Showing posts with label opera. Show all posts
Showing posts with label opera. Show all posts

Sunday, November 2, 2025

Catrinas en mi Ciudad Cultural Art Exhibit in Denver, Colorado


 My husband and I enjoy opera and have been attending Opera Colorado's productions every year since we moved to Colorado in 2013. For the past few years, as subscribers, we have enjoyed being invited to a delicious brunch at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House and watching a Sitzprobe rehearsal afterward. This year, we watched the sitzprobe of this season's first opera, Verdi's La Traviata. 

The term "sitzprobe" (seated rehearsal) originates from German and is believed to have originated in opera. The term refers to the first run-through of a performance in which both the singers and the orchestra perform together. Often, the sitzprobe is not performed on stage and does not use elements such as costumes, props, or scenery. Instead, the singers simply sit or stand and run through the music and dialogue in order with the orchestra attending and directed by the conductor. It is an interesting rehearsal to view, and we look forward to seeing the actual production.  



We were also excited to see a free exhibit at the Denver Center for Performing Arts, where the opera house is located, of "Catrinas en mi Ciudad." 

It was a month-long exhibit for "Dia de los Muertos -- Day of the Dead" celebrated by Mexico and other Latin cultures.  I knew a bit about Dia de Los Muertos from trips I took in the past, to both San Antonio, Texas, and Mexico, but this exhibit taught me much more.

The Catrinas en mi ciudad in Denver was an immersive, outdoor art exhibit inspired by Mexico's Día de Muertos, and featured larger-than-life art pieces by Ricardo Soltero, Cooperativa Jaen Cartonería, Colección Serpentina, and Osvaldo Ruelas Ramirez from Mexico. The exhibit also featured the work of Colorado Latino artists who, through their own art form and technique, shared some of Día de Muertos' most special traditions.

Please click on photo to enlarge to read the informational placard

Monumental papier-mache skeletons were on display.




A giant skeleton was hanging on the tiers of the parking garage! 


Please click on the photo to enlarge it to read the placard


Calaveras is the Spanish word for "Skulls", and there were many artistic ones on display--some very large ones that one could step inside to see their decorations.


Each of the individual hand-painted Cavaleras on display was by a different Latino artist, and each was a personal statement unique to its creator. Each told a story of who they are, where they come from, and how they place themselves in ancestral tradition. 

Please click on the photo to read the information on the placard


I liked the thought of the souls of the departed being alive for a day as a monarch butterfly! The monarchs’ migration arrival in Mexico usually occurs around November 1 and November 2, coinciding with Día De Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.  Marigold flowers have a strong scent and are said to attract them, so they are often displayed together on "Ofrendas," which is an altar with different offerings displayed during the annual and traditionally Mexican Día de los Muertos celebration. An ofrenda, which may be quite large and elaborate, is usually created by the family members of a person who has died and is intended to welcome the deceased to the altar setting.


Please click on the photo  to enlarge to read the placard


According to Wikipedia, Aztec culture considered souls to continuously live and enter different realms after the body dies. This view of the Aztecs was eventually commingled with the Christian beliefs of "All Saints Day" and "All Souls Day," as cultures and religions merged.



One of the strongest and most recognizable symbols of  Day of the Dead celebrations is the tall female skeleton wearing a fancy hat with feathers, called La Catrina.



A woman performer dressed and wearing makeup as a La Catrina was scheduled to appear at this stage on the afternoon we visited the Denver Performing Arts Complex, but we were in the opera sitzprobe and missed her performance.



My favorite Catrina was this one on display at the far end of the performing arts complex!


She was stunning!

The exhibit's last day is November 2, 2025, and I hope my photos will allow you to enjoy this exhibit a bit longer and learn something new about this interesting holiday celebration.



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Monday, March 13, 2023

Winter Recollections


 While I spent the last few weeks blogging about the wonderful Disney Cruise--click here to read those posts--that we took to warmer Mexico at the end of January into early February, our part of Colorado looked like the photos I took above of snow-covered hills and frosty temperatures.  

We had a few "arctic blasts" during that time where our temperatures went well below freezing and a few days below zero.  It has been an unusually cold winter this year, but one good result was that the snowpack in Colorado was above 100% in most areas.



