SCERA Partners With Utah Lyric Opera For Performance Of RIGOLETTO

This August, Utah Lyric Opera will present a new and updated production of RIGOLETTO, a classic tale of love, betrayal and revenge!

Updated to 1960 Las Vegas, the time of glitz, glamor and the "Rat-Pack," and based upon the play "Le Roi S'Amuse" by Victor Hugo, Rigoletto's tragic tale of a father's revenge that goes horribly wrong has lasted the test of time. With famous arias like, "La Donna é mobile," and "Caro Nome," ULO's production of Rigoletto is sure to excite.

ULO audiences have come to expect the best opera singers in Utah, and Rigoletto will not disappoint. World renown singers who have sung from European Opera houses to the Metropolitan Opera will grace the stage this summer in this new presentation.

Jennifer Welch-Babidge will star as "Gilda" the innocent daughter of the jester, Rigoletto. Lauded by Opera News for a voice that is "agile and beautifully projected, with a lavish bloom and a silvery edge," Jennifer Welch-Babidge has frequently appeared at the Metropolitan Opera, where her roles included Marzelline in Fidelio, Chloe in Queen of Spades, Blondchen in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, and Freia in Das Rheingold. Utah Lyric Opera is proud to present her to Utah County in this beautiful opera.

Also starring in this production is Utah County favorite, Isaac Hurtado as the lecherous "Duke." Critics have said of his past performances of "The Duke" that: "Hurtado has a strong, expressive voice that was evident from his opening "Questa o quella" aria and particularly seductive in the Duke's ode to love that opens Act II. Hurtado's acting skills are equally good, which gave his character just the right mix of charm, ardor and guile. The carefree cynicism of his "La donna è mobile" refrain in the final act added a chilling undertone to the tragic denouement."

And singing the title role of the manipulating jester, "Rigoletto" is Christopher Clayton. After playing the role of "Figaro" in Utah Lyric Opera's The Barber of Seville, Clayton returns to play one of the most quintessentially tragic roles in all opera. With a "rich, firm baritone," he rounds out the featured triad of singers in this production nicely.

Also appearing in this "all Utah" production are Tyler Oliphant, Tyrell Wilde, Natalie Easter, Robert Brandt, Esteban Senzig, Gregg Watts, Lisa Zimmerman, and Kristine Corbett.

The production is conceived and directed by award-winning director, Elizabeth Hansen, who has been ULO's "go-to" director since their first production of Madama Butterfly. In the past audiences have laughed at her Barber of Seville and shed a tear at her La Boheme. With Miss Hansen at the helm, and Verdi's breathtaking music, we know Rigoletto will thrill.

Remember, come Labor Day Weekend, Rigoletto will be the place to spend a dramatic summer night!

Utah Lyric Opera's "Rigoletto" performances will be August 31 & September 1 at the SCERA Center for the Arts, 745 S State St, Orem, UT 84058

The show begins at 7:30 PM. Reserved seats are $16.50 for adults and $14.50 for Seniors and Students. Tickets can be purchased online on the SCERA website here, by calling the SCERA box office at (801) 225-2787, or in person at the main office at SCERA Center, open 10am-6pm weekdays.

Utah Lyric Opera (ULO) is a nonprofit organization based in Utah Valley that produces timeless operas in fresh, innovative, and often updated staging, while honoring traditions that have made opera great. ULO is a regional theater that features only local, professional, and semi-professional singers and talent. Past seasons at Utah Lyric Opera have included major concerts and opera productions at Provo City's Covey Center for the Arts featuring Ronan Tynan, Tony Award winner Lisa Hopkins Seegmiller, Grammy nominee Kirsten Gunlogson, international sopranos Paula Goodman Wilder and Kearstin Piper Brown, and tenor Jason Baldwin, to name a few.

For more information, visit www.utahlyric.org/

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