Utah Opera at Capitol Theatre

“Utah Opera offers chills and thrills.” – The Salt Lake Tribune

The magic of opera, the four-century-old theatre craft that brings together all the different art forms in the ultimate theatre experience, is alive and well in Utah! 

The world-renowned, award-winning Utah Opera has been bringing productions of the highest standard, and designed for every mood, every taste, and every moment to the Salt Lake City community for nearly five decades. From electrifying highs and impressive wow-moments to epic and heroic finales, from heartwarming nostalgia, romance, and soul-shattering poignancy to joyful and thrilling experiences, the Utah Opera offers it all. 

Whether it is the traditional operatic repertoire such as Verdi’s La Traviata, Puccini’s La Bohème, Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman or Bizet’s La Tragédie De Carmen that unlocks the magic of opera for you; premieres of American operas such as David Carlson’s Dreamkeepers, Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath, or Joseph Horovitz’ Gentleman’s Island that captures your imagination, or the works of emerging artists that draws you in, the Utah Opera is without a doubt leaders in unparalleled, magnificent, and memorable experiences! 

Every season at Utah Opera is jam-packed with productions for every taste and mood – from the most iconic operatic repertoire right down to the latest works. Audiences can subscribe to seasonal tickets that unlock the wonder of opera for the whole season, or choose to purchase tickets for individual productions directly from the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre’s box office. Due to the exceptionally high demand, tickets tend to sell out quickly, so if you’d rather not risk it, or prefer the simplicity and comfort of securing your tickets from where you are now, you can simply click on the ‘Buy Tickets’ link to be redirected to TicketSqueeze.com – the world’s most trustworthy and efficient online marketplace. There you can secure your seats with a few clicks and download your tickets straight to your phone – quick, easy, and safe! 

Utah Opera Tickets

“Utah Opera’s productions are well worth checking out – not just for the novelty, but also because the singing and the production values are uniformly strong.” – The Salt Lake Tribune

THE COMPANY

The Utah Opera, under the masterful baton of artistic director Christopher McBeth, is a flagship arts organization employing no less than 87 full-time symphony musicians and five resident artists within the company. The Utah Opera breathes life into many stunning operatic productions, with over 175 performances every year to over 400,000 opera-lovers and newcomers alike. 

The Utah Opera offers a much sought-after Resident Artists Programme, forming the bridge between graduate studies and a professional career within the operatic arts. The current residents include soprano Stephanie Chee (The Shining, Fidelio, The Elixir of Love, La Traviata), mezzo-soprano Julia Holoman (Alcina, Dido and Aeneas, The Shining, La Traviata), tenor Aaron McKone (The Shining, Fidelio, La Traviata, Faust, Gianni Schicchi, Die Fledermaus), baritone Rodney Sharp II (Hansel und Gretel, Gianni Schicchi, The Rake’s Progress, The Shining, Fidelio, La Traviata), and pianist Jie Fang Go.

Even though the Utah Opera is the resident company at the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre, they often embark on tours with the goal to engage and inspire audiences in other North American cities with their perfectly honed craft. 

The Utah Opera is one of only American operatic companies with their own in-house costume designers and set-building and a prop studio. As of now, the Utah Opera owns costumes for over 50 productions and 19 full sets. 

“Utah Opera has assembled a fine cast of singers, all of whom have superb vocal and acting chops.” – Utah Arts Review

HISTORY 

The Utah Opera had its premiere in 1978 with Puccini’s La Bohème, under the leadership of founding general director Glade Peterson. Following the massive success of this production, the Utah Opera increased their annual performances to three, and eventually the opera-season grew into a massive four-production season, thanks to its increasing popularity.   

“Utah Opera soars!”  – The Opera Critic

UTAH OPERA & THE COMMUNITY

The Utah Opera is highly active within the community, offering education and outreach programmes. The company strives to not only celebrate traditional operatic repertoire, but also to fuel the American operatic traditions by commissioning and performing new works, such as David Carlson’s Dreamkeepers, commissioned for Utah’s Centennial, Carlisle Floyd’s Of Mice and Men and Cold Sassy Tree, Douglas Moore’s The Ballad of Baby Doe, Mark Adamo’s Little Women, and Mason Bates and Mark Campbell’s The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. 

The educational endeavours of the Utah Opera, in service of the community, and in line with their mission to “connect the community through great live music”, include programmes for youth and adults alike, underserved communities, and persons with special needs, at no cost.  Apart from the extensive educational programme aimed at developing skills in music by offering a variety of experiences in the creation, development, and production of opera, the Utah Opera ensures accessibility to opera for those with sensory sensitivities and disabilities, the blind and visually impaired, and state-wide events.   

“A truly wonderful company keeping the art of opera alive in the City of Salt!” – Yelp

THE JANET QUINNEY LAWSON CAPITOL THEATRE

The iconic Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre, situated on 50 West 200 South, Downtown Salt Lake City, has been bringing the magic of live entertainment to Utah for over a century – on a whole different level. Boasting gorgeous architecture in the Italian Renaissance Revival and Beaux Arts styles, with a terra cotta-clad exterior, stunning furniture, and luxurious seating for up to 1,876 patrons across an orchestra floor, grand tier, mezzanine, and balcony, the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre is a major performance venue for large scale productions, music concerts, dramatic performances, dance showcases, and more. 

The Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre is the home of the renowned Utah Opera, alongside Ballet West. 

“… deliver performances of emotional resonance along with powerhouse vocals.” – Operabase