A mother doe and her fawn visited my backyard a few times to eat the tips from a pine tree. It is one of their favorite food sources in winter when the ground is covered with snow.  The little fawn would eventually fall asleep under the tree and the doe would stay outside as a guard.  It was a very endearing scene to witness.





Snow-covered deer!




Now that March arrived the snow is quickly melting as our Colorado Front Range temperatures are rising and Spring is on the horizon.





As the snow recedes the wildlife has more sources of food. I saw this Disney-style "Bambi and Thumper" moment through my window when a rabbit and fawn were searching for food together.



In fact, I've been seeing many bunnies lately! Sometimes they are chasing each other, which makes me realize that soon there will be baby bunnies hiding in the grass. Spring certainly is a season of sweet renewal.  I wonder if we will see fawns being born in our yard in a few months like we did last year? Click here-- to see that post.



My husband and I attended the Eric Korngold Opera "Die Tote Stadt" at Opera Colorado in Denver, Colorado in February.  It is a beautiful, mysterious opera, yet rarely performed as the arias are demanding. Composed in Vienna in 1920 and based on a novel written by Belgian author Georges Rodenbachin 1892, Die Tote Stadt tells the story of a man who, still grieving the death of his wife several years earlier, compulsively becomes infatuated with a woman who resembles, in his mind, his dead wife—with predictably disastrous results.  

What made the opera stand out in this series of scheduled performances, however, was the fact that the soprano playing both roles of Marie and Marietta, Sara Gartland, unfortunately, became afflicted with Laryngeal (vocal cord) paralysis from a prior Covid -19 infection, just two weeks before the opening night!  
Fortunately, Opera Colorado was able to find a last-minute opera soprano who knew the role, Kara Shay Thomson. Since costumes were already made and staging had been practiced with Gartland, it was decided that Thomson would sing offstage while Gartland played a silent role in costume. Gartland couldn’t even mouth the words while Thomson sang; her voice therapist said it would further strain her condition. 
Hopefully, Sara Gartland will recover with rest and her career will go on. You can read more about this unusual story here and here.
We felt the opera was outstanding, made even more so by the brave sopranos--one who acted while the other sang from a pedestal in the orchestra pit. Bravi Tutti to both!  It was another very memorable opera moment for my husband and me.


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Sunday, March 13, 2022

The Shining Opera at Opera Colorado

The Denver Performing Arts Center Complex
 

One of my many favorite books is Stephen King's The Shining. The novel, published in 1977, remains one of the scariest psychological thrillers I have ever read and made me an avid Stephen King fan, eager to read all of his novels afterward.   I still can remember turning the pages of The Shining holding my breath and my heart racing, almost fearful to continue reading, yet anxious to know what the outcome would be. 

This is a synopsis of the novel from the publisher, Doubleday, for those who never read it:

"Jack Torrance, his wife Wendy, and their young son Danny move into the Overlook Hotel, where Jack has been hired as the winter caretaker. Cut off from civilization for months, Jack hopes to battle alcoholism and uncontrolled rage while writing a play. Evil forces residing in the Overlook – which has a long and violent history – covet young Danny for his precognitive powers and exploit Jack’s weaknesses to try to claim the boy."

I was very excited to hear that Opera Colorado was going to present the opera The Shining, this year! The opera version first came to operatic life at the suggestion of stage director Eric Simonson and the Minnesota Opera. Composer Paul Moravec and librettist Mark Campbell agreed to partner on the project, but they had to first acquire Stephen King's approval, promising that they would stay true to the novel.  It seems King was not happy with the interpretation of his novel by the 1980 film The Shining, produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick and co-written with novelist Diane Johnson.  

Happily, King did approve of Campbell's libretto, and the opera made its premiere audience May 7, 2016, at Minnesota Opera. 

To read more about the making of the opera, and see some photos from the Opera Colorado February/March 2022 production read these links at the Opera Colorado website--here and here. 


Scenes from Ellie Caulkins Opera House

 
My husband and I have enjoyed attending operas our entire marraige, first at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City when we lived in Brooklyn and now at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, at the Denver Performing Arts Center, since we moved to Denver in 2013.  In my husband's upbringing, opera was always playing at his family home, as his father was an avid fan of Italian operas.  I was introduced to opera in high school by a very enthusiastic music teacher who had her classes learn and watch Verdi's opera La Traviata--her favorite opera--as part of our curriculum. 
To see a new and very contemporary themed opera was going to be unusual for us but I was very excited to see how one of my favorite novels would come to life on the stage.




