I am so excited to be sharing a wonderful conversation with you today with acclaimed operatic artist and entrepreneur, Michael Ballam. Michael Ballam has received critical acclaim with the major opera companies of the USA and a recital career in Concert Halls across four continents. His operatic repertoire includes more than 600 performances of over 70 major roles, sharing the stage with the world's greatest singers. An accomplished pianist and oboist, he is the Founder and General Director of the Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre company, which is fast becoming one of the nation's major Opera Festivals. Along with his artistic and creative endeavors, Michael Ballam is a passionate advocate for the arts across the country. I had the great privilege of working and performing in the Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre back in 2019, their last season since before the pandemic. Along with many others, I felt the grave loss when they were forced to shut their doors in the summer of 2020. However, this week they publicly announced their 2021 season! Tickets are available through their website which I have linked in the show notes for this episode!

In this episode, Michael Ballam shares the Festival’s challenges in the last year. We talk about their miraculous beginnings and how, through perseverance, they have enriched the lives of countless individuals in their small community and beyond in ways that have served multiple generations and hopefully, many generations to come.

https://music.usu.edu/faculty/directory/ballam

https://michaelballam.com/

https://utahfestival.org/