THE BARBER OF SEVILLE The Barber of Seville
by Gioachino Rossini
August 24—30, 2025
Conducted
by
Benjamin Beckman
Directed by Lisl
Wangermann
Welcome
We’re so glad you’re here.
When Park City Opera began just last year, we started with a question: What could opera look like if it truly belonged to this community? We’ve searched for answers across dozens of performances in galleries, libraries, greenhouses, and community centers in town.
And today, we arrive at something new: our very first full-scale opera: Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia, shared with you. This witty, sparkling comedy—brimming with unforgettable music and heart—is the perfect way to begin our next chapter.
Producing opera is always a communal triumph. Forty-five artists and creators, from singers to instrumentalists, designers, directors, and crew have poured their talents and love into this production.
This milestone doesn’t belong to us alone. It belongs to you, too. After all, this is the first fully staged opera presented in Park City in over 20 years. And the best part? We’re just getting started on our mission to create joyful, welcoming classical music experiences for everyone who calls this place home.
We hope today’s performance delights you and reminds you why live art matters.
With gratitude,
Lena Goldstein Executive Director
Production Team
Benjamin Beckman Conductor
Hayley Wallenfeldt Scenic Designer
Cameron Reeve Lighting Technician
Dave Crespo Technical Support
Sarah Neal Rosina
Mark Covey-Barrera Bartolo
Christopher Holmes Fiorello, Ufficiale
Sam Plumb
Chorus
Arin Goldstein Flute/Piccolo
Fabio Valery Villanova Bassoon
Hugh Palmer Violin (Concertmaster)
Emily Barrett Brown Viola
Edward Merritt Bass
Lisl Wangermann Director
Greg & Bash Toth Set Builders
Mac Merchant Rehearsal Pianist
Melissa Salomonson
PC Library Partner
Our Cast
Jake Stamatis Figaro
Joseph Park Don Basilio
Akshay Ghiya Chorus
Our Orchestra
Luca de la Florin Oboe
Jessica Danz Horn
Hannah Linz Violin
Madison Marshall Viola
Sady Jonart* Viola
Joel Thompson Stage Manager
Chea Kang Graphic Designer
Dacia Napier Scenic Artist
Anthony Hebert Premiere Partner
Jordan Costa Count Almaviva
Lena Goldstein Berta
Jacob Kenison Chorus
Erin Svoboda-Scott Clarinet
Nathan Basinger Horn
Natalie Boberg Violin
Megan Richards Cello
Elizabeth MacKay* Violin
Erin Voellinger Clarinet
Aidan Smith Percussion
Melissa Draper Violin
Hannah Brown Cello
Dalloway Smith* Cello
*Members of Park City Opera’s High School Side-by-Side Initiative. Students join our orchestra to play the Overture on August 24 . th
Performed in Italian with English supertitles. Approx. 2 hours, 15 minutes with one 20-minute intermission.
Please respect the audience and creative team. Professional videography by Sean Cochrane and GigViz. Photographing, videotaping, or recording this production is prohibited. Orchestral edition by Bryan Higgins, by arrangement with Motet Music Publishing Company.
ACT I: Count Almaviva arrives in Seville disguised as a poor student named “Lindoro” to woo Rosina, who is the young ward of the jealous Dr. Bartolo. With the help of hired musicians, he serenades her but gets no response and sends them away disappointed.
Fortunately, Figaro—the town barber and a clever schemer—arrives. Almaviva enlists his help, and Figaro suggests that the Count disguise himself as a drunken soldier to gain entry into Bartolo’s house.
Meanwhile, Rosina has secretly fallen in love with “Lindoro” and writes him a letter encouraging his courtship. Bartolo, suspicious of the Count's presence and in love with Rosina himself, shares his concerns with his ally, Don Basilio, Rosina’s music teacher.
Figaro finds his way into the house, and tells Rosina that Lindoro, “his cousin”, is in love with her. Soon after, the Count, disguised as a soldier, arrives at the house demanding to be lodged there. Bartolo refuses, claiming he is exempt from billeting soldiers. Chaos erupts; the police are called, but the Count narrowly avoids arrest by quietly revealing his true identity to the commanding officer. When the police mysteriously desist, all are left stupefied.
