Michael Ballam
Michael Ballam has been a successful classical singer for four decades, appearing on every continent, including command performances in the Vatican and the White House.
At the age of 24, Mr. Ballam became the youngest recipient of the degree of Doctor of Music with Distinction in the history of the prestigious Indiana University. An accomplished pianist and oboist, he is the Founder and General Director of the Utah Festival Opera, which is fast becoming one of the nation’s major Opera Festivals. Professor of Music for the past 24 years at Utah State University, he has also been a faculty member at Indiana University, The Music Academy of the West, University of Utah, Brigham Young University (where he was awarded the Teaching Award in Continuing Education in 1992) and guest lecturer at Stanford, Yale, BYU Idaho, Catholic University and Manhattan School of Music (official website).
The composer of many successful songs, Michael’s list of accolades and awards goes on and on. He has 40 publications and recordings in international distribution.
Recent Posts
Indie Musician Stephanie Madsen Releases New Praise and Worship Album
Stephanie Madsen, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often referred to as “the Mormon Church”) and a native of Georgia, has spent time living in Idaho, Texas, and California. She left her childhood home in Peachtree City, Georgia, to attend...
The Osmond Brothers Appear on “The Talk” and Give Their Final Performance
Olive Marie Osmond (Marie), the only daughter of the late George Virl Osmond, Sr. and Olive May Osmond (nee Davis), celebrated her 60th birthday on Sunday, 13 October 2019. Her brothers are Virl, Tom, Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, Donny, and Jimmy. Her two oldest...
The Countdown to the Release of “The Best of Mary Hiett (Bar None) Just Dream”
The Story Behind the Creation of a New Masterpiece Mary Hiett has returned with a brand new project. It is actually a project that she began working on four years ago and firmly believes that now is the time to wrap it up, put a nice ribbon and bow on it, and present...
Latter-day Saint Musicians Top the Billboard Charts
The month of September 2019 has proven to be a banner month for Latter-day Saint music artists. The month has celebrated several Latter-day Saint music artists topping the Billboard charts. In a single week of the month, 15 Latter-day Saints ended up in the top 15 of...
Whither Thou Goest – The Endearing Story of Ruth and Naomi in Song
“And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.” (Ruth 1:16) In the 1990s, James Dunne, the composer and...
Behind the Music – Jerald Simon’s “A Season to Be Strong”
On 4 September 2019, Jerald Simon released a music video of his original song called “A Season to Be Strong.” The song features his twin brother, Josh, singing the lead vocals. Jerald Simon was a 17-years-old young man when he originally wrote and composed “A Season...