December 17, 2025 at 7:00 PM
at Clubhouse SLC
&
December 19 & 20, 2025 at 7:00 PM
at the Park City Community Church
This December, Park City Opera turns O. Henry’s beloved Christmas story into a magical holiday opera. Composer David Conte’s Gift of the Magi is a heartfelt, family-friendly way to kick off the season together.
Set on Christmas Eve, this opera tells the tender story of Jim and Della, a young, loving couple with little to their names who each sacrifice their most prized possession in order to buy the other a meaningful gift—only to discover that love itself is the greatest treasure.
Join us for a touching evening of music, storytelling, and holiday spirit!
Choose from performances in Park City and Salt Lake City!
Cast and Creative Team
Théodora Cottarel
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Théodora Cottarel is a French-American soprano praised for her “electrifying” performances (Schmopera) and “beauty of tone” (Houston Press). In the 2025–26 season, she will make several major role debuts, including Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor with Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Christine in The Phantom of the Opera with Sun Valley Opera, and Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare (cover) with St. Pete Opera. She will also reprise Elle in Poulenc’s La voix humaine in New York. Recent highlights include the role of Temperance in the world premiere of The Meeting House by Carolyn Quick and Raya Tuffaha with Seattle Opera, a solo Bastille Day concert with Sun Valley Opera, and finalist honors in the 2025 Frances Walton LMC Competition. She was also the second-place winner of the 2023 Seattle Opera Guild Artist Development Award. Théodora has appeared internationally in France, Italy, Belgium, and across the United States. Concert appearances include performances at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and the Rome Philharmonic.
Shea Owens
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Baritone Shea Owens, praised for his “beguilingly sounding” voice (Opernwelt) and “irrepressible playfulness” on stage (Luzerner Zeitung), is recognized for his artistry and versatility. Recent performances include Fauré’s Requiem with both the Utah Symphony and the Florida Orchestra, The Pilot in Utah Opera’s The Little Prince, Mercutio in Central City Opera’s Roméo et Juliette, and as a featured soloist in the Utah Symphony’s “Forever Mighty” state tour. Shea is a former ensemble member and soloist at Theater St. Gallen (Switzerland), where he performed roles including Prince Ivan (Kashchey the Deathless), Ottone (L’incoronazione di Poppea), Belcore (L’elisir d’amore), Valentin (Faust), and as the baritone soloist in Orff’s Carmina Burana. He has appeared as guest soloist with the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square for their Love Thy Neighbor special and with the Chorale at Temple Square in Mac Wilberg’s Requiem. Other engagements include performances with the Grand Théâtre de Genève, Théâtre du Châtelet, and the Metropolitan Opera. He sang Charlie in Jake Heggie’s Three Decembers alongside Frederica von Stade and has recorded an album, To the Thawing Wind: Songs of Paul Edward Gay (2020) with his wife, soprano Madison Leonard, and pianist Artem Belogurov. Alongside his active performance career, he serves as the Director of Opera and Assistant Professor of Voice at BYU.
Sarah Neal
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Returning to Park City Opera after debuting as Rosina in the company’s 2025 summer production of The Barber of Seville, Sarah Neal is an American mezzo-soprano quickly making an impression as a “musical and theatrical delight” (Colorado Gazette). During the 2024–25 season, Sarah completed a Young Artist Residency with Opera Memphis, performing as Mercédès in Carmen, Endimione in La Calisto, and the soloist in Gregg Kallor’s new chamber opera The Tell-Tale Heart. This season, Sarah will appear as the alto soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Last summer, she made her debut as Carmen with Charlottesville Opera before joining Park City Opera. A recipient of awards from the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, The American Council for Polish Culture Vocal Competition, and The Dallas Opera’s Lone Star Vocal Competition, Sarah’s additional roles include the title role in La Cenerentola, Dinah (Trouble in Tahiti), Nancy (Albert Herring), and Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro). They earned their Master of Music from the University of Houston, and Sarah continues to call Houston home.
