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La Bohéme

La Bohéme | September 2023

Opera in four acts, composed by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa.

Love, money, illness, wealth, and poverty all collide in this tale of whirlwind romance and shocking tragedy.

Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center, 2525 W. Taylorsville Road (5400 South), Taylorsville, UT

Dates:

  • Sat, September 9, 2023 at 7:00pm (Cast A)
  • Wed, September 13, 2023 at 7:00pm (Cast A)
  • Fri, September 15, 2023 at 7:00pm (Cast B)
  • Sun, September 17, 2023 at 3:00pm (Cast B)

Tickets are sold through ArtTix.


FREE - open to the public, friends and family, CLASSY CONCERTS will take place in the lobby 45 minutes before each opera performance presenting local musicians.

FREE pre-show lecture "An insider's guide" inside the theater starting 45 minutes prior to each opera performance.


Synopsis:

La Bohème is an opera composed by Giacomo Puccini that premiered in 1896. Set in the bohemian neighborhoods of Paris in the 1830s, it tells a poignant tale of love, friendship, and the struggles of young artists in the face of poverty and illness.

The story revolves around a group of impoverished bohemian friends: the poet Rodolfo, the painter Marcello, the musician Schaunard, and the philosopher Colline. They live together in a small attic apartment, finding solace in their creative pursuits while battling the harsh realities of life.

Rodolfo meets a young seamstress named Mimi on Christmas Eve, and they fall deeply in love. Despite their passionate relationship, they face obstacles, including Mimi's declining health due to tuberculosis. As their love blossoms, financial hardships and the constraints of Mimi's illness strain their bond. Meanwhile, Marcello has a tempestuous relationship with the flirtatious Musetta, adding both comedy and drama to the narrative. Their on-again, off-again romance reflects the ups and downs of love and the complexities of human emotions.

As the opera progresses, the characters' lives intertwine, leading to moments of joy, heartbreak, and profound sadness. Eventually, Mimi's health deteriorates to a critical stage, and despite Rodolfo's desperate attempts to save her, she succumbs to her illness, devastating him and their friends.

La Bohème captures the essence of the human experience, portraying the passionate desires, dreams, and struggles of young artists and the fragility of life itself. Puccini's exquisite music underscores the emotional depth of the story, making it one of the most beloved and frequently performed operas of all time.

Approximate Running Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes, with 2 intermissions.

CAST:

Lyrical Opera Theater engages local, internationally acclaimed, seasoned performers as well as young and upcoming talent.

Rodolfo:Anthony Ruiz (Cast A) Daniel Perez (Cast B) Tenor
Mimi: Chelsea Alexandra (Cast A) Lily Peterson (Cast B) Soprano
Marcello:Daniel Tuutau (Cast A) Jordon LeBaron (Cast B) Baritone
Musetta:Jocelyn van Wyk (Cast A) Heather Shelley (Cast B) Soprano
Schaunard: Marc Abbott (Cast A) Christopher Stockslager (Cast B) Baritone
Colline:Ricky Parkinson (Cast A) Matthew Castleton (Cast B) Bass
Benoit:Rod Hansen Baritone
Alcindoro:Gary Later Baritone
Parpignol:Alex Harrelson AlexHarrelson, TenorTenor
Chorus:Amy Banta Emily Jameson SATB
  Deborah Naylor Emily Anderson Mijarez  
  Heather Hillstead Rod Hansen  
  Jed Shirts Aaron Read  
  Bran Read Smera Nair  
  Emily Tuutau Nila Nachimuthu  
Stage Manager: Matilda Black  
Assistant Stage Manager: Jayden Dudley  
Stagehands:Aaron Read Kaden Larsen  
Wigs & Makeup:Daniel Perez  

DETAILED ARTIST'S INFO:

Anthony Ruiz, Tenor

Rodolpho in La Bohème

Anthony Ruiz has performed in various settings and with varying disciplines including chamber choirs, jazz, musical theatre, band, opera, and more! In fact, his introduction to the world of music began with instruments. That passion sewed by playing low brass instruments has driven him to explore vocal performance and many genres that have ultimately led him to where he is now: Performing on stage with Lyrical Opera Theatre. He is currently rehearsing in UVU's production of La Bohéme and A voice for Good's production of The Lamb of God by Rober Gardner, taking on the role as Peter. He participated in Utah Valley Vocal Arts Le nozze di Figaro by Mozart. Although he is only starting to explore the opera world, he's enamored by this classical art form and the opportunities it offers.

