Behind the Curtain: Reflecting on Challenges and Resilience

By the Ellie Caulkins General & Artistic Director Greg Carpenter

The summer is always a busy time of year, as we put the finishing touches on the season we will launch in November and begin the planning and budgeting process for the following season. This summer was no exception, and if anything, even busier and more complicated than usual.

At the end of our 2023-24 Season, it become apparent that we needed to rethink our programming model going forward, as the extraordinary increase in expenses over the past three years were far outpacing our ability to raise the necessary funds. As I had mentioned during my regular curtain speeches last season, companies all over the United States are facing similar budgetary challenges by reducing the number of productions and/or the number of performances to make ends meet, and the time for us to do the same came at the end of May.

With artists and production personnel already contracted for the 2024-25 Season, we went to work on finding ways to share their exceptional talents while providing programming for the spring of 2025 that would excite and delight our patrons. This required us to scrap our original budget and begin the budgeting and planning process anew. That process usually takes about nine months, so we had to compact that into a short three-month period, while putting all the mechanisms in place to sell our new programming and seek approval from the Board of Directors to move forward.

With the announcement of our new spring programming earlier this month, we are back on track and ready for a terrific season of grand opera at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House and throughout our community. I am especially excited to be launching the season with a lively production of Donizetti’s comedy Daughter of the Regiment, never presented by Opera Colorado in our forty-two-year history. This production is sure to lighten our spirits and connect us to why we love opera; great singing and music making, engaging storytelling, and a visual feast for your eyes. Of course, everyone’s favorite Puccini opera La bohéme will bring a tear to your eye and warm your heart this winter. And with the spring comes two semi-staged concert performances of Il trovatore and a gala concert of opera favorites featuring a spectacular cast with the Opera Colorado Orchestra and Chorus.

I’ve experienced the ups and downs of the performing arts industry over my twenty-year tenure with Opera Colorado. From the 2008 economic recession to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are subject to external forces that are difficult to prepare for and challenging to navigate. However, we are a resilient organization focused on serving our community and ensuring that opera and the arts thrive in Denver and throughout the state.

As we navigate transition to new programming and a new leader at the end of this season, I am ever grateful for the loyalty and generosity of our patrons. I am thankful for your patience this summer while we worked tirelessly to make difficult choices and rework our programming and budget, and I express my deepest gratitude for your support.

I look forward to celebrating grand opera and Opera Colorado all season and to seeing you often!