Riley Findley
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Riley Findley is a Grammy-nominated Hispanic baritone praised for his “rich and oaky instrument”. Most recently, Findley was a Manetti Shrem Fellow at Festival Napa Valley, where he covered Sulpice in La fille du régiment. Previous engagements include covering Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Sarasota Opera; performing Ufficiale in Il barbiere di Siviglia and Gregorio in Roméo et Juliette with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City; singing Conte Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro at the Canto Vocal Program; Gianni Schicchi in Gianni Schicchi with Opera Lucca; and Morales in Carmen with Lawrence Opera Theatre, among others. In the upcoming season, Findley returns to Sarasota Opera to perform Schaunard in La bohème.
Sam Plumb
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Sam Plumb is a Utah-based tenor. In 2025, he received his M.M. in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Utah. He was the Grand Prize winner of the 2024-25 Concerto Competition (Graduate Level), performing Gerald Finzi’s Dies Natalis. In Summer 2025, he was a Resident Artist at Teatro Nuovo, a Young Artist Program in New Jersey that focuses heavily on mastering the Italian language and immersion into 19th-century vocal technique, and sang in Park City Opera’s production of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. In addition to performing, Sam is building a thriving private studio for voice and piano students, based in Downtown Salt Lake City. When he’s not making music, Sam enjoys the outdoors, cooking, reading, and video games.
David Silvano
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David Silvano is a Peruvian-American tenor known for his powerful yet vibrant and flexible voice and his natural dramatic instinct. He recently sang Martin in Copland’s The Tender Land with University of Utah Opera and made his role debut as the Duke in Verdi’s Rigoletto with Mobile Opera. In the summer of 2022, Silvano portrayed Theodore Billings in the staged premiere of Clint Borzoni’s The Copper Queen with Marble City Opera, earning praise from Arts Knoxville for bringing “a deliciously romantic lyrical side” to the character. During the 2023 season, he joined Indianapolis Opera as a Resident Artist, covering Don José and singing El Remendado in Carmen. Silvano holds a B.M. from Colorado Mesa University and an M.M. from Colorado State University, and he currently studies and teaches applied voice at the University of Utah. In addition to his work on the opera stage, David is passionate about bringing the music of Latin America (particularly Peruvian works) out of obscurity into the ears of audiences.
Logan Reid
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Logan Reid, tenor, is a passionate and versatile performer who recently earned his M.M. in Vocal Performance from Wichita State University, where he studied under Michael Sylvester and Alan Held. During his graduate studies, he appeared as Don Basilio in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro and Father Vaillant in Hulme’s December Nights. A graduate of Brigham Young University, Logan’s roles with BYU Opera Theater included Danilo in The Merry Widow, Gabriel von Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus, and Prince Phillippe in Berkeley’s A Dinner Engagement. Other notable projects include work as a studio singer for the filmed production of Rob Gardner’s Lamb of God: The Movie, founding membership in the Santos Chamber Singers under the direction of Matthew Paez, and frequent performances with the Ensign Singers. Outside of music, Logan is an avid weightlifter and hiker. He currently resides in Orem, Utah, where he continues to develop his craft and musicianship.
Benjamin Beckman
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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 2025, following his fellowship at the Manetti Shrem Opera 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, he makes his company debut at The Atlanta Opera assistant conducting Glass’s La Belle et la Bête andreturns 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.
Lisl Wangermann
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Winner of the 2021 Yale University Louis Sudler Prize in the Performing and Creative Arts and recipient of an Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Lisl Wangermann is a lyric soprano from Dallas, TX. Her recent roles range from Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) to her "standout performance" (Cleveland Classical) as Sophy in the world premiere of Margi Griebling-Haigh's The Higgler. 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. Lisl holds degrees from Yale University (B.A.) and the Cleveland Institute of Music (M.M., A.D.).
Production support for The Gift of the Magi is made possible in part by:
