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Education and Community Programs


More than drama and music, opera is a unique art form that encompasses a wide variety of skills and arts. Opera can serve as a unique gateway to explore many subjects, including history, language, and movement.

Whether you're an educator or community program administrator, Opera Colorado's Education department has a variety of programs that will entertain and educate your audience, regardless of their age.

Our programs support Colorado Model Content Standards. We also provide teaching materials for our programs to help you offer a fulfilling educational experience for your class.

Please take a moment to explore our education programs.




Leigh HolmanLeigh Holman, Director of Education and Community Programming
Director of the Opera Colorado Ensemble Artists
Leigh Holman is an established stage director in the fields of Opera and Musical Theatre. As Director of the Opera Colorado Ensemble Artists, she stage directs two touring productions per season, concerts and other presentations to promote Opera Colorado and the young artists that are contracted into the program. Holman was previously Chair of the Voice and Opera Studies Area at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock before she moved back to Boulder to teach and direct at the University of Colorado (adjunct) and continue on in her professional role at Opera Colorado. She has directed and performed for such companies and opera institutions as Portland Opera, Nashville Opera, National Opera, Wildwood Opera, Opera Theatre of Fort Collins, University of Colorado, University of Arkansas and others. Leigh is a frequent opera lecturer including presentations of the pre-curtain lectures at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Opera 101 presentations on KVOD and holds a graduate Opera Performance degree from the Eastman School of Music and a Doctorate of Musical Arts from The University of Colorado at Boulder. In addition to directing over 25 professional and academic operatic and musical theatre productions, she most recently served as assistant director for Ron Daniels (Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in London) in his critically acclaimed production of Madama Butterfly at Opera Colorado. In Spring of 2009, Leigh will remount her 2007 production of La Cenerentola and premiere Richard Wargo's The Music Shop, both to tour with Opera Colorado's Ensemble Artists.


Cherity KoepkeCherity Koepke, Manager of Education and Community Programming
Ms. Koepke was drawn to music at an early age. A lyric soprano, she began singing at the age of 15 and has performed such roles as Guinevere (Camelot), Maria (The Sound of Music), Adelaide (Guys & Dolls), Eponine (Les Misérables) and Katherine (Taming of the Shrew). She attended and the University of New Mexico, where she earned her degree in Child Psychology. Koepke also studied theater, focusing on directing, improvisation and musical performance. She has directed numerous productions, including Inherit the Wind, My Fair Lady and Romeo and Juliet. In 2001, Koepke began working as a behavior specialist with the Albuquerque Public School System. In 2002, she worked as a volunteer for Santa Fe Opera's student-produced opera project. One year later, Koepke was hired by the Santa Fe Opera as an artist-in-residence and served as Director, Librettist and Vocal Coach, guiding students as they created, produced and performed their own original opera. During the 2006 and 2007 seasons, Koepke performed with the Santa Fe Opera at the National Hispanic Cultural Center’s Disney Theater in Albuquerque. She has directed numerous student chorus programs, and in 2006, led a performance for New Mexico’s Governor, Bill Richardson. Koepke came to Opera Colorado in 2007, where she works in education and community programs. She continues to sing and direct in the Denver area.