Opera Colorado -- Turandot, May 2023

PUCCINI’S

MAY

ELLIE CAULKINS OPERA HOUSE

A NOTE FROM OUR TEAM

Dear Friends,

It’s hard to believe our 40th Anniversary Season is coming to a close—and what a season it has been. In November, we showcased grand opera at its finest with a magnificent production of Verdi’s Rigoletto. Then, in February and March, came one of Opera Colorado’s biggest artistic triumphs —a brand-new production of Korngold’s Die tote Stadt (The Dead City). And now, we cap off this remarkable season with Puccini’s Turandot.

Turandot has not been seen on our stage since 2001, and this masterpiece embodies all the glitz and glamour that opera enthusiasts love, while enticing the opera curious to take a step towards fully embracing this glorious artform. You’ll also hear plenty of gorgeous music that exudes all the passion and drama we love about Puccini.

We also acknowledge that Puccini’s nineteenth-century depiction of Chinese culture presents numerous challenges to our twenty-first-century social responsibilities. To explore how Opera Colorado has encouraged dialogue around these challenges, visit our blog on operacolorado.org, and be sure to read Aria Umezawa’s “Director’s Notes” in this program book to learn more

Sincerely,

Greg Carpenter

The Ellie Caulkins General & Artistic Director

about her vision for this production. If this grand season finale wasn’t enough, we are also gearing up for the biggest party of Denver’s cultural season. Our 2022-23 Season culminates in a spectacular gala on Saturday, May 13, featuring none other than the incomparable Joyce DiDonato. All proceeds will support our mission to connect our community to the emotions and stories of the world through traditional and innovative opera and educational programming that is accessible to all.

Season tickets for our upcoming 2023-24 Season are on sale now! The lineup features an opulent production of a true classic, a brand-new production of a tale from the high seas, and a rare treat of biblical proportions: Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman, and Saint-Saëns’s Samson and Delilah, which has not been seen on our stage since 1987. A package including all three will save you 25% over individual ticket prices—our biggest subscriber discount in years!

Thank you for your support of the singers, musicians, crew, and staff of Opera Colorado during our 40th Anniversary Season. We look forward to seeing you again in the fall.

Elizabeth Caswell Dyer Board Chair

Ari Pelto Music Director

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NO BAD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED A GHOSTLY LEGEND COMES TO SHORE

Be seduced by Mozart’s classic masterpiece, Don Giovanni, a tale about a serial womanizer who cares for nothing but fulfilling his own desires. Will Don Giovanni stop playing fast and loose, or will he follow his passion to a fiery demise?

Wagner’s supernatural drama makes landfall with Opera Colorado next winter. The captain of a legendary ghost ship is doomed to roam the seas and only come to land for one day every seven years. Will he find a love strong enough to break his lonely curse?

Opera Colorado closes the season with Saint-Saëns’s operatic take on the Biblical story of Samson and Delilah. Samson has one true weakness, and it’s the sultry Delilah’s job to find out what it is. Indulge in a performance of stunning visuals, epic dance, and gorgeous music.

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RONELL OLIVERI WIG AND MAKEUP DESIGNER

Written by Angelica DiIorio, Opera Colorado’s Marketing Manager, Advertising & Content

“Getting anyone ready for a live performance is exciting,” shares Wig and Makeup Designer Ronell Oliveri. “I like helping the artists become their character, and when your character is partially fantastical, you really need that wig and makeup element to take you over the edge.”

For a production with as much opulence and scale as Turandot, managing the wigs and makeup of these artists is no easy feat. Let’s take a look at what is involved in creating the look for the characters you see on stage before you.

There are close to forty wigs in this production. They are all hand-made and part of Ms. Oliveri’s personal collection. After an artist’s head measurements are taken, the hairs on the wig are sewn to get a seamless hairline. Luckily, Ms. Oliveri has already worked with two of our leads—our Turandot, Kara Shay Thomson, and our Calàf, Jonathan Burton—so their measurements were taken long ago and their wigs were ready upon arrival in Colorado. Some of the character’s headpieces are so large and ornate that wig prepping is more of a cap to make sure the headpiece stays on properly.

Each wig tells a bit more about the character’s personality and status. Of course, the hair of a princess like Turandot must be extra special. Ms. Oliveri shares, “She has very long hair— longer than anyone else. It’s still all human hair, which is a big deal. When it’s that long, you actually have to create a layered wig because buying hair longer than twenty-four inches is almost impossible. For us to create something that is that long, we build it on ribbon and then we snap it into the bottom of the wig, so it creates this much longer layer.” Turandot’s long hair helps her stand out from other characters, but it also acts

as a status symbol for her. It is part of Confucian beliefs that hair must be kept long out of respect for a family and lineage, so it follows that the hair of a princess is the longest and most beautiful on stage.

While the headpieces and hairstyles of Turandot are reminiscent of Asian cultures, we are careful not to feed into stereotypes with the wigs and makeup we put on our artists. Ms. Oliveri explains, “For me, the challenge is making sure we stay out of the offensive world and how shows like this were done in the past. We are not doing things like the really exaggerated Fu Manchu mustaches. Back in the day, they used to do what was called ‘Asian eyes,’ which is a really exaggerated cat eye, and a lot of making the faces very white. I’m happy that we are moving along with the times and taking out some of those aspects.” Ms. Oliveri and her team sat down with the Stage Director, Aria Umezawa, and carefully removed archaic elements to make the piece more appropriate for a modern audience.

Our production of Turandot has a more fantastical setting, so we are able to step out of these boundaries and work in more abstract designs out of time and culture. Ms. Oliveri is especially excited to play with the colorful palette of this production. “We get to use color in a different kind of way,” she elaborates. “Turandot is another level of color. I want to experiment with a few different shapes on people’s faces instead of the more traditional eye shadow and move into some patterning. I could lean more into the geometric shapes that are in their costumes and do a triangle on someone’s eye to keep it interesting and abstract.” For example, the three ministers each have their own unique color. Their makeup will reflect the color and shapes in their costumes to have a consistent palette that is unique to the character. The objective is to not depict these characters as stereotypes, but rather as unique individuals with their own distinct looks.

It is also important to note that all the artists will keep their natural skin color. Ms. Oliveri adds, “All in all, changing someone’s natural skin tone is not how we do it, or have ever done it, at Opera Colorado.” A lot of care was put into the wigs and makeup for this production of Turandot by Ms. Oliveri and her team. She also works in a close partnership with our Costume Director, Alison Milan, to make sure all the elements of a character’s appearance fit well together.

Turandot holds a special place in Ms. Oliveri’s heart. She shares, “I love this show. This is the first show I ever did with Opera Colorado in 2001. I love the music and I think it is one of those pieces that looks the best when it all comes together. It’s very visually spectacular.” Make sure to look for all these little details in the wigs and makeup of the artists you see on stage!

PHOTO Opera Colorado/Jamie Kraus, Ronell Oliveri in her workshop backstage at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House

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MAHLERFEST XXXVI

MAY 17–21, 2023 | BOULDER

Mahler's Symphony No. 2

Wagner's Die Walküre, Act I (arr.)

Thea Musgrave's Phoenix Rising Liederabend – a program of Mahler's song cycles

...plus chamber music, a free symposium, a film, masterclasses, a service project, and more!*

MAY IS FOR MAHLER MAHLERFEST.ORG

*All programming subject to change.

Kenneth Woods, Artistic Director

Zachary DePue, Concertmaster

In preparation for Turandot, Opera Colorado held a community discussion with featured panelists from the AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islanders) community. This conversation was a valuable step forward in conversations about inclusivity in the arts.

After you enjoy Turandot, support the vibrant Asian arts scene in our community.

Here are just a few resources to get you started:

Arcinda

Asian Chamber of Commerce

Colorado Dragon Boat Festival

Denver Taiko

Insight Colab Theatre

Japanese Arts Network

Kalama Polynesian Dancers

Kimberly Ming via Instagram @kimberly.ming

Meta Sarmiento

Mudra Dance Studio

Spirit of Cambodia

Step Into Melody Dance Studio

Find links to these community resource websites when you scan the QR code.

Learn more about and watch the panel discussion when you scan this QR code.

PHOTO Opera Colorado/RMPBS, featuring panelists: Deborah Yim, Margaret Ozaki Graves, Aria Umezawa, Greg Carpenter, Harry Budisidharta, and Amber Coté

Aspen Opera Theater and VocalARTS

Jimmy López Bellido’s Bel Canto

July 21 | 7 pm | Benedict Music Tent

Mozart’s Idomeneo Starring Matthew Polenzani

August 17 | 7 pm | Benedict Music Tent

INFORMATION AND TICKETS

970 925 9042 | aspenmusicfestival.com

Renée Fleming, co-artistic director Patrick Summers, co-artistic director

Designed and led by the foremost opera professionals and educators of our time, the ground-breaking Aspen Opera Theater and VocalARTS program trains young singers for a future of vocal artistry.

Opera Colorado dedicates this production of Turandot to the memory of

DR. STEPHEN DILTS

Devoted arts advocate, sponsor of the Opera Colorado Artist in Residence Program, member of the Opera Colorado Board of Directors, and dear friend.

Opera Colorado has established the Stephen Dilts Artistic Excellence award in his honor, which will be presented to a member of the Artist in Residence Program each season.

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Turandot

MAY 6 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 2023 ELLIE CAULKINS OPERA HOUSE

AN OPERA IN THREE ACTS BY GIACOMO PUCCINI

There will be one twenty-five-minute intermission after act one and one twenty-minute intermission after act two.

CAST IN ORDER OF VOCAL APPEARANCE

Mandarin Dante Mireles^

Liù Janai Brugger

Ca làf Jonathan Burton

Timur Young Bok Kim*

Pr ince of Persia Dav id Soto Zambrana^

Pong Mar tin Bakari*

Pang Alex Mansoori

Pi ng Craig Verm*

Emperor Altoum Joseph Gaines

Pr incess Turandot Ka ra Shay Thomson

Conductor Ari Pelto

Chorus Master and Assistant Conductor Sahar Nouri

Stage Director Ar ia Umezawa*

Répétiteur Keun-A Lee

Chor us Music Rehearsal Accompanist Cody Guy Garrison

Fight Choreographer Sa mantha Egle

Wig and Makeup Design Ronell Oliveri

Lighting Design J. Isadora Krech

Costume Designer Willa Kim

Sc enic Designer Al len Charles Klein

Opera Colorado Chorus

Opera Colorado Orchestra

Colorado Children’s Chorale

*Opera Colorado debut

^Artist in Residence for the 2022-23 Season

Costumes originally designed for and created by the Santa Fe Opera. This production of Turandot is owned by the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and was originally created by Bliss Hebert and Allen Charles Klein for Florida Grand Opera, The Dallas Opera, Houston Grand Opera and San Francisco Opera.

