The Artists

CATHERINE COOK | mezzo-soprano

Mezzo-soprano Catherine Cook has excelled in a wide range of roles with companies all over the United States including The Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Santa Fe Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and the San Francisco Opera, where she has been featured in over 50 productions in over 300 performances. Recent highlights include Marcellina in The Marriage of Figaro and Mother Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life, both with San Francisco Opera, and her debut with Sun Valley Music Festival as Julia Child in Bon Appetit!, a role she also performed with Opera Parallele. A champion of new music, Ms. Cook has sung in several world premieres including Dead Man Walking, Dolores Claiborne, After Life, and Bonesetter’s Daughter. Future engagements include Berta in a newly-imagined The Barber of Seville with San Francisco Opera. In addition to a busy performing schedule, Ms. Cook is a Professor of Voice at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where she holds the Frederica Von Stade Distinguished Chair in Voice.

SAHAR NOURI | pianist

Iranian pianist and conductor Sahar Nouri serves as Opera Colorado’s chorus master, assistant conductor, and pianist coach. Ms. Nouri is the music director of the Lamont Opera Theatre at Denver University. While based in Denver, she continues to serve as guest coach/faculty with various organizations including San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Opera North Carolina, Opera Steamboat and more. Previously, Ms. Nouri has been a member of the music staff at Houston Grand Opera, Dallas Opera, Glimmerglass Festival, Utah Opera, Aspen Opera Center, Opera Parallèle, and Opera in the Heights. Her repertoire includes numerous classic operas as well as many world premieres such as Prince of Players, O Columbia!, Steal a Pencil for Me, and Today It Rains. A multi-lingual, Nouri has done studies in the Czech Republic, Italy, and Austria, and is frequently in demand as a language coach and recitalist.

DAVID LEFKOWICH | director

An accomplished stage director and fight choreographer who has worked with the Metropolitan Opera, Teatre alla Scala, San Francisco Opera, New York City Opera, Minnesota Opera, and Glimmerglass Opera, among others. Recent directing engagements include Don Giovanni at L’Opéra de Montréal and Don Giovanni, Idomeneo, The Marriage of Figaro, and L’Histoire du Soldat at the Ravinia Music Festival with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Maestro James Conlon. David made his European debut directing Le Portrait de Manon at the Gran Teatre Liceu in Barcelona and followed with The Rake’s Progress at La Monnaie in Brussels. Other engagements include directing and choreographing new productions of La Traviata (Austin Opera, Opera Birmingham, San Francisco Opera, Lake George Opera), Carmen (Fort Worth Opera, Anchorage Opera), and Lucia de Lammermoor (Eugene Opera).

A graduate from Northwestern University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Theatre, David has a certificate from École Jacques-Lecoq in Paris, France. He served as the Artistic Director of the Mill City Summer Opera. Currently, he is the Artistic Director of Out of the Box Opera in Minneapolis.

Opera Colorado Production Staff

Katie Preissner, Director of Production & Artistic Services

Technical Staff Hillary Clark, Head Props and Set Decoration Keven Soll, Assistant Props Rita Richardson, Assistant Electrician

Costume and Wardrobe Ann Piano, Costume Coordinator & Shop Manager

Wigs & Makeup Ronell Oliveri, Wig & Makeup Designer Rocky Mountain Public Media Production Staff

Mark Montour-Larson, Video Director Nicholas Larson, Audio Recording Engineer Scott Hennelly, Studio Director/Editor Enrique Jimenez, Cameras/Video Support

Thank you to the DCPA for access to their props warehouse and use of furniture and props.

Song Credits

April in Paris

By Vernon Duke and E.Y. Harburg Copyright Shapiro Bernstein o/b/o Glocca Morra Music and Universal Music Corp. o/b/o Kay Duke Music

Bon Appétit!

By Lee Hoiby Copyright G. Schirmer, Inc.

Cabaret Songs: Amor, Fur, George, Over the Piano, Places to Live, Toothbrush Time

By William Bolcom and Arnold Weinstein Copyright Edward B Marks Music Company and Piedmont Music Co.

Les Chemins de l’amour

By Francis Poulenc Copyright Ed Max Eschig

Hotel & Voyage à Paris

By Francis Poulenc Copyright Universal Music Careers

Surabaya Johnny

By Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht Copyright Weill Brecht Harms Company Inc. and Weill Kurt Foundation for Music Inc.

SHARE OPERA WITH YOUR STUDENTS!

DID YOU KNOW?

Opera Colorado has reimagined our most impactful programs as pay-what-you-can digital offerings to safely engage and inspire

STORYTIME SESSIONS

AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND THROUGH SUMMER 2021 Step inside Bravo Books, where stories come to life! Your students will love these two playful 30-minute digital performances, which pull you into the pages of some of the most beloved tales using well-known tunes from opera, musical theatre, and more. This program was designed learners of all ages.

BRAIN BREAKS

AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND THROUGH SUMMER 2021

New for the 202021 Season! Let’s be honest, school feels different this year and everything seems more challenging. Sometimes you just need to take a break, take a breath, and get creative. That’s where Brain Breaks come in. These short, interactive sessions are designed get you up, moving, and learning about music and the arts. This series of ten short episodeswas designed learners of all ages.

CUSTOM DIGITAL WORKSHOPS

AVAILABLE BY REQUEST THROUGH MAY 2021 Led by Opera Colorado’s Teaching Artists, these fun and informative workshops integrate opera into established curriculum and apply to a wide variety of subjects, including Vocal and Acting Master Classes, Shakespeare, History, Communication, Teambuilding, 21st-Century Learning Skills, and much more. All workshops can be conducted digitally to accommodate distance learning. Need a workshop tailored to a specific topic? Just contact Opera Colorado with your request!

QUESTIONS? To inquire about Opera Colorado’s education programs or make a reservation, please call 303.778.7350 or email education@operacolorado.org.