Join Z-Arts on Saturday, February 6, 2016 for “Once Upon a Time”.  In their “Once Upon a Time” concert, Utah Opera’s five Resident Artists will perform scenes from a variety of fairy tale stories, from Mozart’s Magic Flute to modern classics such as Frozen and Into the Woods. They’ll also explore the timeless tale of Cinderella, as interpreted by composers as diverse as Rossini, Massenet, Rodgers & Hammerstein, and Stephen Sondheim. Come immerse yourself in fairy tale magic in this family-friendly one-hour musical event!

Canyon Community Center
128 Lion Boulevard, Springdale

Admission $5 per person or $10 per family

Soprano Jessica E. Jones is quickly establishing herself as a leading American soprano. Singing the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor at Opera in The Heights, she received praise from the Houston Press: “Full of dazzling radiance, soprano Jessica E. Jones lit up the intimate space as virginal Lucia driven mad by unrequited love. She supplied her own thunder and sparks to Donizetti’s vocal fireworks.” Her other roles include Desdemona in Rossini’s Otello, Adina in L’elisir d’amore, Lightfoot McClendon in Carlisle Floyd’s Cold Sassy Tree, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, The Governess in The Turn of the Screw, and Beatrice in Daniel Catán’s Il Postino. She has performed with Opera Saratoga, Sugar Creek Symphony & Song, and Crested Butte Music Festival. She was a finalist in the 2012 Northwest region Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Ms. Jones holds a master’s degree in performance from the Moores School of Music.

Mezzo-soprano Sarah Coit is a recent graduate of the Masters in Music program at the University of Michigan. She was previously a Young Artist with the St. Petersburg Opera Company, where she covered Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd, and Dryad in Ariadne auf Naxos. This past summer Ms. Coit was a Gerdine Young Artist with Opera Theatre of St. Louis, where she covered Richard in the American Premiere of Handel’s Richard the Lionheart.

 

Tenor Christian Sanders has a “…voice whose color belies his age. Someone to watch!” (SanDiego.com). Mr. Sanders’ operatic repertoire encompasses the roles of Tom Rakewell in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress, the title role in Britten’s Albert Herring, Rodolfo in La Bohème, Laurie in Adamo’s Little Women, Tamino in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, and Prince Charmant in Cendrillon by Massenet. He appeared as the Prison Chaplain in the World Premiere of Theodore Morrison’s Oscar with the Santa Fe Opera alongside world-renowned countertenor David Daniels. Last summer Mr. Sanders sang the title role in The Picture of Dorian Gray at the Aspen Music Festival and School. Mr. Sanders holds a Masters of Music degree from Rice University and a Bachelors of Arts Magna Cum Laude in Music with a minor in Cell and Molecular Biology from Point Loma Nazarene University.

Baritone Markel Reed is a passionate interpreter of the operatic repertoire. Fast establishing himself as a wonderful conveyer of the works of Mozart, as well as those of French and Bel Canto composers. Recently, Mr. Reed travelled the state of Kentucky with SOOP (Schmidt Opera Outreach Program) and presented a colorful rendition of Jack in Jack and the Beanstalk to over 2,000 children. Other notable roles include Leporello in Don Giovanni, Morales and Dancaïre in Carmen, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Schaunard in La Bohème, and Guglielmo in Così fan tutte. He has performed with Kentucky Opera, Bronx Opera and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Mr. Reed is an alumnus of the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre program.

Pianist Timothy Accurso just finished his master’s degree in vocal coaching and accompanying at the University of Illinois in Urbana- Champaign, where he studied with Dr. Julie Jordan Gunn. During his master’s program, Mr. Acurrso also served on the coaching staff for the Lyric Theatre @ Illinois, acting as a vocal coach and rehearsal pianist for the 2014-2015 season. This summer, he returned as faculty with the Performing Arts Institute, a high school music festival in Kingston, Pennsylvania, near his home in Glen Lyon, Pennsylvania. The summer of 2014, Mr. Acurrso coached and performed for the Franco American Vocal Academy in Paris and Périgueux, France. In previous summers, he worked as a pianist in Spoleto, Italy for the CCM-Spoleto summer program, played for Interlochen Arts Camp’s production of Children of Eden, and did a short chamber music residency in Japan through Susquehanna University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in vocal and piano performance.

 

This project is supported by Utah Arts and Museums, with funding from the State of Utah and the National Endowment for the Arts .

 

Support for this event provided by The National Endowment for the Arts - Art Works