Opera United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829 of the IATSE is the union representing Scenic, Costume, Lighting, Sound and Projection designers in Live Performance

CHARACTERS

• Liù (soprano) – A devoted servant of Timur

• Turandot (soprano) – A princess

• Altoum (tenor) – The Emperor, Turandot’s father

• Calàf (tenor) – A prince in exile

• Pang (tenor) – Chief Administrator

• Pong (tenor) – Head Chef

• Ping (baritone) – Grand Chancellor

• Timur (bass) – An exiled king, Calàf’s father

SETTING

A fabricated version of ancient China

ACT I

“People of Beijing,” declares the emperor’s official, “it is the law that Turandot, the Pure, will wed the man of royal blood who can solve three riddles she asks him. If he fails this test, he will meet his fate with the executioner’s axe.” A crowd of listeners cheers this announcement and awaits the execution of Turandot’s latest suitor—the Prince of Persia, who will be beheaded at the rising of the moon.

Amidst the jostling crowd are the exiled King Timur and his loyal servant Liù. Timur stumbles and falls amidst the chaos, and Liù pleads for someone to help her bring him to his feet. Assistance comes from a stranger in the crowd, Prince Calàf, who instantly recognizes Timur as his father, the exiled king of Tartary. Both father and son have been in hiding, lest the usurper who seized their throne find them. That each survived the capture of their kingdom was unknown to them until this moment. In the course of their reunion, Calàf learns that Liù has stood by Timur because Calàf once smiled at her.

The Prince of Persia is brought out for his execution. Calàf calls upon the Prince’s condemner, Princess Turandot, to appear so he may curse her. She appears and wordlessly signals for the man’s death. Overcome by her beauty, Calàf decides to challenge for her hand himself. The Emperor’s bureaucratic ministers Ping, Pang, and Pong mock his intention, telling him to give up women or take one hundred wives, but not this one. They cannot dissuade him, nor can mysterious unseen voices that evoke love. Timur begs his son not to leave him alone, and Liù admits she has long carried his name in her heart. Calàf only pleads with Liù to cease weeping and remain loyal to his father. Then, striking the ritual gong, Calàf declares his candidacy.

ACT II

Lamenting the deaths of so many suitors, the three ministers hope, this time, Turandot shall feel love, not only sparing this new, unnamed challenger, but bringing peace to the kingdom. Weary of planning funerals for executed princes, they long to plan a wedding. Better yet, each imagines the joy of a quiet life by the lakes, forests, and gardens of the countryside, far from Beijing. Turandot’s father, the Emperor, asks Calàf

(who has not disclosed his name to anyone) to withdraw, declaring he feels the weight of this unending sequence of deaths. Calàf is determined to go forward with his attempt.

Turandot then explains why she has set the challenge of the riddles. She tells an old tale from this very kingdom, the story of Princess Lo-u-Ling, who, thousands of years earlier, was abducted and slain by a conquering prince. In remembrance of her predecessor, and in revenge for Lo-u-Ling’s fate, Turandot has determined that no prince shall win her heart, and that death shall be the price of even attempting to gain her hand. Trumpet calls signal that the time has come for Calàf to face the challenge. Turandot declaims her three riddles: What is born each night and dies at dawn? What flickers red and warm like fire but is not fire? What is like ice but burns, and in enslaving you, makes you king?

Calàf answers each correctly: hope; blood; Turandot! Not only shall he live, but Turandot shall be his! Turandot pleads with her father not to force her to accept this man, but the Emperor holds her to the bargain. Still hoping to win her love, not just her reluctant acquiescence, Calàf makes a counter-offer: learn my name by dawn and you may take my life. Turandot accepts his challenge.

ACT III

An official proclamation orders that no one shall sleep until Turandot learns the stranger’s name. Calàf reflects on the sleepless crowd in pursuit of discovering his name, which he intends to keep secret until dawn to secure Turandot’s hand. For all Calàf’s confidence, the waiting crowd is tense and wary, knowing they will suffer from Turandot’s anger if the name of the stranger is not discovered. The three ministers try to persuade Calàf to leave the city, offering him all manner of pleasures and treasures. Nevertheless, he remains resolute.

Soldiers drag in Timur and Liù for questioning, declaring they were seen talking to the stranger. It is suspected they know the man’s name, information that shall be dragged from them by any means necessary. Watching the scene, Calàf attempts unsuccessfully to intervene. He does not fear for his own fate and thinks only of Timur and Liù. However, even under torture, Liù refuses to betray Calàf and tells Turandot love gives her strength to resist. She says Turandot will feel love one day as well. At last, Liù, fearful she will succumb and betray Calàf’s identity, takes her own life.

As Liú’s body is carried off, Turandot confronts Calàf. She is angered by his resoluteness, but increasingly thrilled by his presence. His response is a passionate kiss. Feeling true love for the first time, the princess weeps, and Calàf, convinced he has won her heart, whispers to her his name. He is now at her mercy. She announces to the crowd she knows his name: it is “Love.” They embrace and all hail the power of love. Fervently, the crowd declares that love is the sun, eternity, and the light of the world.

Turandot stands last in the catalog of its composer, Giacomo Puccini (1858 – 1924): last because he did not live to complete it. He was at work upon the score when health problems developed and were ultimately diagnosed as throat cancer. An experimental treatment might have saved him, had Puccini not suffered a fatal heart attack after the procedure. In his luggage at the hospital was the manuscript of Turandot, still a few scenes short of completion.

After Puccini’s funeral, attention turned to the fate of Turandot The great maestro Arturo Toscanini (1867 – 1957), already scheduled to conduct Turandot’s premiere, wanted Italian composer Riccardo Zandonai (1883 – 1944) to complete it. However, Puccini’s adult son Tonio judged Zandonai to be too well known and too likely to make the piece more his own than Puccini’s. Viennese operetta composer Franz Lehar (1870 –1948), who had been a close friend of Puccini, was similarly rejected. Tonio preferred Neapolitan composer Franco Alfano (1875-1954), a composer of moderate talent and limited success. Here, the younger Puccini felt, was a man who would not attempt to place his own mark upon the master’s music but would instead be willing to continue in the original spirit.

The task was daunting, for who can match the genius of Puccini? Alfano began with Puccini’s incomplete sketches of the final scenes, which he extended by working in themes from earlier in the opera, principally borrowing from the tenor’s showcase aria “Nessun dorma,” which opens act three. Alfano did his best work, producing the finest music he would ever compose.

Nonetheless, at the opera’s premiere at La Scala on April 25, 1926, Toscanini stopped the performance at the moment of the last chord from Puccini’s pen. A Milan review of the event reported, “Then, from where he stood as conductor, Toscanini announced in a low voice full of emotion that at that point Puccini had left the composition of the opera. And the curtain was slowly lowered on Turandot.” Only in subsequent performances was Alfano’s contribution heard, bringing Turandot at last to dramatic and musical resolution.

The opera tells a tale derived from the stage drama Turandot (1762) by Italian playwright Carlo Gozzi (1720 – 1806). Gozzi’s tale of a Chinese princess, murderously dispensing with wouldbe suitors because of an ancient grudge, had been given musical

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

The 40th Anniversary Season is generously sponsored by Marcia & Dick Robinson

Mucic Director Ari Pelto is sponsored by Mike & Julie Bock

The orchestra for Turandot is sponsored by The Divine Family

treatment numerous times. Yet librettists Renato Simoni and Giuseppe Adami asked Puccini to join them in a new setting. Simoni and Adami would provide words and scene structure. Puccini would be responsible for giving musical expression to the scenes and passions.

Each of the three acts features an aria spotlighting one of the three major characters. In act one, devoted servant Liù has the tender “Signore, ascolta.” It is music with a tear in the eye, bringing home to listeners the challenges she has endured. By contrast, there are few tears and no wistfulness in act two’s “In questa reggia,” as Princess Turandot establishes herself as assertive and aggrieved. Any sorrow she feels is soon overcome by outrage.

Act three contains what is not only the most famous aria in Turandot, but possibly the mostly immediately familiar aria in all of opera. Calàf’s “Nessun dorma” is at first reflective as he considers the perilous situation in which he has placed himself. Ultimately, it all builds to a three-fold declaration of expected triumph: “Vincerò! Vincerò! Vincerò!” With heroic horns joining him for each statement, one cannot help but to be firmly on Calàf’s side.

Offsetting those three central characters is another set of three: court ministers Ping, Pang, and Pong. Their frequent banter provides a touch of comic relief, as well as a down-to-earth perspective as they try to cope with the demands of their work. Funeral planning is, for them, just another day on the job.

Is it a historically accurate view of ancient China? No: wholly fiction—a rather dark fairytale—and in fairytales, historical accuracy is not a principal issue. After all, do bloodthirsty witches lurk in gingerbread cottages in the Black Forest? Surely not, though that does not undermine the magic of Humperdinck’s 1893 opera Hansel und Gretel.

Bringing her own vision to Opera Colorado’s production, director Aria Umezawa is adding a brief prelude and postlude, placing the tale in a clearer context. The intention is to enrich the audience’s experience without distracting from the music itself. Turandot, it seems, can still speak to us today.

Article and synopsis by Betsy Schwarm, author of “Operatic Insights.”

PHOTOGRAPHY INFORMATION

Photography is allowed in the lobby before the performance. We encourage you to share any photos you take with us on our social media. Photography and video are not permitted during the performance.

Share photos with us! @operacolorado

ARTISTS

MARTIN BAKARI | Pong

Praised by Opera News as a “vocally charismatic” performer with a “golden tenor,” Martin Bakari’s recent engagements include the title role in Charlie Parker’s Yardbird with Atlanta Opera, Arizona Opera, and Pittsburgh Opera; the tenor soloist in Carmina Burana with the Cecilia Chorus of New York - Carnegie Hall, Le nozze di Figaro (Don Basilio) with Seattle Opera and Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival; Madama Butterfly (Goro) with Dallas Opera; Mark Adamo’s Becoming Santa Claus (Prince Claus) at Chicago Opera Theater; The Barber of Seville (Count Almaviva) with Intermountain Opera Bozeman; The Cartography Project with Washington National Opera and the Kennedy Center; and a United Kingdom recital tour with Mirror Visions Ensemble. Internationally, he has also appeared at major venues in Munich, Hamburg, Dresden, Frankfurt, Cologne, Tel Aviv, and Bari. In the 2022-23 Season, Mr. Bakari sings the tenor soloist in the premiere of Paul Moravec’s A Nation of Others with Oratorio Society of New York-Carnegie Hall, Charlie Parker’s Yardbird with New Orleans Opera and Dayton Opera, The Pirates of Penzance (Frederic) with Virginia Opera, the tenor soloist in Messiah with Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the premiere of A Thousand Splendid Suns (Jalil/Wakil/Guard) with Seattle Opera, the tenor soloist in Carmina Burana with Symphony San Jose, a concert of arias and songs with Harlem Chamber Players, recitals of Paul Laurence Dunbar songs with Seattle Opera, and German Lieder with pianist Byron Schenkman with Benaroya Hall - Seattle. Mr. Bakari’s 2023-24 Season includes Das Rheingold (Mime) with Seattle Opera, Falstaff (Dr. Caius) and the premiere of Jake Heggie’s Intelligence (Wilson, cover) with Houston Grand Opera, and the tenor soloist in Messiah with Oratorio Society of New York - Carnegie Hall. A 2018 George London Competition award winner, Mr. Bakari’s recording of Grigory Smirnov’s Dowson Songs (Naxos) was featured by Opera News as a “Critic’s Choice” album. Mr. Bakari is an alumnus of the Juilliard School, Boston University, and Tanglewood Music Center.