ACT II: Bartolo realizes that the mysterious soldier must have been sent by the Count to woo Rosina. The Count returns to Bartolo’s house, this time disguised as “Don Alonso,” a supposed music teacher standing in for the “sick” Don Basilio. Though Bartolo is skeptical at first, “Don Alonso” wins his trust by showing him Rosina’s letter, claiming to have intercepted it “from another lover of the Count.” Bartolo dozes off, the Count and Rosina confess their love, and Figaro manages to steal the key to her balcony for their planned elopement. Don Basilio – in reality fully healthy – arrives unexpectedly but is quickly bribed to leave and return to bed “sick”.
The plan nearly unravels when Bartolo overhears the lovers and becomes suspicious. Don Basilio returns (fully healthy) and admits he’s never heard of “Don Alonso”, his supposed substitute, and Bartolo panics. Determined to stop the Count, he sends Basilio to fetch a notary, so he can immediately marry Rosina himself. He shows Rosina her own letter, claiming it proves “Lindoro” was in fact a servant of the Count, conspiring to win her affection only to then deliver her to Almaviva (who she believes is a stranger). Upset and betrayed, she reveals her escape plan to Bartolo.
Later that night, as Figaro and the Count sneak in to take Rosina away, she angrily confronts “Lindoro” about the letter. He reveals his true identity as Count Almaviva, and she joyfully agrees to marry him. When Don Basilio returns with the notary, Figaro “persuades” him to conduct the wedding on the spot. Bartolo arrives too late and is forced to accept the marriage—and even joins in the celebration.
From The Director
The opera you are about to see is not your typical Barber. Inspired by some of the more adventurous operatic experiments I have seen, while also wanting to present a recognizable version of Rossini’s work, I have attempted to find a middle ground, primarily through fleshing out these familiar characters in a new way.
For those who have seen this opera before, I hope that you observe a little bit more of yourself in these characters than you have in the past, when Figaro was a stock, happy-go-lucky fixer and Basilio your run-of-the-mill incompetent, evil sidekick.
Barber is special because through all the hilarity and the laughter, there is an honest story about a girl and boy, falling in love and changing their lives together. I am so grateful for the outstanding cast and crew who brought this piece to life with me, for the laughter we have shared in rehearsals, and for the opportunity to share the product with you all. I hope you find it as funny and as beautiful as we do. Enjoy the show!
–Lisl Wangermann
From The Conductor
The Barber of Seville has been recorded countless times—likely numbering in the hundreds. With such a rich history, it would be easy to accept the weight of some performance traditions, developed over decades, as binding. Not so here! Guided by the Rossini Foundation’s recent critical edition of the score, we’ve reimagined Barber with fresh eyes and ears—balancing the composer’s original intentions (informed by the latest research) with our own vision for a modern, living telling of this centuries-old comedy.
Many of our interpretive choices are subtle—an articulation in the strings, the length of a fermata. But others are more radical: for instance, we assign the opera’s final aria, “Cessa di più resistere”—typically sung by the Count (or often not at all)—to Rosina. While unheard of today, this very choice was made in a Rossini-supervised production in Bologna in 1816.
Our goal is to build a musical architecture that feels balanced, vital, and— above all—fun. In an age when a mind-bending variety of productions are available at the click of a button, we hope today’s live performance affirms both the importance of being here, together, and the vast interpretive territory that remains open — even within the most beloved masterpieces.
–Benjamin Beckman
We invite you to take a look behind-the-curtain:
Artist Bios
Sarah Neal
Rosina (South Bend, Indiana)
Mezzo-soprano
PCO Debut
Role Debut
Jake Stamatis
Figaro (Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania)
Baritone
PCO Debut
Jordan Costa
Count Almaviva (Ridgefield, Connecticut)
Tenor
PCO Debut
Mark Covey-Barrera
Bartolo (Monterey, Mexico)
Bass-baritone
PCO Debut
Role Debut
Joseph Park
Don Basilio (Seoul, South Korea)
Bass-baritone
PCO Debut
Role Debut
Engagements: Carmen (Charlottesville Opera), Edimione, La Calisto (Opera Memphis), Mercédès (Carmen Cover), Carmen (Opera Memphis), Apprentice Artist (Central City Opera).
