Verdi's LA TRAVIATA Closes Utah Opera Spring Season
Verdi's classic will be staged at the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre, closing Utah Opera's 2025-26 season.
Utah Opera will conclude its 2025-2026 season with Giuseppe Verdi’s LA TRAVIATA. The production stars Lydia Katarina, Isaac Hurtado, and Weston Hurt, with conductor Robert Tweten leading his 20th production for the company. Performances run May 9-17 at the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre.
Utah Opera will close its 2025-2026 season with Giuseppe Verdi’s LA TRAVIATA, running for five performances from May 9-17 at the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre in Salt Lake City.
One of the most frequently performed operas in the repertory, LA TRAVIATA follows the story of Parisian courtesan Violetta Valéry and her relationship with Alfredo Germont. The production highlights music including “Brindisi” and “Sempre libera,” while drawing attention to the opera’s influence on films such as Pretty Woman and Moulin Rouge!.
The cast is led by soprano Lydia Katarina as Violetta Valéry, tenor Isaac Hurtado as Alfredo Germont, and baritone Weston Hurt as Giorgio Germont.
Additional cast members include Julia Holoman as Flora Bervoix, Stephanie Chee as Annina, Aaron McKone as Gastone, Rodney Sharp II as Marquis d’Obigny, Christopher Clayton as Baron Douphol, and Kevin Nakatani as Doctor Grenvil.
“Few operas balance musical brilliance and dramatic truth as completely as La traviata,” said Utah Opera Artistic Director Christopher McBeth in a statement. “Its emotional power lies not simply in its tragedy, but in Verdi's ability to illuminate the inner life of a woman navigating love, sacrifice, and society's expectations.”
Director Garnett Bruce and choreographer Daniel Charon return to the staging first created for Utah Opera in 2019, incorporating choreography and movement throughout the production. Six Utah-based dancers were selected following an open call to participate in the opera’s party and dream sequences.
“We wanted the movement to feel like an extension of Violetta's emotional life – her memories, her desires, even her isolation,” Bruce said. “Dance allows audiences to experience parts of [Violetta's] story that words alone cannot fully express.”
Conductor Robert Tweten will lead his 20th production with Utah Opera, joined by the Utah Opera Chorus and Utah Symphony.
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