JANAI BRUGGER | Liù

American soprano, Janai Brugger, the 2012 winner of Operalia and of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, made her television debut last season when she sang a specially written requiem composed by Laura Karpman for an episode of HBO’s renowned Lovecraft Country. She returned to Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and The Philadelphia Orchestra and revived one of her favorite roles in Die Zauberflote (Pamina) for performances at Palm Beach Opera’s first Outdoor Opera Festival. More recently, she appeared in Carmen (Micaëla) at Cincinnati Opera and returned to Dutch National Opera for their acclaimed Missa in tempore Belli (Haydn), conducted by Lorenzo Viotti and directed by Barbora Horáková. She also appeared in Porgy and Bess (Clara) in the Metropolitan Opera’s celebrated new production and previously in Dutch National Opera’s 2019 production. She sang in Idomeneo (Ilia) at Lyric Opera of Chicago and she appeared in Le nozze di Figaro (Susanna) at Cincinnati Opera. In her artistic home at Los Angeles Opera, she sang in La clemenza di Tito (Servilia), a role she previously sang at Dutch National Opera. Miss Brugger traveled to the Royal Opera House Covent Garden for revival performances in Die Zauberflöte (Pamina) and sang in Turandot (Liù) at Lyric Opera of Chicago.

JONATHAN BURTON | Calàf

Tenor Jonathan Burton is engaged to sing the most demanding roles in the tenor repertoire, including Tosca (Cavaradossi), Turandot (Calàf), Fanciulla del West (Dick Johnson), and Aida (Radames). He regularly receives rave reviews for his “bright, heroic tone, [and] clarion power.” For his performance in Tosca (Cavaradossi) with Opera Omaha, one reviewer said: “Tenor Jonathan Burton was revelatory as the painter and revolutionary sympathizer. His voice never faltered through the demands of the role and his tortured humanity was palpable.” Recently, Burton joined the roster of the Metropolitan Opera for the first time for their production of Turandot (Calàf) and also performed the role with Maryland Lyric Opera. He also sang in Carmen (Don José) for Palm Beach Opera and covered the title role in Tristan und Isolde for Santa Fe Opera. In February and March 2023, he portrayed Paul in Opera Colorado’s new production of Korngold’s Die tote Stadt (The Dead City).

COLORADO CHILDREN’S CHORALE

Victoria Bailey, Assistant Conductor

Emily Crile, Artistic Director

Alice Britton, Finn Donahue, Brian Erickson, Junah Graf, Silas Helton, Cam Lewis, Aubrey O’Neill, Tori Southworth

The Colorado Children’s Chorale has been performing with Opera Colorado since their inaugural performance of Otello in 1983. Chorale children have appeared in 29 Opera Colorado productions including: La bohème, Carmen, The Magic Flute, Hansel & Gretel, Pagliacci, and many others.

SAMANTHA EGLE | Fight Director

Samantha (she/her) is thrilled to be joining Opera Colorado for this production of Turandot! Her work has been seen on the stages of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Arvada Center for Arts and Humanities, Colorado Springs Fine Arts, Denver Children’s Theatre, Mizel Center for Arts and Culture, Athena Project Festival, Lagoon Theme Park, Upstart Crow, New York Fringe Festival, The BiTSY Stage, University of Northern Colorado, University of Denver, and numerous other educational institutions in Colorado. She was a Resident Artist as an Intimacy Director at Arena Stage in Washington D.C. in 2019 and an apprentice with Intimacy Directors International. She is the founder of Humble Warrior Movement Arts, which produces international virtual and local inperson stage combat and intimacy training. She is a proud associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Union, and the Regional Representative for the Rocky Mountain Region and a Certified Teacher with the Society of American Fight Directors

JOSEPH GAINES | Emperor Altoum

A highly energetic, vibrant, and extremely versatile singer and actor, tenor Joseph Gaines has been described as “such an exuberant performer you couldn’t help but smile” (The Minneapolis Star-Tribune). He created the role of Dan Leno in Opera Philadelphia’s world premiere of Elizabeth Cree by the Pulitzer Prize-winning duo of Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell; Opera News wrote that the role “offered a field day to light tenor Joseph Gaines, who met the challenge with vocal skill and superb physicality.” Gaines has been a soloist with The Metropolitan Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Utah Opera, Opera Colorado, Central City Opera, Hawaii Opera Theatre, and many others. As a concert soloist, he has been featured with The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Detroit Symphony, The Charlotte Symphony, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and many period and chamber ensembles. Solo appearances this season include Messiah with the Longmont Symphony, La púrpura de la rosa with Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado, and also as Freddie Mercury in a Queen tribute concert with the Larimer Chorale. Gaines studied at both the University of Houston and the Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Hochschule für Musik und Theater, Leipzig.

YOUNG BOK KIM | Timur

Commanding bass Young Bok Kim has recently dazzled audiences and critics in Verdi’s Attila (title role), Il barbiere di Siviglia (Don Basilio), Turandot (Timur), Madama Butterfly (Bonze), Don Giovanni (Commendatore), Rigoletto (Sparafucile), Die Zauberflöte (Sarastro), and Verdi’s rarely-performed La battaglia di Legnano (Barbarossa) all with Sarasota Opera. He will return to Sarasota in 2024 to sing in Lucia di Lammermoor (Raimondo).

Mr. Kim made his New York City Opera debut in La bohème (Colline), and went on to sing many other roles with the company, including Zuniga, Sarastro, and, most notably, Bonze in their 2008 production of Madama Butterfly, which received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class—Classical Music/Dance Program. Mr. Kim has also sung with Kentucky Opera, Dallas Opera, Utah Opera, Opera North, Opera New Jersey, Opera Boston, Nashville Opera, Nevada Opera, El Paso Opera, Opera Delaware, Baltimore Concert Opera, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, and Teatro Grattacielo, among others. A native of Korea, Mr. Kim appears frequently on Korean stages, appearing in Così fan tutte (Don Alfonso) with National Opera of Korea and the Seoul Metropolitan Opera, Lucia di Lammermoor (Raimondo) and Die Zauberflöte (Sarastro) with National Opera of Korea, Semiramide (Nino’s Ghost) with City Opera of Seoul, Curlew River (Abbot) with Seoul Metropolitan Opera, and Il barbiere di Siviglia (Don Basilio) with City Opera of Seoul and Kim Sun International Opera.

J. ISADORA KRECH | Lighting Designer

J. Isadora (they/she) is a multi-media artist, designer, writer, and musician based in Berlin. Their performance work is focused on opera, dance, and performance art. Opera designs have been seen at Opera Colorado, San Diego Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Palm Beach

Opera, Opera Omaha, West Edge Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, West Bay Opera, Yale Arts and Ideas Festival, and Whitesnake Productions. Her dance, theatre, and performance art has been seen across the US and internationally. Their installations and video art have shown at galleries and festivals in New York, Virginia, Nevada, and California. She has been a guest artist at Williams College, USF, Hollins, and UC Berkeley. They received an MFA from New York University.

ALEX MANSOORI | Pang

Called “outstanding” and “hilarious” by critics, tenor Alex Mansoori has been hailed as “solid and convincing” and “smartly characterized” by The New York Times. Specializing in character tenor roles, Mr. Mansoori’s varied repertoire runs the gamut from Handel and Mozart to Bernstein and Sondheim. In the 2021-22 Season, Mr. Mansoori performed with Opera Naples in West Side Story (Action). He also appeared recently with the Naples Philharmonic as the tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah. A favorite on Florida stages, he recently appeared with Opera Tampa in Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffman. In the 2017-18 Season, Mr. Mansoori returned to Opera Naples in his role debut in Puccini’s iconic Madama Butterfly (Goro) and make his company and role debut in Falstaff (Dr. Caius) for Opera Colorado. He also made his Opera Tampa debut in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro (Don Basilio and Don Curzio). In the summer of 2018, Mr. Mansoori made his debut at The Tanglewood Festival in multiple roles in Bernstein’s Candide The production was originally presented with Orlando Philharmonic under director Alison Moritz and will be heard at Tanglewood with the Brooklyn-based chamber orchestra The Knights. In the 201819 Season, Mr. Mansoori made his Dallas Opera debut in Falstaff (Bardolfo), joining an all-star cast led by Riccardo Frizza. He also returned to Opera Orlando for his role debuts in Pagliacci (Beppe) and in Les contes d’Hoffmann (Four Servants).

DANTE MIRELES | Mandarin

Dante Mireles is from McAllen, Texas, and first began singing opera in high school as a chorister in South Texas Lyric Opera’s productions. Mireles received his Bachelor of Music in voice from Texas Christian University where he received the Nordan Music Scholarship. During Mireles’s years at TCU, he performed in several productions with the TCU Opera Studio and Fort Worth Opera. Mireles received his master’s degree at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where he studied with Cesar Ulloa. Most notable among his performances at SFCM include Ariadne auf Naxos (Music Master), Firebird Motel (Trooper), Hansel and Gretel (Father), and Clemenza di Tito (Publio). Mireles is thrilled to be reaching a personal milestone by making his house debut as one of Opera Colorado’s Artists in Residence this season. In the company’s mainstage season, he sang in Rigoletto (Marullo) and Die tote Stadt (chorus). In Opera Colorado’s touring productions, Mireles sings in The Pirates of Penzance (Major General) and Romeo & Juliet (Mercutio and The Prince).

ARTISTS

SAHAR NOURI | Chorus Master and Assistant Conductor

Iranian pianist and conductor Sahar Nouri returns to Opera Colorado for a sixth season, serving as the company’s Chorus Master, Assistant Conductor, and Pianist Coach. Ms. Nouri is the Music Director of the Lamont Opera Theatre at the University of Denver. She is also the founder and director of Dandelion Opera Institute, a summer training program for young, talented opera singers, pianists, and conductors. While based in Denver, Ms. Nouri continues to serve as guest coach/faculty with various organizations, including San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Opera North Carolina, 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 (Carlisle Floyd), O Columbia! (Gregory Spears), Steal a Pencil for Me (Gerald Cohen), and Today It Rains (Laura Kaminsky). Nouri has done studies in the Czech Republic, Italy, and Austria, and is frequently in demand as a language coach and recitalist.

