Opera Colorado Magazine November 2014

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GIACOMO PUCCINI NOV. 15 | 18 | 21 | 23 | 2014

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In-Theater magazine produced for Opera Colorado.

Transcript of Opera Colorado Magazine November 2014

Page 1: Opera Colorado Magazine November 2014

GIACOMO PUCCINI NOV. 15 | 18 | 21 | 23 | 2014

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W.A. MOZART MAY 2 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 2015

O P E R A C O L O R A D O . O R G | 3 0 3 . 4 6 8 . 2 0 3 0

THE 2014-2015 SEASON IS SPONSORED BY KEN AND DONNA BARROW

FR IDAY , F EBRUARY 6 , 20 15 15{ PLEASE SAVE THE DATE }

SUPPORTING OPERA COLORADO’S COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS

OPERA COLORADOPRESENTS

CHAMPAGNE G A L A 2 0 1 5

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I t is a pleasure to welcome you to Opera Colorado’s

2014-2015 Season. We have two beautiful

productions to share with you, Puccini’s all-time

favorite Madama Butterfl y and Mozart’s colorful

fantasy The Magic Flute. Both productions feature

some of today’s most exciting artists and directors,

and we welcome back to the orchestra pit our Artistic

Advisor, Maestro Ari Pelto.

Our 2014 Fiscal Year was marked by signifi cant

challenge and success. While we kept very tight control over our expenses, we exceeded our goals in

Annual Fund support as well as ticket sales – ending our fi scal year on June 30, 2014 with a surplus. We

fully acknowledge that this fi nancial accomplishment could not have been attained without the loyal and

generous support of patrons like you.

The artistic and fi nancial achievements of the past year have formed a more secure foundation for

envisioning a new, robust future for Opera Colorado. This fall our Board of Directors and Staff embarked

upon a long range planning process, working towards creating a measured approach to re-establishing

a third opera in each season, while increasing performance opportunities in our Front Range community

and across the state. Needless to say, the plans we make will require signifi cant fundraising and a greater

investment from our community.

With the enthusiastic support of all who love this incredible art form, and of those who are curious about

it, we are certain that the goals we set for our future will be reached. We have much to look forward to in this

season and the next – in particular our world premiere of Lori Laitman’s The Scarlet Letter in May of 2016.

We hope that Opera Colorado continues to be an important part of your life!

Greg Carpenter Mike Bock

General Director Chairman

FROM THE GENERAL DIRECTOR AND CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

WELCOME TO THE 2014-2015 SEASON

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OPERA COLORADO EDUCATION

GET ON THE HORN! CALL THE PRESS!WE’VE GOT NEWS! BIG NEWS!By Cherity Koepke, Director of Education & Community Engagement

Opera Colorado’s education programs are selling out at a record pace! Each season Opera Colorado brings the

magic of opera to over 35,500 students all across the state of Colorado through our Education & Community Engagement Programs. From our touring operas performed in schools to our fi eld trips that bring students to the opera house, we are keeping opera alive and building audiences for the future.

It’s a herculean task, but one that we are passionate about. That passion seems to be infectious. Based on the response we’ve had this year, we anticipate another sold out season.

Our programs are featured in an annual Education & Community Engagement brochure that is mailed out to every elementary, middle and high school in the Front Range as well as other schools throughout Colorado. After the mailing, an email blast is sent to hundreds of teachers. For the 2014-2015 Season, the brochure dropped on August 18, 2014. By August 20th, just two days after our brochure and email reached teachers, we had sold out programs!

Our Backstage Workshops are one of our most popular programs and it was this year’s front runner. In this program, students tour the opera house and learn – through six different interactive, hands-on stations – what it takes to create an opera. They visit Stage Combat, Wigs and Makeup, Costumes, Stage Management, Conducting and, of course, Professional Opera Singing. The Ellie Caulkins Opera House literally becomes a living classroom. There’s nothing quite like being a part of the excitement surrounding a live production. No wonder we can’t keep this program in stock!

Over the next few weeks in August and September, we had to list “sold out” next to all the Backstage Workshops. Reservations were still coming in rapidly. Our Marketing department had featured Education in one of the weekly newsletters. We saw a response. In one day, fi ve new schools registered for programs. These were schools that had never participated in an Opera Colorado education program before. It was an exciting day.

With Backstage Workshops fully booked, the next program to take the position of front runner was our touring opera production of Hansel and Gretel. On September 10th, we booked a total of seven school performances, one Romeo & Juliet and six Hansel and Gretel. By the end of that week, we had reached no availability for school performances

in the fall and we were on limited availability in January and May 2015. Our touring opera productions are unique and entertaining, as well as educational. We take some of the most popular operas and abridge them so that they can be performed in roughly one hour. We also adapt them to be sung in English, making them accessible to our student audiences. These touring opera productions are fully staged, costumed and performed by Opera Colorado’s Young Artists. We receive positive feedback about the quality of our touring productions and there’s a reason for that – they are fun and fabulous. About 90 percent of students who see a

touring production are experiencing their fi rst opera.By end of September, something we had been watching

closely, wondering if it could happen, happened. On September 26, 2014 the Student Matinee of The Magic

THE STUDENT MATINEE PROGRAM BRINGS MORE THAN 2,000 STUDENTS TO THE OPERA HOUSE EACH YEAR.

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Flute sold out. Now that may not seem unusual; our Student Matinee program is usually in high demand. In fact, it has sold out the past two years. However this year was different. The matinee typically reaches capacity a few weeks prior to the performance. This year’s matinee will be performed on May 7, 2015. It sold out more than 7 months in advance. This is literally record-breaking. Since the inception of the Student Matinee program, this is the strongest response we’ve ever seen. The Student Matinee program brings more than 2,000 school-age students to the opera house to see an abridged performance of one of our mainstage operas. It is performed in the original language with a live orchestra. The students see the same production as our adult audiences, with one exception. The matinee is performed with Opera Colorado’s Young Artists in the leading roles. It’s their chance to take the stage in a major

role and perform in front of a highly enthusiastic audience. The student matinee is one of my favorite days of the year. There’s nothing quite like listening to 2,000 students yelling “bravo.”

It’s now November and, unbelievably, we’re running out of programs to offer.

Backstage Workshops – gone. Student Matinee – gone. Family Day at the Opera – sold out.Generation OC – fully booked for the year.Touring Productions – limited availability.In-School workshops – limited availability.Student Dress Rehearsals – booking steadily.

Even our annual Greater Colorado Tour is over 70 percent booked for May 2015. I’ve been asked why. Why do you think Opera Colorado is seeing such a strong response to their programs? I think the answer is multi-faceted. I think we’re providing high quality programs that are impactful, represent the truth about opera and meet the needs of teachers. I think we’re choosing repertoire that people, including students, want to see. I think we’re continually adapting to the changing face of arts education.

I recently received an email from a teacher who was disappointed that the program they were trying to book had already sold out. I expressed that I was sorry and offered to place them on a waiting list; the teacher’s response spoke volumes. “Don’t be sorry. It means you’re doing something right.” Yes, we are and we plan to be doing so for years to come.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HELP EXPAND OUR EDUCATION & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS

SO THAT WE CAN REACH MORE STUDENTS IN THE 2015-2016 SEASON,

PLEASE CALL 303.468.2029 OR GO ONLINE TO DONATE AT OPERACOLORADO.ORG/SUPPORT.

STUDENT MATINEE PROGRAMS ARE PERFORMED BY OPERA COLORADO’S YOUNG ARTISTS.

LEFT AND CENTER: STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN A BACKSTAGE WORKSHOP. RIGHT: OPERA COLORADO’S YOUNG ARTISTS PERFORM A TOURING PRODUCTION.

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WHENCE BUTTERFLY?By Betsy Schwarm

Never setting foot in Japan, Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) yet decided to give the tale of Madama Butterfl y operatic

form. Similarly, though he visited New York City, Gold Rush California was not on his agenda, and yet his opera La fanciulla del West is set in exactly that location. Neither opera is a case of tale that the composer himself initially conceived. On the contrary, he borrowed both from the same American playwright, David Belasco (1853-1933). Without Belasco, these operas would never have come to life and Puccini’s catalog of works would be that much poorer.

Born in San Francisco in the early days of the state’s Gold Rush, Belasco was still a child when he began performing in productions by travelling theater troupes that ranged through the gold camps. However, like many theatrically inclined persons even today, Belasco sought out the wider horizons of New York City. Before he was thirty, he was managing theaters; before he was forty, he had established himself as an independent theater producer and sometimes playwright. In either capacity, his genius lay in a sense of visual and dramatic effects, taking the small details of a script and rendering them powerfully upon the stage. He was one of the fi rst theater producers to see the potential of stage lighting for maximizing impact upon an audience, and it was his lighting effects in a London production of his play Madame Butterfl y that particularly caught Puccini’s attention.

The story itself was not Belasco’s invention. That he had borrowed wholly from a magazine piece by John Luther Long, published in 1898 in Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine, and Long’s was derived from a novel by Pierre Loti. In Long’s telling, the central character survives, older but wiser. Apparently, Belasco judged that it would be a more powerful tale if her abandonment causes her to take her life, for that is the way he told it.

When the action of Belasco’s play begins, Lt. Pinkerton has been away for several years, and Butterfl y is already fending off would-be suitors. The long-absent husband only joins the action for the last several minutes of the one act

drama; the great majority of his dialog is with the American consul Sharpless, not with poor Butterfl y. So Pinkerton has no real chance to earn the audience’s sympathies, and one can hardly imagine that crying out her name as she dies redeemed him in many hearts.

The absence of any sort of love scene was, apparently, no handicap to Belasco’s imagination. Nor, apparently, was his personal lack of fi nesse with the written word. A visionary of stage design, he seemed not to suspect that having his leading lady declare,

might provoke laughter for all the wrong reasons. The sentiment she expresses is much the same in Puccini’s opera, but taking away the pidgin English and allowing music to underline the emotions made all the difference.

When the play opened in New York City March 5, 1900, it was a smash hit, and rapidly crossed the ocean to be staged in London, where it came to Puccini’s attention. Within four years, it would take operatic form at La Scala in Milan. In one year more, it would be at London’s Covent Garden. Were it not for Puccini’s genius, Belasco’s dramas would be little

remembered today. It is the music that made the stories memorable, and for that fact, Belasco should have given thanks the day that Puccini bought a theater ticket in London.

