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Who Wants To Be An Opera Star? Duchesne Edition

The five Utah Opera Resident Artists pose in concert attire.
The Utah Opera Resident Artists: Front row from L to R: Lindsay Woodward, pianist / Jessica Jones, soprano / Abigail Levis, mezzo-soprano; Back row: Will Tvrdik, bass / Tyson Miller, tenor

The five resident artists of the Utah Opera are once again on the road. This week they’ve traveled to Duchesne County to introduce kids to the dazzling new world of opera. Mezzo-soprano Abi Levis says that they’ve had an incredible experience so far.

“That sense of wonder you get from an elementary school student when they hear you sing without a microphone for the first time … their little jaws just hit the floor. That sense of wonder is really nourishing for me and for my colleagues as artists. For us it is just exposing them to this. That’s all you need to just light that spark in them for the arts,” says Levis.

Each age group gets a different taste of what opera is like. Elementary school students play the game show “Who Wants to be an Opera Star?;” middle-school students participate in “Opera on the Air: Così Fan Tutte,” a radio show-styled performance; and high school students get to experience a program called “Opera Up Close.” 

These performances are offered free of charge to schools thanks to partial funding from the Utah State Legislature’s Professional  Outreach Programs in the Schools (POPS). Union High School Choir director Carey Willis says even bussing students out to bigger cities on field trips is costly, so programs that come directly into the schools are absolutely essential.

“This really is worth the money to these rural kids in these areas because it brings these opportunities to them in a way they would never receive in any other way,” says Willis.

She says that without programs such as these, most of these students would never get the opportunity to be inspired by such high-caliber performances.

“So when these kinds of programs come, it’s just a super way to help the children see that these kinds of cultural events are out there. The next time they have an opportunity to attend one, they’re more likely to take it because they’ve had just that little taste of what it is,” she says.

The tour will culminate in a community concert held on Friday evening at 7:00 at Roosevelt High School. This event will feature opera scenes from the Romantic period and will provide an opportunity for kids to share what they’ve learned about opera this week with their families.