RONELL OLIVERI | Wig and Makeup Design

Ronell Oliveri has been designing wigs and makeup for opera, theater, ballet, and film for the past eighteen years for such companies as Minnesota Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, and the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University. Currently, she is the resident Wig & Makeup Designer for Opera Colorado, Opera Omaha, and Central City Opera. In 2007, she was a Primetime Emmy Award nominee as key makeup artist for her work in television. As a wig and makeup artist her professional credits include engagements with Chicago Lyric Opera, LA Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theater of Saint Louis, and Boston Ballet. Her work can also be seen in Wicked, All the Way, and Waitress. Other recent engagements include Miller Theater’s Proving Up, Boston Lyric Opera’s Cavalleria rusticana, and Opera Omaha’s Montagues and Capulets.

ARI PELTO | Opera Colorado Music Director and Conductor

Ari Pelto was appointed in 2015 as Opera Colorado’s first-ever music director. His “breathtaking wizardry in the pit” (The Denver Post) has been widely celebrated, with Pelto in demand at opera houses and concert halls throughout the United States. At the age of 24, Pelto was appointed Assistant Conductor at the Spoleto Festival, and he has since gone on to conduct worldwide. International engagements include performances with Bochumer Philharmoniker and opera productions at New National Theatre of Tokyo and the Teatro Nacional Sucre in Quito, Ecuador. In 2004 he made his highly-praised debut with New York City Opera, conducting La traviata, after which he became a regular, returning for productions of Madama Butterfly, La bohème, and Carmen. Recent successes include performances of The Nutcracker with Atlanta Ballet and The Flying Dutchman with Utah Opera.

DAVID SOTO ZAMBRANA | Prince of Persia

Tenor David Soto Zambrana is native of San Juan, Puerto Rico. He trained in the Bel Canto tradition at the University of Oklahoma, where he was awarded a prestigious Weitzenhoffer Opera Fellowship and a master’s degree. Recently, David sang for the Oklahoma premiere of Lori Laitman’s The Scarlet Letter (Arthur Dimmesdale). He was a Tomita Young Artist with Finger Lakes Opera, performed leading roles with Taconic Opera, and is an alumnus of Musiktheatre Bavaria in Oberaudorf, Germany. As an Artist in Residence, David performed in the student matinee of Rigoletto (Duke of Mantua) and mainstage production of Die tote Stadt (Count Albert). He also appears in Opera Colorado’s Opera on Tour productions of The Pirates of Penzance (Frederic) and Romeo & Juliet (Romeo). David was awarded a Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition Encouragement Award, Marilyn Horne Performance Award, and the Dame Eva Turner Award for Vocal Performance.

KARA SHAY THOMSON | Princess Turandot

Dramatic soprano, Kara Shay Thomson, has built an expansive stage career by creating characters that push the limits both musically and dramatically. Ms. Thomson’s major roles include the iconic Puccini heroines, Turandot and Tosca. Additional dramatic roles include the title role in Salome, Fidelio (Leonore), Cavalleria rusticana (Santuzza), and Don Giovanni (Donna Anna). Kara Shay is well known for taking on rarely performed dramatic roles including Erwartung (The Woman), Les Troyens (Cassandre), Bluebeard’s Castle (Judith), Tiefland (Marta), Der Freishütz (Agäthe), the title role in Vanessa, Aleko (Zemfira), Die tote Stadt (Marietta), The Consul (Magda), the title role in Blitzstein’s Regina, and as Balkis in Odyssey Opera’s live recording of the US premiere of Gounod’s La Reine de Saba. Company appearances include Lyric Opera of Chicago, Santa Fe Opera, New York City Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, Virginia Opera, Utah Opera, Portland Opera, Atlanta Opera, Dayton Opera, Opera Omaha, Kentucky Opera and Sarasota Opera. In February and March 2023, she provided vocals for the roles and Marie and Marietta in Opera Colorado’s new production of Die tote Stadt (The Dead City).

ARIA UMEZAWA | Stage Director

With her quirky, irreverent style, Aria Umezawa’s work evokes wonder and challenges the long-established traditions of opera and classical music. The stage director, producer, and writer is a co-founder of Amplified Opera, the independent, equity-seeking opera company and current Disruptor-in-Residence at the Canadian Opera Company. Aria was the Artistic Director of Opera 5 from 2012 to 2017. Aria completed two years as an Adler Fellow at San Francisco Opera, a position she earned after her San Francisco debut as a Merola Apprentice Stage Director. Aria has directed Christmas with SOL3 MIO with San Francisco Opera, Thomas’s Hamlet with West Edge Opera, and Poulenc’s La voix humaine with Against the Grain Theatre, the Canadian premieres of Milton Granger’s

Talk Opera and Darren Russo’s Storybook (commissioned by Opera 5), and the North American premiere of Cavalli’s Artemisia with Boston’s Helios Opera. An advocate for safe, equitable practices in the opera and performing arts industries, Aria is in demand as a presenter and educator. In 2018, she developed Safe to Run: Bystander Intervention Training for the Rehearsal Room with Opera McGill and the San Francisco Opera Center and has run the workshop at opera companies across North America. That same year she was a speaker on the Gender Equity in Opera panel at the inaugural Opera.ca Opera Changing Worlds Education Summit. With OPERA America, Aria has presented on Anti-Harassment Policies and Stage Intimacy Techniques (2019) and Building a Healthier Company Culture for Artists (2020) and has contributed as a panelist on Managing the Challenges of the Inherited Repertoire (2020) and Breaking Down Gatekeeping (2021). She was an artistic consultant on a new co-production of Madama Butterfly with Opera in the Heights and Pacific Opera Projects.

CRAIG VERM | Ping

Praised for his “arrestingly vibrant” and “robust” baritone, Craig Verm has brought his riveting dramatic portrayals to stages around the world. In the 2021-22 Season, Mr. Verm made a return to one of his signature roles, the title role of Don Giovanni, with San Antonio Opera. In 2022, he returned to Madison Opera in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld (Jupiter). Recently, he received high praise for his performances of the title role in Billy Budd for Des Moines Metro Opera. John van Rhein of the Chicago

DIRECTOR’S NOTES

By Aria Umezawa, the Stage Director of Turandot

Philosophers, linguists, and anthropologists have long debated the relationship between language, understanding, and reality. For those who view language as shaping our understanding of reality, the act of naming has a semi-mystical significance, as in the saying, “the naming power of the word.” Plato’s writing has been particularly influential on this topic. In his dialogue Cratylus, Plato explores the relationship between words and reality, arguing that names have special power because they are not arbitrary, but based on a fundamental relationship between a word and the thing it represents. A name is not simply a label but something that connects us to the essence of the thing itself.

When the eponymous princess of Puccini’s Turandot finds herself at her most powerless, it is a name that offers salvation. Acquiring it gives her the agency to shape her future, and the future of her kingdom. This name also gives her insight into the essence of the person it belongs to—the prince who gave it to her in spite of the risk its discovery poses to his life.

Tribune said, “The strong baritone voice, strapping physique and winning stage presence of Craig Verm created a sympathetic Billy,” and Opera Today said Verm “was every moment the star vocal and theatrical presence that galvanized the performance.” In the 2017-18 Season, Verm made an impressive debut as a last-minute substitute in the title role of Mozart’s Don Giovanni for The Dallas Opera. His performances received critical acclaim for “succeeding in the daunting assignment…with his own credible realization of the iconic character.” In the 2019-20 Season, Mr. Verm continued his long-standing relationship with Pittsburgh Opera, opening their season in Don Giovanni, followed by performances in Florencia en el Amazonas (Riolobo). Further performances in the season included his debut at the Barbican Centre in Joby Talbot’s Everest (Doug Hansen), a role he created in performances with The Dallas Opera, Orpheus in the Underworld (Jupiter) with Madison Opera, and La bohème (Marcello) with Opera Naples.

We honor and acknowledge that we are on the traditional territories and ancestral homelands of the Cheyenne and Arapahoe Nations. We acknowledge the land and history of this space we are fortunate to gather in today.

Puccini clearly understood the power of naming things, and the important role the act of naming has in shaping our understanding of the world. I would be remiss if I didn’t name an important element of this work and this production:

Since Turandot first premiered, the Chinese, as well as members of the Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities across North America, have largely rejected this opera for its racist stereotyping and orientalist portrayal of Chinese culture.

While those of us who love and admire Puccini’s work might wish to overlook this element of the opera, for many of the people whose culture is supposedly represented on this stage, this opera is a painful reminder of the discrimination they have faced and continue to face in their day-to-day lives. We have done our best to mitigate the harm of this production and to find opportunities to lift up the voices of those affected, but there is more work to be done. My hope is this production serves as a first step.

