Join us in 2026!
ʴˣ˥̺˦ ˂ˣ˘˥˔ʭ ʴ˟ˣ˜ˡ˘ ʷ˜ˡˡ˘˥ ʙ ˀ˨˦˜˖ ˃˔˜˥˜ˡ˚ ʽ˔ˡ˨˔˥ˬ ʤʪ ˃˔˥˞ ˀ˘˔˗ˢ˪˦ ʽ˔ˡ˨˔˥ˬ ʤʫ ˃˥ˢˠˢˡ˧ˢ˥ˬ
-
,
˂ˣ˘˥˔ ʴ˥ˢ˨ˡ˗ ˧˛˘ ˊˢ˥˟˗ ˪˜˧˛ ˀˢ˨ˡ˧˔˜ˡ ˇˢ˪ˡ ˀ˨˦˜˖ ʽ˨˟ˬ ʤʦʠʴ˨˚˨˦˧ ʥʧ ʶ˜˧ˬ ˃˔˥˞
!
) 4
The Aaron Copland Tender Land In celebration of America’s 250th ʽ˨˟ˬ ʤʫʠʤʬ ˇ˘ˠˣ˟˘ ʻ˔˥ ˆ˛˔˟ˢˠ
! 9? :8 :8:=
Charles Gounod
Xħğõħ ôł Juliette ʴ˨˚˨˦˧ ʥʤʠʥʦ ʸ˖˖˟˘˦ ʶ˘ˡ˧˘˥
Welcome Welcome to Park City Opera’s production of David Conte’s The Gift of the Magi. As we enter our third season, it feels especially meaningful to gather again and share this heartwarming, luminous story with you. One of the greatest joys this year has been bringing together artists from so many corners of our creative community: local singers and musicians, visiting performers from around the country, and of course, the artisan vendors with work on display tonight. The holiday season reminds us that opera is at its best when it becomes a meeting place for many voices and disciplines, united in storytelling. For me and my fellow cofounders, tonight’s performance is also a homecoming. We first performed The Gift of the Magi together as students at Yale University, and returning to it now—after years of new experiences and different vantage points—feels both nostalgic and newly inspiring. This piece reminds us that opera evolves with us. Far from something old or distant, opera remains a living, present art form shaped by the people who make it and the communities who experience it.
$250–$499 cont. Tomoko Schlag Lauren Gustus & Zach Selby Deborah Sheldon Annsley & George Strong Melissa & Philip Urofsky John Wages James Craig Weakley Catherine Wolf
$100-249 cont. Michele & Robert Levy Andrew Maxfield Beth & Chris Moreira Susan Mueller Sallie Rinderknecht Paul & Wendy Rosengard Dina Rothman Dean Rudy Jean Rusk Jeannette Sorrell Elaine Strickstein Jed Thompson Dina & Brooks Toliver Joanne & Lowell Webster
$100-$249 Chris & Liz Apgar Sol Bloomfield Sandra Brett & Richard J. Friedman Penelope Fitzgerald Gerald Goldman This list acknowledges donations made between Grace Heitmann December 11, 2024 and December 14, 2025. Please Joyce Jamele contact Lisl Wangermann, Director of Development, at Robert & Jill Kaale lisl@parkcityopera.org with any questions. Alan & Linda Keele
Organizational & Community Support:
Thank you for being part of our growing PCO family, for sharing in our enthusiasm, and for cheering with us as we build an organization that truly belongs to our community. With gratitude, Lena Goldstein Executive Director
Our Giving Circle
Every enduring arts institution begins with a first circle of believers. Park City Opera is proud to be supported by nearly 250 households — join today! Membership Circle: Gifts of $250+ Enjoy early access to tickets & invites to exclusive donor events. Summit Circle: Gifts of $2,500+ All perks + reserved seating by name and an invite to our Meet-the-Artists picnic.
About Park City Opera Park City Opera, now entering its third season, reimagines what vocal art can be: community-driven and inspired by the spirit and natural beauty of Utah. We bring exceptional artists and enthusiastic audiences together in distinctive spaces that celebrate both music and community.
