A Penny for Your Thoughts: Studs of the Month: April 1, 2009

Derryl Yeager (l), an extremely talented dancer/choreographer and Michael Ballam, opera singer and performing artist extraordinaire share a moment together at Tuacahn near St. George, Utah. (Both do a little acting on the side.)

Photograph by Scot F. Proctor
Copyright 2001 Scot F. Proctor

Michael Ballam

Michael Ballam has had an operatic and recital career spanning four decades and six continents. A native of Logan, Utah, Dr. Ballam has performed in the major concert halls of America, Europe, Asia, Russia and the Middle East, with command performances at the Vatican and the White house. His operatic repertoire includes more than 600 performances of over 70 major roles. He has shared the stage with the world's greatest singers including Joan Sutherland, Kiri Te Kanawa, Birgit Nilsson, Beverly Sills, Placido Domingo,and has performed regularly with critical acclaim in some of the most important concert halls and companies in the country including the Chicago Lyric, San Francisco, Santa Fe, Dallas, Washington, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and San Diego Operas.

At age 24, Dr. Ballam became the youngest recipient of the degree of Doctor of Music with Distinction in the history of the prestigious Indiana University. A Professor of Music at Utah State University, he is the author of over 40 publications and recordings in international distribution, has a weekly radio program on Utah Public Radio, starred in 3 major motion pictures, appears regularly on television, and serves on the Board of Directors of twelve professional Arts organizations, and is an accomplished pianist and oboist.

Dr. Ballam currently serves as the General Director of the Utah Festival Opera, a company he founded in 1993. It has become one of the nation's major summer festivals with growing national critical acclaim. It was recently ranked as one of the world's top 20 summer opera festivals by "Money Magazine."

Derryl Yeager
Latter-day Saint. Education: MFA, University of Utah. Dancer and choreographer. Former member of Ballet West. Currently the artistic director of Odyssey Dance Theatre. Has had minor film roles. Played a dancer in the movie "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" (1985). Had larger roles as a coach in the TV movies "Whose Daughter Is She?" (1995) and as the historic Alexander Hamilton in the PBS vilm "A More Perfect Union: American Becomes A Nation" (1989). Along with Nicholas J. Gasdik, Yeager developed a deal with Del Rey and Fresco Pictures to adapt Orson Scott Card's romantic fantasy novel Enchantment to film, although this project is far from being actualized. One of the artists featured in the PBS series "Artists in Zion." Bio from "Artists in Zion" website (http://www.zionartwork.com/artists/yeager.html):

As a professional dancer for over two decades Derryl Yeager has had experience in evey style and medium. Originally from Amarillo, Texas, he came to the University of Utah and received his BFA and MFA while becoming a principle dancer with Ballet West. He then went on to perform in several Broadway Shows such as Aof five children is a testament to the depth of his talent and abilities.

As a choreographer he has also worked in every style and medium by choreographing music videos for such stars as Stevie Nicks and Julio Iglesias, numerous successful and crowd pleasing ballets for professional and semi-professional ballet companies, Equity Theatre musicals such as Pippin and South Pacific, and several film and television projects that has included the major television miniseries The Stand by Stephen King. He also has choreographed for the Utah Shakespeare Festival and at Tuacahn near St. George.

As director and teacher he has been on the faculty at two major universities and was Artistic Director of the Theatre Ballet at Brigham Young University for two years. As Co-Artistic Director of Center Stage Performing Arts Studios in Orem, he has helped develop one of the finest dance studios in the state of Utah.

With Odyssey Dance Theatre, Mr. Yeager brings all of his experience and talent to bear to create a truly exciting and innovative company that produces works that range from the timely to the timeless. Odyssey Dance Theatre has been a hit in Utah around the United States and in Europe.