CHORUS, ORCHESTRA, & PRODUCTION STAFF

OPERA COLORADO ORCHESTRA

VIOLIN

Byron A. Hitchcock, concertmaster

Margaret Soper Gutierrez, principal second

Callie Brennan

Michelle Davis

Evan De Long

Angela Dombrowski

Mary Malizia Evans

Robyn Julyan

Regan Kane

Christine Menter

Susie Peek

Felix Petit

Zachary Ragent

Veronica Sawarynski

Robyn Sosa

Takanori Sugishita

Benjamin Tomkins

Tori Woodrow

VIOLA

Matthew Dane, principal

Margaret Dyer Harris

Koko Dyulgerski

Ezgi Pikayzen

Sarah Richardson

Lora Stevens

CELLO

Andrew Kolb, principal

Charles C. Lee

Trevor Minton

Erin Patterson

Jeff Watson

Eleanor Wells

BASS

David Crowe, principal

Jeremy Nicholas

Matt Pennington

Jason Thompson

FLUTE AND PICCOLO

Susan Kerbs Townsend, principal

Elizabeth Sadilek-Labenski

Olga Shilaeva

OBOE AND ENGLISH HORN

Max Soto, principal

Brittany Bonner

Amy Kolb

CLARINET AND BASS CLARINET

Michelle Joseph Orman, principal

Heidi Mendenhall

Linda Shea

BASSOON AND CONTRABASSOON

Charles Hansen, principal

JJ Sechan

Kyle Sneden

HORN

Michael Yopp, principal

Lauren Varley

Devon Park

Marian Hesse

TRUMPET

Leslie Scarpino, principal

Colin J.A. Oldberg

Ryan Gardner

OFF STAGE TRUMPET

Chris Boulais

Noah Lambert

Rebecca Ortiz

Ian Sawyer

TROMBONE

Bron Wright, principal

Andy Wolfe

Jeremy Van Hoy

OFF STAGE TROMBONE

Richard Harris

Drew Leslie

Christopher Terrazas

Nat Wickham

TUBA

Patrick Young, principal

TIMPANI

Peter Cooper, principal

PERCUSSION

Mark Foster, principal

Carl Dixon

Robert Jurkscheit

Nena Lorenz Wright

Mike Tetreault

HARP

Janet Harriman, principal

ORCHESTRA MANAGER

Angie Dombrowski

ORCHESTRA LIBRARIAN

Elle Wells

OPERA COLORADO CHORUS

SOPRANO

Frannie Barrows

Lauren Bumgarner

Maria Fabara

Alyssa Jackson

Sarah Kochevar

Stephanie Lacayo

Stephanie Medema

Francesca Mehrotra

Elizabeth Mirandi

Savannah Scott

Amy Thorne

Madison Williams

MEZZO-SOPRANO

Emily Anderson

Jennider Beatty

Joanne Evans

Katelyn Harper-Griffith

Ingrid Johnson

Claire LeBorgne

Bella Mallow

Ellen Moeller

Jill Skinner

Jenny Thompson

Blaire Whiteside

TENOR

Alexis Haro

Alehandro Izurieta

Chris Lilley

Alex Powelll

Lars Preece

Norman Spivy

Joey Taczak

Luke Thatcher

Keither Williamson

Joshua Zabatta

BASS-BARITONE

Zachary Biggs

Michele Di Nuovo

John Hansen

Michale Hansen

Michael Leyte-Vidal

Zeky Nadji

Luke North

Oliver Poveda

Patrick Saiff

Turner Staton

PRODUCTION STAFF

PRODUCTION STAFF

Adrienne Bader, Assistant Stage Manager

Anna Cordova, Production Assistant

Adam DeRos, Assistant Director

Brian Elston, Assistant Lighting Designer

Lucy Guillemette, Assistant Stage Manager

Gina Hays, Stage Manager

Beth Nielsen, Title Operator: In-Seat

TECHNICAL STAFF

John Adams, Production Purchasing Agent

Thomas Berning, Head Audio Engineer

Michael Boswell, Head Carpenter

Hillary Clark, Head Property Master

Greg Killpack, Assistant Carpenter

Jeff Reidel, Head Flyman/Rigger

Rita Richardson, Head Electrician

Amanda Short, Assistant Electrician

Keven Soll, Assistant Properties Master

Karen Thurow, Lighting Console Programmer

Michael Wingfield, Technical Director

Dave Youngs, Shop/Production Carpenter

ELLIE CAULKINS OPERA HOUSE

CREW

James Gralian, House Sound

Allen Olmstead, House Carpenter

Derek Tovar, House Props

Dave Wilson, House Electrician

COSTUMES

Alison Milan, Costume Director

Madison Booth, Assistant Coordinator

Carolyn Miller, Wardrobe Assistant

SHOP ASSISTANTS

Amanda Bouza

Domino Douglas

Celeste Fenton

Elizabeth Woods

DRAPER

Ted Stark

Sarah Zinn

DRESSERS

Domino Douglas

Kinsey Kistler

Carly Peterson

Ann Piano

Sara Rutherford

Amanda Walsh

Elizabeth Woods

VOLUNTEER DRESSERS

Leslie Cady

Kathy Heider

Jan Heimer

SUPERNUMERARY

Eric Bard

Sarah Cole

Thomas Gaffney

Tiffany Krumland

Troy Krumland

Katy McQuaid

Mark Rossmann

Mary Schwartz

WIGS AND MAKEUP

Sarah Opstad Demmon, Associate Wig and Makeup Coordinator

Lisa Padraza, Wig and Makeup Assistant

Shallah Perlman, Wig and Makeup Assistant

Whitney Wolanin, Wig and Makeup Assistant

ENGLISH OR SPANISH SUBTITLES AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

Follow these easy steps: Prior to the performance, the screen will automatically display a sponsored message. When singing begins, briefly press the red button to activate subtitles.

• P ress once for English.

• P ress twice for Spanish.

• P ress three times to turn titles off.

Then, simply repeat these steps after intermission. Pressing the red button too many times or holding the button down may result in a system failure. If you experience difficulty with the system, please contact an usher for assistance. Opera Colorado does not offer refunds or exchanges in the event of a subtitle system failure.

Please Note: All Sunday matinee performances offer audio description for the visually impaired. Headsets are available at Coat Check. English subtitles are written by Jeremy Sortore. Spanish translations by Gina Razón.

2023 Festival

JUNE 24 - AUGUST 6

ROMEO & JULIET

KISS ME, KATE OTHELLO

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

centralcityopera.org

ILLUSTRATION BY PIERRE MORNET

Collegiate Grants to: Colorado State University

Metropolitan State University of Denver

University of Colorado

University of Denver

University of Northern Colorado

Young Artists Program Grants to:

Central City Opera

Opera Colorado

Opera Fort Collins

Opera Steamboat

Opera Theatre of the Rockies

Members Enjoy: • Monthly luncheons

• Educational programs

• Opera tours • Our annual juried/professionally judged Competition for Colorado Singers

OPERA ON TOUR

SHARE OPERA WITH YOUR STUDENTS

Cinderella

September 2023 - May 2024

Is a wicked Stepfather like a wicked Stepmother? What about a wise advisor instead of a fairy Godmother? Is a bracelet as trusty as a glass slipper? Find out in this opera! In a twist on Rossini’s Cinderella, we follow Angelina who is forced to serve to her wicked stepfather and two stepsisters. Prince Ramiro is looking for a bride who will love him for who is truly is and not for his money or title. Will they find each other? Watch their story unfold in this comic opera that all ages will love.

SAVE THE DATE: STUDENT MATINEE

Mozart’s Don Giovanni | November 9 | 2023

Mozart’s classic masterpiece, Don Giovanni, adapted to a length perfect for students. This special matinee performance comes once a year. Students experience the opera, watch the set changes, and get a chance to meet the performers.

TEACHER FEEDBACK

“Welcoming young people to become lovers of the arts is so important, and Opera Colorado does a fantastic job of helping them feel like opera is for them.”

OUR IMPACT

Opera Colorado’s education programs provide communities throughout the state with access to the arts, bringing the magic of opera to schools and communities across Colorado.

In a typical year, our education programs serve over 40,000 students and life-long learners. The 2022-23 Season includes over fifty opera education performances and workshops for mountain and plains communities, libraries, senior groups, and schools serving children and adults with disabilities.

The Elixir of Love

January - May 2024

Nemorino loves the town’s brainy beauty, Adina. But the dashing sergeant Belcore arrives and sets his sights upon Adina too. Desperate, Nemorino asks a traveling salesman Dr. Dulcamara to sell him a powerful elixir of love that will convince Adina that he is the one. Romance and comedy ensue as the character’s plans spin wildly out of control. Set in old-west Colorado, this production is sure to charm and delight audiences of all ages.

Opera on Tour is generously sponsored by Genesee Mountain Foundtion

LEAR N M ORE

Opera Colorado offers programs and performances in schools and as field trips. Learn more about the dynamic live and virtual programs available by scanning the QR code or visiting our website at operacolorado.org/education.

THE 2022-23 SEASON ARTIST IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM

THANK YOU FOR A WONDERFUL SEASON!

FORTIETH ANNIVERSARY GALA SPONSORS OPERA COLORADO

40TH ANNIVERSARY GALA CONCERT SPONSORS

Joy and Chris Dinsdale

40TH ANNIVERSARY GALA HONORARY COMMITTEE

Ken and Donna Barrow

Ellie Caulkins

Marcia and Dick Robinson

Susan and Jeremy Shamos

Merrill Shields and M. Ray Thomasson

40TH ANNIVERSARY GALA PRESENTING SPONSORS

Bank of Colorado

Mike and Julie Bock

Neiman Marcus

Eric and Robin Yaeger

PREMIUM TABLE SPONSORS

Patrick Chambers and Tanya Mathews

The Chotin Foundation and Family

Agatha and Curtis W. Fentress

Richard Koseff and Kathryn Codo

The Mike Leprino Foundation and Pepper’s Senior Dog Sanctuary

Alessandra and Benjamin Schulein

The Anna and John J. Sie Foundation

Marie and Daniel Welch

TABLE SPONSORS

Bow River Capital

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP

Drs. Laurence and Cynthia Chan

Wendy Cogdal, Lillian Cogdal, and Dillon Cogdal

Denver Art Museum

Denver Arts and Venues

Denver Center for the Performing Arts

Chris and Joy Dinsdale Family Foundation

Dr. Stacy Fischer and Dr. Henry Fischer

Joe and Edie Fogliano

Hasan, LLC

HealthONE

Don and Maron Hindman

Chip Horne and Dr. Jan Kennaugh

Michael Hughes and The Honorable Karen L. Brody

The Honorable Ken Laff and Mrs. Barbara Laff

Jim and Patience Linfield

The Maniatis Families

Kevin D. O’Connor and Janet E. Raasch

Premier Group Insurance

Prem and Stephanie Subramanian

Sopra Communities, Inc.

The Melvin and Elaine Wolf Foundation

Tricia and Patrick Youssi

DUET PACKAGES

Jeff Baldwin

Jeremy Kinnery and Holly Arnold

Judy La Spada

Gerald and Ann Saul

Anne Schuster and Duncan Wilcox

Douglas and Antoinette Shaller

Tebo Properties

Debi and Jerry Tepper

*As of April 11, 2023

ANNUAL CONTRIBUTIONS

The Board of Directors and staff of Opera Colorado express their deepest appreciation to the individuals, corporations, and foundations who have contributed to the Annual Fund, as of March 20, 2023. 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.

INDIVIDUALS PRODUCER CIRCLE

VISIONARY

$50,000+

Ken and Donna Barrow

Mike and Julie Bock

Ellie Caulkins

Joy and Chris Dinsdale

Don & Maron Hindman

Marcia and Dick Robinson

Patrick Spieles

Dan and Marie Welch

BENEFACTOR

$25,000-$49,999

Mr. Jeff Baldwin

Linda Bjelland

Mr. Chip Horne and Dr. Jan Kennaugh

Judy La Spada

Jeremy and Susan Shamos

Merrill Shields and M. Ray Thomasson

AMBASSADOR

$11,000-$24,999

Drs. Laurence and Cynthia Chan

Mrs. Joyce de Roos

Elizabeth & Matthew Dyer

Russell Hedman and Juwon Bahn

Edie and Joe Fogliano

Mr. and Mrs. Jeremy F. Kinney

Richard Koseff

The Honorable and Mrs. Kenneth Laff

Jim and Patience Linfield

Maj. Dino Maniatis and Mrs. Kristin Freestone-Maniatis

Dr. and Mrs. William N. Maniatis

Jeanie and Randal Martines

Robert R. Montgomery and Nancy Hawkins

Lynnette Morrison

Kevin O’Connor and Janet Ellen Raasch

Debra J. Perry

Ann and Gerald Saul

Prem and Stephanie Subramanian

Charles I. Thompson

Valerie Wassill and Kevin Rudolph

Robin and Eric Yaeger

ARTIST CIRCLE

CONDUCTOR

$6,000-$10,999

Edward Balkin

Mr. Charles E. Berry and Mrs. Maria Garcia Berry

Suzanne D. Bucy

Jane and Bart Burnett

Emily and Mark Bussey

Merle Chambers

Ms. Kathryn Codo

Dr. Eric Coomer

Robert and Lenore Damrauer

Karen Fukutaki, M.D.

