Sep22

Meet the Composer: Giuseppe Verdi

By: Bethany Wood “I adored and I adore this art; and when I am alone and am wrestling with my notes, then my heart pounds, tears stream from my eyes, and the emotions and pleasures are beyond description.” —...

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Sep20

Rigoletto 101 – Characters and Plot

By: Suzanne Whitney & Bethany Wood The 2022-23 Season marks four decades of songs and stories at Opera Colorado. We are kicking off our 40th Anniversary Season with an Italian classic! Rigoletto is one of the archetypal operas for a...

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Sep5

Q & A with Mezzo-Soprano Kira Dills-DeSurra

By: Jennifer Colgan Opera Colorado’s 40th Anniversary Season kicks off with a spectacular semi-staged production of Cavalleria rusticana.  If you are a longtime Opera Colorado attendee, you will recognize several faces on stage, including mezzo-soprano Kira Dills-DeSurra as Lola....

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Aug31

Q & A with Director David Lefkowich

By: Suzanne Whitney Our 40th Anniversary Season marks the third in a row director David Lefkowich has created something masterful for Opera Colorado. During the 2019-20 Season, his beautiful Pagliacci was the final production staged by Opera Colorado before...

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Aug23

Cavalleria rusticana 101—Musical Style

By: Betsy Schwarm In 1888, Pietro Mascagni (1863 – 1945) heard of a competition for one-act operas. With four complete operas to his name, the Italian composer was on the verge of submitting one excerpted act of his historical...

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Aug18

An Opera Fit for Hollywood

By: Jennifer Colgan The one-act opera Cavalleria rusticana was an instant success for a young Pietro Mascagni. Audiences loved the intense drama and sweeping melodies, demanding no less than sixty curtain calls after its 1890 premiere. 100 years later,...

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Aug12

What the Opera Colorado Staff Did Last Summer

By: Angelica DiIorio When the curtain closed on our May 2022 production of Carmen, the Opera Colorado staff had a little downtime before fully kicking off our 40th Anniversary Season this fall. While we used this time to prepare...

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Aug4

Cavalleria rusticana 101 – Characters and Plot

By: Suzanne Whitney & Betsy Schwarm As the American composer Paul Moravec says, “opera is about three things: love, death, and power,” and that could not be more true for Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana. This one-act opera may only be seventy-five...

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Jul15

AN OPERA PLAYLIST FOR COLORADO NATIONAL PARKS

By: Angelica DiIorio Many Coloradans love exploring the great outdoors. We have some music recommendations for your summer adventures inspired by the national parks of Colorado. These arias provide a wonderful soundtrack for any hike, run, or walk. Enjoy...

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