©Betsy Schwarm • Author of Operatic Insights and three other books on classical music.

G I A C O M O P U C C I N I

“I bed all moaneys he goin’ come mos’ one million mile for see those chil’,”

GIACOMO PUCCINI DAVID BELASCO

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303.292.6700 | CentralCityOpera.org

December 4 & 5 at 7:30 pmDecember 6 at 2 pm & 7:30 pm

St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, Highlands RanchTickets $25/$15 students. Visit CentralCityOpera.org/amahl.

Amahl and the Night Visitorsby Gian Carlo Menotti

The story of a magic star, a shepherd boy, and how unselfish love and good deeds can work miracles. This tuneful one-act opera brings the meaning of the holiday season home for all.

pHOT

O by

MaR

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la traviata | man of la mancha | thE prodigal son | thE blind | don quixotE and thE duchEss

Look for shows in Central City, denver and throughout Colorado in 2015.

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Page 15: Opera Colorado Magazine November 2014

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M A D A M A B U T T E R F LY • 1

NOVEMBER 15 • 18 • 21 • 23, 2014ELLIE CAULKINS OPERA HOUSE

Opera in Three ActsBy Giacomo Puccini

Libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa

There will be one 25 minute intermission between Act 1 and 2.

C A S T I N O R D E R O F V O C A L A P P E A R A N C E

Lt. B. F. Pinkerton Dinyar Vania* Goro Anthony Webb* Suzuki Erica Brookhyser* Sharpless John Hancock* Cio-Cio-San Xiu Ying Li* (pronounced Shuying Li) The Imperial Commissioner Andrew Paulson^* Registrar Brett Sprague^ The Bonze Leo Rado^* Prince Yamadori Jared Guest Kate Pinkerton Katherine Sanford^*

Opera Colorado OrchestraOpera Colorado Chorus

Conductor Ari Pelto Stage Director Keturah Stickann* Chorus Master Andres Cladera* Lighting Design Lucas Krech* Wigs and Makeup Design Ronell Oliveri

SCENERY PROVIDED BY VIRGINIA OPERA | SCENIC DESIGN BY WALLY COBERG

COSTUMES ARE THE PROPERTY OF OPERA THEATRE OF ST. LOUIS

COSTUMES DESIGNED BY MARIE ANNE CHIMENT

THE PRE-PERFORMANCE LECTURE IS PRESENTED BY MUSIC HISTORIAN BETSY SCHWARM

SPONSORED BY J. MICHAEL KING, MD | PEAK ENT AND VOICE CENTER

*Opera Colorado Debut

^Opera Colorado Young Artists

M A D A M A B U T T E R F LY

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MR. AND MRS. KENNETH T. BARROW | 2014-2015 SEASON SPONSOR

Dinyar Vania, B. F. PinkertonAppearance made possible by a generous gift from Ellie Caulkins

Opera Colorado Young ArtistsAppearance made possible by a generous gift from Joy Dinsdale

Maestro Ari Pelto is sponsored by Dave and Pam Duke

Opera Colorado Young Artist Leo Rado is sponsored by Marlis and Shirley Smith, and The Honorable Karen L. Brody and Mike Hughes.

Opera Colorado Young Artist Katherine Sanford is sponsored by Patrick Spieles and Carol McMurry.

Artists housing for Jared Guest is made possible by a generous gift from Steve Dilts & Joy Dinsdale.

Opera Colorado Young Artist housing is made possible by Studio TBD.

OPERA COLORADO’S 2014-2015 SEASON SPONSORS

OPERA COLORADO MEDIA SPONSORS

OPERATING THE SUBTITLES | FOLLOW THESE EASY STEPS

Prior to the performance, the screen will display a sponsored message automatically. (You cannot turn it off.) When the singing begins, briefl y press the red button. Press once for English titles and twice for Spanish titles. Press three times to turn the system off. Repeat these steps after intermission(s).

Pressing the button too many times or holding the button down will result in system failure. Titles are only broadcast when singing occurs on the stage. If you experience diffi culty with the system, please contact an usher for assistance. Opera Colorado does not offer refunds or exchanges in the event of subtitle system failure. A synopsis of the opera is available in this program.

All Sunday matinee performances offer audio description for the visually impaired. Headsets are available at the coat check.

English subtitles written by Jeremy Sortore for Opera Colorado. Spanish translation by TranslatingSpanish.com

ENGLISH OR SPANISH SUBTITLES AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

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M A D A M A B U T T E R F LY • 3

ACT ONEUS navy lieutenant B. F. Pinkerton has rented a house in

Nagasaki for his new bride, the fi fteen-year-old geisha Cio-Cio San, known as Butterfl y. The marriage broker Goro explains the arrangements for the wedding. Pinkerton chats with the American consul Sharpless, who is shocked by the younger man’s heartless approach to marriage; Pinkerton makes it clear that this alliance is temporary, as someday he will take an American wife. Butterfl y’s unruly relations arrive. Butterfl y explains that she is devoted to her new husband and has even adopted his religion. The Japanese ceremony takes place, but just then, Butterfl y’s uncle, the Bonze, a Buddhist priest, arrives and denounces her for her religious conversion. Butterfl y’s relatives depart. Pinkerton calms his bride’s tears and fears, and the two begin their fi rst night together.

ACT TWOPinkerton’s ship left Nagasaki three years ago. Except for

her maid Suzuki, Butterfl y has lived alone in poverty, yet she remains confi dent that he will return. Sharpless brings a letter from Pinkerton. His attempts to read it aloud are thwarted by her persistent questions. The marriage broker Goro arrives with Prince Yamadori, who wishes to marry Butterfl y, whom Japanese custom regards as abandoned. Insisting that she is already married, she sends them away. Sharpless asks Butterfl y

what she would do if Pinkerton never returned. Horrifi ed at the very idea, she presents her young son, of whose existence Pinkerton does not yet know. Promising to inform the boy’s father of his birth, Sharpless leaves. The fi ring of the harbor cannon announces the arrival of Pinkerton’s ship. Butterfl y and Suzuki deck the house with fl owers. Then, as night falls, Butterfl y awaits her husband’s return.

ACT THREEIt is morning. Butterfl y has waited all night in vain. After she

goes to rest, Pinkerton and Sharpless arrive and are greeted by Suzuki. The maid makes clear her mistress’ devotion to Pinkerton, then asks about a woman she sees in the garden. Sharpless explains that she is Pinkerton’s American wife, Kate, and that they have come to ask custody of the boy, for Pinkerton does not intend to return to Butterfl y at all. Horrifi ed by the consequences of his actions, the errant husband leaves Kate, the consul, and the maid to break the news. Awakening and joining them, Butterfl y guesses the truth. She agrees to the adoption, if Pinkerton will come for the boy himself. Sharpless and Kate go to fi nd him. In their absence, Butterfl y sends Suzuki away, then prepares to take her own life with her father’s sword. Suzuki thrusts the boy into the room. Butterfl y says goodbye to her son, then, as the American returns, takes her own life, as Pinkerton enters the room in despair.

BY BETSY SCHWARMSYNOPSIS MADAMA BUTTERFLYSETTING • NAGASAKI AROUND 1900

We trace the roots of Cio-Cio San, the tragic victim of Pinkerton’s abandonment, to John Luther Long, an American lawyer who is said to have based his short story, “Madame Butterfl y,” on the recollections of his missionary sister, who traveled through Japan at the turn of the last century. The story is brutal. Pinkerton is manipulative and rude – treating his young bride as a toy to be discarded, leaving her disowned and pregnant. Japanese stereotypes are abundant in the story, but ugly American stereotypes are in full force as well.

Puccini’s Madama Butterfl y is softer than the original (softer, even, than his own original, as he rewrote much of it after its premiere).  Here, Pinkerton admits regret when he comes back, and Cio-Cio San is no longer a caricature of the gentle, confused foreigner, but a strong woman in her own right. Puccini pulled the focal point of the opera away from the culture clash of East and West and concentrated it more on the personal tragedy of his title character. Despite

this, I feel the East and West dissonance is still pertinent to the story, partially because it resonates in our global society, and partially because it adds to the victimization of this young woman caught between her perception of the prevalence of fi delity in Western Culture, and a strong sense of honor coming from her Samurai father’s own death in the face of a dishonorable future.  

In Puccini’s time, exoticism was all the rage, and his audience only knew these cultures through artistic portrayal. We have different access today, and different attitudes. In light of this, I feel a certain responsibility to be as culturally correct in portraying Japan as I can, while remaining dramaturgically faithful to the opera as written. Our cast is not Japanese, yet we work to fi nd the right breath and gesture with which to portray Cio-Cio San’s journey in ways that ring true for a 21st century audience, while highlighting the clash between American and Japanese cultures at the dawn of the 20th century.

FROM THE DIRECTOR

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The origins of this famously Japanese-inspired work

actually lie in London. The Italian-born composer spoke hardly any English, a fact that never kept Puccini from attending the English theater. Perhaps he felt that emotions supersede language, and that despite missing the text, he could still understand the message. Whatever his reasons, while in London in 1900, he attended a performance of David Belasco’s one-act play Madame Butterfl y, which told of a Japanese girl’s ill-fated love for an American sailor. Immune to the play’s awkward dialog, which imposed upon the leading lady the most fractured English, Puccini reveled in its poignancy, and asked his publisher, Ricordi, to obtain the story’s operatic rights. Early in 1901, the composer and his favorite librettists, Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, with whom he had previously worked with success on La Bohéme (1896) and Tosca (1900) set about creating what would become one of the most beloved of all operas.

A serious effort was made to introduce an element of realism into the new opera, and to clearly evoke its Japanese setting, as well as its Japanese and American characters. Illica, being the half of the libretto team responsible for overall structure and scenarios (Giacosa was more gifted with the actual text), even traveled to Nagasaki to investigate local color and personalities. Puccini, for his part, visited with the wife of the Japanese ambassador to Italy, who sang to him native songs, the mood of which echo throughout the score. She gave her approval of the opera’s plot, declaring that she knew of such a situation happening in real life.

