D
APRIL IN PARIS ear Friends,
DIGITAL PREMIERE APRIL 15, 2021 | 7:30 P.M.
It was clear that we had hours of reperSpring isON inDEMAND the air!APRIL The15weather AVAILABLE - 29 2021is warmtoire to choose from. ing, daffodils are in bloom, and our desire Tune in to this television-style digital program celebrating all things French! April in Paris, starring Cathto travel is at a peak following the long erine Cook and directed by David Lefkowich, features three whimsical episodes inspired by the Golden Age Now, how were we to bring this all togethmonths of COVID-19 confinement. You in Lee Hoiby’s of television. You’ll see Cook become Julia Child Bon Appetit!, transform into a Paris cabaret er into an engaging digital performance may ready to hop on a plane and singernot for abe performance of delightful French songs, and more surprises. experience? In stepped director David head to Paris yet, so we have brought a litLefkowich. David’s creative genius quickly tle of Paris directly to you in April in Paris crafted a unique character for Catherine to with classic French music and characters. play in each vignette inspired by the golden age of televison. David spent hours reBack in September of 2020, I contacted one searching television shows from the 1950’s of my favorite artists, Catherine Cook, to and 60’s and settled on three iconic shows. see if she would come to Denver and record First, The Ed Sullivan Show, which was Lee Hoiby’s opera Bon Appétit!. Catherine known for showcasing great opera singhas performed it with several companies in ers. Then The Wendy Barrie Show, which the San Francisco area and she jumped at was known for Wendy’s sidekick aardvark the chance to reprise the iconic role of Julia puppet. Finally, of course, Julia Child’s The Child as she bakes a chocolate cake. French Chef was a given. Once I confirmed Catherine was interested, the conversation quickly turned to selecting additional repertoire to fill out a sixty-minute program. We instantly began naming countless great songs by the French composer Francis Poulenc, we shared a long list of our favorite cabaret songs from the 1930’s and 1940’s, and we spoke about how French cabaret influenced the witty humor found in American composer William Bolcom’s Cabaret Songs.
At a time when we are overwhelmed by the challenges of the world around us, it has been a pleasure to work with Catherine Cook, David Lefkowich, Sahar Nouri, our production team, and Rocky Mountain Public Media to create a program that is filled with pure joy, humor, and a good measure of silliness. I hope you enjoy this Opera Colorado Amplified program and I look forward to sharing more music and opera with you this year.
General & Artistic Director
OPERA COLORADO
Greg Carpenter
2020-21 SEASON
Sincerely,
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