Utah Festival Opera
The Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre (also known as the UFOMT) is an opera company based in Logan, Utah. The company performs four fully staged works with orchestra in repertory every July and August at the Ellen Eccles Theatre on Logan's Main Street. The works performed range from operas to operettas to musicals.
The company was founded in 1992 by operatic tenor Michael Ballam, a music professor at Utah State University, and a native of Logan. Besides being director of the company, he has also sung lead roles in many productions over the years.
Naughty Marietta by Victor Herbert was the first work performed by the company in 1993, along with Puccini's La bohème and a double bill of Trial By Jury and The Impresario. Up through the 2000 season, there were three works in repertory. This increased to four in 2001. Usually those four works consist of two operas and two musicals. The 2006 season consisted of Marriage of Figaro, The Music Man, La bohème, and Man of La Mancha.
The offices and scene shop of the company are located adjacent to the Eccles Theatre in the Dansante building, a former dance hall. The Dansante also has a recital hall.
In 2007 the Opera purchased the 350 seat Utah Theatre, and is undertaking a major gut-renovation of that facility, hoping it will be completed by summer 2011, which will allow addition of 2 - 3 smaller works there.