In Puccini’s care, even small details have authenticity. In the entr’acte late in the opera as the title character quietly awaits her husband’s return, the music – with a gently humming chorus and light pizzicato for the strings – has all the delicacy of the paper walls of her Japanese house. It was this scene in the original play, with no spoken lines whatsoever, and lighting

effects to evoke the passing of the night, that had moved Puccini to take on the story in the fi rst place.

Madama Butterfl y’s American characters were given no less attention than their Oriental counterparts. Puccini assured Ricordi that he was “doing my best to make Mr. Pinkerton sing like an American.” Occasional wisps of “The Star-Spangled Banner” are the most obvious proof of that intent. However, one might also suppose that the character’s bluff and forceful phrases, even in love scenes, might have seemed to Puccini as an American personality trait.

Despite this extreme care invested in the new opera, the La Scala audience at the premiere February 17, 1904 openly jeered Butterfl y, booing and hissing even before the opera had concluded. Its Japanese setting was mocked, and its tragic heroine derided as second-hand copy of the leading lady in La Bohéme. Puccini’s sister testifi ed that the furor upset her so much that she fl ed the theater long before the opera ended.

Convinced that jealous rivals had fi lled the house with their own supporters, specifi cally to disrupt the performance, Puccini did not despair. His devotion to Butterfl y was so strong that rather than abandoning the piece, he and his librettists began extensive revisions, most notably restructuring its overly long second act into two broad scenes connected by a gentle choral interlude, the aforementioned Humming Chorus. The new Butterfl y, which reached the stage several months after the failure of its predecessor, was a success. Two more revisions would follow in 1905 and 1906, before the opera reached its defi nitive form: the form in which audiences delight even now over a century later.Characters and Voice Parts: Cio-Cio San (Butterfl y) – soprano Goro, the marriage broker – tenor Kate Pinkerton – soprano Sharpless, the American consul – baritone Suzuki– mezzo Prince Yamadori, Butterfl y’s suitor – baritone Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton – tenor the Bonz (Butterfl y’s uncle) – bass

PROGRAM NOTES AND SYNOPSIS ©BETSY SCHWARM, AUTHOR OF OPERATIC INSIGHTS, AND THREE OTHER BOOKS ON CLASSICAL MUSIC.

GIACOMO PUCCINI

PUCCINI: MADAMA BUTTERFLY

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M A D A M A B U T T E R F LY • 5

Erica Brookhyser* | SuzukiErica Brookhyser recently fi nished four seasons as principal mezzo at Staatstheater Darmstadt in Germany. Her roles there included Didon  Les Troyens,  Cherubino Le Nozze di Figaro, Fenena Nabucco, Orfeo Orfeo ed Euridice,  Muse/Nicklausse Les Contes d’Hoffmann,  Emilia  Otello, Second Lady

Die Zauberfl öte, Lola Cavalleria Rusticana, Brangäne Tristan und Isolde, and Wellgunde/Waltraute/Second Norn  Der Ring des Nibelungen. She received acclaim in Germany and France for her portrayal of  Carmen in a televised production from the stage of Seefestspiele Berlin. Her American appearances include the mezzo soloist in a fully-staged El Niño by John Adams with Spoleto Festival USA, Meg Page Falstaff with LA Opera, the title role in Cendrillon with Central City Opera, Brigitta Die Tote Stadt with Boston’s Odyssey Opera, and Tisbe La Cenerentola with Utah Opera.  Erica trained at  Los Angeles Opera’s Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program, Santa Fe Opera and Tanglewood Music Festival. 

Jared Guest | Prince YamadoriJared A. Guest grew up in the suburbs of Orlando where he learned to love and appreciate classical music and opera. He received a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance from Florida State University in Tallahassee. After moving to Texas, Jared earned his Master of Music degree in Voice Performance and Opera

from the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music. He has performed in a wide range of operas such as Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Der Rosenkavalier, Falstaff, Amelia, Il Postino, Der Zauberfl öte The Ballad of Baby Doe, Don Giovanni, Tosca and more. Jared is a graduate of two years in the Opera Colorado Young Artist Residency program and is extremely excited to be returning as a main stage artist for the 2014 season. Jared is looking forward to bringing great operatic masterworks to Denver audiences once again with this outstanding company.

John Hancock* | SharplessAcclaimed for his refi ned vocalism and theatrical versatility, baritone John Hancock made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Le Gendarme in Les Mamelles de Tirésias under the baton of James Levine. He has since appeared in a dozen roles with the company, including Count Almaviva

in Le nozze di Figaro, Falke in Die Fledermaus, Albert in Werther, Brétigny in Manon, Capulet in Roméo et Juliette, and both Marcello and Schaunard in La bohème. At San Francisco Opera he has sung the roles of Sharpless in Madama Butterfl y, Yeletsky in Queen of Spades and Lescaut in Manon Lescaut. His New York City Opera productions include Capriccio, Carmina Burana and Le Nozze di Figaro. Hancock is a graduate of the Juilliard Opera Center, where he was winner of the Richard F. Gold Grant. He has also received grants and prizes from the Metropolitan Opera National Council, the Loren L. Zachary Society and the Sullivan Foundation.

Xiu Ying Li* (pronounced Shuying Li)Cio-Cio SanChinese Soprano Shuying Li has become the most sought after interpreter of Puccini’s Madama Butterfl y in North America. Following a recent performance of Madama Butterfl y with New York City Opera, which was simulcast on PBS’ Live from Lincoln Center telecast, New York Times

critic acclaim “A really striking performer, offered big, clear singing with dramatic nuance as  Butterfl y; …was convincing and vocally impressive.” The performance won an EMMY® Award. She also won the Diva Award, as well as the Stanley Tausend Award for outstanding performer of New York City Opera. In the 2014-15 season Ms. Li will perform Turandot in Turandot in Japan. She will sing the leading role as Sufen from the world premiere opera The River of Spring to open Shanghai International Art Festival. She has performed major roles in Madama Butterfl y, La bohème, Manon Lescaut, Tosca, Turandot, Suor Angelica, La Traviata, Ariadne auf Naxos and Faust to name a few.

Andrew Paulson^*Imperial CommissionerAndrew Paulson received his undergraduate degree from Westminster Choir College and received his Master’s Degree in Voice Performance at Florida State University. Recent opera credits include the cover of First Prison Guard in Heggie’s Dead Man Walking  at Central City Opera, Giorgio

Germont (La Traviata) with Opera on the Avalon, Clayton McAllister and  Luther (Cold Sassy Tree) with Sugar Creek Opera, and Mercutio (Romeo et Juliette) with Florida State Opera. He received second place in the Mobile Opera Competition and received Encouragement Awards from both the Schuyler Foundation for Career Bridges and the Florida District of the Met Competition. As an Opera Colorado Young Artist his roles include the First Priest in The Magic Flute and Papageno in the Student Matinee, the roles of Mercutio and the

THE ARTISTS

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6 • M A D A M A B U T T E R F LY

Prince in Romeo & Juliet, and the Father in Hansel and Gretel in the company’s touring productions. 

Leo Rado^* | BonzeLeo Rado  holds a B.M. with scholastic distinction and M.M. in voice from The Juilliard School. At Juilliard, his roles included Bottom in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Simone in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi  and Tobia Mill in Rossini’s  La Cambiale di Matrimonio. In 2011, he performed the role of Willi Graf as

both singer and pianist in the U.S. premiere of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’ Kommilitonen! at Juilliard, which brought him critical acclaim from The New York Times. In addition to working with his teacher Dr. Robert C. White throughout his studies, Leo has had the opportunity to work with conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Charles Dutoit and Stephen Lord. As an Opera Colorado Young Artist he will perform the roles of Capulet/Friar Lawrence in Romeo & Juliet and the Sandman in  Hansel and Gretel; the company’s touring productions. In the mainstage productions, Leo will also sing Second Man in Armor in The Magic Flute. 

Katherine Sanford^* | Kate PinkertonKatherine Sanford completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Maryland and her Master’s degree at the University of Michigan. She was a recipient of the University of Michigan Stevenson Friends of Opera Scholarship. Recently, she performed the role of Barbarina in the Hub Opera Ensemble’s performance

of Le nozze di Figaro. Other opera credits include the roles of Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Lucretia in The Rape of Lucretia and Ottavia in L’incoronazione di Poppea at the University of Michigan, and Hansel in Hansel and Gretel and Mercédès in Carmen with Bel Cantanti Opera. Katherine also performed as an apprentice artist with Des Moines Metro Opera in 2013. As an Opera Colorado Young Artist, she will perform Second Lady in The Magic Flute and Papagena for the Student Matinee, as well as the roles of Hansel in Hansel and Gretel and Stephano/Gertrude in Romeo & Juliette for the company’s touring productions.

Brett Sprague^ | Offi cial RegistrarBrett Sprague holds degrees from Chapman University and Manhattan School of Music. His credits include Peter Grimes (Chautauqua Opera),  Don Pasquale, (Amore Opera), The Most Happy Fella (Dicapo Opera), Die Zauberflöte (New York Lyric Opera Theatre), The  Ghosts of Versailles,  Cosi fan tutte and Thais

(Manhattan School of Music’s Opera Theatre), L’elisir d’amore (Tuscia Opera festival)  and Signor Deluso,  Gianni Schicchi  and  Die Fledermaus (Opera Chapman). As a 2014 Opera Colorado Young Artists, Brett performed in the touring productions (The Barber of Seville and Romeo & Juliet), and in the student matinee of Carmenhe sang the role of Don José. His mainstage roles in last season included Borsa in Rigoletto and Rememdado in Carmen. His will sing in this season’s touring productions of Romeo & Juliet and Hansel and Gretel, and First Man in Armour in The Magic Flute. In the Student Matinee he will sing the role of Tamino.

Dinyar Vania* | B.F. PinkertonDinyar Vania’s 2014-15 engagements include Duke in Rigoletto for Opera Omaha, Rodolfo in La bohème with Pensacola Opera, and joining the roster of the Metropolitan Opera for La bohème. His 2013-14 season included debuts with Minnesota Opera as Des Grieux in Puccini’s Manon Lescaut, Lyric Opera

Baltimore as Cavaradossi in Tosca, and Virginia Opera as Don José in Carmen. Recent highlights include his debut with Boston Lyric Opera as Pinkerton, also with Glimmerglass Opera; with Spoleto Festival USA as Roberto in Puccini’s Le Villi; returning to Lyric Opera of Kansas City as Pinkerton and Don José; to Pensacola Opera and Opera Naples as Cavaradossi; Rodolfo with Dayton Opera, and Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra; opera highlights concerts with Seattle Symphony and Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra; and Ettore in Kimmo Hakola’s La Fenice (world premiere) with the Savolinna Festival (Finland). With the esteemed New York City Opera he sang Rodolfo in La bohème.

Anthony Webb* | GoroTenor Anthony Webb is critically acclaimed for his vocal power and agility, as well as his dynamic acting skills. His recent credits include Mathurin in The Reformed Drunkard with Little Opera Theater of New York; Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor with Opera in the Heights; Mitch in A Streetcar Named Desire with Union Avenue Opera;

Sam in Susannah with St. Petersburg Opera; Blausius/Gavin in Hugo Kauder’s Merlin (World Premiere) Count Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Crested Butte Music Festival and Pirelli in Sweeney Todd with Opera Theatre of St. Louis. His upcoming engagements include Goro in Madama Butterfl y with Opera Colorado; Mayor Upfold in Albert Herring with Vashon Opera and Tenor Soloist with the Northern Duchess Symphony Orchestra in A Night of Rodgers and Hammerstein.

THE ARTISTS

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M A D A M A B U T T E R F LY • 7

Andres Cladera* | Chorus MasterUruguayan conductor Andres Cladera, recently named Resident Conductor of Opera San Antonio and Founder/Artistic Director of The Microscopic Opera Company of Pittsburgh, is a versatile and cultivated artist in both the operatic and symphonic worlds. He has prior conducting experience with Opera San

Antonio, Opera Colorado, Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic, Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, Edgewood Symphony, Pittsburgh Early Music Consort, Chatham Baroque and San Antonio Symphony. Cladera holds a Masters degree from Carnegie Mellon University and Bachelors of Fine Arts degrees in Piano and Voice Performance from College of Charleston. Cladera was awarded the 2007 Outstanding Young Conductor of the year by the Association of Choral Directors of America, as well as fi rst place in several international piano competitions. Upcoming engagements include Salome (Opera San Antonio) La Voix Humaine/Il Segreto di Susanna (Opera San Antonio) Mercy Train (Microscopic Opera Company) Winter’s Tale (Quantum Theater Company). Andres Cladera lives in Denver, Colorado.

Denver Taiko*Japanese Drumming EnsembleDenver Taiko, founded in 1976, is a community based, 501(c)3 non-profi t organization committed to honoring and sharing Japanese drumming through performance and providing an engaging creative outlet for those with an interest in the art of taiko. Denver Taiko is a

community-based, self-taught group of drummers who enjoy the art of Japanese drumming through group performance. They perform in and around Denver and have also performed outside of Colorado in various states including Wyoming, Tennessee, South Dakota, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska. The group was honored in 2001 by Denver’s Mayor Wellington Webb, receiving the Mayor’s annual award for Excellence in the Arts.  Denver Taiko will be celebrating its 40th Anniversary in 2016 with a concert and hopes that many of you will participate in the celebration. For more information, visit denvertaiko.org or fi nd them on Facebook.

Lucas Krech* | Lighting DesignMulti-media artist working in light, video projection and code. Multiple nominations for NYIT and BATCC awards. Winner Broadway World, SF “Best Lighting Design” 2011. Recipient of the Lighting Artist in Dance grant from The Dancers Group for collaboration on new multi-media work 2013. Opera designs include

Opera Santa Barbara, Opera Colorado, West Edge Opera, West

Bay Opera, First Look Sonoma, Yale Arts & Ideas Festival, LPR, Berkeley Opera and more. Theater credits span Off-Broadway and regional including The Magic, Barter Theater, Marin Theater Company, Shotgun Players, Center Rep, Gotham Stages, Friendly Fire, Immigrant’s Theater and NYMF. Dance collaborators include Nicolo Fonte, Matthew Neenan, Sean Curran, Amy Seiwert, Adam Houghland, Johannes Weiland, Emery LeCrone, Peter Quantz, Erika Tsimbrovsky and Andrea Schermoly. Installation work shown at SOMArts, Studio Gracia, Outside/Input and Black Rock City. He received a MFA in design from NYU.

Ari Pelto | ConductorIn 2013, Opera Colorado appointed Ari Pelto as Artistic Advisor  following an acclaimed debut conducting  Don Giovanni. In addition to Madama Butterfl y, his future productions with Opera Colorado include  Aida  and the world premiere of Lori Laitman’s  The Scarlett Letter  in 2016. With performances that have

been called poetic, earthy and highly individual, Pelto is in demand in opera houses throughout the United States. He made a highly-praised debut in 2004 at New York City Opera with La Traviata, and become a regular guest conductor returning for Madama Butterfl y, La Boheme and Carmen. He has appeared with Opera Theatre of St.Louis, Boston Lyric Opera and Utah Opera,  Minnesota Opera among others as well as in  Japan, Europe and South America. Upcoming engagements include  Salome  at Virginia Opera,  The Rake’s Progress at Portland Opera and I Pagliacci at Opera Memphis where he serves as Principal Guest Conductor. 

Keturah Stickann* | DirectorKeturah Stickann’s directing credits include Don Quichotte (San Diego Opera), Flight (Opera Fayetteville),  Rigoletto (Opera Memphis),  Don Giovanni (Janiec Opera Company),  The Tales of Hoffman (Knoxville Opera), Manon (Knoxville Opera), Don Pasquale (Opera in the Heights), La tragédie de Carmen (Janiec

Opera Company) and Madama Butterfl y (Opera Santa Barbara). Ms. Stickann is a frequent collaborator with director, Leonard Foglia, most notably as is his choreographer and movement director for Moby-Dick, which traveled around the world and was fi lmed in 2012 for PBS’ Great Performances. She is also his choreographer for Cruzar la Cara de la Luna and A Coffi n in Egypt, both commissioned by Houston Grand Opera. In 2012, Ms. Stickann toured to Japan and Chile to remount Michael Hampe’s production of Tannhäuser, and before that was an assistant director for Lillian Groag and Lotfi Mansouri on many new productions including Orphee, La fanciulla del West, Pagliacci and Cavalleria Rusticana.

*Opera Colorado Debut ^Opera Colorado Young Artists

THE ARTISTS

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8 • M A D A M A B U T T E R F LY

ORCHESTRAVIOLINTakanori Sugishita,

concertmasterRenè Knetsch,

principal second violinAngela DombrowskiLynne GlaeskeMargaret GutierrezDebra HollandRobyn JulyanAnnamaria KaracsonCyndi MancinelliLeah MohlingBrett OmaraSusie PeekIngrid PeoriaGyongyi PetheoVeronica PigeonLeslie SawyerChristine ShortRobyn Sosa

VIOLAMichael Brook, principalBrian Cook Matthew Dane Erika EckertSarah Richardson Lora Stevens

CELLOJeff Watson, principalCedra KuehnCharles LeeDavid ShortElle WellsCarole Whitney

BASSDavid Crowe, principalJeremy NicholasMatthew PenningtonJames Vaughn

FLUTE Susan TownsendElizabeth Sadilek

PICCOLO Olga Shylayeva

OBOE Max SotoTenly Williams

ENGLISH HORN Liz Telling

CLARINET Michelle OrmanHeidi Mendenhall

BASS CLARINET Art Bouton

BASSOON Kim PeoriaKaori Uno

HORNDevon Park, principalMarian HesseJason JohnstonLauren Varley

TRUMPETBrian Brown, principalKen AikinSteve Kilburn

TROMBONEBron Wright, principalWilliam StanleyAndy Wolfe

TUBAMichael Allen

HARPJanet Harriman, principal

TIMPANI Peter Cooper, principal

PERCUSSION Mark Foster, principalNena LorenzCarl Dixon

ORCHESTRA LIBRARIANIngrid Peoria

ORCHESTRA MANAGERKim Peoria

OPERA COLORADO CHORUSJanet BraccioBecky BradleyClaire BrookerSusan ClarkEmily JohnsonKimberly KirkwoodAmy KopatichHeather MillsSusan RahmsdorffKatherine Snyder

John AdamsJamie HalladayBrandon JosephPatrick McAleerJason ParfenoffTodd ResseguiePark Wm. ShowalterNorman SpivyJoey Taczak

PRODUCTION STAFFMUSIC STAFFAndres Cladera,

Chorus MasterKeun-A Lee,

Coach/AccompanistKim Peoria,

Orchestra Personnel ManagerIngrid Peoria,

Orchestra Librarian

PRODUCTION STAFFKatie Preissner,

Production/Stage ManagerJordan Braun,

Assistant Stage ManagerSarah Johnson,

Assistant Stage ManagerJoel Atella,

Assistant DirectorJeremy Sortore,

Title CoordinatorBeth Nielsen,

Title OperatorPark Wm. Showalter,

Chorus Liaison

Brian Greffe, MD, Company PhysicianBuzz Reifman, NPPA, Company Otolaryngologist

TECHNICAL STAFFDennis Watson, Head CarpenterDon Watson, Shop/Production CarpenterBert Hedrick, Assistant CarpenterJeff Reidel, Head FlymanDavid Arellano, Head ElectricianChris Green, Light Board OperatorPatrick Howard, Assistant Lighting DesignerBill Hansen, Head PropsTravis Schadle, Assistant PropsCharles Polich, Head SoundKaren Watson, Purchasing Agent

ELLIE CAULKINSOPERA HOUSE CREWAl Price, House PropDave Wilson, House ElectricianDave Lambert,

House CarpenterMichael Cousins, House Sound

COSTUMESAnn Piano, Costume DirectorAlison Milan,

Shop Manager and Wardrobe Head

SHOP ASSISTANTSBarbara PianoElizabeth C. PorterChristine Samar

DRAPERKevin Brainerd

DRESSERSChristine SamarKevin BrainerdSara Lynn Hildebrand Elizabeth C. PorterGwendolyn Adams

VOLUNTEER DRESSERSLeslie CadyKathy HeiderJan HeimerPat SmithBarbara Wilder

WIGS AND MAKEUPSarah Opstad, Associate Wig and Makeup DesignerAngela Norris, Wig and Makeup Assistant ARTIST HOSTSHost Chairman: Merrill ShieldsJeff BrownGreg CarpenterLarry ChanBrian CraneSigrid and Dick FreeseRobert KahnCherity KoepkeHeather MacKinnonDarrell and India MountAstrid Stocks

SUPERSMarielle LinkMiles Parfenoff

MADAMA BUTTERFLY

Page 25: Opera Colorado Magazine November 2014

Every life is unique and deserves to be remembered in a special way. With whispering pines, picturesque grounds and breathtaking views of the majestic Rocky Mountains and Denver skyline, Olinger Mount Lindo Cemetery offers a resting place unlike any other. The cemetery’s historic lighted cross—the largest in the country—graces the scenic mountaintop and has become a beloved local landmark.

As members of the Dignity Memorial® network, we are dedicated to helping you and your loved ones create a meaningful memorial that truly celebrates the life it represents. You can even tell your own unique story by making your final plans now, before the time of need.

CALL TODAY TO CREATE A LASTING TRIBUTE that will be celebrated for generations to come.

OLINGER FUNERAL HOMES AND CEMETERIES

OLINGER MOUNT LINDO Cemetery

5928 South Turkey Creek Rd.Morrison, CO

303-771-3960OlingerMountLindoCemetery.com

OLINGER CHAPEL HILL Mortuary and Cemetery

6601 South Colorado Blvd.Centennial, CO

303-771-3960OlingerChapelHillCemetery.com

OLINGER CROWN HILL Mortuary and Cemetery

7777 West 29th Ave.Wheat Ridge, CO

303-233-4611OlingerCrownHillCemetery.com

GIVE THEM SOMETHING

to remember you by.

Page 26: Opera Colorado Magazine November 2014

Everyone has a voice.Shouldn’t yours be heard?Don’t take your voice for granted. A weak, breathy, hoarse, scratchy,strained, or graveled voice oftenindicates a problem. Hoarsenesslasting longer than a few weeksprobably isn’t “laryngitis.”

Dr. Michael King treats the fullspectrum of ear, nose, and throatdisorders. He is an otolaryngologistand a fellowship-trained laryngologist(voice specialist) providing care tosingers, performers, andprofessional speakers.

Dr. King is one of only a fewspecialists in the Westernregion performing minimallyinvasive office procedures,balloon sinuplasty, and laser surgery.

Services and treatments include-• Minimally invasive office procedures of the throat and sinuses

• Laser surgery of the vocal cords

• Treatments for pre-cancerous lesions or early throat cancers

• Microsurgery for vocal cord polyps or cysts

• Botox injections for spasmodic dysphonia

• Voice restoration for vocal cord paralysis

• Esophagoscopy and evaluation for reflux

Offices in Broomfield & Golden • 720-401-2139 • PeakENTandVoiceCenter.com

DrKing-Ad.v1_PS-V4 1/11/13 1:47 PM Page 1

Page 27: Opera Colorado Magazine November 2014

R e t ir e a midst Den v er’s t op cu lt u r a l , dining a nd spor t s v en u es a djacen t t o mil es of pa r k l a nd a nd bik ing / wa l k ing t r a il s.

Ba l four AtR i v er fron tPa r k.com - 1500 l i t t l e r av en st.

Join Us for a Tour, Call for a Reservation: 720.360.4500M–F 9am–6:30pm, Weekends 10am–5pm; Open Holidays 10am–3pm

• Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Memory Care

• Culinary Director is award-winning, Four Seasons-trained chef

• Full liquor license with daily happy hour cocktails in Balfour’s very own SkyBar

• Over 200 Life Enrichment programs a month

• 24/7 concierge services and two dedicated town cars

• Minutes from restaurants, entertainment, and top attractions of downtown

SOPHISTICATED DOWNTOWN LIVING

Balfour is something you rarely fi nd. A renowned senior living community in the heart of Denver. Just steps away

from the vibrancy of downtown.

Move in Now!

Begin a new chapter in your life.

Michael Schonbrun, Founder and CEO of Balfour and former President of National Jewish Health, needed to find his mother a retirement community. After her husband’s death, Madeline, a lifelong New Yorker active in charity work, wanted to move to Colorado to be closer to family, but didn’t want to sacrifice the amenities and sophisticated lifestyle of downtown living. Michael’s search left him unsatisfied; there were no senior living communities downtown, and no options that would meet Madeline’s expectations and lifestyle. And that’s why he created Balfour.

Michael, age 13, with his mother, Madeline

Page 28: Opera Colorado Magazine November 2014

20 • O P E R A C O L O R A D O 2 0 1 4 - 2 0 1 5

PRESIDENT CIRCLE ($20,000+)The Anschutz FoundationAvenir FoundationBonfi ls-Stanton FoundationChambers Family FundThe Denver FoundationFidelity Investments Charitable Giving FundFranklin C Deters TrustGalen and Ada Belle Spencer FoundationInvisible Cities Investments LLCRassman Design*Shamos Family FoundationScientifi c and Cultural Facilities DistrictSidney E. Frank Foundation

DIRECTOR ($10,000+)Ann and Gerald Saul FoundationCaulkins Family FoundationCIBER, Inc.The Crawley Family FoundationFaegre Baker DanielsGates Family FoundationHood-Barrow FoundationJess and Rose Kortz and Pearl Rae FoundationMelvin and Elaine Wolf Foundation, Inc.Profi t Planning GroupTulsa Community FoundationVirginia W. Hill Foundation

MAESTRO ($5,000+)Ann and Gordon Getty FoundationDenver Lyric Opera GuildECA Foundation, Inc.Fairfi eld and Woods, PCThe Hunt Family FoundationJeanne Land FoundationMile High United WayPeak ENT and Voice CenterLeonard and Alice Perlmutter Charitable FoundationVectra Bank of ColoradoWells Fargo

DIVA ($2,500+)Magnolia Hotel*National Philanthropic TrustSchwab Fund for Charitable GivingThe Denver Post CharitiesWells Fargo Advisors*

COMPRIMARIO ($1,000+)AMG Charitable Gift FoundationAnonymousBeaver Creek Resort CompanyDavid B. and Gretchen W. Black Family FoundationJeremy and Debbie Lazarus FundKinder Morgan FoundationRead Foundation Inc.

The Armstrong FoundationThe Deane Family FundThe Dobbins FoundationThe Henry Laird Smith FoundationThe Schramm FoundationWilliam D. Radichel Foundation

CHORISTER ($500+)Carson-Pfaffl in Family FoundationIBM International FoundationNewmont Mining CorporationRose Community Foundation

FRIEND ($100+)Barnes and NobleBell Family FoundationBjork Lindley Little, PCDaniels-Houlton Family FoundationGray ConsultingHewlett-Packard CompanyIngrid Fretheim InteriorsNelson Family FoundationThe Elmer F. Pierson FoundationThe Gill FoundationWhole Foods Market Cherry Creek*

*Gift In-Kind

ANNUAL CONTRIBUTORS

IMPRESARIO(Special sponsorships aboveannual contribution)Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth T. BarrowMike and Julie Bock*Ellie CaulkinsJoy and Christopher DinsdaleDave and Pam DukeMr. Michael A. Hughes and the Hon. Karen BrodyDr. J Michael KingMs. Tracy McCarthy* Merrill Shields and M. Ray Thomasson* Marlis and Shirley SmithMr. John Shott*Mrs. and Mr. Rachel SolomonPatrick Spieles and Carol McMurry

IMPRESARIO FOUNDATIONSAvenir FoundationBonfi ls-Stanton Foundation*Mervin and Elaine Wolf Foundation

*Technology Fund

TRIBUTES

IN HONOR OF GREGORY A. CARPENTER

Sandra Vinnik

IN HONOR OF URSULA AND CHARLES KAFADAR

Ms. Lois B. LondonSandra Vinnik

IN MEMORY OF DR. WILLIAM LOOKNER

Dr. Daniel J. Greenholz

IN MEMORY OF MARGARET COYNE

Mr. Wiiliam Obermann

IN MEMORY OF BYRON GRABER

David and Debra FlitterMs. Jo B. ShannonBjork Lindley Little, PCSandra Parker

IN MEMORY OF SUUKYI

Marjorie J. Marks

IN MEMORY OF SUE MOHRMAN

Joseph Mauro

IN MEMORY OF MARIE J. KENDRICK

Nancy K. Storer

IN MEMORY OF DAVID COLEMAN

Beverly Clark-Coleman

IN MEMORY OF SHIRLEY SIMONSON

Patricia and James DolanMarijane and George HutchinsonRoss and Geneva CoraceDonna E. Hamilton

IN MEMORY OF BARBARA WILKINSON

Ms. J.C. Collins

IN MEMORY OF IRWIN E. VINNICK, MD

Sandra Vinnik

IN MEMORY OF LUCILE LYNN

Gene and Linda Young

IN MEMORY OF WILLIAM E. STILES

Donna J. Stiles

IN HONOR OF ELEANOR N. CAULKINS

Mrs. Marcia D. StricklandDavid J. Chavolla

IN MEMORY OF EVA & HENRY HURST

Prof. and Mrs. Joseph S. Szylio-wicz

IN MEMORY OF OUR PARENTS

Priscilla R. Brookens

FOUNDATIONS, CORPORATIONS AND GOVERNMENTThe Board of Directors of Opera Colorado and the staff wish to acknowledge the extraordinary generosity of the foundations, corporations and government agencies that made contributions in support of our general operating expenses, technology fund and Education & Community Engagement Programs from October 15, 2013 – October 15, 2014.

Page 29: Opera Colorado Magazine November 2014

SYMPHONY FOR THE HOLIDAYS

THIS HOLIDAY SEASONPink Martini with the Colorado Symphony DEC 9

Handel’s Messiah DEC 13-14

Celtic Woman: Home For Christmas DEC 17

A Colorado Christmas DEC 19-21

Too Hot To Handel DEC 27-28

A Night In Vienna DEC 31

COLORADOSYMPHONY.ORG 303.623.7876 BOX OFFICE: MON-FRI 10 AM-6 PM :: SAT 12 PM-6 PM IN BOETTCHER CONCERT HALL, HOME OF THE COLORADO SYMPHONY

Page 30: Opera Colorado Magazine November 2014

22 • O P E R A C O L O R A D O 2 0 1 4 - 2 0 1 5

ANNUAL FUND CONTRIBUTORSINDIVIDUALSThe Board of Directors of Opera Colorado and the staff express their deepest appreciation to the individuals who have contributed to the Annual Fund. This generosity enables Opera Colorado to continue producing opera of the highest artistic merit and to reach over 35,500 school children and adults each year.

The following list acknowledges individual donors who made gifts to Opera Colorado’s Annual Fund from October 15, 2013 – October 15, 2014.

PRESIDENT CIRCLE ($20,000+)Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth T. BarrowMike and Julie BockEllie CaulkinsDave and Pam DukeHugh A. Grant and Merle C. ChambersCy and Lyndia HarveyMs. Hilja K. HerfurthHarold R. and Ann LoganMarcia and Richard RobinsonSusan and Jeremy ShamosMerrill Shields and M. Ray ThomassonPatrick Spieles and Carol McMurry

DIRECTOR ($10,000+)Bruce and Sarah AllenAl and Rebecca BatesSheila S. BiseniusPeyton Bucy and Suzanne Dost BucyNoel and Thomas CongdonMary and Tom ConroyRobert and Lenore DamrauerRay J. GrovesHarley and Lorraine HigbieMichael A. Hughes and Karen BrodyMr. and Mrs. Jeremy F. KinneyHonorable and Mrs. Kenneth LaffDr. and Mrs. William N. ManiatisTherese McCarthyMs. Muffy Moore and Mr. Al MinierLeonard and Alice PerlmutterKevin O’Connor and Janet Ellen RaaschAnn and Gerald SaulMarlis and Shirley SmithBeatrice B. TaplinMr. and Mrs. Charles I. ThompsonMartha and Will TraceyByron WatsonBritney B. and Richard WeilSandy Wolf

MAESTRO ($5,000+)Linda BjellandRobert S. GrahamSarah and Christopher HuntCraig N. Johnson and Alicia McCommons

Diana and Mike KinseyMs. Carole LeightFrank and Virginia LeitzKalleen R. and Robert MaloneVeronica A. McCaffrey and Barbara A. Frank Rhea J. MillerRobert R. Montgomery and Nancy HawkinsCraig and Maria PonzioMyra and Robert RichMr. and Mrs. George G. ShawMrs. Carol C. WhitleyLarry and Brigitte ZimmerAnonymous (1)

DIVA ($2,500+)Ellen & Donald BauderMr. James L. BerggrenRon CoveyDr. Stephen L. DiltsMarcus & Wendy DivitaCeleste and Jack GrynbergJudith Johnston Living TrustJoe and Francine KelsoChristine and Harry PhillipsZondra Rae PlussBruce Polkowsky and Bill PowellNijole and Walter RasmussenJuan and Alicia RodriguezHelen Santilli and Lyn BarberVicki and Harry SterlingChristopher Price and S. Edith TaylorJerry and Debi TepperMarilyn Ware

COMPRIMARIO ($1,000+)Ed Altman, Jr. and Dr. Dina Brudenell AltmanEllen Anderman and James DonaldsonRobert and Megan ArmstrongMr. and Mrs. William D. ArmstrongHartman AxleyJanice BaucumBrian Bennett and Bev DanielsRobin E. BlackBrian Bross M.D. & Bonnie DanielsMs. Karen M. BruggenthiesDr. Bill and Betty BuchananMrs. Sue M. CannonGeorge P. Caulkins and Christina Radichel CaulkinsMr. John N. CaulkinsThe Tooth FairyCarl Clark and Mark GroshekAubrey Copeland, MDJohn and Alix CorboySteve and Pat CorderKathleen CrapoCarolyn E. DanielsZe and Dick DeaneGeorge and Yonnie DikeouRichard T. and Margaret N. DillonCarl A. and Nan EklundTerry Frazier and Kathy WellsKaren FukutakiMr. and Mrs. George C. GibsonDr. and Mrs. Burton GolubMr. Frank Guerra and Ms. Jo Ellen GraybillSusan and J. Lawrence Hamil

Deborah Hayes and James L. Martin IIIDrs. Kathryn Hobbs and Marc CohenMr. William T. HoffmanSteven and Chryse HutchinsRobert J. and Maria JennetGary and Judith JuddDr. and Mrs. John N. KabalinDr. Lawrence Kim and Nhung VanSally and Jim KneserDr. Kendra KohlhaasDagmar KressMary Laird and Russel StewartDr. and Mrs. Jeremy LazarusMrs. Patricia A. LivingstonPat and Barbara McCelveyJim and Carole McCotterDr. Monica I. Minkoff and Mr. Harry M. SiegfriedJanet R. MordecaiLynnette MorrisonMr. and Mrs. Chris J. MurphyDr. and Mrs. Calvern E. NarcisiDrs. Sarah and Harold NelsonMarian Ordway DinesCarl PattersonDorothy Pearson Bonnie C. PerkinsRick Poppe & Jana EdwardsMr. Thomas J. Powers Jr.Alexander & Cynthia ReadDr. Barbara ReedKent A. Rice and Ann CorriganSteven and Joan RingelKaren and Mark SatherRuth E. SchoeningJane Schultz-BurnettRachel Solomon and Jonathan ParrottJohn B. TruebloodRichard Tubbs and Marilyn SmithDrs. Kathy Kennedy and Ben VernonEd and Patty WahteraB. Douglas WatsonMaradith and Rusty WilkinsKenneth and Mary WillisCheryl McGinnis and Edward WoolmanAnonymous (3)

CHORISTER ($500+)Mrs. Susan AdamsMarilyn and Jules AmerRandall and Jill AndersonJohn and Rosemary AshbyJohn E. Baril and Brian CookPeter Batty and Paula KechichianDr. and Mrs. Henry J. BeckwittCharles E. BerrySandy and Rogene BuchholzMr. and Mrs. K.W. CalkinsGeorge M. and Carol G. CanonMr. and Mrs. Lawrence G. CarpenterMarjorie and Doug CarrigerMark and Margaret CarsonCharles Case and Phillip St. CloudBarbara and Roger ChamberlainSamuel ChanRonald and Donna CharlinMr. David ClarkeMs. Kathryn CodoCatherine ColeDr. Alan Como and Mrs. InHye ComoDonna and Ted Connolly

Dr. & Mrs. Robert ContigugliaMary W. CrawleyLisa Crispin and Robert DowningNancy Crow and Mark SkrotzkiMs. Cheryl M. CruickshankAngie D’AlboraJerri Lynn Modrall and Eric E. DoeringTimothy James DonahueRobert DuncanWalter W. and Maryruth Y. DuncanElizabeth C. and Matther DyerLois N. EckhoffJack Finlaw and Gregory MovesianLarry S. and Joanne FisherCeleste FlemingRichard C. and Frances FreyDeborah FriedmanDr. and Mrs. Arthur GarfeinDr. Daniel J. GreenholzRenee and Martin GrossMrs. Carol & Dr. Fred GroverBeverlee B. Henry and The Honorable Robert P. FullertonLee and Margaret HenryKathryn HightRichard HiltyMs. Laura M. HoffmanChristine Hollander and Michael McGeeGraham and Cathy HollisWhitney and Halle HolmesMarcia Holt and John HoltMichael E. Huotari and Jill R. StewartKendor and Paulette JonesFrank A. and Pauline KempHerbert E. and Darlene KressPatty Lorie KupetzPauline LangsleyAnn and James LehDeanna Rose LeinoRobert & Gloria Lilly-CohenJim and Patience Linfi eldLester and Nancy LockspeiserPatty Lorie KupetzWilliam MathewsDave and Miza McReynoldsBob and Mereth MeadeMrs. Nathaniel C. MerrillMr. and Mrs. James MillsFrend John Miner and Jeff LawheadHenry B. MohrDr. and Mrs. John MoyerDrs. Michael and Mary MoynihanRobert NelsonRalph OgdenRonald Y. OtsukaDr. and Mrs. David S. PearlmanRobert and Mary QuillinIrene M. Ibarra and Armando QuirozMarcia L. RagonettiCharles and Reta RalphKaryn K. RiebAyliffe and Fred RisSusan and Paul Roberts Joe RonnenbergMr Doug RooneyMr. Allan S. and Judith RosenbaumLuana RubinJane Russell and Bill RussellJack and Ruth SalterMr. Henry R. SchmollDr. and Mrs. Edwin R. Smith

Page 31: Opera Colorado Magazine November 2014

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Page 32: Opera Colorado Magazine November 2014

24 • O P E R A C O L O R A D O 2 0 1 4 - 2 0 1 5

ANNUAL FUND CONTRIBUTORSJennifer SobanetLarry D. and Neslihan StephensDr. Richard StienmierBill and Shirley StoutMrs. Marcia D. StricklandJim and Sue SwansonRobert and Elizabeth SwiftJohn and Sharon TrefnyJohn R. and Wendy TriggNormie and Paul VoillequeLaura WaldronValerie M. WassillScott and Karen YarberryDr. Jack and Mrs. Barbara ZableKen and Charlotte ZiebarthMr. and Mrs. Stephen TrueAnonymous(1)

FRIEND ($100+)Norman O. and Margaret Aarestad Lora AdamsJames and Lorraine AdamsFrank J. AdlerDr. Richard J. AgeePaul and Susan AhlquistCatherine H. AndersonJane L. AndersonOmar AngolaJudith BabcockMary E. BahdeDonald K BainStephen BainMarilyn BaldwinDennis BarrettMs. Jennifer N. BaterNancy BattanMarie Belew WheatleyBarbara BenedictMr. and Mrs. Mitchell Benedict IIIDrs. Tomas and Diane BerlJohn R. and Coleen BinderLaura BittnerSteve BlattCatherine BollerMs. Sandra BonettiKent BorgesCarolyn R. BorusRichard J. BottjerJeff and Shirley BowenJoe and Gwen BowersBrewster and Helen BoydDonald K. BradenMs. Jay BreenMr. William BroderickEve BroganPriscilla R. BrookensDarrell Brown and Suzanne McNittLucinda and Edward BryantSharon Kay and Craig Lee BundyEdie Busam Gordon & Ron ButzWilliam CaileS. Nelson CammackHebert CantorKen CarlsonTeri CarnahanBrad Case and William McMechenPatricia CaulkinsProf. Gerald ChapmanBrett and Crystal ChildsEverett ClarkEthel K. Clow