Our Supporters
Production Team
This production is made possible, in part, by the generous support of the following individuals:
Benjamin Beckman Conductor
Lisl Wangermann Director
Sierra Loertscher Stage Manager
Individual Support:
Dacia Napier Scenic Art
Savanna Schimmel Clubhouse Partner
Katie Daugherty PCCC Partner
Théodora Cottarel Della
Shea Owens Jim
Sarah Neal Maggie
Sam Plumb Magi
David Silvano Magi
Logan Reid Magi
April Clayton Flute
Luca de la Florin Oboe
Darrin Thiriot Clarinet
Laura Grantier Bass Clarinet
Robert Bedont Bassoon
Christopher Danz Trumpet
Anita Miller Horn
Mac Merchant Piano
Kathryn Sloat Harp
Claude Halter Violin I
Emily Holmstead Violin II
Madison Marshall Viola
Mandy Hofheins Cello
Kayleigh Dahl Bass
$30,000+ Sarah Ratchye & Ed Frank $15,000-$30,000 Beano Solomon Diane Zack
$5,000-$14,999 Jaynee & Eric Beckman Lisa Dang & Paul Zane Pilzer Ruth & Phil Davidson Gail & Andrew Goldstein Dorothy Hancock Nancy McCormick The Napier Family Karen & Casey O'Keefe Carrie & Steve Parsons Jeff & Hanna Skovronsky Mari & Daniel Skovronsky Anne & Greg Toth Kat White $2,500-$4,999 Nancy Bartmess & Richard Burroughs Tamara & Jim Hughes Patricia Kravtin Tom Litle $1,000-$2,499 Nancy & Greg Annick Cathy & Steven Collins Amy Englebrecht Joshua Ip Richard Lalli Susanne Mentzer Brandon & Amanda Murray Bob Pearlman Carey & Josh Pickus Drs. Helena & David Rodbard Robert & Wynne Shapiro Scott & Brenda Sorensen James & Kelly Whitcomb
$500-$999 David & Mary Ashkenaze Adele & Jim Forman Daniel Freifeld Tara Freifeld Susan & Mike Heitmann Mary Lynne Hulme Lara Kaplan Fred & Annette Keller Rachel MacKay Paul & Alison Mayfield Lorin Michaels Jeff & Johnna Nancy & Gary Tenzer Judi & David Victor John & Maureen Wangermann $250-$499 Alan Agle Eric & Heather Barnhill Mary Bourke Carrie & Ken Brinkman Brooke Bunker Laurie Costa Anne & Rupert Cox Catherine L. Fishbach Ellen Frank & David Kupfer Marilyn & Robert Gellert Peter Ginsberg Sylvia Goff Amy Goodman Ronny Michael Greenberg Mike Grey Marty & Jim Harger Julie & Adam Harris Pam & David Knecht Carol Levy Laura Little Ann & Rodney Malcolm Neylan McBaine Joan Meixner Annelise Pedersen & Chris Spafford Robert & Suzanne Rosenberg
Our Cast
Our Orchestra
Chea Kang Graphic Design
Riley Findley Henry
Performed in English with English supertitles. Approx. 75 minutes with no intermission. Please respect the audience and creative team. Photographing, videotaping, or recording this production is prohibited. Produced by permission of ECS Publishing Group, St. Louis, MO Sole Agent for E. C. Schirmer Music Company, Publisher and Copyright Owner
Our Staff
Lena Goldstein, Executive Director Benjamin Beckman, Artistic Director Lisl Wangermann, Development Director
Our Event Partners
Our Board Amy Englebrecht Richard Lalli Neylan McBaine
Susanne Mentzer Diane Zack
Artist Bios
Engagements: Temperance The Théodora Cottarel Meeting House (Seattle Opera), Della (Seattle, Washington) Upcoming: Lucia, Lucia di Lammermoor (Snug Harbor Cultural Soprano Center), Christine The Phantom of the PCO Debut Opera (Sun Valley Opera), Cleopatra* Giulio Cesare (St. Pete Opera)
Shea Owens Jim (Orem, Utah) Baritone PCO Debut
Engagements: The Pilot The Little Prince (Utah Opera), Mercutio Roméo et Juliette (Central City Opera), Faure Requiem (The Florida Orchestra), Prince Ivan Kashchey the Deathless (Theater St. Gallen), Upcoming: Mozart Requiem (Southwest Symphony)
Sarah Neal Maggie (Houston, Texas) Mezzo-soprano
Engagements: Rosina Il barbiere di Siviglia (Park City Opera), Carmen (Charlottesville Opera), Edimione, La Calisto (Opera Memphis), Mercédès (Carmen Cover), Carmen (Opera Memphis), Apprentice Artist (Central City Opera).
