Central City Opera Podcast

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In this episode, we sit down with our inspiring CEO, Scott Finlay, to learn more about the man behind the leadership. With over 12 years at Central City Opera, Scott shares his journey, from his early days with the company to stepping into the role of CEO. He reflects on the challenges and triumphs of leading an opera company, the importance of transparency, and how he navigates issues like audience preferences, artist satisfaction, and operational challenges.

Scott’s positivity and encouragement have left a lasting impression on the team, and in this conversation, you’ll get a glimpse of his vision, charisma, and dreams for the future of CCO. Don’t miss this engaging episode filled with thoughtful insights, personal stories, and a look ahead at what’s in store for the next decade of Central City Opera!

Have questions or want to provide feedback? Email us at podcast@centralcityopera.org. Remember to subscribe to our podcast to get the latest episodes delivered directly to your device. To hear more stories from inside Central City Opera and buy tickets to the shows, visit us at centralcityopera.org.

https://centralcityopera.org/2024-festival/

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On this episode, Central City Opera's new Artistic Director Alison Moritz, and Managing Director of External Affairs Adam Scurto discuss the 2024 Festival Season. Join Alison and Adam as they discuss the future of Central City Opera, give tips on how to get the best out of Central City whether it's your first time or your hundredth, and talk about the places Opera can take you.

Have questions or want to provide feedback? Email us at podcast@centralcityopera.org. Remember to subscribe to our podcast to get the latest episodes delivered directly to your device. To hear more stories from inside Central City Opera and buy tickets to the shows, visit us at centralcityopera.org.

https://centralcityopera.org/2024-festival/

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On this episode, Cecilia Violetta López and Digital Marketing Manager Peter Constas Cecilia's role as Desdemona in this year's production of Othello. Cecilia dives into how her mom taught her to sing while working on a sugar beet farm, how she got her own day in Idaho, and how she acclimated to Central City's altitude.

Have questions or want to provide feedback? Email us at podcast@centralcityopera.org. Remember to subscribe to our podcast to get the latest episodes delivered directly to your device. To hear more stories from inside Central City Opera and to buy tickets to the shows, visit us at centralcityopera.org.

https://centralcityopera.org/

https://www.ceciliaviolettalopez.com/

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On this episode, Developing Artist Kameron Alston and Digital Marketing Manager Peter Constas discuss Kameron's role as Tybalt in this year's production of Romeo & Juliet. Learn about one of the youngest members of the Developing Artist troupe and what it's like duel-wielding on stage.

Have questions or want to provide feedback? Email us at podcast@centralcityopera.org. Remember to subscribe to our podcast to get the latest episodes delivered directly to your device. To hear more stories from inside Central City Opera and to buy tickets to the shows, visit us at centralcityopera.org.

https://centralcityopera.org/2023-festival/

https://www.kameronalston.com/

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On this episode, Developing Artist Isaiah Feken and Digital Marketing Manager Peter Constas discuss Isaiah's role as a "gangster" in this year's production of Kiss Me, Kate. Learn about what it's like to be on stage with Broadway legends as an opera singer, why it's more fun being the villian, and the commonalities between opera and dogs.

Have questions or want to provide feedback? Email us at podcast@centralcityopera.org. Remember to subscribe to our podcast to get the latest episodes delivered directly to your device. To hear more stories from inside Central City Opera and to buy tickets to the shows, visit us at centralcityopera.org.

https://centralcityopera.org/2023-festival/

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On this episode, Music Director John Baril and Central City Opera CEO Pamela Pantos discuss the three main-stage productions being featured in this year's Summer Festival. Brush up on your Shakespeare, because this season includes productions of Romeo & Juliet, Kiss Me, Kate, and Othello. Join John and Pamela as they detail the rarity of seeing six tenors in one opera, how Cole Porter keeps the drama on the stage, and how Central City Opera is making opera relevant for contemporary audiences.

