Gala to benefit opera in Utah County

A number of nationally and internationally recognized opera artists now make their home in Utah County. Among them are husband-and-wife singers Darrell Babidge and Jennifer Welch-Babidge, Curt Peterson and Christopher Holmes.

With all this talent so close by, Holmes thought it would be a good opportunity to bring opera to Utah Valley.

"I was thinking it was a shame that we couldn't involve them more," he told the Deseret News. "I talked to them to see if they were interested, and they were."

Holmes is spearheading the drive for professional quality opera in Utah Valley. He grew up in Provo, and three years ago he returned there with his family. "People deserve opera here," he said. "We're building up to do our first production in 2011. Our hope is to have a tradition of one fully staged and costumed opera each year."

To garner support in the community, Holmes, who has sung with Austin Lyric Opera and Central City Opera, will team up with his colleagues living in Utah County and in Salt Lake City to present a gala evening of opera arias, duets and ensembles.

The concert, sponsored by the Utah Lyric Opera Society, takes place Sept. 12 in the Covey Center for the Arts in Provo, and will benefit the fledgling company.

Ariel Bybee, Todd Miller and Carla Rae Cook will also perform in the concert, and Bybee's husband, James Ford, will narrate.

Puccini's "La Boheme" will be the first production, Holmes said. "It will be either in February or March of 2011. It will be a full production with orchestra."

There will be more events scheduled in the months ahead, Holmes said. "We need to get the word out. And with so much talent around here, you can expect a high level of quality."

There already is a fair amount of opera in the area, if one includes the annual opera productions at Brigham Young University and the University of Utah, along with Utah Opera and Logan's Utah Festival Opera.

But Holmes isn't worried about the competition. As an opera singer, he puts things in a different perspective. "You can never have too much opera."

If you go ...

What: Opera Gala

Where: Covey Center for the Arts, 425 W. Center, Provo

When: Sept. 12, 7:30 p.m.

How much: $15-$25, $10 students

Phone: 801-852-7007

Web: coveycenter.org

e-mail: ereichel@desnews.com