Riley Findley Henry (Kansas City, Missouri) Baritone PCO Debut
Engagements: Sulpice* La Fille du Régiment (Festival Napa Valley), Figaro* Il barbiere di Siviglia (Sarasota Opera), Ufficiale Il barbiere di Siviglia (Lyric Opera Kanasa City), Upcoming: Schaunard La bohéme (Sarasota Opera)
The Three Magi
From The Conductor When a conductor approaches a score for the first time, one of the most valuable preparatory steps is to explore its performance history and traditions through recordings, filmed productions, or anecdotal accounts. With contemporary works, however, these resources often do not yet exist, inviting a different, and deeply creatively rewarding, engagement with the music. In preparing The Gift of the Magi, it was a pleasure to explore David Conte’s broader work and the influences shaping his musical language. I hear the lyricism of Puccini combined with harmonies that blend Copland’s American modernism and the lush tonal palette of French Impressionism. Above all, the score captures a warmth and intimacy perfectly suited to the holiday season and deeply fitting for this timeless story. We hope this music draws you into the quiet intimacy and generosity at the heart of this story.
Benjamin Beckman, Conductor
Benjamin Beckman is a Los Angeles-based conductor, composer, and pianist. Ben has served on the music staff for productions with Sarasota Opera, Pacific Opera Project, Opera Company of Middlebury Vermont, Chicago Summer Opera, USC Thornton Opera, and the Opera Theater of Yale College, assisting on more than two dozen operas. In Summer 2026, following his fellowship at the Manetti Shrem Program at Festival Napa Valley, Ben led Park City Opera's inaugural mainstage production (of Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia) to a sold-out run. In 2025/2026, made his company debut at The Atlanta Opera assistant conducting Glass’s La Belle et la Bête and returns to Pacific Opera Project as rehearsal pianist and chorusmaster for Fra Diavolo, Zorro, The Abduction from the Seraglio, and Turandot, and USC Thornton Opera for The Cunning Little Vixen and The Turn of the Screw.
From The Director In December of 2019, I had the pleasure of working on this piece as a performer. As a young student at the time, I had no idea what the next few years would hold for me, what we as a society would sacrifice during the pandemic and who I would cherish and hold close through thick and thin. Returning to this timeless tale now with more years behind me and the eyes of a director, I appreciate in a new way how it captures what it means and what it takes to truly see and truly love someone. I hope our interpretation, set in America in the 1970s, leaves you feeling warm this holiday season and reminds you of the ones you love the most.
Lisl Wangermann, Director
David Silvano (Salt Lake City, Utah) Tenor
Logan Reid (Orem, Utah) Tenor, PCO Debut
Full biographies for every performer can be found here: * denotes cover role
Sam Plumb (Salt Lake City, Utah) Tenor
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. 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. Her previous directing projects include Menotti’s The Telephone, Gilbert and Sullivan’s Patience, and Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. In 2026, she will serve as Assistant Director for Bronx Opera’s productions of Idomeneo and Ariadne auf Naxos and will direct Park City Opera’s The Tender Land and Roméo et Juliette.
Artist Bios
Engagements: Temperance The Théodora Cottarel Meeting House (Seattle Opera), Della (Seattle, Washington) Upcoming: Lucia, Lucia di Lammermoor (Snug Harbor Cultural Soprano Center), Christine The Phantom of the PCO Debut Opera (Sun Valley Opera), Cleopatra* Giulio Cesare (St. Pete Opera)
Shea Owens Jim (Orem, Utah) Baritone PCO Debut
Engagements: The Pilot The Little Prince (Utah Opera), Mercutio Roméo et Juliette (Central City Opera), Faure Requiem (The Florida Orchestra), Prince Ivan Kashchey the Deathless (Theater St. Gallen), Upcoming: Mozart Requiem (Southwest Symphony)
Sarah Neal Maggie (Houston, Texas) Mezzo-soprano
Engagements: Rosina Il barbiere di Siviglia (Park City Opera), Carmen (Charlottesville Opera), Edimione, La Calisto (Opera Memphis), Mercédès (Carmen Cover), Carmen (Opera Memphis), Apprentice Artist (Central City Opera).
Riley Findley Henry (Kansas City, Missouri) Baritone PCO Debut
Engagements: Sulpice* La Fille du Régiment (Festival Napa Valley), Figaro* Il barbiere di Siviglia (Sarasota Opera), Ufficiale Il barbiere di Siviglia (Lyric Opera Kanasa City), Upcoming: Schaunard La bohéme (Sarasota Opera)
The Three Magi
From The Conductor When a conductor approaches a score for the first time, one of the most valuable preparatory steps is to explore its performance history and traditions through recordings, filmed productions, or anecdotal accounts. With contemporary works, however, these resources often do not yet exist, inviting a different, and deeply creatively rewarding, engagement with the music. In preparing The Gift of the Magi, it was a pleasure to explore David Conte’s broader work and the influences shaping his musical language. I hear the lyricism of Puccini combined with harmonies that blend Copland’s American modernism and the lush tonal palette of French Impressionism. Above all, the score captures a warmth and intimacy perfectly suited to the holiday season and deeply fitting for this timeless story. We hope this music draws you into the quiet intimacy and generosity at the heart of this story.
