Opera Colorado is an opera company located in Denver, Colorado . Founded in 1981, it presents an annual season of three to four fully staged productions. Its primary performance venue is the Ellie Caulkins Opera House .
31-675: The company was founded in 1981 (with its first performances in 1983) by husband and wife team Nathaniel Merrill and Louise Sherman, who came to Denver from long careers at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. They had hoped that opera would flourish in Denver, but there was no suitable venue, and performances were given in the in-the-round Boettcher Hall, a part of in the Denver Performing Arts Complex and used primarily as
62-445: A 2009 Livingston Fellowship. The Livingston Fellowships, each providing up to $ 25,000, are intended to give promising leaders in the nonprofit sector the opportunity for advanced study, research, and professional development. Opera Colorado's 2009-2010 Season opened on 7 November 2009 with a new co-production of Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann . This first production of Hoffmann by Opera Colorado in 25 years starred Julian Gavin in
93-709: A Japanese opera in Japan by any American company was followed by a return to Tokyo in September 2001 to present the Japanese premiere of the classic Genji Monogatari , adapted as an opera by Minoru Miki as The Tale of Genji . Well-known directors Graham Vick , Jonathan Miller , and Mark Lamos have made U.S. operatic debuts with OTSL, as did conductors Leonard Slatkin and Christopher Hogwood . Colin Graham served as OTSL's director of productions from 1978 until 1985. John Nelson
124-553: A brand new production of Puccini's Turandot that was designed by Cecil Beaton . He went on to stage several Met premieres including, Strauss 's Die Frau ohne Schatten (1966), Berlioz 's Les Troyens (1973) and Gershwin 's Porgy and Bess (1985). Many of Merrill's stagings remained a part of the company's repertory for decades, including his stagings of Donizetti 's L'elisir d'amore (1960), Wagner 's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (1962) and Humperdinck 's Hänsel und Gretel (1967). Other operas he staged for
155-488: A concert hall. In spite of the location, many international opera stars appeared in Denver. These included Plácido Domingo , Catherine Malfitano , James McCracken , and Pilar Lorengar in the first season. Following seasons have seen Justino Diaz , Eva Marton , Cornell MacNeil , James Morris , Sherrill Milnes , and Samuel Ramey appear in Opera Colorado productions. James Robinson was appointed Artistic Director of
186-604: A concert performance of Wagner's The Flying Dutchman starring James Morris . The season concluded with Adams' Nixon in China . In 2009, Opera Colorado was awarded the Downtown Denver Partnership Award, "for 25 years of contributing to the vibrancy and diversity of Downtown Denver's performing arts environment." In the same year, the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation announced that Carpenter would receive
217-686: A generation. During his years at the Met, Merrill also worked for several other opera companies, notably working as the Artistic Director of Central City Opera in Colorado for seven years. From 1974 to 1978 he worked as the resident producer and director of technical services for the Opéra national du Rhin . He also directed operas for many companies both in the United States and abroad during his career, including
248-565: Is an American summer opera festival held in St. Louis , Missouri. Typically four operas, all sung in English, are presented each season, which runs from late May to late June. Performances are accompanied by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra , which is divided into two ensembles, each covering two of the operas, for the season. The company's performances are presented in the Loretto-Hilton Center for
279-1117: The Arena di Verona Festival , the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe , the Bregenz Festival , the Hamburg State Opera , the Houston Grand Opera , the Lyric Opera of Chicago , the Miami Opera , the Opera Company of Philadelphia , the Salzburg Festival , the San Diego Opera , the Teatro Colón , and the Vienna State Opera among others. Opera Theatre of St. Louis Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (OTSL)
310-492: The Gerdine Young Artists program, named for Opera Theatre's founding board chairman, Leigh Gerdine. The Gerdine Young Artists serve as the annual chorus for the company, as the company does not retain a resident chorus. OTSL chorus directors have included Donald Palumbo, Cary John Franklin, Sandra Horst, and Robert Ainsley. In February 2020, OTSL announced the appointment of Walter Huff as its next chorus director. Due to
