Program
Utah Valley Operafest Presents
Gaetano Donizetti
The Daughter of the Regiment
(La fille du régiment)
A New Adaptation by Marina Costa-Jackson
Dialogue, concept, and new English version by Marina Costa-Jackson
July 27, 2026- Spanish Fork Library
July 29, 2026- Springville Museum of Art
Aug 3, 2026- Provo Library at Academy Square Ballroom
Cast
Marie Miriam Costa-Jackson
Tonio Thomas Glenn
Sergeant Sulpice Christopher Holmes
Marquise. Demaree Brown
Reform School Boys:
Henry Curtis
Spencer Fidler
Jude Swan
Jamen Zohner
Music Academy Girls:
Featuring winners of the 2026 Future of Opera Vocal Competition
Rosa Cantarero (Fellowship Recipient)
Hannah Clark (Fellowship Recipient)
Raina Hammon (Fellowship Recipient)
Daisy Maravilla (Honorable Mention)
Ana Naranjo (Second Place Winner)
Charley Smith (Third Place Winner)
Austyn Tarrant (First Place Winner)
Production Team
Stage Director Marina Costa-Jackson
Music Director/Pianist Peter Blackham
Producer Isaac Hurtado
Marketing. Marketing
Supertitles Ginevra Palumbo
Synopsis
Act I
America, 1952. After being wounded in World War II and awarded the Purple Heart, Sergeant Sulpice leaves the military and, together with his wife—the former actress and singer known as the Marquise, who sacrificed her own career—opens a military reform school for troubled boys, believing that discipline, honor, and purpose can change lives.
Their daughter, Marie, has grown up alongside the cadets, becoming both their sister and their drill instructor. When Tonio, one of the school’s former boys, returns after running away, the cadets feel betrayed and turn against him. Marie reveals that on the night he fled, Tonio risked his own life to save hers, earning him a second chance. He confesses his love for Marie and asks Sulpice for permission to marry her. Sulpice agrees—but only if Tonio proves himself to be the honorable man he knows he can become.
Believing Marie deserves opportunities beyond the reform school, the Marquise secures her a place at a prestigious performing arts academy. Though Marie longs to stay with the only family she has ever known, her parents insist she go. When she begs Tonio to run away with her, he refuses, determined never to run from responsibility again. Feeling abandoned by everyone she loves, Marie says a heartbreaking goodbye as their lives begin to take different paths.
Act II
Two years later. On graduation day at the performing arts academy, the Marquise eagerly prepares Marie for an important audition that evening, hoping to launch the career she always dreamed her daughter would have. But beneath the celebration, Marie has lost the joy and confidence that once defined her.
Sensing her daughter’s unhappiness, Sergeant Sulpice reminds Marie of the strength that has always guided her. Before leaving, he presents her with the Purple Heart that symbolizes his own sacrifice and tells her she has never needed to earn his pride. Alone with the medal, Marie finds the courage to follow the calling that has been in her heart all along.
An unexpected reunion with family, old friends, and a transformed Tonio brings long-awaited healing. As mother and daughter finally come to understand one another, they discover that fulfillment comes not from living someone else’s dream, but from having the courage to follow your own. Together, family and friends celebrate the bonds that have carried them through sacrifice, forgiveness, and love.
About the Artists
Christopher Holmes — Sergeant Sulpice
Baritone Christopher Holmes has performed more than forty operatic roles with companies including Austin Opera, Central City Opera, Eugene Opera, Opera Idaho, Phoenix Opera, and San Antonio Opera. Praised for both his commanding stage presence and vocal richness, he has earned particular recognition for Verdi roles including Iago, Rigoletto, Germont, Conte di Luna, and Renato.
Recent engagements include Judge Turpin in Sweeney Todd with Opera Idaho, Germont with Bellevue Opera, the title role in Don Giovanni with Painted Sky Opera, Escamillo with Western Plains Opera, and performances with Utah Symphony & Opera. A distinguished concert artist, Holmes has appeared as soloist in major works including Bach's St. Matthew Passion, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Handel's Messiah, Orff's Carmina Burana, Verdi's Requiem, and Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem.