Gary and Judith Judd

Diana and Mike Kinsey

Gayle and Gary Landis

Muffy Moore

Raul and Vivian Murciano

Jon J. Olafson and Jerry Brindisi

Ronald Y. Otsuka

Mrs. Alice Perlmutter

Zondra Rae Pluss

Louise Lavendar Rouse

Martha and Will Tracey

Ann Wise

Ms. Carole J. Yaley

Larry and Brigitte Zimmer

COMPOSER

$3,000-$5,999

Anonymous

Robin E. Black

Donald K. Braden

Mr. and Mrs. George P. Caulkins, III

Mary and Tom Conroy

Dr. Cynthia K. Crews and Mr. Charles W. Henry

Sally Haas

Deborah Hayes and James L. Martin III

Ms. Judy Johnston

Joe Kelso

Tom Kirkpatrick and Djuana Strauch

Veronica A. McCaffrey and Barbara A. Frank

James P. McElhinney

Dr. Monica I. Minkoff

James Monroe, III and Marie Shannon Monroe

Ralph & Trish Nagel

Dr. Harold S. Nelson

Bob Nelson

Bonnie Perkins

Christine and Harry Phillips

Bruce Polkowsky and Bill Powell

The Ponzio Family

Nijole and Walter Rasmussen

Cynthia and Alexander Read

Myra and Robert Rich

Mr. and Mrs. Charley Samson

Helen Scott Santilli

Fern B. Seltzer and Andrew Heymsfield

William Vaniman and Frances G. Matthews

Mr. Byron S. Watson

Erin Wenzel

LIBRETTIST

$1,200-$2,999

Anonymous

Hartman Axley

Mr. Douglas W. Barnert and Mrs. Ruth Jacoby

Peter Batty and Paula Kechichian

Brian Bennett and Bev Daniels

Sheila Bisenius

Libby Bortz

Elise Brenninkmeyer

Leslie Coover Cady

Mr. and Mrs. Roger W. Celius

Barbara and Roger Chamberlain

Mr. David J. Chavolla

Alexander J. Conley and Alysia D. Marino

Bob and Georgi Contiguglia

Lauren Crist-Fulk

Dave and Pam Duke

Lois N. Eckhoff

Dr. Stacy Fischer and Dr. Henry Fischer

Mr. and Mrs. John Gallagher

Gary and Rebecca Gantner

George and Sissy Gibson

Stephen and Dorothy Gregory

Mark Groshek MD and Carl Clark MD

Mr. J. Lawrence Hamil

Ms. Lynn E. Harrington

Mr. Thomas E. Healy

Beverlee B. Henry

Richard Hilty and Lesley Arbour

Christine Hollander and Michael McGee

Steve and Chryse Hutchins

Therese Ivancovich

John N. Kabalin, MD.

Dr. Lawrence Kim and Nhung Van

John W. Kure and Cheryl L. Solich

Dr. and Mrs. Jeremy Lazarus

Frieda Sanidas Leason

Evan and Evi Makovsky

V.W. McKnab and Margaret Jurado

Jan McNally

Dr. and Mrs. Calvern E. Narcisi

Mr. Ari Pelto and Ms. Wendy Fisher

Profs. Jean-Pierre Habicht and Gretel H. Pelto

Rick Poppe & Jana Edwards

Ms. Marcia Ragonetti

Diedra O’Kelly and James & Helen Reed

T. R. Reid

Ayliffe and Fred Ris

Ms. Deborah M. H. Rohan

Carol L. Rust

Morris and Karen Sandstead

Ms. Ruth E. Schoening

Ms. Nancy J. Siegel

Dr. and Mrs. Edwin R. Smith

Ms. Judith Zee Steinberg

Linda M. Strauch

Mrs. Marcia D. Strickland

Jerry and Debi Tepper

Dr. Akiva M. Thomas and Mr. Ezekial Thomas

Dr. and Mrs. James Todd

Ms. Kathleen R. Tower

Mr. John Trigg

Dr. Peter and Mrs. Kathy Van Arsdale

Peter and Darcie Weiser

Ms. Cia A. Wenzel

Marie Belew Wheatley

Mary and Ken Willis

PATRON CIRCLE

ASSOCIATE

$600-$1,199

Anonymous

Ms. Jane Anderson

Mrs. Diane Barrett

Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell Benedict III

Samantha Bergen

Lawrence Berliner and Barbara Anderson

Mr. John and Mrs. Anne Blair

Brewster and Helen Boyd

Mr. Ian T. Caiozzi and Mrs. Neha Patel

Ms. Grace Campbell

Carol G. Canon

Mrs. Ella May Carpenter

George Case

Mr. David Clark

Everett B. Clark

Ms. Kathleen R. Clifton

Sue Cole

Dr. and Mrs. James D. Crapo

Nancy Crow and Mark Skrotzki

Ms. Cheryl M. Cruickshank

George and Yonnie Dikeou

Ms. Marian O. Dines

The Divine Family

Margaret and Peter Dzwilewski

Carl and Nan Eklund

Mrs. J. Theodore Ellis

Frances and Richard Frey

Mr. and Mrs. John Fuller C/O

Mrs. Elaine Strauch

David & Katy Garon

Dr. and Mrs. Burton Golub

Dr. and Mrs. Daniel J. Greenholz

Ms. Renee Gross

Steven and Patricia Gulevich

Mr. Richard Gustafson

Mrs. Mary Hayes

Bernice Hernandez

Mr. and Mrs. Doug Herzberg

Mr. William T. Hoffman

Ruth Hopfenbeck

Karen Howland and Gregory Mudge

ANNUAL CONTRIBUTIONS

Mike Hughes and The Honorable

Karen Brody

Michael E. Huotari and Jill R. Stewart

Mr. Daniel Isaman

Jon & Roxanne Isenhart

Roberta and Mel Klein

Deanna Rose Leino

Patty Lorie

Sandra Mazarakis and Neil Burris

J. Virginia Messick

Henry B. Mohr

Sue and Bill Mohrman

William and Bonnie Moninger

Mr. Mike and Lisa Morgan

Mr. Lawrence Moskow

Dr. Mary Kenny Moynihan and Dr. Michael Moynihan

Lisa & Pat Nicholson

Kelli O’Brien & Michael Kolotylo

Ms. Diane O’Connor

Nancy & Paul Oberman

Bonnie M. Orkow

Theresa and Norman Parker

Linda Plaut

Armando Quiroz

Elaine and Robert Renz

Steven and Joan Ringel

Mr. Joe Ronnenberg

Mr. Paul Ruotolo

Steven E. and Jane Schonfeld

Mr. John Shott

Zach T. Smith

Mrs. Jennifer Sobanet

Vicki Sterling

Dr. Laimute Stewart

Bill and Shirley Stout

Mr. and Mrs. Francis J. Sullivan

Sharon and John Trefny

Francisco Varela and Timothy Wilson

Dr. Keith Ward and Ms. Barbara Roidl

Ms. Robin Stewart and Mr. Kirk Weber

Pam and Martin Zadigian

SUPPORTER $300-$599

Anonymous

Richard Akeroyd

Mr. Paul Alaback and Ms. Carol Brewer

Dr. Oksana Bantley

Ms. Tamara Barron

Dr. and Mrs. Henry J. Beckwitt

Ms. Mariette H. Bell

Marilyn Munsterman

Janet Bishop

Richard Bottjer and Sara Peyton

Alan J. Boyer

Ms. Jay Breen

Ms. Janet C. Bruchmann

Gordon & Ron Butz

Edwin T. Callahan and Dulcy E. Wolverton

Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell Caulkins

Alan and In Hye Como

Tom & Cheryl Cox

Brian D. Crane

Jim and Sara Culhane

Carolyn E. Daniels

Ronald L. Deal

Greg Diamond

Timothy James Donahue

Reine and Matthew Erzinger

Amy Feaster

Terry Frazier and Kathy Wells

Ms. Randy Ganter

Dr. and Mrs. Arthur Garfein

Alan G. Gass

Dr. Brian Greffe & Dr. Mark Donovan

Mrs. Carol & Dr. Fred Grover

The Honorable Alfred and Mrs. Dori Harrell

Mr. and Mrs. Phil G. Heinschel

Ginny Hersch

Richard and Sandra Hilt

Ms. Erin R. Hittle

Mr. and Mrs. Graham Hollis

Sarah Hopfenbeck and Susan Corle

John Dennis Hynes and Virginia Medelman

Drs. Terri Lynn and David Ingram

The Johnson-Milne Family

James and Christine Jorgensen

Barbara and Kiplund Kolkmeier

Rex Kramer and Cindy Crater

Mr. Richard S. Leaman

Clifford Lopate

Bob Mahoney and Pat Monroe

Mr. and Mrs. T. Scott Martin

Marian E. Matheson

Ms. Jeanine Matney

Dave and Miza McReynolds

Dr. and Mrs. Charles F. Metzger

Jerri Lynn Modrall and Eric E. Doering

Jack Finlaw and Gregory Movesian

Margaret and John Moyer

Dr. and Dr. Hans Neville

Dr. and Mrs. David A. Norris

Mr. Mark J. O’Connor

Kent & Ruth Obee

Ms. Kimberly S. Opekar

Andrew R. Pleszkun

Robert and Mary Quillin

Richard Replin and Elissa Stein

Karyn K. Rieb

Ms. Luana Rubin

Ms. Mary Scarpino

John and Patricia Schmitter

Gary D. Schrenk

Mr. and Mrs. Bob Shaklee

Mr. and Mrs. David C. Shelton

Dr. Norman Spivy

Mr. Gordon W. Stenger

David and Carol Stern

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Straub

Prof. and Mrs. Joseph S. Szyliowicz

Normie and Paul Voilleque

Lois K Williams

Scott and Karen Yarberry

Gene and Linda Young

Mr. Mark G. Zardus

Charlotte Ziebarth

MEMBER $100-$299

Anonymous

James and Lorraine Adams

Tucker and Dan Adams

Ms. Karen Adkins and Mr. Brian Moore

Paul and Susan Ahlquist

Ms. Susan Anderson

Alice and Lee Anneberg

Mrs. Donna Antonoff

Ms. Cherlyn S. Bailey

Don Bain

Steve and Lisa Bain

Ms. Jennifer N. Bater

Ellen & Donald Bauder

Mr. Brian A. Baxter

Brian Thomas Beagle

C. F. Benoit

Mrs. Claire E. Benson

Anthony V. Berkley and Amanda Gomez

Robert Bernhardt

Ms. Sandra D. Besseghini

Ms. Carol N. Betz

Ms. Dori Biester

Louise B. Blanchard

Marie and Howard Blaney

Leah Bobbey and Toby Wright

Ms. Louise T. Bohe

Mrs. Donna Bonne

Joe and Gwen Bowers

Mr. Thomas H. Brady

Dr. and Mrs. Norman R. Brethouwer

Katy Brown

Mr. Robert A. Brown

Mr. Douglas F. Burns

Mr. and Mrs. Dean Burton

Dr. Francine Butler

Michael Canges and Nina Iwashko

Mr. Gregory A. Carpenter

Mr. Brad Case and Mr. William M. McMechen, Jr.

