utah opera

We went to opening night of Pearl Fishers on Saturday. The two leading male roles were superb and well-casted. The night we went there was a substitution for Nadir who we would have not even known was not casted as the primary choice. He was excellent! The choreography for the opening chorus in the first act was a bit odd and awkward. The chorus was perhaps too large for this stage and costuming was a bit off for the chorus.Overall the opera was well performed and quite well sung by the principals.

Lived for years in a city that had that had a famous orchestra; but rarely went because of the cost and difficult access. Utah Symphony is very good, and if you are willing to do floor level, the ticket costs are amazingly low. Can park for free just down the street. Beautiful building and they also have great visiting soloists. Get on their mailing list!

Phenomenal performances! You cannot go wrong with any performance Utah Opera does. Great scenery. Gorgeous wardrobes. Amazing singers from across the globe! Truly worth any performance. Utah Opera delivers a wonderful Night at the Opera!

The opera has always been my favorite form of live performance. You get great music, amazing voices, entertaining stories and interesting stage sets all in one package. Utah Opera rates right up there with some of the best I have seen at The Met and San Francisco. The only drawback is the uncomfortable seating in the balcony. Being short, it is not such a problem for me, but anyone with long legs should sit on the main floor.

There are a lot of opera companies in this country, contrary to popular belief, but few are as consistent as Utah Opera under the expert guidance of Christopher McBeth. Not only are you guaranteed to hear one of the best orchestras in the country emanating from the pit, but you are also going to hear and watch singing actors of the highest quality. You can tell that these performers love working for Utah Opera because the end results are always so polished and intimate. I highly advise you to take the opportunity to see world class opera right here in Salt Lake, whether it's your home town or if you're just here to enjoy the equally captivating mountains.

We just saw Madame Butterfly and it was amazing. What a great cast. We just started attending the opera to see if we would like it and we ended up purchasing season tickets. Try it, you might love it too.

Wonderful casting!! This is probably the best rendition of Madame Butterfly that I had ever seen. Yunah Lee was excellent as Cio-Cio San, and Nina Yoshida Nelson as Suzuki. The little boy was also perfect in his role as "Trouble." The male actors, all of them, were just awesome. I remember the part where Cio-Cio San is resigned to give up her child to her husband's new wife; I was looking around at all my fellow audience members, and seeing faces streaming with tears. Heartbreaking! I would see this again and recommend it to all my friends--very well worth the price of admission.

Simply put, OUTSTANDING !What a wonderful performance, beautiful cast, fantastic job by the Utah Symphony.Not enough words to describe what a great night out enjoying one of our greatest treasures, the Utah Opera.Congratulations to the entire Madam Butterfly Cast ! BRAVO !!!

The pre-show by Carol and the post performance by Christopher are especially meaningful for each opera. I was happy to learn the casting process for "Madame Butterfly," because we were treated to the best possible ethnic roles: Asians for Cio Cio San and Suzuki and the child at the right age who was half Asian and half American. Surely, such casting is rare in the opera world.Of the several "Madame Butterfly" productions I have seen, the ending of this one was the most tender expressions of love.

The two female leads were magnificent, and they sang with real emotion and power. The tenor was very good, though I didn't think his voice was of the same strength and quality. I loved the little boy who played Butterfly's son. He had been well coached. The set was magnificent and the costumes were gorgeous. I had my opera glasses so I could see the exquisite detail in the kimonos that Butterfly wore. Such a heart-rending story and such gorgeous music to interpret it. (The orchestra was terrific, if a shade too loud), and there was not a single mistake or misstep in the whole thing. I have to put in a good word for the man who played the consul and for the chorus--both excellent. I also encourage going to the before-opera lecture to learn about the music. The lecturer is very good and entertaining.

I have seen this opera about 4 times, and this was my favorite portrayal of Madam Butterfly. She has a fabulous voice, and her acting ability was outstanding as well. Her little son was charming as well, also the best I have ever seen. Utah Opera is an excellent regional opera with affordable tickets and great audiences, and it is attracting a great group of younger people who are attending. It is so enjoyable to attend a production where the audience is enthusiastic and appreciative, and having done some (amateur) performing myself at one time, I know that it makes the cast rise to give the audience their best performance. I agree that it was an excellent decision to leave out the intermission between acts II and III. Only one jarring note----I really did not like the costuming for Lt. Pinkerton, especially in the 2nd act.

I have attended every opera but one that they have presented over the past 25 years. The quality of production has improved greatly during that time, and Christopher McBeth has made a tremendous difference. Butterfly was just done, and the female lead was a good as I have personally seen/heard in the role. We also have season tickets in San Francisco for the same 25 years (and counting), and we have attended a number of operas in Chicago, the Met, and in Europe. Salt Lake City does not have the resources to match the scale of production of those companies, nor can they match the top-to-bottom talent that we see in the great houses. However, the performances are very well done, rarely disappoint, and are well worth attending. Considering that we pay 3 times as much in San Francisco for similar quality seats, it makes a great evening out enjoying the fine musicians who present these operas.

My mom who is an opera fanatic and goes on opera tours in Italy flew in to go to Turandot with me last year. She said they were the best audience she had ever seen, very responsive and enthusiastic. I thought maybe it was just a special night or a one-off, but when I saw Madame Butterfly this year if anything it was better. I felt the audience participation pulled the best possible performances out of the cast and Butterfly was completely stunning. There was audible sobbing throughout at the end. The venue is so small and intimate that even relatively inexpensive seats are very good. For the money you can't beat it. I got full season tickets here for less than one decent ticket at LA opera and was much closer. I still love LA Opera, but s small venue has an intimacy that they cannot match. LA has all star casts that Utah can't compete with, but Utah has incredible heart and passion with a few superstars in each production or future superstars.

I've been going to the Utah Opera since I graduated high school in 2008. Even when I don't agree with creative decisions made in the production, I always enjoy my evening (except La Boheme-no production can fix that train wreck). The latest production, Madame Butterfly, brought the house to tears. The casting was magnificent and the music on point. I recommend coming early for the lecture before the show that will acclimate you to the style of music and help even an amateur grasp the virtuosity and skill presented. I believe that everyone should visit the opera at least once, but regular visits enhance the experience.

Over the years I have seen three performances of Madame Butterfly and this most recent Utah Opera production was the best so far. Utah Opera has always been a fine company but in recent years it has become an exceptional company. This is one more example.