Engagements: Sir Joseph Porter, HMS Pinafore (Pacific Opera Project, Opera Las Vegas), Figaro, Il barbiere di Siviglia (First Coast Opera), Il conte, Le nozze di Figaro (Sarasota Opera), Papageno, Die Zauberflöte (Opera Mississippi), Marcello, La bohème (St. Pete’s Opera, 2026).
Engagements: Le comte Ory (cover), (Merola Opera), Count Almaviva, Il barbiere di Siviglia (Virgina Opera, Opera in the Pines, Opera Theatre of St. Louis), Nemorino, L’Elisir d’amore (Opera in Williamsburg), Don Ottavio, Don Giovanni (Virginia Opera).
Engagements: Simone, Gianni Schicchi (Festival Napa Valley), Fiorello, Il barbiere di Siviglia (Opera Las Vegas), Giuseppe, La Traviata (Opera San Antonio), Boyn, Maid of Orleans (Opera Company of Middlebury).
Engagements: Marchese, La Traviata, Dancaïre, Carmen, Bathazar, Amahl and the Night Visitors (Lyric Opera of Kansas City), Angelotti, Tosca, Elder Ott, Susannah (Opera Theater of St. Louis), General Benjamin, Bel Canto (Aspen Music Festival).
Lena Goldstein Berta (Park City, Utah)
Soprano
Role Debut
Christopher Holmes
Fiorello*, Ufficiale (Provo, Utah)
Baritone
*Role Debut
Engagements: Zerlina, Don Giovanni (Vox Opera), Ensemble, Harvey Milk Reimagined (Opera Parallèle), Angelica, Orlando (San Francisco Conservatory), The Governess, The Turn of the Screw (Chicago Summer Opera).
Engagements: Don Giovanni (Painted Sky Opera), Barone Duophol, La Traviata (Utah Symphony), Belcore, L’elisir d’amore (Opera Company of Middleburry), Bartolo, Il barbiere di Siviglia (Western Plains Opera), Rigoletto (St. Petersburg Opera).
Benjamin Beckman, Conductor
Benjamin Beckman is a conductor, composer, and pianist based in Los Angeles. Compositional career highlights include performances on the BBC Proms, Tanglewood Music Festival, and Royal Concertgebouw Summer Concerts, and by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra, and Yale Symphony Orchestra. As a pianist, assistant conductor, and vocal coach, he has worked for the Sarasota Opera, Pacific Opera Project, Festival Napa Valley, Opera Guild of Palm Springs, Opera Company of Middlebury, and Chicago Summer Opera. He is currently pursuing graduate studies in composition on full fellowship at the USC Thornton School of Music, where he manages the conservatory’s new music ensemble, the Thornton Edge.
Lisl Wangermann, Director
Winner of the 2021 Louis Sudler Prize in the Performing and Creative Arts from Yale University, Lisl Wangermann is a director and soprano from Dallas, Texas. She has performed with the CIM Opera Theater, Opera Western Reserve, the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, the Opera Theatre of Yale College, and the Yale Baroque Opera Project. Her previous directing projects include Menotti’s The Telephone and Gilbert and Sullivan’s Patience. In 2023, Lisl was a semifinalist for the Dallas Opera’s Lone Star Vocal Competition, and in 2024, Lisl was a finalist for the Gerda Lissner Art Song and Lieder Competition and received an encouragement award.