Mr. and Mrs. John P. CongdonAlexander J. Conley and Alysia MarinoKathleen M CookDr. David J. Cooper and Evelyn W CooperMarty and Howard CorrenVicki Cowart and Chris HayesTreasa J. and David CraigLucy and Thomas CreightonMs. Louise CrosbySara and Jim CulhaneMargaret H. CunninghamCathy Dal SantoKaty DanielSilvia & Alan DansonHelen ShrevesRonald L. DealPeter and Deedee DeckerJacqueline DemolinRoberta DeppGreg DiamondUrsula and Tom DickensonThomas and Brenda DouglisPeter and Marian DownsLaurie and Ben Duke IIIPhilippe and Cynthia DunoyerMr. and Mrs. Wayne D. EckerlingDr. Gifford and Chris EckhoutJudie EidsonJoseph J. and Beverly ElinoffTed and Vivian Sheldon EpsteinJudith H. FahrenkrogAlice FaireyMs. Ann B. FawcettAmy FeasterMr. Michael FeliccissimoMrs. Ann FiguraMr. Scott FinlayKathryn FinleyStacy FischerJanet and Sheldon FischerMr. Thomas FoxL. Richard and Sigrid Halvorson FreeseJeannette FurerCynthia GaertnerAlan Gallagher and Connie ChristiansenMs. Fran GanderBill & Ilse GardnerMr. Alan G. Gass & Mrs. Sally R. GassCaleb F. and Sidney GatesJennifer Ruth GentryLinda GoldsteinTamara GoldsteinMr. and Mrs. Ricardo GoncalvesStephen L. and Donna GoodLiz Goodman and Robert NaumanVeronica GoodrichKazuo and Drusilla GotowRay L. GottesfeldAnthony and Katherine GottliebSusan and John GowenBrian Greffe, MD & Mark Donovan, PhdGina GuyRegina HackleyJerry Jean HaleRichard HansenMr. Richard H. Hart

Winifred HartmanJerry and Patty HauptmanRichard HaynesMr. Richard W. HealyPeter HebertMr. and Mrs. Phil G. HeinschelPatricia Hill Pascoe Richard and Sandra HiltSarah C. HiteJon and Tina HoldmanDorothy and Ted HorrellBarbara and Kevin HughesBarbara and John HughesHelen O. HullMs. Jane A. HultinMr. Dennis R. HurtPaul W. HustedJohn Dennis HynesDaniel IsamanDr. Jacob G. and Mrs. Sarah F. JacobsonBrian A. and Catherine Janonis Ms. Jill JohnkeDonald W. and Susan JonesMr. and Mrs. Howard B. JordanMrs. Kerstin KarloevMr. and Mrs. Arthur W. KidderEileen and Walter KintschBonnie KippleKenneth KirklandLoring and Carol KnoblauchLeonard KochMrs. and Mr. Svetlana KomisarchikElmer and Doris KonemanDonna KornfeldRex Kramer and Cindy CraterJohn W. Kure and Cheryl SolichMs. Barbara LadonWarren and Nancy LawrenceRichard S. LeamanMr. Bernard Leason and Mrs. Frieda Sanidas LeasonRichard K. and Melinda Lee Noel Lejeune and Lynn CallawayNancy LeonardDr. and Mrs. James ListRandall M. LivingstonWindham and Anne LoopeskoDavid LuebbersMrs. R. T. Lyford Jr.Jogn D. and Janet MacFarlaneJanet and David MacKenzieMr. & Mrs. Ginnie and Tom MaesHenry MahlmanCaroline E. and Harold MaldeMelissa MaldeAnne MarquisJohn and Minda MarshallAndrew MartinKeith MaskusMr. Gary MatherMarian E. MathesonPam and Mo MathewsTanya R. MathewsJeanine MatneySandy Mazarakis and Neil BurrisMary McClanahanMyron McClellan and Lawrence PhillipsDr. and Mrs. Hugh J. McGee Jr.William and Virginia McGeheeMaeve Vickers McGrath

Katherine MillettJean MilofskyMr. George MitchellSue and Bill MohrmanMr. and Mrs. Mike MonahanBill R. MoningerAnn and Mike MooreBeverly B. MooreLouis J. Moran and Douglas Van DinesWarren MorrowMargaret MorrowMarilyn Munsterman and Charles BerberichMark and Sally MurrayJohn & Mary MuthRalph NagelJohanna Nardi-KorverW. Peterson and Nancy NelsonRichard L. NielsenDr. and Mrs. David A. NorrisMaureen and Benjamin NystuenKent & Ruth ObeeKelli O’Brien & Michael KolotyloKurt M. Olender and Kam WongKent and Elaine OlsonStephanie and Roger OramLindsay PackerRenee and David ParkhurstNeil and Margaret PeckPerry and Virginia PeineDavid and Rhona PesselSandra G. PettijohnLinda PlautAndrew R. PleszkunRich and Kim PlumridgeAnn and Jeffrey PontiousMs. Heather PorterMrs. Kathryn L. PrideKatherine A. RaabeDr. & Mrs. Pablo RamosMr. David and Dr. Juanita Redfi eldPhilip ReedT. R. ReidRichard Replin and Elissa SteinJulie ReusserMaxine and Ed RichardMr. and Mrs. Gene RichardsDonald W. RichmanJennie RidgleyRonald H. and Ann RileySylvia and Byron RileyMr. Joseph C. RookLinda F. RosalesJoann RoseMary Ann RossJack and Oonagh RossMr. Richard RusselMs. Suzanne B. RyanYoulon D. SavageRick ScalpelloMs. Erika L. SchaferPaul ScheeleWilliam and Doris ScheeleyElizabeth Schwarm-GlesnerFern B. SeltzerBob and Barbara ShakleeCasey ShpallMr. Jon ShreveMr. Carl Shushan andMs. Sandi HillMs. Phyllis Shushan

Page 33: Opera Colorado Magazine November 2014

Who we are and what we do• Support and encourage singers pursuing careers in opera• Provide continuing education to members in the appreciation and knowledge of opera • Award Scholarships, Grants and fi nancial support to young Colorado Singers• A volunteer, non-profi t, charitable organization• Provide opportunities for members to experience the joy of opera

We invite you to look into membership and volunteering opportunities

For information visitDenverLyricOperaGuild.org

or call Marleen Diamond at (303) [email protected]

Denver Lyric Opera Guild is welcoming new members!

GIVING VOICE TO OPERA!

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Page 34: Opera Colorado Magazine November 2014

ANNUAL FUND CONTRIBUTORS VOLUNTEERSMr. Theodor M. SimmonsPatricia K. SimpsonMr. Gary SimsCatherine K. SkokanMichael SnowStephanie SolichNorman SpivyJames B. SteedMr. and Mrs. Bernard SteinbergJames StewardsonSusan StiffDonna J. StilesJenene & James StookesberryAmy D. StuemkyFrank J. Sullivan and Sylvia SullivanHarold D. and Shirley SummersDrs. Morris and Ellen SusmanJames SwitzerMrs. Mary SymontonWilliam Bradford and Chin TanBarbara ThorngrenJack D. TidwellJanice TildenLloyd & Barbara Timblin, Jr.Dr. and Ms. James Kennedy ToddGiles D. Toll M.D.Elizabeth TraceyAlice and Frank TraylorRobert C. TrippLucile B. TruebloodBetty & Rex Ulricksen Dr. Peter and Mrs. Kathy Van ArsdaleGretchen Vanderwerf and Gordon Jones

Francisco VarelaSandra VinnikMary and Terry VogtBernd WachterNorma and George WagonerShirley C. WardMs. Carley WarrenMr. and Mrs. Charles L WarrenMs. Robin Stewart and Mr. Kirk WeberDr. Adriana WeinbergMs. Cia A. WenzelRobert and Dorothy WhamMs. Marilyn L. WheelerJames W. White and Andrew SirotnakAnne WilliamsEvan and Caroline WilliamsMs. Beverly WilliamsKathy WilliamsonTimothy WilsonHilda WingMary WiseA-Young WoodyDr. and Mrs. Raymond YostMs. Phyllis J. YoungJeffrey ZaxSue and Carl ZimetMs. Dale ZitekMike and Nancy ZoellnerTina WallsAnonymous (3) Every e� ort has been made to ensure the accuracy of our donor list. However, if your name is incorrectly listed,

please accept our sincere apologies and contact Leah Podzimek at 303.468.2029. Although space limitations only allow us to list donors whose gifts were $100 and above, we are deeply grateful for the support of all our dedicated contributors.

Wine, dine and unwind: Date night at four seasons

Take advantage of our Wine, Dine and Unwind offer and indulge in the ultimate “Date Night” experience. Begin your weekend escape with two complimentary cocktails at EDGE Bar. Unwind in our indoor and outdoor whirlpools, or pamper yourself at our urban spa sanctuary. Next, savor local ingredients at EDGE Restaurant, our progressive American steakhouse, with a delicious three-course prix xe dinner for two before retureturning to your room where a romantic treat awaits. In the morning, sleep in and enjoy breakfast in bed at your convenience. For reservations, contact your travel consultant, Four Seasons at 1-800-332-3442 or the Hotel directly at 1-303-389-3000. Or visit www.fourseasons.com/denver/packages

Sandy AdamsStan & Marianne AndersonEric BardLaurel BarsaIrene BetinDevanie BlakeBarbara BowerJeff BrownJoan CamozziLisa CobbJoyce de RoosStephen DiltsPeggy EngelChristae EvansonVictor FabrizioTerry FrazierNancy FredricksSigrid FreeseDanielle HawkinsJames HerringerJenny JamesRobert KahnSydney KenneyDean & Madge KlassenRhonda KnightPaull Kupler

Sally LammersSusi LandersMelinda LeachHeather MacKinnonDavid & Margaret MejiaJoanne MoldowFrank ParceEva PhibbsDonna RiesEllie RobertsTherese SchoenLinda SchipperRuth SchoeningRon SherbertSyrma SotiriouMary StirlingJenene StookesberryMary TalbotLinda VigorCandice WattsWendy WendellWendy WenksternJanet WolferChristel WoodyFrank Zoske

NOVEMBER 2013 - NOVEMBER 2014

Page 35: Opera Colorado Magazine November 2014

Private Banking | Fiduciary Services | Investment Management Financial Planning | Specialty Asset Management | Insurance

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Page 36: Opera Colorado Magazine November 2014

28 • O P E R A C O L O R A D O 2 0 1 4 - 2 0 1 5

GETTING TO KNOW OPERA COLOR

MEET LEAH BOBBEYWhy did you become an opera singer? Opera encourages me to be my most courageous self; it makes me feel alive.What do you hope to accomplish this season as a YA? I want to improve vocally and dramatically.Favorite TV show? Parks and RecreationOne of the hardest things about being an opera singer? Being away from my family and friends.You’d never think and opera singer has to______. Spend a lot of time fi lling out online applications!One of the most fun things about being an opera singer? Making art that inspires and moves.First encounter with Opera? I went to Die Zauberfl öte at the Met for my fi rst ever opera!What’s your favorite hobby? Bikram yoga or hiking. I also love cooking and board games with good friends!Favorite Meal? My aunt’s homemade macaroni and cheese.Favorite Dessert? Anything that combines peanut butter and chocolate!A non-music related accomplishment you’re most proud of? I did a “Tough Mudder” last October (2013), a physical feat I thought I’d never be able to do!Best advice from a mentor that has stuck with you? Surround yourself with life-enhancing people.What are you most looking forward to as an OC YA? Pamina is a dream role of mine, so I can’t wait for the student matinee of The Magic Flute!

