(light music) - Lyrical Opera Theater uses innovative technology to bring an old art form to new audiences.

Here to tell us more about the upcoming production of "The Barber of Seville" is executive director Lynette Owens.

Lynette, welcome back.

- Thank you, Laura, for having me.

Thank you.

- Yeah, absolutely.

So Lyrical Opera Theater you describe as community opera.

- [Lynnette] Yes.

- So this is really put on through Midvale Arts, right?

- No, this is actually, Lyrical Opera Theater is an independent community opera theater that isn't through Midvale, but it is done at the Mid Valley Performing Arts Center.

- [Laura] So community opera, then gets to perform this beautiful, beautiful building.

- [Lynnette] $45 million theater, yes.

- Oh, how wonderful.

- Yeah, provided by Salt Lake County.

- So you have this great, you know, really famous opera.

- Yes.

- "The Barber of Seville" coming up.

People who may have never seen an opera will know this music, right?

- They will.

(Laura chuckling) They will, in fact, the central character, the barber himself is named Figaro.

And Figaro is a resourceful, clever character who sings the famous aria that has the- ♪ Figaro ♪ Figaro, Figaro, Figaro ♪ Figaro Which is all about, he is the handyman of the city, he does everything for everybody, and they love him so much that everybody's always calling for him, "Figaro, come over here.

Figaro, over there."

So he's the central character.

And he actually helps the Count Almaviva woo Rosina, the beautiful Rosina, to be able to gain her in marriage, and he puts together some clever little things for the Count that succeed.

- Oh, how fun.

And it's a comedy.

There's twists and turns.

- It's a comedy, yes.

(Laura chuckling) Yes, in fact, one of the twists is that the Count Almaviva pretends he's a student, Lindoro.

For some reason, he doesn't want Rosina to know he's a count.

And in the end, she falls in love with, with Lindoro, and, but she doesn't know it's the Count, and at the end, he reveals himself as the Count, and thank goodness for that, because she loves him after all.

- (chuckling) Well, what a great production.

I'm so glad that your organization is putting it on.

Thank you.

- Thank you for being here.

- Thank you.

- If you'd like to learn more about "The Barber of Seville" being put on by Lyrical Opera Theater, it'll be performed at the Mid Valley Performing Art Center February 10th through the 18th, various dates there.

Simply go to lyricaloperatheater.com.

That's lyricaloperatheater.com.

I'm Laura Durham.

Thanks for watching "Contact."

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