Ms. Beatriz Castaneda

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel B. Chilcoat

Virginia Chrisco

Dr. Michael P. Cicerchi

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Cirelli

Linda and Gray Clark

Ms. Patty Clark

Ms. Christina E. Clayton

Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Close

Ms. Ethel K. Clow

Gerald Cohen and Caroline Stern

Mr. Matthew O. Cole

Mr. Curtis Cook

Dr. David J. Cooper and Evelyn W Cooper

Aubrey Copeland, MD

Vicki Cowart and Chris Hayes

Ms. Joanne Curran

Colin T. Currans-Sheehan

Ms. Lisa Curtis

Matthew Dane

Mr. Raphael Dangelo

Ms. Joan Daniels Manley Houlton

John Danio

Mrs. Marleen Diamond

Mr. and Mrs. John W. Doucette

Steven and Betsy Duff

Guillaume and Lizeth Durvin

Mr. and Mrs. Wayne D. Eckerling

Kammi and Paul Eckhoff

Mr. John W. Ekeberg

Ted and Vivian Sheldon Epstein

Ms. Anne Esson

Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Evans

Ms. Shirley Feldkamp

Ms. Mary Lou Fenili and Ms. Karen F. Hansen

Mr. and Mrs. Bruce F. Fest

Ms. Jeanine M. Figur

Elizabeth A. Fischer and Don Elliott

Dr. and Mrs. Larry S. Fisher

Dr. Marc S. and Nancy Frager

L. Richard and Sigrid Halvorson Freese

Kristin and Heiko Freitag

Keith French

Jan Friedlander and Cynthia G. Kristensen

Deborah Friedman

Ms. Cynthia Gaertner

Mr. and Mrs. Caleb F. Gates, Jr.

Dr. Tim Gensler

Jennifer Ruth Gentry

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Goldburg

Mr. and Mrs. Ricardo Goncalves

Stephen and Donna Good

Mr. Matthew Grove

Ronald and Elnore Grow

Ms. Rosemarie Halchuk

Mr. Timothy Harris

Mr. Richard A. Haynes

Mr. Richard W. Healy

John R. Heckenlively, M.D.

Ms. Holly Hedegaard

Mr. Owen Herman

Rebecca L. Hersey

Dr. Marilyn J. Hitchens

Sarah C. Hite

Ms. Mary S. Hoaldey

Ms. Elaine Hoaster

Mr. Graham Hoffman

Mr. Saul D. Hoffman and Ms. Susan Parker

Mr. Jason Huck

Nancy Huff

Katherine Hurlbut

Mr. William P. Hurlbut

Mr. Dennis R. Hurt

Ken Rose and Nancy Hurwitz

Ms. Nancy Hyde

Megan Immerfall

Emily Anne Irwin

Ms. Olivia Jansons

Mr. and Mrs. Eric D. Johnson

Mr. Kendor P. Jones and Mrs. Sharon Harris

Mr. and Mrs. Ron Kahn

Edward Karg and Rick Kress

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Keatinge

Mr. and Mrs. Jhon M. Kehmeier

Ms. Patricia C. Kelly and Mr. Thomas E. Dufficy

ANNUAL CONTRIBUTIONS

Allen Kemp

Gloria Kennedy

Bonnie Kipple

Mr. Richard Kirwin

Sue Klein

Ms. Cherity Koepke

Mrs. and Mr. Svetlana Komisarchik

Scott and Margo Krawiec

Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Kreutzer

Ms. Lois A. Labanoski

Ms. Barbara Ladon

Tracy and Dan Lampl

D. Langdon

Connor Larr

Ms. Melinda S. Leach

Mr. and Mrs. Jay S. Leaver

Nancy A. Leonard

Ms. Peggy Liao

Mr. David Lichtenstein

Judy and Dan Lichtin

Gina M. Liggett

Robert & Gloria Lilly-Cohen

Sarita List

Mr. Lester Lockspeiser

Thomas Long

Mr. Michael Lyster

Mr. James S. Macdonald

Janet G. MacFarlane

Dr. Melissa Malde

Mr. and Mrs. James E. Manuel

Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Y. Marchand

Mr. Gregg E. Marshall

Mr. and Mrs. William Mathews

Jim and Carole McCotter

Mr. Stephen D. McGavran

Dr. Kurt and Dr. Marilyn Metzl

Ms. Janice Michael

Mr. Christopher Miller

Mr. John R. Miller

Ms. Betty Minor

Chris and Karen Mohr

Mrs. Robbie E. Monsma

Douglas G. Moran and Laura B. Moran

Warren Morrow

Denny Muirhead

Mark A. Nachtigal

Susan and Mark Nagel

Rudi Hartmann and Kathy Newman

Mr. and Mrs. Denny O’Connell

Mr. Michael Ogborn

Stephanie and Roger Oram

Ms. Elizabeth Orr

Mr. David and Dr. Renee Parkhurst

Mr. Thomas Parrott

Dr. Lynn Parry

Dr. and Mrs. David S. Pearlman

Roxane Pecchio

Jan Peck

Ms. Kathy Peeters

Dennis G. Peterson

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Plowshay

Mr. and Mrs. Mark Plummer

Rich and Kim Plumridge

Mr. and Mrs. Harry C. Poehlmann

Dr. and Mrs. Dale H. Porter

Ms. Melinda Quiat

Kate Raabe

Ms. Barbara Rende

Mr. Reid T. Reynolds and Dr. Pamela P. Hanes

Mr. Nicholas A. Richie

Ms. Jennie Ridgley

Dr. Richard D. Roark

Ms. Janet Roberts

Mr. Gregory Roebuck

Ms. Patricia A. Romero

Jon K. Rupp

Dr. Thomas D. Russell

Mr. and Mrs. Jim Sale

Ms. Kim Savit

Mr. Bryan Penny and Mr. Matt Savoie

Kathleen Sawada

Ms. Karyn Sawyer

Ms. Erika L. Schafer

Mr. and Mrs. Stefan Scheuermann

Betsy Schwarm and Rick Glesner

David Scott

Mr. Richard Scott

Mr. and Mrs. Harry Segan

Mr. Billy Seiber

Mr. Edward B. Seybert

Mrs. Marlene P. Siegel

Ms. Patricia K. Simpson

Dr. Andrew Sirotnak and

Mr. James White

Catherine K. Skokan

Edie and William Sonn

Ms. Heather Sowell, M.D.

Mr. James W. Stalley Jr.

Mr. Paul Stanislawski

Mr. and Mrs. Lyle B. Stewart

Mr. and Mrs. Jim Stinson

Jenene and James Stookesberry

Drs. Morris and Ellen Susman

Deborah T. Sycamore

Melanie J. Talbot

William Bradford and Chin Tan

Ms. Linda Tarpeh-Doe

Juanita S. Tate

Ms. Lois Thornton

Mr. Michael M. Tinetti

Ms. Jana Tompkins

Mr. and Mrs. Sal L. Tripodi

Mr. John B. Trueblood

Charles and Deborah Turner

Marta and Bernd Wachter

Norma and George Wagoner

Mr. Michael Walker

Nancy and William Wehner

Dr. Adriana Weinberg

Ms. Ann Fails Westerberg

Sandra L. White

Katie Wilson

Mr. Matthew Wolchak

Mr. and Mrs. David Wolf

Constance and Lawrence Wood

Allison and William Woolston

Dr. and Mrs. Raymond Yost

Kathleen and John Zaffore

Judith Graham and Jeffrey Zax

GOVERNMENT AND FOUNDATIONS

The Anschutz Foundation

Avenir Foundation

The Bagby Foundation For The Musical Arts

Thomas and Diane Barrett Foundation

The Benevity Community Impact Fund

David B. and Gretchen W. Black Family Foundation

BNY Mellon Charitable Gift Fund

Bonfils-Stanton Foundation

Cantors Assembly Foundation

Cars For Charity, Inc.

Caulkins Family Foundation

Chambers Initiative

Charityvest

Charlotte and Norman Codo Charitable Trust

Colorado Creative Industries

Community First Foundation

The Crawley Family Foundation

Daniels-Houlton Family Donor Advised Fund

Deane Family Fund

The Denver Foundation

Denver Lyric Opera Guild

Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund

Joseph F and Edith A Fogliano Trust

Sidney E. Frank Foundation –Colorado Fund

Genesee Mountain Foundation

Virginia W. Hill Foundation

Jeanne Land Foundation

Jewish Community Fund

Of Greater Kansas City

Johnson Foundation Of The Rockies

Kenneth King Foundation

Landis Family Foundation

Lindmor Fund

Nagel Foundation

Leonard and Alice Perlmutter

Charitable Foundation

William D. Radichel Foundation

Jess & Rose Kortz and Pearle Rae Foundation

Read Foundation

Riley and Cooper Fund

Rose Community Foundation

Schwab Charitable

Shamos Family Foundation

Galen & Ada Belle Spencer Foundation

Tulsa Community Foundation

Vanguard Charitable

Welch Charitable Fund

Wilkins Charitable Giving Fund

Melvin & Elaine Wolf Foundation

CORPORATE ALLIANCE

5280 Magazine

Kaladi Coffee

Nocturne Jazz and Supper Club

Northern Trust

Premier Group Insurance

Residence Inn by Marriott –Denver City Center

Terra

Vectra Bank of Colorado

TRIBUTES

In honor of Ellie Caulkins

Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell Caulkins

Mr. David J. Chavolla

Laurie and Ben Duke III

In honor of Drs. Larry and Cynthia Chan

Mrs. Robin Chotin

In honor of Joyce de Roos

Marilyn Mishkin

In honor of Chris and Joy Dinsdale

Arlene and Barry Hirschfeld

Anna and John. J. Sie

In honor of Dr. Stacy M. Fischer

Dr. Meg Lemon

In honor of Barbara and Ken Laff

Drs. Laurence and Cynthia Chan

Nancy Cherry

Arlene and Barry Hirschfeld

Charles A. Miller

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Plowshay

Ms. Melinda Quiat

In honor of the Opera Colorado Staff

Ms. Cherity Koepke

Dr. Andrew Sirotnak and Mr. James White

In honor of Shelia Peloso

Ms. Joanne Curran

In honor of Maestro Ari Pelto

The Divine Family

In honor of Marcia Robinson

Ellie Caulkins

In honor of Gerry & Ann Saul

Mary Fiore

In honor of Erin Wenzel

T. R. Reid

In memory of Glory Balbinder

Rozanne A. Kobey

In memory of M. Richard Bufton

Anonymous

In memory of Dirk de Roos

Mr. Miles Smith

In memory of Dr. Jacqueline Frischknecht

Mr. Chuck Lawhead and Mr. Ronald Broome

ANNUAL CONTRIBUTIONS

In memory of Eve and Harvey Lust

Professor and Mrs. Joseph S. Szyliowicz

In memory of Hugh and Peggy McGee

Sarah Hopfenbeck and Susan Corle

In memory of Pamela Merrill

The Honorable and Mrs. Kenneth Laff

Marcia and Dick Robinson

In memory of Domenic Meylor

Marita G. Karlisch

Elizabeth A. Meylor

In memory of Rhea J. Miller

Sheila M. Cleworth

In memory of Norman O’Kelly

Diedra O’Kelly

James & Helen Reed

In memory of Don and Barbara Ridgeway

Ms. Kathryn Taylor

In memory of Alicia Rodriguez

Rosemary and Richard Harral

Joyce B. Hutchens

Vicki Stinnett

In memory of William E. Russell

Jane Russell

In memory of Harry Sterling

Vicki Sterling

In memory of James Wade

Nancy J. Farley

Joanne L. Goldberg-Ahillas

Griffiths Law PC

Judge and Mrs. John P. Leonard

CRESCENDO SOCIETY

The following people have made arrangements to include Opera Colorado in their Estate Plan.

