Pythagoras and Lisl Wangermann would have probably clicked. The Ionian philosopher was famously fascinated by the connection between math and melody. 2,500 years later, the soprano and co-director of the Park City Opera dove heard first into a math-and-music double major at Yale. “My mom says I sang myself to sleep as a child, which she thought was normal until our babysitter told her otherwise,” she laughs. “I started taking classical lessons in 8th grade and have not stopped.”
Discovering opera as a musical theater kid at a prestigious Dallas arts high school, a sought-after Lisl chose Yale over musical conservatories and other universities. After intense study in both fields, opera took center stage. “But if you told little Lisl she would spend her life studying and performing opera, she would not believe you,” she smiles. She has since earned a master’s in voice and an Artists’ Diploma from the Cleveland Institute of Music.
Lisl co-founded the Park City Opera last year with Yale compatriots Lena Goldstein and Benjamin Beckman. The trio of seasoned, awarded performers met directing the Opera Theatre of Yale College in 2019, staging more than 20 productions before discovering a new challenge – starting an opera company in the Wasatch Back. “We were doing everything for the first time,” Lisl recalls of the earliest days. “It was a risk. Will people show up? Will they support us?” It turns out Parkites are enthusiastic about the art form, not seen here since the original opera company burned in the 1898 fire.
Our new local Opera takes a big step into the spotlight in August, producing The Barber of Seville at Santy, the city’s first staged opera in 20 years. You can also catch a variety of summer performances at the Library and even in private homes. “If you know someone who loves opera or trying something new, bring them to a show!” Lisl says with a smile.
You know Pythagoras would go.