Benjamin Beckman, Conductor
Benjamin Beckman is a Los Angeles-based conductor, composer, and pianist. Ben has served on the music staff for productions with Sarasota Opera, Pacific Opera Project, Opera Company of Middlebury Vermont, Chicago Summer Opera, USC Thornton Opera, and the Opera Theater of Yale College, assisting on more than two dozen operas. In Summer 2026, following his fellowship at the Manetti Shrem Program at Festival Napa Valley, Ben led Park City Opera's inaugural mainstage production (of Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia) to a sold-out run. In 2025/2026, made his company debut at The Atlanta Opera assistant conducting Glass’s La Belle et la Bête and returns to Pacific Opera Project as rehearsal pianist and chorusmaster for Fra Diavolo, Zorro, The Abduction from the Seraglio, and Turandot, and USC Thornton Opera for The Cunning Little Vixen and The Turn of the Screw.
From The Director In December of 2019, I had the pleasure of working on this piece as a performer. As a young student at the time, I had no idea what the next few years would hold for me, what we as a society would sacrifice during the pandemic and who I would cherish and hold close through thick and thin. Returning to this timeless tale now with more years behind me and the eyes of a director, I appreciate in a new way how it captures what it means and what it takes to truly see and truly love someone. I hope our interpretation, set in America in the 1970s, leaves you feeling warm this holiday season and reminds you of the ones you love the most.
Lisl Wangermann, Director
David Silvano (Salt Lake City, Utah) Tenor
Logan Reid (Orem, Utah) Tenor, PCO Debut
Full biographies for every performer can be found here: * denotes cover role
Sam Plumb (Salt Lake City, Utah) Tenor
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. 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. Her previous directing projects include Menotti’s The Telephone, Gilbert and Sullivan’s Patience, and Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. In 2026, she will serve as Assistant Director for Bronx Opera’s productions of Idomeneo and Ariadne auf Naxos and will direct Park City Opera’s The Tender Land and Roméo et Juliette.
Our Supporters
Production Team
This production is made possible, in part, by the generous support of the following individuals:
Benjamin Beckman Conductor
Lisl Wangermann Director
Sierra Loertscher Stage Manager
Individual Support:
Dacia Napier Scenic Art
Savanna Schimmel Clubhouse Partner
Katie Daugherty PCCC Partner
Théodora Cottarel Della
Shea Owens Jim
Sarah Neal Maggie
Sam Plumb Magi
David Silvano Magi
Logan Reid Magi
April Clayton Flute
Luca de la Florin Oboe
Darrin Thiriot Clarinet
Laura Grantier Bass Clarinet
Robert Bedont Bassoon
Christopher Danz Trumpet
Anita Miller Horn
Mac Merchant Piano
Kathryn Sloat Harp
Claude Halter Violin I
Emily Holmstead Violin II
Madison Marshall Viola
Mandy Hofheins Cello
Kayleigh Dahl Bass
$30,000+ Sarah Ratchye & Ed Frank $15,000-$30,000 Beano Solomon Diane Zack
$5,000-$14,999 Jaynee & Eric Beckman Lisa Dang & Paul Zane Pilzer Ruth & Phil Davidson Gail & Andrew Goldstein Dorothy Hancock Nancy McCormick The Napier Family Karen & Casey O'Keefe Carrie & Steve Parsons Jeff & Hanna Skovronsky Mari & Daniel Skovronsky Anne & Greg Toth Kat White $2,500-$4,999 Nancy Bartmess & Richard Burroughs Tamara & Jim Hughes Patricia Kravtin Tom Litle $1,000-$2,499 Nancy & Greg Annick Cathy & Steven Collins Amy Englebrecht Joshua Ip Richard Lalli Susanne Mentzer Brandon & Amanda Murray Bob Pearlman Carey & Josh Pickus Drs. Helena & David Rodbard Robert & Wynne Shapiro Scott & Brenda Sorensen James & Kelly Whitcomb
$500-$999 David & Mary Ashkenaze Adele & Jim Forman Daniel Freifeld Tara Freifeld Susan & Mike Heitmann Mary Lynne Hulme Lara Kaplan Fred & Annette Keller Rachel MacKay Paul & Alison Mayfield Lorin Michaels Jeff & Johnna Nancy & Gary Tenzer Judi & David Victor John & Maureen Wangermann $250-$499 Alan Agle Eric & Heather Barnhill Mary Bourke Carrie & Ken Brinkman Brooke Bunker Laurie Costa Anne & Rupert Cox Catherine L. Fishbach Ellen Frank & David Kupfer Marilyn & Robert Gellert Peter Ginsberg Sylvia Goff Amy Goodman Ronny Michael Greenberg Mike Grey Marty & Jim Harger Julie & Adam Harris Pam & David Knecht Carol Levy Laura Little Ann & Rodney Malcolm Neylan McBaine Joan Meixner Annelise Pedersen & Chris Spafford Robert & Suzanne Rosenberg