341-575: The Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden , the Glyndebourne Festival , and the Salzburg Festival , he joined the staff at the Metropolitan Opera in 1956 where his first job was to create a revised staging of Joseph L. Mankiewicz 's 1952 production of Giacomo Puccini 's La bohème . His first major critical successes at the Met came during the 1960–1961 season when he directed the new staging of L'elisir d'amore and staged
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#1733115471826372-409: The Metropolitan Opera from 1956-1985. During his 28 seasons at the Met he staged a total of 14 new productions in addition to directing several revivals. He also served as the Artistic Director of Central City Opera from 1959-1966. In 1981 he and his wife, conductor Louise Sherman , founded Opera Colorado . Merrill served as the company's artistic director and stage director and his wife worked as
403-459: The COVID-19 pandemic however, Huff never formally took up the post. Succeeding Gaddes as OTSL general director was Charles MacKay , who held the post from 1985 to 2008. MacKay had previously served as OTSL executive director, beginning in 1984. MacKay led the campaign to construct and fund the new Sally S. Levy Opera Center, a new and permanent administrative home and year-round rehearsal facility for
434-543: The Clown were part of an OTSL series of commissioning new operas, under the "New Works, Bold Voices" initiative. In addition, OTSL has given at least 14 American premieres, including Michael Berkeley 's Jane Eyre ; Benjamin Britten 's Paul Bunyan ; Rossini 's Il viaggio a Reims (The Journey to Reims) ; and Judith Weir 's The Vanishing Bridegroom (under the title Highland Wedding ). The company trains young artists in
465-412: The Denver metro. Since 2002, Opera Colorado's education programs have grown dramatically. By 2009 Opera Colorado was serving over 43,000 students and adults throughout the state annually. Programs serving students include touring school programs such as Richard Wargo's The Music Shop and Charles Gounod's Romeo and Juliet as well as residency programs, in-school workshops, masterclasses and field trips to
496-492: The Ellie Caulkins Opera House. For adults, Opera Colorado provides opportunities to meet the artists in their productions, pre-opera lectures and broadcast programs created in cooperation with Colorado Public Radio (broadcast on 88.1 FM KVOD). Nathaniel Merrill Nathaniel Merrill (February 8, 1927 – September 9, 2008 ) was an American stage director and opera director. He was the resident stage director at
527-505: The Performing Arts on the campus of Webster University . In 1976, Leigh Gerdine , Laurance L. Browning Jr. and James Van Sant co-founded OTSL. They hired Richard Gaddes , who at the time was working at The Santa Fe Opera , as the company's first artistic director. They signed him as full-time general director in 1978 at the suggestion of Ed Korn, who was brought in as a consultant from the Metropolitan Opera . Gaddes acknowledged that
558-402: The appointment of Andrew Jorgensen as its next general director, effective July 2, 2018. In July 2020, OTSL's then-director of artistic administration, Damon Bristo, was arrested for child sex trafficking in the second degree. He was placed on unpaid leave and later resigned. In February 2022, OTSL announced simultaneously the extension of Robinson's contact as artistic director through 2026, and
589-463: The appointment of Daniela Candillari as its new principal conductor, with an initial contract of three years. Candillari is the first female conductor to be named principal conductor of the company. In October 2022, OTSL announced an extension to Jorgensen's contract as OTSL general director through June 2028. In February 2024, OTSL announced an extension to Candillari's contract as OTSL general director through June 2028. In August 2024, OTSL announced
620-508: The appointment of Roberto Kalb as its resident conductor, effective with the 2018 season. In September 2007, OTSL named James Robinson as the company's next artistic director, and Timothy O'Leary to the position of executive director. MacKay concluded his OTSL tenure as general director on September 30, 2008. In June 2008, OTSL named O'Leary as its third general director, effective October 1, 2008. O'Leary concluded his OTSL general directorship on June 30, 2018. In April 2018, OTSL announced
651-658: The company in 2000. Robinson's work has been seen at many opera houses including New York City Opera , Santa Fe Opera , Houston Grand Opera , Los Angeles Opera , and Opera Ireland . Peter Russell joined Opera Colorado in 2001 as the new President and General Director after leading the Lindemann Young Artist Program at the Metropolitan Opera and serving as the Director of the Wolf Trap Opera Company . With his appointment, Robinson went about re-configuring