Have questions or want to provide feedback? Email us at podcast@centralcityopera.org. Remember to subscribe to our podcast to get the latest episodes delivered directly to your device. To hear more stories from inside Central City Opera and buy tickets to the shows, visit us at centralcityopera.org.

https://centralcityopera.org/2023-festival/

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On this episode, we hear from David Duffield, a historian with The Center on Colfax in Denver, Colorado. David was part of a panel of experts hosted by Central City Opera on June 12, 2022, to give perspectives on the themes within the chamber opera TWO REMAIN. I asked him to be on the podcast to dig even deeper, and he shares about LGBTQ history in Colorado and beyond, art as activism, and cultural representation. One of my favorite things he says in the interview is, “You feel a little more human when you see yourself in the artmaking.”

David Duffield is from Denver and is a social studies teacher with Denver Public Schools. He helped found the Colorado LGBTQ History Project in 2014 with The Center on Colfax, focusing on Oral History, Archiving, Education, and Networking. Among the accomplishments of the History Project are over 100 oral histories, the donation of 36 archival collections to receiving institutions, the creation of lesson plans, exhibits, and public tours of queer history in Colorado, and dozens of other talks and collaborations with people around the world.

Have questions or want to provide feedback? Email us at podcast@centralcityopera.org. To hear more stories from inside Central City Opera and buy tickets to the shows, visit us at centralcityopera.org.

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On this episode, we hear from sopranos Rebecca Caine and Diana Newman, principals in THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA. Rebecca plays the role of Margaret Johnson, and Diana plays the role of Margaret’s daughter Clara. This is the first time they’ve worked together, and watching them onstage, you’d think they were old friends. Rebecca shares how much she loves playing a woman of a “certain age,” and Diana talks about how she approaches Clara’s neurodivergence. You’ll hear more about how the perfect costume helps get an actor into character, how much Rebecca and Diana love being onstage with each other and their castmates, and how the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe versus Wade influenced how they thought about this story. This interview was recorded on July 7, 2022.

Canadian soprano Rebecca Caine has had a career divided between Opera and Musical Theatre, making her West End debut at age 19 as Laurey in OKLAHOMA! She then sang the role of Eliza in MY FAIR LADY on the National Tour. While at Glyndebourne Opera Festival, she was asked to join the Royal Shakespeare Company where she created the role of Cosette in LES MISERABLES. She was also part of the original cast of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA as Christine. Her long career continues to span the realms opera, musical theatre, straight theatre, and cabaret in the UK, United States, and around the world.

American soprano DIANA NEWMAN brings “fresh and intense” performances to opera houses and concert stages across the United States and Europe. She has recently appeared with the Dallas Opera and the Metropolitan Opera. A recent graduate of the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Ryan Opera Center, she returned this season for the company’s Ring Cycle. Diana was also recently a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl for AMERICA IN SPACE in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

Have questions or want to provide feedback? Email us at podcast@centralcityopera.org. To hear more stories from inside Central City Opera and buy tickets to the shows, visit us at centralcityopera.org.

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On this episode, we hear from conductor Brandon Eldredge and soprano Tessa McQueen about Act One of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s chamber opera, TWO REMAIN. Act One focuses on the true story of Polish poet Krystyna Zywulska surviving the Holocaust – and the psychological trauma she dealt with the rest of her life. It’s based on her searing memoir of 1946, “I Survived Auschwitz.” Brandon and Tessa share more about Krystyna’s life, about how challenging it is to perform and interpret a story of this magnitude, and how important it is to keep telling these stories.

Brandon Eldredge has built a broad-scoped knowledge and experience as a conductor, pianist, and operatic coach, working across the United States, Germany, and Sweden. He is CCO’s Associate Conductor and Chorus Master this summer, working on all three productions. During the year, he is on staff at Virginia Opera as Assistant Conductor and Chorus Master.

Soprano Tessa McQueen is a first year Studio Artist in the Bonfils-Stanton Artists Training Program, and in addition to her role of Krystyna Zywulska in TWO REMAIN, she is in the chorus of Die Fledermaus and several opera scenes for the Short Works performances. Tessa received her Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance from Oklahoma City University and will begin her Master’s degree at Rice University this fall.

