Join us at 5:30 PM on January 13th in the Park City Library Community Room for an evening lecture titled The Trials of The Magic Flute, From Mozart’s Vienna to Park City. This lecture is presented in partnership with the Park City Library as part of the library’s Local Speaker Series.

The Magic Flute is Mozart’s final opera, premiering only two months before his death in late 1791. Mozart created the piece alongside Emanuel Schikaneder, an actor, singer, and impresario who wrote the libretto and sang the role of Papageno at the premiere. Though it is one of the most popular operas in the repertoire, a close look at the score and libretto reveals mysterious layers of Masonic symbolism, secret initiation rites, and magic. Ahead of Park City Opera’s production of The Magic Flute on January 29th and 31st at the Eccles Center for the Performing Arts, join us to take a deep dive into opera’s hidden meanings, explore the work’s history from Vienna to the Wasatch, and discover why this opera still speaks to audiences of every age.

Lecturer Benjamin Beckman is a composer, conductor, and pianist who serves as the Artistic Director of Park City Opera. He studied at Yale and the University of Southern California, and has worked with opera companies around America, including The Atlanta Opera, Sarasota Opera, Festival Napa Valley, Pacific Opera Project, The Opera Guild of Palm Springs, Opera Company of Middlebury Vermont, and Chicago Summer Opera. He will be conducting Park City Opera’s upcoming performances of The Magic Flute.

This lecture is open to the public and free to attend; no tickets are required.