Daniel Perez, Full Lyric Tenor

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Rodolfo in La Bohème and Wigs & Makeup

Daniel Perez, tenor, is originally from Mexico, now resides in Provo, Utah. He's currently a Vocal Performance student at Utah Valley University. Daniel's most recent roles include Arturo and Normano in Lucia di Lammermoor, Algernon Moncrief in the American premiere of The Importance of Being Earnest, Camille de Rossillon in the Merry widow, and Alfred in Die Fledermaus. He also has performed as an ensemble member for multiple performances with Utah Opera, Utah Lyric Opera and Utah Vocal Arts Academy. For his next upcoming role he will be singing Rodolfo from La Boheme in 2022. Daniel also works for the Hale Center Theater as a hair and makeup crew, and has designed for UVUs theatrical shows as well.

Chelsea Alexandra, Full Lyric Soprano

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Mimi in La Bohème

Chelsea Alexandra is thrilled to debut with the Lyrical Opera Theater as our beloved Mimì. She is excited to revisit La Bohème as she studied and performed the role last summer in Novafeltria Italy where she attended La Musica Lirica. Chelsea has been featured in the University of Utah's productions of Gianni Schicchi as Lauretta and scenes from Così fan tutte as Fiordiligi. Chelsea spent this summer with the Utah Vocal Arts Academy where she sang in masterclasses with Frank Lopardo and Marina Costa-Jackson and was delighted to perform the title role of Massenet's Cendrillon. Chelsea is currently studying under the tutelage of Kirstin Chávez, Artist in Residence, at the University of Utah and graduates this year from the Master's program in Vocal Performance.

Lily Peterson, Soprano

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Mimi in La Bohème

Lily Peterson is a Senior at UVU and will graduate in April of 2023 with her Bachelors in Vocal Performance. Her most recent roles have been Antonia in The Tales of Hoffmann at her university November of 2022, as well as Nella in Gianni Schicchi with the UVAA summer Program 2022. Lily is currently studying with soprano Marina Costa-Jackson. When Lily isn't singing, she loves exercising with her husband and taking her dog on walks.

Daniel Tuutau, Baritone

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Marcello in La Bohéme

Daniel Tuutau, Baritone, is originally from Los Angeles, California. He holds BA & MM degrees in music from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Utah in Vocal Performance. He frequently sings with the Lyrical Opera Theater in Midvale, Utah, and is currently a regular member of the Utah Opera Chorus. He has worked as an adjunct professor in voice at the University of Utah in the Theater Department and also teaches private studio voice lessons throughout the Salt Lake Valley. He lives in Salt Lake City with his wife, Brandy, and their four children.

Jordon LeBaron, Baritone

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Marcello in La Bohéme

Jordon LeBaron, baritone, studied voice at Utah State University where he received his bachelor of music degree in vocal performance. Since then, he has enjoyed performing in several opera, oratorio, musical theater, and jazz productions. Some of his recent credits include: Sciarrone (Tosca), Pharaoh (Joseph), Silvio (Pagliacci), Betto (Gianni Schicchi), Frollo (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), Bass soloist (Handel's Messiah), and The LeBaron Singers on YouTube. He is especially grateful for his beautiful and talented wife, Angela, with whom he often shares the stage. They have three amazing kids.

Jocelyn van Wyk, Soprano

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Musetta in La Bohéme

Idaho-raised soprano Jocelyn van Wyk is an actress, stage director, private voice teacher and owner of Sego Studios. She completed her Masters of Music in Opera Performance in the spring of 2020, from Longy School of Music of Bard College. She has performed many operatic and music theater roles. Most recently she was part of Utah Festival Opera and Music Theater's summer season. This is Jocelyn's third production with Lyrical Opera Theater. Jocelyn specializes in character development and loves telling beloved stories in new meaningful ways.