Have questions or want to provide feedback? Email us at podcast@centralcityopera.org. To hear more stories from inside Central City Opera and buy tickets to the shows, visit us at centralcityopera.org.

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On this episode, we pull back the curtain and hear from the Costume Designer for THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, Edina Hiser. There are a LOT of costumes in this production, and Edina gives us the insights into the symbolism she embeds in the design, the anatomy of a quick change – since there are so many! – how she is able to engineer costumes to function efficiently yet not alter their authenticity, and the joy she gets from helping performers become more comfortable with their body images through well designed costumes.

Edina Hiser graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theatre design, and she is now the Resident Costume Designer for the Thornton School of Music at USC. As a designer, she is bold, colorful, and collaborative, with a passion for storytelling and a talent for creative problem-solving.

Have questions or want to provide feedback? Email us at podcast@centralcityopera.org. To hear more stories from inside Central City Opera and buy tickets to the shows, visit us at centralcityopera.org.

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On this episode, we hear from two principal singers in DIE FLEDERMAUS: mezzo-soprano Kira Dills-DeSurra who plays the role of Prince Orlofsky, and tenor William Ferguson, who plays the role of Eisenstein. Both Kira and Will are seasoned comedic performers, and their healthy senses of humor are on full display during this episode. Will and Kira talk about the magic of live performance and how much the audience influences them, how April Fools’ is a recognized holiday in both their families, how they got into opera in the first place, and the role that Central City Opera plays in the context of opera in America.

Kira Dills-DeSurra is a vibrant American mezzo-soprano whose magnetic stage presence communicates effortless charm and truth. A champion of new and rarely performed works, Kira has appeared in many American premieres, and she also cultivates skills in musical improvisation and circus arts as part of her broad-ranging palate of storytelling tools. She is a graduate of Roosevelt University and the University of Southern California.

Tenor William Ferguson has always pushed the boundaries of opera performance through his exploration of new repertoire and through the commitment of his characterizations. A Juilliard graduate, he has sung with Santa Fe Opera, Opera Australia, New York City Opera, Salzburger Landestheater, Opéra de Québec, Opera Philadelphia, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Dallas Opera and The Metropolitan Opera, as well as symphonies around the world.

Have questions or want to provide feedback? Email us at podcast@centralcityopera.org. To hear more stories from inside Central City Opera and buy tickets to the shows, visit us at centralcityopera.org.

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On this episode, we dive deep into DIE FLEDERMAUS with stage director Joachim Schamberger and conductor John Baril. While on the surface, this operetta may seem like nothing but champagne bubbles and fun, Joachim and John reveal the complexities of the story and music that make this operetta timeless.

Joachim is an acclaimed stage director and video designer who is currently Director of Opera at Northwestern University in Chicago. He is in demand as a director, designer, and teacher throughout the world. DIE FLEDERMAUS is his third production with Central City Opera.

John Baril, Principal Conductor, is also the Music Director of Central City Opera, and this is his 30th year with the company. He got his start as Festival Scheduler back in 1992. John has conducted throughout the United States in the genres of opera, ballet, symphonic works, and music theatre.

Both John and Joachim have been featured on the Central City Opera Podcast in past seasons – visit ccopodcast.org to find their episodes and learn more about them.

Have questions or want to provide feedback? Email us at podcast@centralcityopera.org. To hear more stories from inside Central City Opera and buy tickets to the shows, visit us at centralcityopera.org.

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On this episode, stage director Ken Cazan and conductor Adam Turner share their insights into the musical THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA. This is Ken’s 20th season directing at Central City Opera, and Adam has worked on the music side for seven seasons since 2011, first as associate conductor, then as guest principal conductor. Ken and Adam dig into the story and sounds of this Tony-Award-winning musical, elaborating on the cast, the universal themes in the story, and the inspiration behind the work. And in celebration of our 90th Anniversary, they share what makes Central City Opera special to them.

