Michael Ballam was born in
Logan, Utah to Grant Lamb Ballam, a
pharmacist, and his wife, Marianne Fullmer.[9][10] He was raised in
River Heights, a town adjacent to Logan.[2][11] Ballam credits his great-grandfather, an immigrant from Denmark, as an inspiration for his pursuit of music and
Latter-day SaintChristianity.[12][13]
In 1987, Ballam was performing La Traviata in
Caracas when he suddenly lost his ability to sing. He returned to his home in New York City and visited his
ENT. After testing, Ballam was informed that the cause of his illness was a mystery and that he should prepare for a poor
prognosis. Physicians in
Denver and
Houston provided similar perspectives. He returned to his family in Logan, Utah. It was later discovered that Ballam had suffered from a
sinus infection that had progressed into his
cranial cavity as a
bone infection and subsequently into his
lungs. Doctors operated on his skull and prescribed a regimen of
antibiotics. Ballam recovered quickly.[34][35]
Utah Festival Opera
When Ballam returned to Logan in 1987, he joined the music faculty of
Utah State University.[36] He was soon notified that the Capitol Theatre, where Ballam first performed as a child, was to be torn down to make room for a parking lot. Ballam ran a successful, multi-million dollar campaign to save, restore, and expand the building, which had fallen into disrepair. Upon completion, the theater had its name changed to the Ellen Eccles Theatre, honoring the community service and character of Ellen Stoddard Eccles (1867-1957) and
her family.[37][38] In subsequent years, Ballam has also led the restoration and renovation projects of several other historic cultural landmarks in
Logan, Utah, including the
Utah Theatre and the
Dansante Building.[1][38][39]
In 1992, Ballam founded
Utah Festival Opera,[40][41] which presented its first season in the summer of 1993.[34][42] Since its inception, Ballam has stood as general director of the company, as well as one of its recurring performers. Most Utah Festival Opera productions are performed on the stages of the Ellen Eccles and Utah Theatres. The repertory company has continued to grow, now staging six shows and several concerts each summer.[43]
"[Michael Ballam's] more than an entertainer.
He's got a heart of gold. He does it quietly.
He doesn't make a show of it.
He believes in music and goodness."
Ballam has authored over forty publications and recordings in international distribution, and produced/performed a weekly radio program on
Utah Public Radio.[32][46] He is frequently asked to hold lectures worldwide on the creative arts, more specifically music, and their interaction with the functions of the mind, their use in enhancing education, and as sources of therapy and motivation.
Ballam currently serves on the Board of Directors of several professional arts organizations.
2010: Gardner Award, given by the Utah Academy of Science, Arts & Letters, for “Significant Contributions in the Humanities to the State of Utah”
Honorary Life Membership to the Utah Congress of Parents and Teachers
Faith
Ballam is a member of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[12][47] He has written and lectured on the relationship between music and the doctrines of the Church.[48][49][50] The Church created the position of "musical missionary-at-large" specifically for him.[51]
Ballam is also descended from J. W. Summerhays, the patriarch of a musical dynasty in the Utah region and a singer himself. Summerhays emigrated from Europe as an LDS convert in 1866.[9][58]
Michael's daughter, Vanessa, is a performer,[59][60] stage director,[61][62] and former
Miss Utah.[63] She is also a theatre professor at
Idaho State University[64] and education director for Utah Festival Opera.[65] Michael's son, Benjamin, whose mobility is affected by
spina bifida,[66][67] has appeared in some Utah Festival productions.[68][69] Michael Ballam has four other children with his wife, Laurie. He currently resides in
Logan, Utah.
^
abMesa, Franklin (2015).
"Ballam, Michael". Opera: An Encyclopedia of World Premieres and Significant Performances, Singers, Composers, Librettists, Arias and Conductors, 1597-2000. Jefferson, North Carolina:
McFarland & Company. p. 306.
ISBN9781476605371. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
^Rich, Maria F., ed. (1982).
"First Performance Listing"(PDF). Central Opera Service Bulletin. Vol. 24, no. 1. New York City: Central Opera Service;
Metropolitan Opera. p. 58. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
^Rudolph, Walter B. (2017).
Opera and its Voices in Utah (lecture).
Logan, Utah: DigitalCommons@
Utah State University. Retrieved August 4, 2022 – via
YouTube. ...the very first tickets sold when [Utah Opera Festival] opened in 1993 were purchased by Leonard Arrington.