Heather Shelley, Soprano

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Musetta in La Bohéme

Heather settled here after performing in China for 2 yrs. Degrees: English BA, Linguistics MA, Tesol GC, and Theater BA (Music, Dance, & Psychology minors). Music Directed at: The Empress, West Jordan Arts Council, Cultural Celebration Center, TAFT, Midvale Arts Council, Lehi Arts Council, & Draper Historic Theater. She often works as a choreographer or dialect coach. She's learned 7 languages and is still fluent in 5. Recently: Mary Poppins - Draper Historic and Elle Woods - Desert Star. Favorite roles: Sibella-A Gentleman's Guide…, Milly-Seven Brides…, Gwendolyn-The Importance,,,Earnest, & Rosalinda-Die Fledermaus. By day she works as a real estate agent and wrangles 3 little boys. Insta: heatherwalshshelley

Marc Abbott

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Schaunard in La Bohéme

MARC ABBOTT, baritone, studied opera under tenor Harry Dunstan of the American Center for Puccini Studies, performing in multiple operas over the years with the Center -- Pictordu (Cendrillon, Viardot); in several Puccini operas as Guglielmo Wulf (Le Villi), Michele (Il tabarro) and Scarpia (Tosca); Herr Colas (Bastien und Bastienne, Mozart). He also played St. Thomas (Savior of the World). Recently, he sang in the ensemble in Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre's Carmen (Bizet). In addition to La bohème, he is returning next February as Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini). He currently teaches voice at Utah State University.

Christopher Stockslager

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Schaunard in La Bohéme

Chris is a Utah native who graduated with his BA in Classical Voice from Westminster College in 2015. In 2017, he earned his MM also in Classical Voice from The Manhattan School of Music under Metropolitan Opera legend, James Morris. Previous role highlights include Lord Savage in Jekyll & Hyde, Peter in Company, Frank Butler in Annie, Get Your Gun, The Black Cat in L'enfant et les sortilèges, Julius Caesar in Giulio Cesare, Athamas in Semele, the title role in Don Giovanni, and various operatic, musical theatre, and jazz scenes and concerts. Chris is currently pursuing a career in musical theatre and jazz.

Ricky Parkinson, Bass

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Colline in La Bohéme

Ricky's eclectic musical endeavors have taken him from a cappella groups (BYU Vocal Point, ICCA champions in 2006) to opera (Utah Opera Chorus) to early music (5 seasons with Utopia Early Music Ensemble) to musical theater. He has performed in musical theater productions at Pioneer Theater Company as Olin Britt in The Music Man, Hale Center Theater in Sandy as Smudge in Forever Plaid and Orem as Javert in Les Miserables, and Centerpoint Legacy Theater as Adam in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and Adam in Children of Eden. He was most recently seen as Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, and Ladahlord in James and the Giant Peach.

Matthew Castleton, Baritone

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Colline in La Bohéme

Matthew Thomas Castleton (Salt Lake City, Utah) is delighted to appear with Lyrical Opera Theater. While Mr. Castleton has a large swath of operatic and musical theatre experience, recent credits include La Bohème (Utah Opera 2017), Chabrier's L'Étoile (Sin City Opera 2017), and Lucia di Lammermoor (Utah Opera 2017). Mr. Castleton also was a young artist at the 2009 La Musica Lirica Opera Young Artist Program (Novafeltria, Italy). He holds both Bachelors (2010) and Masters (2014) Degrees in Music-Vocal Performance from the University of Utah. When he is not performing, Matthew also works as a head cashier at The Home Depot while making his home in Midvale, Utah.

Rod Hansen, Tenor

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Benoit in La Bohéme

This is Rod Hansen's second production with Lyrical Opera Theater. Earlier this year he sang in the chorus of Pagliacci. Prior to that, he appeared in musicals, such as Spamalot and Fiddler on the Roof. He is often found performing at Evermore Park in Pleasant Grove, or in other settings as a medieval style bard; singing, playing guitar, and juggling.

Gary Later, Baritone

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Alcindoro in La Bohéme

Gary Later's love of music is what got him involved in musical theatre and opera nearly a decade ago. Some of his favorite community theatre productions, have been The Music Man, Man of La Mancha, and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. His favorite musical theatre role—consistent with his love of music—was the part of the baritone in the barbershop quartet of The Music Man. He has sung with Utah Opera Chorus in the operas Norma and The Barber of Seville. Gary is excited to be singing in Lyrical Opera Theater's production of Madama Butterfly.

Alex Harrelson, Tenor

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Parpignol in La Bohéme

Driven by an overarching love for story and song, Alex Harrelson delights in building a genuine connection between himself and his audience. He has brought this love of connection beyond the operatic stage, giving compelling recitals that reignite art song and song cycles to new audiences. Alex is currently a second year Masters student at the University of Utah, where he studies under Dr. Robert Breault. Recent opera performances for Alex include performing as Lindoro in Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri as a part of the La Musica Lirica summer program. During the first year of his Masters program, he performed as Anthony in Sondheim's Sweeney Todd. He sang Ferrando in a selection of scenes and arias from Mozart's Cosi fan tutte.