Ken Cazan is currently a Full Professor, Resident Stage Director, and Chair of Vocal Arts and Opera at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, where he has worked since 2004. He is in demand internationally as a stage director and masterclass clinician. In 2017, he was inducted into the Grove Dictionary of Music as an expert in the works of Benjamin Britten.

Conductor Adam Turner is currently Artistic Director of Virginia Opera. He is a champion of new works, and first emerged on the international stage at age 25 when he took over conducting responsibilities of a production of Les Miserables in Germany.

Find out more about Ken and Adam on past episodes of the Central City Opera Podcast at ccopodcast.org.

Have questions or want to provide feedback? Email us at podcast@centralcityopera.org. To hear more stories from inside Central City Opera and buy tickets to the shows, visit us at centralcityopera.org.

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Kerry Cripe, Technical Director

Angela Turner, Stage Manager

One of my favorite episodes to produce every season is the “Behind-the-Scenes” episode with folks on the production side of the magic that is Central City Opera. This year, Technical Director Kerry Cripe and Stage Manager (Rigoletto) Angela Turner joined me over Zoom to talk about this extraordinary summer.

Kerry is also the Senior Technical Director for Yale Undergraduate Production at Yale College, overseeing hundreds of performances at Yale venues each year. Here’s the link to his page on yale.edu. He also spent many seasons with the Colorado Shakespeare Festival in Boulder and the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City. Here are photos of those permanent outdoor venues.

Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Boulder, CO

Utah Shakespeare Festival, Cedar City, UT

We first thought we’d be relocating the 2021 Festival to the Gilpin County Fairgrounds in Black Hawk, Colorado. Here’s a photo of that venue.

Gilpin County Fairgrounds, Black Hawk, CO

But because wildfire is a real threat in drought-prone Colorado, the county ultimately did not approve our permit request so the fairgrounds could be reserved as an emergency evacuation zone for livestock and other large animals in the case of wildfire. So – back to the drawing board.

You all know, of course, that we ended up at The Hudson Gardens and Event Center in Littleton, which is adjacent to the South Platte River, southwest of Denver. The next six photos are from the set-up process in early June 2021, taken by our Director of Production, Karen Federing.

Setting up the tent at Hudson Gardens

Tent is up!

Starting to erect the lighting truss

Truss is completed

Hanging the lighting instruments

Custom-built stage deck, shared by both Carousel and Rigoletto

CCO’s original supertitle system was a DOS-based system, a system which became available to personal computers back to 1981. For those young folks out there reading this who have never seen a hard drive disk, let alone know what DOS is…here’s some reading material. :-)

How much are outdoor-rated flat-screen TVs now? Plan on spending at least $3,000.00 for a TV that can withstand full sun.

Angela and Kerry described the torrential rain that invaded the Denver metro area – and specifically Hudson Gardens – during our tech weeks in late June. Here are three photos by Director of Production Karen Federing that show the conditions. And what IS a monsoon? Click here to find out more about this weather phenomenon from the Colorado Climate Center of Colorado State University.

Set design elements by David Martin Jacques

I learned a lot more about Gilda’s swing than I expected – everything is just a LITTLE more complex in theatre than anyone realizes. Here’s a photo by Amanda Tipton showing the swing in Steven Kemp’s design for Rigoletto.

Photo by Amanda Tipton

Kerry and Angela also talked about how the orchestra area evolved over the rehearsal period. Here’s a photo when there were only three patio umbrellas (we ended up with twelve).

Photo by Karen Federing

Angela and I are both former flute players! You never know how your music degree will translate into a career, and this reminds me of this article from Forbes on ten reasons to let your kid major in music.

Angela mentioned the organization Opera America, a non-profit service organization that promotes the creation, presentation and enjoyment of opera in North America. It has proven to be a huge resource to all of us in the opera industry during the pandemic. Find out more at operaamerica.org.