Our Supporters
This production is made possible, in part, with the generous support of the following organizations and individuals:
Individual Support:
$30,000+
Sarah Ratchye & Ed Frank
$15,000–$30,000
Diane Zack
$5,000–$14,999
Jaynee & Eric Beckman
Mary Bing
Lisa Dang & Paul Zane Pilzer
Ruth & Phil Davidson
Gail & Andrew Goldstein
The Napier Family
Karen & Casey O'Keefe
Carrie & Steven Parsons
Matthew & Jennifer Rhodes-Kropf
Anne & Gregory Toth
$2,500–$4,999
Nancy Bartmess & Richard Burroughs
Jacob & Kristina Brodie
Negar & Jean-Marc Chevre-Shams
Mari & Daniel Skovronsky
$1,000–$2,499
P. Steven & Cathy Collins
Kristen Davis
Amy Englebrecht
Joshua Ip
Susanne Mentzer
Shauna & Ralph Johnson
Richard Lalli
Brandon & Amanda Murray
Bob Pearlman
$1,000–$2,499 cont.
Jeanne & Joren Peterson
Carey & Josh Pickus
Jeff & Hanna Skovronsky
Scott & Brenda Sorensen
John & Maureen Wangermann
$500–$999
Christine Adams
Nancy & Greg Annick
Lucy Ellis
James & Adele Forman
Daniel Freifeld
Tara Friefeld
The Halak Family
Mary Lynne Hulme
Ronald F. Simmons Foundation
Andrew & Jennifer Hartsfield
Neylan McBaine
Lara Patriquin
Lecie & Jack Resneck
$250–$499
Alan Agle
Joan Alper & Bill Becker
Mary and David Ashkenaze
Carrie & Ken Brinkman
Brooke Bunker
Fiora Dal Canto
Laurie Costa
Penelope Fitzgerald
Marilyn & Robert Gellert
Peter Ginsberg
Sylvia Goff
Amy Goodman
Mike Grey
Lauren Gustus & Zach Selby
$250–$499 cont.
Adam & Julie Harris
Susan & Michael Heitmann
Amy Hochberg & Paul Vaslet
Matthew & Sara Hutchinson
Angela & Seth Keeton
Pam Knecht
Patricia Kravtin
Laura Little
Ann & Rodney Malcom
Patricia & Ernest Oriente
Tomoko Schlag
Margi Shah & Mark Alter
Deb Sheldon
Annsley & George Strong
John Wages
Cady Wolf
Katherine Zamarra
$100-$249
Serge Bushman
Elizabeth Daniels
Laura Downey
Gerald Goldman
Margi Griebling-Haigh
Bill & Karen Handler
Stephanie Harmon
Mark Hilt
Nina Johnston
Micah & Katharine Luce
Julie & Christopher McBeth
Ahuva & Moshe Munzer
Earl Parker
Jamie Baer Peterson
Joanne Raphaelson
Jane Riley
Sallie Rinderknecht
Robert Roberts
Dina Rothman
Jody & Chip Schneider
Beano Solomon
Jeannette Sorrell
Dina & Brooks Toliver
James Walker
Organizational & Community Support:
Ensure that Park City has a permanent, professional opera company for many years to come. Park City Opera is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, EIN: 99-1970164. Your gift is tax-deductible.
About Park City Opera
Park City Opera is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing live opera and vocal arts to Park City and the surrounding communities. Established in 2024, we are reimagining opera outside of the traditional opera house, performing in venues that showcase the natural beauty of Park City.
Our Staff
Lena Goldstein, Executive Director
Benjamin Beckman, Artistic Director
Lisl Wangermann, Development Director
Stephanie Chee, Administrative Assistant
Dalloway Smith, Intern
Our Board of Directors
Amy Englebrecht
Richard Lalli
Neylan McBaine
Susanne Mentzer
Diane Zack
Announcing our 2025 Fall & Winter Season
Our year-round Concert Series continues in early October with a return to the Hailstone Center in our beautiful Jor danelle State Park, and an Opera Brunch at Le Depot Brasserie on Main Street. Our Membership Circle ticket pre-sale will begin in September.
We are thrilled to announce the expansion of our Mainstage Opera Initiative with our first winter opera, The Gift of the Magi , this December!
We hope to sing for you again soon!
December19–20