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#1733115471826682-587: The company included Adriana Lecouvreur (1963), Aida (1963), Samson et Dalila (1964), Luisa Miller (1968), Il trovatore (1969) and Parsifal (1970) among others. His 1969 staging of Der Rosenkavalier was used through 2012. Opera News said, "Merrill productions were designed to survive multiple revivals and cast changes; generally traditional and always clear, their simple but effective staging touches, such as Dulcamara's arrival via hot-air balloon in Elisir, kept Met audiences diverted and amused for
713-516: The company's musical director. Upon his wife's death from cancer in 1998, Merrill retired and thereafter lived in Denver until his death of complications related to Alzheimer's disease a decade later. Born in Newton, Massachusetts , Merrill earned degrees from Dartmouth College , the New England Conservatory of Music , and Boston University . After working with the Hamburg State Opera ,
744-412: The donor base and subscribers. It also allowed Opera Colorado to work with other companies on co-productions in ways which were not possible before. As Russell noted, the effect of the new opera house "changed the complexion of this opera company in a way that is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience". In August 2007, Russell and Robinson announced their resignations from Opera Colorado, and Greg Carpenter
775-423: The hall to provide a three-quarter thrust stage which also required the use of microphones. As Russell noted: "if you tried to sing in that big cavern of a space without amplification, the voices would simply go nowhere". However, beginning in September 2005, Opera Colorado moved its performances to the new Ellie Caulkins Opera House . The move to a house more suitable for the presentation of opera led to increases in
806-599: The model for OTSL was The Santa Fe Opera : That was not a coincidence. I always say that John Crosby sired the Opera Theater of St. Louis. The whole concept was modeled on Santa Fe, and part of the idea was that the apprentices here would feed into St. Louis. Which they did. The first season in 1976 presented eleven performances of Britten 's Albert Herring , Mozart 's The Impresario , Menotti 's The Medium , and Donizetti 's Don Pasquale . This mixture of some standard works, and some new and unconventional operas,
837-592: The organisation. In addition, in 2005, OTSL adopted projected English-language supertitles in the theatre. From 1985 until his death in April 2007, the OTSL artistic director was Colin Graham . From 1991 to 2017, OTSL's music director was Stephen Lord . Lord subsequently held the title of OTSL music director emeritus until his resignation in June 2019, following publication of allegations of sexual misconduct. In June 2017, OTSL announced
868-436: The title role with soprano Pamela Armstrong as Olympia, Antonia, Giulietta and Stella, and Gaetan Laperriere as the four villains. The sets and costumes, designed by Andre Barbe, were created in cooperation with Opera Theatre of St. Louis and Boston Lyric Opera . In addition to performances in the theatre, education and outreach performances have been given in countless schools, community centers, assisted living facilities in
899-511: Was OTSL's music director from 1985 to 1988, and principal conductor from 1988 to 1991. Other notable U.S. singers, including Christine Brewer , Susan Graham , Denyce Graves , Dwayne Croft , Thomas Hampson , Jerry Hadley , Patricia Racette , Sylvia McNair , and Stephanie Blythe have made appearances in St. Louis productions. As of their 2022 Festival Season, OTSL has presented 33 world premieres, including: Champion , Twenty-Seven , and Shalimar
930-756: Was named the new General Director. Prior to joining Opera Colorado, Carpenter worked as the Manager of Development with the National Symphony Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. During the 2007-2008 season, the company celebrated its 25th anniversary. The season opened in November with a gala celebration featuring a performance by Patti Lupone followed by performances of Verdi's La traviata , Donizetti's Don Pasquale , and
961-528: Was to continue in future seasons and characterize the company's approach. This was achieved on a budget of $ 135,000. The young singers included Sheri Greenawald and Vinson Cole . During the early seasons, the company had a major influence with such achievements as first joint BBC / WNET telecast of Albert Herring and in 1983 the first appearance by any U.S. opera company at the Edinburgh International Festival . The first production of