Finally, Kerry commented on how excited he is about the huge outpouring of creative work that was born during the pandemic. I likened it to the Renaissance after the medieval Black Plague. Here’s an interesting article from The New Yorker published in July 2020, titled “How Pandemics Wreak Havoc and Open Minds.”

It was so great to talk with Kerry Cripe and Angela Turner. Congratulations to them and the entire Festival company and staff of Central City Opera on a memorable, extraordinary summer!

-Emily Murdock, Host & Producer

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On this episode, we go behind the scenes with Technical Director Kerry Cripe and Stage Manager Angela Turner. Kerry’s been TD with Central City Opera since 2017, and this was Angela’s first summer with us. And what a summer it’s been! Kerry and Angela share all the insider details on producing an outdoor opera festival in Colorado, complete with 100-degree weather and monsoons. They also share some of their favorite parts of Rigoletto, the show that Angela is working on, as well as what they each did to keep their spirits and skills up during their long hiatus from live performance this past year-and-a-half. After this interview, I saw Kerry and Angela backstage at a show. Kerry wanted to emphasize that while they talked a lot about challenges and things that went wrong this summer – which they then fixed – there’s also 1000 things that have to go RIGHT in order to make a show happen…and if they go right, the audience is blissfully unaware of all those intricate processes and parts. The magic of live theatre – it’s so good to be back!

Read the show notes from this episode here.

Have questions or want to provide feedback? Email us at podcast@centralcityopera.org. Remember to subscribe to our podcast to get the latest episodes delivered directly to your device. To hear more stories from inside Central City Opera and buy tickets to the shows, visit us at centralcityopera.org.

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Bernardo Medeiros, Baritone

Michelle Monroe, Mezzo-Soprano

Marin Tack, Soprano

It’s always so fun to sit down and talk with some of the current class of Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Artists Training Program singers. Audiences do not get a whole lot of exposure to these singers in normal times – and THIS summer, there’s even less interaction between the public and the young artists, because of necessary performance eliminations due to Covid restrictions. So I really loved being able to talk with Bernardo, Michelle and Marin for a half hour over Zoom about what’s going on in their lives.

Michelle was here back in 2019, and her most prominent assignment was The Narrator in Debussy’s THE BLESSED DAMOZEL, which was staged in Central City’s only Catholic church, Saint Mary of the Assumption. Here’s a photo of Michelle in that production.

Michelle Monroe, right, in Central City Opera's THE BLESSED DAMOZEL in 2019. Photo by Amanda Tipton

When asked about the role of “Louise” in CAROUSEL, Marin mentioned that she had dance training listed in her special skills section of her resumé. That got me curious – what special skills can be found in Bernardo and Michelle’s resumés? Highlights from Bernardo’s special skills include fluent Portuguese, conversational Spanish, piano and stage-combat, and Michelle’s include music education, endurance athlete, soldier skills, martial arts, piano, brass instruments, AND ballet, tap and jazz dance! Definitely a multi-talented group.

Michelle dropped a couple contemporary opera titles as she was talking about the importance of presenting diverse, contemporary work to gain new audiences. AS ONE by Laura Kaminsky and Mark Campbell has been performed in over 40 different productions around the world since it premiered in 2014. Find out more and listen to excerpts here. Seattle Opera commissioned AN AMERICAN DREAM by Jack Perla and Jessica Murphy-Moo in 2015, and you can find out more about it here.

Marin mentioned that she became active on TicTok during the pandemic…and yes, I found her account. Turns out she’s kind of a big deal on TicTok! See her videos and follow her here: @marinmaureen. Keep up with Michelle Monroe through her artist page on Facebook and her website, michellemonroemezzosoprano.com. Bernardo isn’t super active on social media, but I did find a profile about him on Opera in the Heights’ website.

