Park City Opera composes a full 2025 schedule

After spending the most of last summer testing the water of the town’s desire to hear and see classical singing, Park City Opera is ready to fully dive in this season.

To celebrate, the musical nonprofit has announced its 2025 season, which features a slew of free and public performances and ticketed events that will culminate with three full productions of Gioachino Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville.” (See accompanying schedule.)

“It’s so exciting for us,” said Lena Goldstein, Park City Opera cofounder and executive director. “We started the concert series events last year as an experiment to see what the audience reception would be like in Park City. We felt and knew there was a need for more classical music and opera, so to be able to not only continue that concert-series initiative with a full lineup of events, and add this main-stage opera, which was our main goal from the get-go, is exciting.”

Many of the public performances leading up to the big production continue partnerships Park City Opera forged last year with local organizations, such as the Park City Senior Center, The Park City Library and Park City Gardens, said Lisl Wangermann, Park City Opera cofounder and director of development.

“Last year we were brand new, and we were emailing people but had no visible track record of what we felt we could accomplish,” she said. “So, we are so grateful to everyone who went out on a limb for us and gave us the opportunities to use their spaces and meet their clients and audiences. I feel a renewed sense of gratitude to be able to build on those relationships and plan for this season because one of the joys of doing this is reaching out to the people we met in the past year to ask if they wanted to do this again and how we could improve or do something new in their spaces.”

Benjamin Beckman, Park City Opera cofounder and artistic director, is grateful to these organizations, and promises the programming will add to what has been done last year.

“For us being back in those spaces and seeing the trust continued, we know what we’re going into, and we have all the data and intel on how to produce the best events we could possibly present in these spaces,” he said.

Mountain Town Music is one of the organizations that wanted to work with Park City Opera last year but couldn’t due to scheduling difficulties, Wangermann said.

“(The organization’s director) Brian Richards was one of the first people we talked with when we founded, but things didn’t quite work out last summer,” she said. “So we’re really excited to add Park City Opera in City Park programming to our slate this summer.”

Those performances scheduled in July and August, will follow a similar format to the Opera on the Patio programming that will return to the Park City Library, according to Wangermann.

“The offerings are casual, outdoor performances that are free and open to anyone who wants to attend,” she said. “It’s exciting to partner with a really wonderful organization, and that adds a new element to our season.”

极速168赛车官方网站图片 — An audience gathers to hear Lisl Wangermann, Park City Opera’s cofounder and director of development, sing during an Opera on the Patio performance at the Park City Library. Park City Opera’s 2025 season includes the return of its Opera on the Patio performances as well as other free and ticketed events. Credit: Park Record file photo by Clayton Steward

Another new event is a lecture that covers the history of opera in Utah, which Beckman will give Aug. 13 at the Park City Museum’s Education and Collections Center.

“This came out of a presentation I gave at the Park City Senior Center last year as we were thinking about expanding our programming beyond concert performances,” he said. “I started doing a little bit of research about the history of opera in Utah, which also helped us to learn what has been done before.”

Beckman found pioneers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints first brought classical music to the Salt Lake Valley.

“They were coming from Europe and the East Coast,” he said. “Then traveling opera companies who were coming to Salt Lake City in the late 1800s and early 1900s brought the first forms of opera to the state. All of that is in the lecture, as well as what we’re doing to continue to bring opera to Park City.”

Goldstein takes pride in collaborating and partnering with other Park City- or Summit County-based organizations.

“If you look at our season, every time we set out to bring classical musical and vocal arts to Park City, we are doing it with those who so vibrantly serve the community,” she said.

Of course Goldstein, Wangermann and Beckman are looking forward to presenting “The Barber of Seville,” known by its Italian title, “Il Barbiere di Siviglia.”

The opera will make its Park City premier on Aug. 24 at the Park City Library’s Jim Santy Auditorium, before taking on a two-night run Aug. 25 and 26 at Premiere Park City, Goldstein said.

“Obviously you’re coming to see a performance with the artists, sets, costumes and orchestra and theatricality, but we really want to emphasize that we’re creating auxiliary experiences that will speak to and connect the show with the venues,” she said.

A pre-performance talk will take place prior to the performance at the Jim Santy Auditorium, according to Goldstein.

“It will be given in the Park City Library’s Community Room, which is just across the hall from the auditorium,” she said. “It will give attendees a more in-depth experience that will help them understand the music we’re about to present. And then we’ll put on a series of activities and concessions during intermission as well, so you won’t have to just sit in your seat, waiting for the second half to begin.”

For the performance at Premiere Park City, Goldstein wanted to enhance the underground, speakeasy lounge feel.

“Since this is a venue for ages 21 and older, we were intent on ensuring the venue’s vibe would be reflected in the experience,” she said. “So we’ll have food-and-drink packages, themed cocktails and VIP areas.”

Using two different venues for the production proved to be a logistical challenge for sets, Wangermann said.

“We prioritize bringing opera to the audience, but there is no opera house, no natural space in Park City, so we had to adapt to what already exists,” she said. “I’ve been working with a great designer, Hayley Wallenfeldt, and she has stepped up to the challenge and has created a set that will translate nicely into both spaces.”

Beckman says “The Barber of Seville” will be a good fit with these unconventional venues.

“The way that it’s orchestrated works really well in smaller spaces,” he said. “And not only does it work well for our need in balance and agility of moving the production around, it’s some of the best music in all of opera.”

Even those who aren’t familiar with classical opera will recognize some of the melodies in “The Barber of Seville,” Goldstein said.

“I’ve had this experience where someone will hear a clip and they’ll know it, but not know where it came from,” she said. “That happens a lot.”

While Park City Opera is always grateful for financial donations, which can be submitted through its website, it is also looking for people to donate their time this season, Goldstein said.

“We are looking for volunteer ushers for our productions, and we’re also looking for organizations and individuals to host our events that will introduce their communities to opera,” she said.

Another way to donate is to host visiting musicians and performers when they arrive in August, Wangermann said.

“We’re going to bring in an international cast from across the country, and we’re looking for places to house them,” she said. “If people are interested in hosting an artist as a guest in their home or if they have space they want to donate, we would love for them to reach out to us.”

Park City Opera 2025 schedule

June