We usually dine out on the evening of an opera. Although we were happy that the Ellie Caulkin Opera House was still taking covid precautions by requiring full vaccination and wearing of masks, we felt comfortable enough with the low covid infection rates in Denver that we could risk eating indoors at a restaurant. The performance we saw was on a Tuesday evening, and not many local restaurants were open in Downtown Denver, so we decided to dine at Kevin Taylor's at the Opera House, where we enjoyed a delicious three-course dinner.




The Shining Opera Program


The opera certainly made King's characters come uniquely alive! The animation and projections of 59 Productions enhanced the interesting rolling rooms set design of The Overlook Hotel on stage, along with its madding wallpaper pattern illumination moving between scenes. The basement furnace room was also as eerie and forebodding as my imagination imagined it when I read the novel. The conductor Ari Pelto lead the orchestra as it played the dramatic music by Paul Moravec.

Baritone Edward Parks sang the role of Jack Torrence and did a wonderful job portraying the emotions of a man possessed by inner demons and slowly going mad. Unlike the movie character, this Jack Torrence made you feel sorry for him as the ghosts from his past childhood abuse appeared, tormenting him and leading him away from his strong intentions to correct the mistakes he made in his life.
Bass-baritone Kevin Deas performed as Dick Hallorann and sang the most stirring arias in the opera, both welcoming the family to the hotel and recognizing Danny's gift of precognitive powers which he calls "the shining," and also his reconnection with them at the end. You can watch a synopsis and a rehearsal performance of Kevin Deas at this link.
Soprano Kelly Kaduce performs as Wendy Torrence--you can hear her sing a touching aria from the opera, "I Never Stopped Loving You," at this link. As King implied, she does more than "scream" as she did in the movie.
Micah VonFeldt played the role of Danny. His part was spoken,not sung and was appropriately childlike, and very believable as someone fighting demonic possession.




The final curtain call bow of The Shining Opera performers

We really enjoyed the opera and would not hesitate to see it again in the future! The music, words, performances and set were all impressive and rekindled the feelings I had at the genius of Stephen King's imagination when I first read his novel.



Just as an aside--did you know that The Shining was actually inspired by an overnight stay Stephen King had at The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado? Supposedly, in 1974, Stephen King and his wife, Tabby, spent a night at The Stanley Hotel, and that night, King had a nightmare about his 3-year-old son running and screaming through the hotel's corridors being chased by a fire hose. It was so real and disturbing to King that the idea of a haunted hotel in a remote location was the inspiration for his novel.  



The beautiful and historic Stanley Hotel has a reputation for the paranormal, although most guests have a wonderfully preaceful and luxurious experience there.  

I actually experienced an unusual occurrence when we stayed at the hotel for an anniversary--you can read about it on this post.  I still get chills thinking about it!  Thankfully, we have been back many times, and never had a supernatural experience ever again, so perhaps it was only my overactive imagination at the time? I like to think I encountered a friendly ghost. 

Have you ever encountered a ghost? What was the scariest book you ever read and could you imagine it presented as an opera?


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Monday, November 22, 2021

November Happenings and have a Happy Thanksgiving!






It will be a busy week ahead as I prepare for our Thanksgiving dinner and our daughter's "new decade" birthday!


Our Thanksgiving buffet photo collage from 2020

As our family gathers we have a large appetizer-style lunch with delicious orange, pineapple, and strawberry champagne punch we make every year. 
For dinner, l roast a large turkey, and sometimes a baked ham if we have many guests, and many sides--giblet gravy, sausage and mushroom stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, corn casserole, a few varying vegetables, cranberry sauce, fresh rolls and of course apple and pumpkin pies and a birthday cake for dessert. Everyone takes home a good portion of leftovers for the next day's meal.

It is wonderful to give thanks for the blessings of family, our country's freedoms and abundance, and our good health! 
More than ever, during this pandemic, we can not take good health for granted. 


Now for what's been happening this month of November...