Amy Banta, Soprano

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Chorus in La Bohéme

Amy Banta didn't know she could sing until she was almost 30. Now she's making up for lost time. In Washington, D.C. she performed at The National Cathedral and with The Georgetown Gilbert and Sullivan Society, singing for prominent members of all branches of government. Locally, she's performed at The Empress Theatre and with The Motley Wandering Minstrels. She also sings and plays Celtic Harp (and occasionally the banjo) with her folk trio "The High Desert Harpies." This is Amy's first time performing grand opera. Thank you for being her first opera audience.

Deborah Naylor, Soprano

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Chorus in La Bohéme

Deborah graduated with her Bachelors degree in voice from BYU-Idaho in 2018 where she studied under famous soprano Kris Ciezinski. This will be Deborah's first production with Lyrical Opera. Her most recent roles have been Dorothée in Cendrillon at UVAA, Lady Beaconsfield with Draper Historic Theatre and Evangeline Barley in Gentlemen's Guide to Love and Murder at Charity Play. When she isn't on the stage she can be found teaching piano and voice lessons out of her home, working in finance and spending time with her family outdoors.

Emily Jameson, Soprano

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Chorus in La Bohéme

This is Emily's first experience with opera. She is very excited to be a part of the Pagliacci Opera Chorus. Emily has been performing in musical theatre productions for the past four years. Favorite roles include: Fastrada in Pippin and Miss Andrew in Mary Poppins. Other favorite shows include Into the Woods and Addams Family.

Emily Anderson Mijarez, Mezzo Soprano

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Chorus in La Bohéme

Emily Anderson Mijarez is excited to be making her second appearance at Lyrical Opera. She played the role of Flora in Lyrical Opera's performance of La Traviata in 2019. However, she has spent most of her musical career on the musical theater stage. She has performed at The Hale Theater Orem in South Pacific and Guys and Dolls, as well as in many local community productions. Her favorite roles to date are Lucy in Jekyll and Hyde and Ms. Hannigan in Annie. Emily is extremely grateful to her family, friends and husband who encourage her daily to pursue her dreams. She is also very grateful to Lynnette Owens who continues to push her outside her comfort zone.

Heather Hillstead, Soprano

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Chorus in La Bohéme

Heather Hillstead last performed with Lyrical Opera Theater as Tosca in its 2022 production of the opera. She received a Bachelor of Music from the University of Idaho and a Master of Music in Vocal Performance at the University of Northern Colorado. She is currently a member of the Utah Opera Chorus and will perform with them in their coming 2023-24 season. She has performed various mass and choral works with the Greeley Philharmonic, the Glacier Symphony Orchestra, and even performed as part of a quartet for a promotional tour for Disney's A Christmas Carol. Other past roles include Cherubino in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, Mercedes in Bizet's Carmen, and Helen in Hindemith's one act opera Hin und zurück.

Smera Nair, Soprano

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Chorus in La Bohéme

Smera Nair takes vocal and piano lessons privately with Lynnette Owens. She is a talented singer and pianist and enjoys performing songs in English, Latin and Italian. She recently sang "Nella Fantasia" at the 2021 Italian festival in Salt Lake City. In her free time, Smera loves to go swimming, biking and spend time with her family and her pet dog, Buddy.

Emily Tuutau, Soprano

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Chorus in La Bohéme

Emily Tuutau was born into a musical family and loves to sing and perform on stage. She is a fast learner and follows stage directions well. She has performed in three Lyrical Opera Theater productions…the role of Trouble in Madama Butterfly, an Acolyte in Tosca and a Villager in Pagliacci.

Nila Nachimuthu, Soprano

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Chorus in La Bohéme

Hi, my name is Nila, and I'm a 9-year-old who plays piano and sings in English and Italian. I'm on the swim team, chess club, and I do jiu-jitsu, math class, summer camp, ice skating, and yoga. I love animals more than anything in the world. I am about to perform in my first opera, La Bohème.

Matilda Black, Stage Manager

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Stage Manager in La Bohéme

Matilda has been passionate about tech for 5 years now. She has worked on shows such as The Importance of being Earnest, Little Women, and Into the Woods. She also plays the piano, is absolutely nerdy, and has a deep fascination with science and the natural world.

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Upcoming Performances

Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center