Sheila Bisenius

Ellie Caulkins

Dr. Stephen L. Dilts

Ms. Donna E. Hamilton

Ms. Lynn E. Harrington

Ms. Lisa R. James

Dr. and Mrs. Charles B. Kafadar

Mr. and Mrs. Ron Kahn

Deanna Rose Leino

Lynnette Morrison

Mrs. Lee Roberts

Mary Ann Rose

Mr. Stephen Seifert

Fern B. Seltzer

Merrill Shields and M. Ray Thomasson

Jenene and James Stookesberry

Mr. Robert Van Buskirk

Mrs. Carol C. Whitley

Larry and Brigitte Zimmer

SPONSORS THE 2022-23 SEASON

The 40th Anniversary Season is generously sponsored by Marcia & Dick Robinson

Music Director Ari Pelto is sponsored by Mike & Julie Bock

TURANDOT

The Opera Colorado Orchestra for Turandot is sponsored by The Divine family.

EDUCATION & ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS

Opera Colorado’s Education & Community Engagement Programs are made possible through the generous support of the following donors:

Pamela Beardsley

Crawley Family Foundation

Denver Lyric Opera Guild

Sidney E. Frank Foundation –Colorado Fund

Genesee Mountain Foundation

Marcia Ragonetti

Scientific and Cultural Facilities District

Galen & Ada Belle Spencer Foundation

Carol Whitley

Melvin & Elaine Wolf Foundation

The Artist in Residence touring production of Romeo & Juliet is sponsored by Joyce de Roos

SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS

Opera Colorado recognizes the following organizations for their generous support:

Official Artist Housing Partner

DENVER PERFORMING ARTS COMPLEX

The Denver Performing Arts Complex is owned and operated by Denver Arts & Venues for the City and County of Denver.

CITY AND COUNTY OF DENVER

Michael B. Hancock, Mayor

DENVER ARTS & VENUES

Ginger White, Executive Director Molly Wink, Deputy Director

DENVER ARTS & VENUES, ARTS COMPLEX OPERATIONS

Mark Heiser, Venue Director

Jody Grossman, Assistant Venue Director, Booking

Todd Medley, Facilities Superintendent

Kelly Graham, Safety, Security and Garage Operations Manager

Carol Krueger, Patron Services Manager

artscomplex.com | 720.865.4220

For immediate assistance & security 720.865.4200

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR OPERA COLORADO

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of our donor lists. However, if your name is incorrectly listed, please accept our sincere apologies and contact Madeleine Snow at 303.468.2060.

YOU MAKE THE DIFFERENCE

As a non-profit organization, we rely on the generosity of donors in our community. With your support, we can fulfill our mission to connect our Colorado community to the emotions and stories of the world through traditional and innovative opera and educational programming that is accessible to all.

Your donation this season honors our forty-year legacy and builds a bright future for decades to come.

YOUR SUPPORT HELPS US...

• PRESENT high-quality opera experiences that reflect the multicultural fabric of our community

• SERVE over 55,000 patrons every year

• DEVELOP audiences by introducing children (and adults!) to their first opera experience

• TRAIN the next generation of opera performers through our Artist in Residence Program

HOW TO MAKE A GIFT

ONLINE: operacolorado.org/support BY PHONE: 303.468.2060

MAIL A CHECK TO: Opera Colorado 4121 S Navajo St, Ste 100 Englewood, CO 80110

For questions, please contact Opera Colorado’s Development team at 303.468.2060 or development@operacolorado.org.

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SUPPORT THE FUTURE OF OPERA

BECOME A DONOR TODAY!

PATRON CIRCLE PRODUCER CIRCLE

Member ($100-$299)

• Your name listed in mainstage season program books

• Closer to the Art emails before each mainstage production, where you will gain behind-the-scenes insight and learn something new about Opera Colorado

• Exclusive pre-sale opportunities to ticketed events throughout the season

Supporter ($300-$599)

All previous benefits, plus:

• Invitation to an exclusive backstage tour of the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, where you will peek into dressing rooms, step on stage, and explore all that this historic building entails

• Exclusive invitation to Artists in Conversation events, where you will learn more about upcoming productions from the artists themselves

Associate ($600-$1,199)

All previous benefits, plus:

• Access to the Chambers Grant Salon Donor Recognition Lounge and complimentary prosecco during intermission

• Complimentary admission to select Artist in Residence concerts

• Complimentary admission, and discounted guest admission, to Sitzprobe Event and Rehearsal

ARTIST CIRCLE

Librettist ($1,200-$2,999)

All previous benefits, plus:

• Invitation to a private Master Class with a leading industry artist and members of the Artist in Residence program

• Continental breakfast conversation with the director and/or designer of one of the mainstage productions, followed by a rehearsal in the Ellie Composer ($3,000-$5,999)

All previous benefits, plus:

• Invitation to a Sitzprobe Rehearsal and Dessert Reception

• Invitation to the Meet the Maestro event, with Opera Colorado’s Music Director, Ari Pelto Conductor ($6,000-$10,999)

All previous benefits, plus:

• Complimentary parking for your Opera Colorado mainstage performances

• Invitation for two to final dress rehearsals of Opera Colorado mainstage productions

Ambassador ($11,000-$24,999)

All previous benefits, plus:

• Invitation to a private cocktail reception with The Ellie Caulkins General & Artistic Director, Greg Carpenter, followed by a rehearsal in the Opera Colorado Opera Center

• Private curated tour of the Ellie Caulkins Opera House for you and your guests

Benefactor ($25,000-$49,999)

All previous benefits, plus:

• Invitation to an intimate dinner with Opera Colorado’s Music Director and General & Artistic Director

• Behind-the-scenes access to rehearsals at the Opera Colorado Opera Center

Visionary ($50,000+)

All previous benefits, plus:

• Private concert in your home or other chosen location

QUESTIONS?

PHOTOS Opera Colorado/Angelica DiIorio, Jamie Kraus, Matt Staver

OPERA COLORADO STAFF

LEADERSHIP

Greg Carpenter The Ellie Caulkins General & Artistic Director

Ari Pelto Music Director

SENIOR TEAM

Jennifer Colgan Director of Marketing & Communications

Tom Kirkpatrick Chief Financial Officer

Cherity Koepke Director of Education & Community Engagement, Director of Opera Colorado’s Artist in Residence Program

Jordanna Rose D irector of Artistic Operations

Erin Wenzel Director of Development

STAFF

Anthony Berkley Business Operations & Development Manager

Sandy Bucceri, Human Resources

SHRM-CP Manager

Samantha Cantu Patron Services Manager

Angelica DiIorio Marketing Manager, Advert ising & Content

Megan Immerfall Bookkeeper

Ben Karasik Production Manager

Robin Lander Patron Services & Office Coordinator

Laura Norton Digital Marketing Manager

Madeleine Snow Individual Giving & Donor Events Manager

MUSIC STAFF

Sahar Nouri Chorus Master, Repetiteur & Assistant Conductor

Nathan Salazar Principal Repertoire Coach

Cody Guy Garrison Chorus Repetiteur

Daniel Belcher Voice Teacher

2022-23 ARTIST IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM

Francesca Mehrotra soprano

Joanne Evans mezzo-soprano

David Soto Zambrana tenor

Dante Mireles baritone

Michael Leyte-Vidal ba ss-baritone

Turner Staton bass-baritone

Oleg Bellini c ollaborative pianist

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Elizabeth Caswell Dyer, Chair

Marcia Robinson, President

Michael Bock, Vice President

Chevis F. (Chip) Horne, Vice President

Richard Koseff, Secretary & Chair Elect

James Linfield, Treasurer

Kevin O’Connor, Chair Emeritus

DIRECTORS

Jeff V. Baldwin

Edward Balkin

Maria Garcia Berry

Mark C. Bussey

Eleanor N. Caulkins, Lifetime Honorary Chair

Dr. Laurence K. Chan

Dr. Alan Cooper

Joseph Fogliano

R ichard Garvin

Mark Heiser, Ex-Officio

Don Hindman

Kelly Ann Hodges

Laurence D. Kaptain, Ex-Officio

Hon. Kenneth Laff

Judy LaSpada

MAJ. Konstantinos (Dino) G. Maniatis

William N. Maniatis, MD

Vivian Murciano

Jon J. Olafson

Ronald Otsuka

Prem S. Subramanian, MD, PhD

Keith Ward, Ex-Officio

Valerie M. Wassill, MD

Daniel G. Welch

Diane K. Wengler

Robin Kolsky Yaeger

Larry Zimmer

HONORARY DIRECTORS

Suzanne Bucy

Hugh Grant

Jeremy Kinney

Mary French Moore

Gerald Saul

Jeremy Shamos

Susan Shamos

Merrill Shields

Martha Tracey

OPERA COLORADO’S PROGRAM BOOKS ARE PRODUCED BY THE PUBLISHING HOUSE

Angie Flachman Johnson Publisher

Stacey Krull

Art Director

Wilbur E. Flachman President Emeritus

FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION

303.428.9529 or ColoradoArtsPub.com

VOLUNTEERS

Wade Adams

Bob Bloom

Barbara Bower

Marilyn Brock

Jeffery Brown

Joyzelle Davis

Joyce de Roos

Audrey Diamontopoulous

Martin Eisenberg

L. Freese

Tom Gaffney

Lisa Goda

Zoe Hoarty

Gwendolyn Jackman

Robert Kahn

Kristin Kelly

Kiplund Kolkemiere

Susan Landers

Melinda Leach

Heather MacKinnon

Eva Phibbs

Shane Rajewich

Michaele Reddy

Donna Ries

Grover Sardeson

Therese Schoen

Lori Stevens

Judith Taubman

Matthew Wolcha

CONTACT OPERA COLORADO ADMINISTRATION

Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Opera Colorado Opera Center 4121 S Navajo St, Ste 100 Englewood, CO 80110

303.778.1500

info@operacolorado.org

PATRON SERVICES

Monday–Friday, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

303.468.2030

customerservice@operacolorado.org

OPERACOLORADO.ORG follow @operacolorado