A view of some of the Colorado front range taken from the Denver International Airport area

Tomorrow, the Denver area of Colorado breaks a weather record that dates back to 1934--a Dust Bowl year--for the latest snowfall!  Our autumn has been unusually warm and dry. The ski resort areas above 9,000 feet have had some snow and they supplement with man-made snow, but the front range has been extremely dry. It's not something to celebrate and I hope our weather returns to normal and does not continue this way for much longer.  Wildfires are always a danger when there are drought and high wind.



Some beautiful November sunsets that we've marveled at.




Local deer visitors to my back and front yards.  It's always a joy to see them! They have been having a good time munching all the fallen leaves from our trees.


One of our backyard tree's resident squirrels has enjoyed eating a leftover Halloween pumpkin.  We had a lot of fun watching him from our window for a few days as he devoured all the pumpkin seeds first and then worked on eating the pumpkin flesh. 





My youngest grandson is one of the trombone players in this photo of his elementary school's 5th-grade band.  They played in a wonderful combination school district concert this month, along with 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade junior high school, as well as a 9th-grade high school band.  Bravo to all the students who are learning to play music as an extracurricular activity! My older grandson plays viola in his junior high school orchestra.


My husband and I attended Opera Colorado's production of one of our favorite operas this month--Giacomo Puccini's "Tosca" in the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in Denver, Colorado.  The cast takes its final curtain call bow in the collage above. Bravo!  We loved it! 




Wishing all who celebrate this week 
a very Happy Thanksgiving!

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Sunday, August 23, 2015

Central City Opera


This is the view my husband and I saw as we drove on Interstate 70, headed up into those Rocky Mountains in the distance, towards, Gilpin County, where we had tickets to attend an opera at the oldest operating Opera House in the United States.  

At exit 243 we entered Central City Casino Parkway and took a 12-minute scenic drive up to the 8,510-foot elevation of the old gold mining town of Central City, founded in 1859 during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush.  Central City was once called "The Richest Square Mile on Earth" due to the many gold mines that once operated in the area--over 17,000 claims were made in this part of Gilpin County.


As soon as you approach Central City, many of its historic buildings become visible...




...and its pretty Main Street.




The town is very picturesque and interesting, and my husband and I both would like to come back one day to explore it more.  The fortunes of Central City declined after gold mining diminished, but in the 1990s casinos were open here, and in the adjoining town of Black Hawk, to form the Central City/Black Hawk Historic District.  Black Hawk has developed casinos at a faster rate than Central City and therefore has more revenue, but the town of Central City is more quaint and historical.



Many of Central City's buildings have historical markers that tell interesting and colorful stories about their history, such as the one above.  Click on it to enlarge the photo to read about the Rose Haydee building.



The Central City Opera House was built in 1878 by Welsh and Cornish miners who had brought the rich tradition of music with them from their hometowns. Prominent Denver architect Robert S Roeschlaub designed the elegant stone building and San Francisco artist John C Massman added elaborate trompe l'oeil murals to the interior.


Unfortunately, productions of this 550-seat opera house soon closed as the mining industry left the region and the population dwindled, and sadly the opera house fell into disrepair. In 1932, some interested opera patrons restored the Opera House to its former glory, and legendary actress, Lillian Gish, came to play her role as Camille, in the production of the same name, which launched an annual tradition of summer festivals that continues to this day. This National Historic Landmark has hosted performances of the nation's fifth-oldest opera company since this 1932 re-opening, hosting such famous artists as Mae West, Beverly Sills, Helen Hayes, and Denyce Graves, among others.


We saw one of our favorite operas in Central City, Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata. Directed by Elise Sandell, and conducted by John Baril, this production starred Ellie Dehn as Violetta, Ryan McPherson as Alfredo, and Troy Cook as Giorgio Germont. No photos are allowed during the opera, but I took this photo of the final bows to the audience's enthusiastic standing ovations.  



We enjoyed this sell-out opera very much and seeing it in this historical building made me feel as if I was also viewing a part of our nation's history. We will definitely return next summer for not only an opera but also a musical, or two. It is wonderful knowing this treasure box gem is in close proximity to us, and an additional theater along with those in Denver, in which to enjoy the arts. We saw many operas when we lived in New York City, both the Metropolitan Opera and City Opera, and we are happy that we have some choices here in Colorado to continue seeing live performances.

Do you enjoy visiting performing arts complexes around the country and the world? What places have you visited and the performances you would recommend? 

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