LOGAN – The one-night stand of Galaxy of Stars by the Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre on July 23 was a fond farewell to grand opera for another year.
But what a way to go!
With the local company’s best conductors leading a massive orchestra, UFOMT brought together its biggest stars past and present to perform a brilliant array of timeless arias, duets and ensemble pieces from iconic operas that are seldom seen locally.
It was a thorough feast for the eyes and ears, with the vocalists dusting off their tuxedos and swankiest ball gowns, to earn a sustained standing ovation from the near-capacity crowd at the Ellen Eccles Theatre.
The evening led off with the orchestra performing the dramatic Overture to Carmen by Georges Bizet under the baton of conductor Karen Keltner, followed by Lee Gregory singing an impressive Toreador’s Song and the stunning Sarah Nordin singing Bizet’s Habanera.
Ms. Nordin played the role of Carmen to the hilt, seductively strolling about the stage and manhandling convenient male members of the orchestra and one lucky fellow in the audience.
Tenor Thomas Glenn then performed ”Je crois entendre encore” from Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers, then joined with baritone Gregory to sing the duet “O fond du temple saint,” also from the same opera.
The sizzling soprano Emily Hansen then brought down the house with a coloratura performance of “Sempre Libera” from La Traviata.
Other vocalists who took the stage prior to the intermission were Scott Clark, Luke Norvell, Trysten Reynolds, Michael Corvino and Cree Carrico.
Following the intermission, Vanessa Ballam introduced three recent winners of the 14th Annual Utah High School Musical Theatre Awards. They were Adelay Stavros, Savannah Carrasco and Logan O’Donnell.
With Andreas Mitisek conducting, Ms. Stavros sang a plaintiff rendition of “The Life I Never Led” from the musical Sister Act; O’Donnell performed “Something’s Coming” from West Side Story; and Ms. Carrasco belted out a sassy, sexy version of “Cabaret” from the musical of the same name.
Then it was back to opera, with the highlights of the second half of the Galaxy of Stars program being Eric McConnell’s delicious comic rendition of “Madamina” from Don Giovanni and a dramatic sextet from Lucia Di Lammermoor featuring the voices of Ms. Reynolds, McConnell, Norvell, Glenn, Ms. Nordin and Michael Nansel.
Following the intermission, other vocalists who performed included Suzan Hanson, Keith Phares and Elizabeth Baldwin.
For audience members still yearning for more opera, the MFOMT season is still offering two more opportunities to attend Gianni Schicchi by Giocomo Puccini and Buoso Ghost by Michael Ching. Those one-act comic opera performances, starring Michael Ballam, are slated for 7:30 p.m. on July 25 and Aug. 2 in the Ellen Eccles Theatre.