3 minute read
Letter from the General & Artistic Director
APRIL IN PARIS ear Friends,D
DIGITAL PREMIERE APRIL 15, 2021 | 7:30 P.M. AVAILABLE ON DEMAND APRIL 15 - 29 2021 Tune in to this television-style digital program celebrating all things French! April in Paris, starring Catherine Cook and directed by David Lefkowich, features three whimsical episodes inspired by the Golden Age of television. You’ll see Cook become Julia Child in Lee Hoiby’s Bon Appetit!, transform into a Paris cabaret singer for a performance of delightful French songs, and more surprises. Spring is in the air! The weather is warming, daffodils are in bloom, and our desire to travel is at a peak following the long months of COVID-19 confinement. You may not be ready to hop on a plane and head to Paris yet, so we have brought a litIt was clear that we had hours of repertoire to choose from. Now, how were we to bring this all together into an engaging digital performance experience? In stepped director David tle of Paris directly to you in April in Paris Lefkowich. David’s creative genius quickly with classic French music and characters. crafted a unique character for Catherine to 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. 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.
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. I hope you enjoy this Opera Colorado Amplified program and I look forward to sharing more music and opera with you this year.
Sincerely,
Greg Carpenter General & Artistic Director
A SEASON WORTH WAITING FOR
CAMPBELL & MORAVEC FEB 26 MAR 1 3 4 6 2022 ELLIE CAULKINS OPERA HOUSE
A HIGH-STAKES THRILLER ROOM 217 IS CALLING SEDUCTION—OBSESSION—MURDER
The 21-22 Season opens with Puccini’s heart-racing drama. A corrupt chief of police 2020-21 SEASON has a cruel ultimatum for Rome’s most celebrated prima donna, Tosca: submit to his lustful desires, or trigger the OPERA COLORADO execution of her beloved. Based on Stephen King’s spine-chilling novel, The Shining brings the hopeful Torrance family to Colorado’s isolated Overlook Hotel. Little do they know that the Overlook’s spectral guests are determined to repeat the hotel’s grim history. Filled with some of opera’s most iconic melodies, Bizet’s smoldering drama tells the tale of the brazen and seductive Carmen. What fate, or choice, waits for the woman no man can tame?
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