadcaststune-in to classical 89.1 at 8 pm on the second tuesday follow-ing the close of each production for utah opera broadcasts.

visit utahopera.org/broadcasts for performance schedule.

801 -533-note (533-6683)14

vivace is a funkified group—single/partnered/married—who just hap-pen to get their groove on at classical

concerts and opera. to purchase a vivace (classical v) sub-scription, fill out the enclosed classical v order form, send an email to vivace@utahsymphonyopera.org and request a form, or download it from utahsymphonyopera.org/vivace. on sale may 5, 2008.

2008-2009 vivace performances:

opEning wEEKEnD Ode to Joy — september 13, 2008

utah opEra puccini’s Madame Butterfly — october 18, 2008

elgar’s Cello Concerto — november 8, 2008

utah opEra Blitzstein’s Regina — January 17, 2009

keith & Olga — February 28, 2009

An evening of Adventure — march 28, 2009

Tchaik’s Big 5 — may 9, 2009

performance LecturesGet a behind-the-scenes perspective on the music.

Utah Opera preludes: Begin one hour prior to each perfor-mance at the capitol theatre.

Utah Opera previews: Begin at 7:30pm at the Downtown public Library the Wednesday before opening night.

Utah Opera post-performance Q&A with Christopher McBeth:

Following every performance in the Founders room on the mezzanine level of capitol theatre.

parkingnow that the Downtown rising construction projects are under-way, we would like to assure our patrons there is ample parking

available for your upcoming performances.

For even more downtown parking options please visit utahopera.org/parking or call 801-533-note (533-6683).

801 -533-note (533-6683)15

E very season Utah Opera &

Utah Symphony present a festival that bridges all forms of artistic expression, providing an opportunity to expand and explore how each defines the human experience.

This season our theme, A Toast to Vienna, is centered on Utah Opera’s production of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, Utah Symphony’s An Evening in Vienna on March 6-7, and the viennese Waltzes in our March 20-21 pops concerts. We’re collaborating with local museums, art galleries, libraries, film centers, performing arts groups, and scholars to explore the lively world of vienna. This is one festival you won’t want to miss. visit utahopera.org/festival for details.

Abravanel hall Box Office:

123 West South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84101

hours: Weekdays 10 am – 6 pm;

Saturdays 10 am – 2 pm

utahopera.org

801-533-NOTe (533-6693) or 800-864-9298

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