Demaree Brown — Marquise of Berkenfeld
Mezzo-soprano Demaree Clayson Brown has performed opera, concert, and recital repertoire throughout the United States, Ireland, Spain, China, and Italy. She holds degrees from Brigham Young University, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Utah, where she studied with Professor Ariel Bybee and specialized in Spanish and Latin American art song.
Recent operatic performances include Carmen, Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Hansel (Hansel and Gretel), Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro), Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), Angelina (La Cenerentola), and Dame Quickly (Falstaff). As a concert soloist she has appeared in Messiah, Mozart's Requiem, Mendelssohn's Elijah, Bach's St. Matthew Passion, Duruflé's Requiem, and numerous other major works. Dr. Brown is Assistant Professor of Voice at Utah Valley University, where she teaches voice while maintaining an active performing career.
Thomas Glenn — Tonio
Grammy Award-winning tenor Thomas Glenn has appeared with many of the world's leading opera companies, including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, English National Opera, and Dutch National Opera. Equally acclaimed in traditional repertoire and contemporary works, he has created roles in operas by John Adams, Damien Geter, Rufus Wainwright, and Tarik O'Regan, while remaining a sought-after interpreter of Mozart and Bach.
Recent highlights include the premiere of Yellow Crane Tower with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Marin Alsop, the world premiere of American Apollo at Des Moines Metro Opera, Signor Pirelli in Sweeney Todd with Utah Opera, and Don Basilio/Don Curzio in Le nozze di Figaro with both Utah Opera and Palm Beach Opera. During the 2026–27 season he appears as Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail with Opera Idaho. A graduate of the prestigious Adler Fellowship at San Francisco Opera, Glenn currently serves as Head of Voice and Composition at Utah State University.
Marina Costa-Jackson — Stage Director
Internationally acclaimed soprano Marina Costa-Jackson enjoys a distinguished performing career on opera stages throughout North America and Europe. Known for her powerful dramatic portrayals and brilliant vocal artistry, she has performed leading roles with major opera companies while earning praise for her dynamic stage presence. In addition to her singing career, she has become an innovative stage director dedicated to creating engaging productions that introduce new audiences to opera. For this production, Costa-Jackson has created an entirely new adaptation, including original dialogue and a fresh theatrical concept designed especially for Utah Valley Operafest audiences.
Miriam Costa-Jackson — Marie
Italian-American soprano Miriam Costa-Jackson has earned recognition for her sparkling coloratura, lyrical warmth, and captivating stage presence. She has appeared with leading companies including Seattle Opera, Florida Grand Opera, and the Phoenicia Festival of the Voice, where she has been praised for both her vocal brilliance and dramatic artistry. Recent engagements include Micaëla and Frasquita in Carmen with Florida Grand Opera and Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus. Earlier career highlights include Clorinda in La Cenerentola with Seattle Opera, Micaëla in Carmen at the Phoenicia Festival, Gilda in Rigoletto in Minsk alongside the late Dmitri Hvorostovsky, and concert appearances throughout Europe with the internationally acclaimed Three Singing Sisters. A recipient of Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition district honors and an Opera Index semifinalist, Costa-Jackson studied with renowned artists including Renata Scotto, Ariel Bybee, and Sherrill Milnes. She is delighted to make her Utah Valley Operafest debut as Marie in this new adaptation of The Daughter of the Regiment.
About Utah Valley Operafest
Utah Valley Operafest is dedicated to discovering talent, transforming voices, and enriching communities through exceptional opera performances and world-class artistic training. As a nonprofit organization, the festival provides tuition-free opportunities for emerging artists while presenting professional opera throughout Utah Valley, making this extraordinary art form accessible to audiences of all ages.
Special Thanks
Utah Valley Operafest gratefully acknowledges our donors, volunteers, partner organizations, and community supporters whose generosity makes these performances possible:
Bill & Norma Anderson Foundation Spanish Fork Library
Richard & Tamara Rasmussen Springville Museum of Art
Tom and Holly Holst Provo Library
Neylan McBaine
Jamie Peterson
Jeff & Christina Broberg
Annette & Roger Newman
Donald & Margaret Peterson
Scott Frazier
Rob & Linda Etherington
Brett Gerlach
Marc Hyde
Clara Hurtado-Lee
Serge Bushman
James Peterson
James Lucas
Joe Peterson
Jacque Lynn Bell
Jackie Cantarero
Julie Nickerson
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