MEET KATHERINE SANFORDWhy do you love singing opera? Opera tells a story and expresses human emotion through the universal language of music. To be a part of that story-telling and to connect with audience members through music is what motivates me to pursue this career.If you weren’t an opera singer, you’d probably be______. An oboist! I played the oboe until college, and when it came time to audition for music programs, I chose to study voice because I felt more in control and confi dent in my singing.Favorite pre-performance dinner? Pre-performance meal: a giant salad. Post-performance meal: Pizza!Favorite Dessert? Carrot cake. Favorite composer? J.S. Bach and Benjamin Britten. Favorite TV show? Parks and RecreationBest advice from a mentor that has stuck with you? “You are enough.” What’s your favorite hobby? I love being active, and particularly enjoy running, biking and strength training.

One of the most fun things about being an opera singer? Costumes and hair/make-up have always been one of my favorite elements of an opera production. I loved playing pretend and dress-up as a kid, and opera lets me continue that as a grown-up! What you hope to accomplish this season as a YA? I hope to strengthen my movement and acting skills when performing “pants roles,” and our many educational performances of Hansel and Gretel will be a tremendous help. First encounter with Opera? I didn’t see my fi rst opera until college! I saw Gianni Schicchi at Washington National Opera, and I thought two things: 1) This is amazing, and 2) I want to be up there on stage.

MEET BRETT SPRAGUEWhat are you most looking forward to as an OC YA? I am especially excited to participate in the student Matinee. It is an experience unlike any other. Favorite role you like to sing? My dream role right now is Peter Grimes in the opera of the same name, by Benjamin Britten.

We recently caught up with our new Young Artists between rehearsals to ask them a few fun questions so that we can get to know them better. Here’s a little look into their lives on and off the stage.

Page 37: Opera Colorado Magazine November 2014

O P E R A C O L O R A D O 2 0 1 4 - 2 0 1 5 • 29

ADO’S 2014-2015 YOUNG ARTISTSBest advice from a mentor that has stuck with you? Be yourself, don’t overthink, and have fun.Why do you love singing opera? It feeds my soul, as cheesy as it sounds. Connecting with a character helps me learn more about myself, and sharing it with the audience helps me grow.Most memorable performance to date? Last year’s student matinee of Carmen at the Ellie. I have never felt so on top of the world. Favorite TV show? Sons of AnarchyWhat you like about Denver/Colorado so far? It is the fi rst place I have felt AT HOME since moving away from my home 8 years ago. The people are wonderful, it is gorgeous and I love the weather.One important thing you do every day as an opera singer? Take my mind completely off of music or anything related to work. If I didn’t emotionally and vocally rest, I would go insane!

MEET ANDREW PAULSONWhat are you most looking forward to as an OC YA? I look forward to the Hansel and Gretel Outreach show because I love the music and elementary audiences are my favorite to work with! Best advice from a mentor that has stuck with you? Follow your dreams and do what you love, life is too short to do anything else. If you weren’t an opera singer, you’d probably be ___. A fi eld scientist in marine biology.Favorite TV show? Game of Thrones is fantastic! I also really enjoy Scandal, Revenge and Grey’s Anatomy.What do you enjoy doing most in your spare time? I enjoy playing chess, umpiring high school baseball and hiking.A non-music related accomplishment you’re most proud of? I am an Eagle Scout from BSA Troop 673 in Great Falls, VA.

One of the hardest things about being an opera singer? Self-doubt is the hardest thing about being an opera singer. It’s very hard to just trust that what you’re doing is best for you, it’s easy to compare yourself to others and the business is inherently negative because you’re always trying to fi x something to make it better. One of the most fun things about being an opera singer? The reward of connecting with an audience is the greatest gift anyone could receive. Knowing that you’ve made a difference in someone’s life or that you entertained them for 2-4 hours is incredibly meaningful.

MEET LEO RADOFavorite role or aria you like to sing? I love singing Mozart’s Figaro above everything else at the moment. Although my dream role for the future would be Scarpia in Tosca, the Dutchman, or Hans Sachs.An embarrassing moment in a performance that didn’t go as planned? Tried to grab a prop knife from a sheath attached to my ankle and caught my pant leg with it, ripping the inseam all the

way past my knee.Most memorable performance to date? Doing the boy solo in La Bohème at the Lyric Opera of Chicago at age 12.Favorite TV show? FrasierWhat are you most looking forward to as an OC YA? Being a part of the main stage productions, and learning as much as I can from my colleagues, directors, coaches and conductors.If you weren’t an opera singer, you’d probably be_____. A physicist.What do you enjoy doing most in your spare time? Sight-reading piano music.What’s your favorite hobby? Golf.A non-music related accomplishment you’re most proud of? Learned how to kite surf in the Baltic Sea off the coast of southwestern Estonia.What you hope to accomplish this season as a YA? Stage experience, and a strong foothold from which I can progress in this career.One important thing you do every day as an opera singer? Listen to the golden age singers on you tube. Ruffo, Bastianini, Cappuccilli, London, Merrill, Ghiaurov.

FOR THE FULL LENGTH INTERVIEWS AND BIOS OF THE YOUNG ARTISTS, VISITOPERACOLORADO.ORG/EDUCATION/YOUNG-ARTISTS.

Page 38: Opera Colorado Magazine November 2014

STAFF Greg Carpenter General Director

ADMINISTRATION

Darrel Curtice Director of Finance & Administration Julie Nowasell Staff Accountant

ARTISTIC

Ari Pelto Artistic Advisor

DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING

Camille Spaccavento Director of External Affairs & Marketing Annette Brown Patron Services Assistant Joyce de Roos Volunteer Coordinator Molly Epstein Group Sales Associate Nicholas Geyer Development and Marketing Assistant Tom Kirkpatrick Tessitura Consultant Suzanne Mulvany Special Events Rachel Perez Marketing Manager Leah Podzimek Individual Giving and Grants Manager Resnicow Schroeder Assoc Public Relations

EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Cherity Koepke Director of Education & Community Engagement Julie Nowasell Education Assistant Betsy Schwarm Pre-Performance Lecturer Elena Kalahar Intern Leo Kaufman Intern

PRODUCTION

Katie Preissner Production Manager Ann Piano Costume Director

YOUNG ARTISTS PROGRAM

Cherity Koepke Director Allan Armstrong Resident Coach Accompanist Leah Bobby Soprano Katherine Sanford Mezzo-soprano Brett Sprague Tenor Andrew Paulson Baritone Leo Rado Bass-Baritone

DIRECTORY TICKETS OperaColorado.org 303.468.2030

TICKET OFFICE LOCATION 695 S. Colorado Blvd, Suite 20 Denver, CO 80246

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES 303.778.1500 695 S. Colorado Blvd, Suite 20 Denver, CO 80246

ELLIE CAULKINS OPERA HOUSE 1106 14th Street (14th and Curtis Street)

The Ellie Caulkins Opera House is part of the Denver Performing Arts Complex,

owned and operated by the City and County of Denver, Division of Arts & Venues

LOST AND FOUND 720.865.4220

DINING AT DPAC Kevin Taylor’s at the Opera House 303.640.1012

Limelight Supper Club 720.227.9984

ONLINE RESERVATIONS Restaurantkevintaylor.com

BOARDOFFICERS

Michael BockChairman

Marcia RobinsonPresident

Michael HughesChair Emeritus

Martha TraceyTreasurer

Carol Crossin WhitleySecretary and Vice President

Dirk deRoosVice President

DIRECTORS

Bruce AllenKenneth Barrow

Suzanne Dost BucyEllie Caulkins

Lifetime Honorary Chair

Dr. Larry ChanMary Conroy

Craig JohnsonThe Honorable Kenneth M. Laff

William ManiatisTracy McCarthy

Muffy French MooreKevin D. O’Connor

Kent RiceEx-Offi cio

Gerald SaulMerrill ShieldsShirley SmithByron WatsonBritney Weil

Larry ZimmerHONORARY DIRECTORS

Susan AdamsSheila Bisenius

Nellie Mae DumanJack FinlawHugh Grant

Michael HughesDr. Charles Kafadar

Jeremy KinneyLoring W. Knoblauch

Lifetime Honorary Director

Pamela MerrillJeremy ShamosSusan ShamosHarry Sterling

Ovation! Magazine

and In-Theatre programs

are produced

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by The Publishing House.

Angie Flachman-JohnsonPublisher

Wilbur E. FlachmanPresident & Founder

Annette AllenArt Director

Production Coordinator

For advertising information303-428-9529

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30 • O P E R A C O L O R A D O 2 0 1 4 - 2 0 1 5

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Page 39: Opera Colorado Magazine November 2014

IrresIstIble

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MAcY’s • neIMAn MArcUs • nordstroM

160 AMAZInG stores 3000 eAst F Irst AVenUe • denVer, co • sHopcHerrYcreeK.coM

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Page 40: Opera Colorado Magazine November 2014

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