Our Cast
Our Orchestra
Chea Kang Graphic Design
Riley Findley Henry
Performed in English with English supertitles. Approx. 75 minutes with no intermission. Please respect the audience and creative team. Photographing, videotaping, or recording this production is prohibited. Produced by permission of ECS Publishing Group, St. Louis, MO Sole Agent for E. C. Schirmer Music Company, Publisher and Copyright Owner
Our Staff
Lena Goldstein, Executive Director Benjamin Beckman, Artistic Director Lisl Wangermann, Development Director
Our Event Partners
Our Board Amy Englebrecht Richard Lalli Neylan McBaine
Susanne Mentzer Diane Zack
Welcome Welcome to Park City Opera’s production of David Conte’s The Gift of the Magi. As we enter our third season, it feels especially meaningful to gather again and share this heartwarming, luminous story with you. One of the greatest joys this year has been bringing together artists from so many corners of our creative community: local singers and musicians, visiting performers from around the country, and of course, the artisan vendors with work on display tonight. The holiday season reminds us that opera is at its best when it becomes a meeting place for many voices and disciplines, united in storytelling. For me and my fellow cofounders, tonight’s performance is also a homecoming. We first performed The Gift of the Magi together as students at Yale University, and returning to it now—after years of new experiences and different vantage points—feels both nostalgic and newly inspiring. This piece reminds us that opera evolves with us. Far from something old or distant, opera remains a living, present art form shaped by the people who make it and the communities who experience it.
$250–$499 cont. Tomoko Schlag Lauren Gustus & Zach Selby Deborah Sheldon Annsley & George Strong Melissa & Philip Urofsky John Wages James Craig Weakley Catherine Wolf
$100-249 cont. Michele & Robert Levy Andrew Maxfield Beth & Chris Moreira Susan Mueller Sallie Rinderknecht Paul & Wendy Rosengard Dina Rothman Dean Rudy Jean Rusk Jeannette Sorrell Elaine Strickstein Jed Thompson Dina & Brooks Toliver Joanne & Lowell Webster
$100-$249 Chris & Liz Apgar Sol Bloomfield Sandra Brett & Richard J. Friedman Penelope Fitzgerald Gerald Goldman This list acknowledges donations made between Grace Heitmann December 11, 2024 and December 14, 2025. Please Joyce Jamele contact Lisl Wangermann, Director of Development, at Robert & Jill Kaale lisl@parkcityopera.org with any questions. Alan & Linda Keele
Organizational & Community Support:
Thank you for being part of our growing PCO family, for sharing in our enthusiasm, and for cheering with us as we build an organization that truly belongs to our community. With gratitude, Lena Goldstein Executive Director
Our Giving Circle
Every enduring arts institution begins with a first circle of believers. Park City Opera is proud to be supported by nearly 250 households — join today! Membership Circle: Gifts of $250+ Enjoy early access to tickets & invites to exclusive donor events. Summit Circle: Gifts of $2,500+ All perks + reserved seating by name and an invite to our Meet-the-Artists picnic.
About Park City Opera Park City Opera, now entering its third season, reimagines what vocal art can be: community-driven and inspired by the spirit and natural beauty of Utah. We bring exceptional artists and enthusiastic audiences together in distinctive spaces that celebrate both music and community.
Après Opera: Alpine Dinner & Music Pairing
Join us in 2026!
January 17 Park Meadows January 18 Promontory
Park City Opera
Opera Around the World with Mountain Town Music July 13-August 24 City Park
Directed by
Lisl Wangermann Conducted by
Benjamin Beckman
The Aaron Copland Tender Land
December 17–20, 2025
In celebration of America’s 250th July 18-19 Temple Har Shalom
Charles Gounod
Roméo et Juliette August 21-23
Eccles Center