It was so nice to talk with Bernardo, Michelle and Marin on the podcast! Bernardo stars as “Rigoletto” in the Nina Odescalchi Kelly Family Matinee of RIGOLETTO at Hudson Gardens in Littleton on July 27, and Marin and Michelle appear in CAROUSEL and RIGOLETTO, respectively, through August 1st. Get your tickets now at centralcityopera.org.

Bravi tutti!

-Emily Murdock, Host & Producer

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On this special “Young Artist Spotlight” episode, we meet three singers from Central City Opera’s Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Artists Training Program: baritone Bernardo Medeiros, mezzo-soprano Michelle Monroe, and soprano Marin Tack. The two women have small but significant roles in all three shows, and Bernardo is covering the two title roles, Rigoletto and Aeneas. We talk about what this summer has been like so far and what they see as priorities to keep opera going into the future. All three auditioned for the program back in 2019 – and when the pandemic hit, CCO had to postpone the 2020 festival. Like so many others in the performing arts industry, Bernardo, Michelle and Marin had to find ways to keep going. The first line of the song “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from CAROUSEL is, “When you walk through a storm, keep your chin up high.” These artists, along with the rest of their colleagues, did just that.

Read the show notes from this episode here.

Have questions or want to provide feedback? Email us at podcast@centralcityopera.org. Remember to subscribe to our podcast to get the latest episodes delivered directly to your device. To hear more stories from inside Central City Opera and buy tickets to the shows, visit us at centralcityopera.org.

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Dan Wallace Miller

Buckle your seatbelts and get settled in for a wild ride through an EPIC Show Notes post! Director Dan Wallace Miller dropped so many references to movies, opera productions, and other tangential goodies during his interview, many of which you'll be able to find below, not necessarily in the order mentioned in the episode. Here we go!

Dan started off by sharing how he first saw Wagner's Ring Cycle at Seattle Opera when he was four years old. One of the leading opera companies in the United States, Seattle Opera has been producing the Ring Cycle since 1975, with the most recent production in 2013. Click here to read more about the company's history with Wagnerian opera.

The first production of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas that Dan directed was with his former company Vespertine Opera Theater in 2011. He staged it in the Sylvan Grove Outdoor Theater on the University of Washington campus in Seattle. You can see all the production photos of this imaginative production here.

Gilpin Room in our Lanny and Sharon Martin Foundry Rehearsal Hall in Central City was where Dan thought he was going to stage his CCO production of Dido.

Ken Cazan's Acis and Galatea, Central City Opera, 2018. Photo by Amanda Tipton

Instead, the 2021 production of Dido and Aeneas is in the Opera Garden, just downhill from the Central City Opera House.

Opera Garden, Central City. Photo by Amanda Tipton

Dan pulls a lot of inspiration from film, having a degree in comparative literature (film studies) from the University of Washington, and the movie that inspires this summer's Dido and Aeneas is the 1976 Carrie, directed by Brian De Palma.

Dan has also been inspired by Italian giallo horror movies (read this blog post about the 10 best giallo movies for beginners), and currently is "obsessed" with Jacques Demy's 1963 film The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. You can watch this entire French movie here, with English subtitles, and join in Dan's self-proclaimed obsession!

I brought up Dan's recent production of The Combat with Seattle Opera and his interview on the Seattle Opera Blog. Read that interview here, and click on the video below to see an excerpt from that production.

He also very recently directed Seattle Opera's filmed version of Tosca, which streamed live this past June. I've included the trailer below, and you can read another interview with Dan about this reimagined version of one of the most beloved operas of all time.

Some tidbits mentioned in this episode:

17th-century theater music (link to article on Brittanica.com)
Political commentary in Mozart's The Magic Flute (link to San Francisco Opera's study guide)
Nabucco, Verdi, and the Risorgimento ("reunification" of Italy - link to article on bbc.com)
Kentucky's shockingly high rate of sexual assault, stalking, and intimate partner violence (read stats here)
Gian Carlo Menotti's 1951 film version of his opera The Medium (see a clip here, read more about it here, and buy the DVD here)
Francesco Rosi's 1984 movie of Bizet's Carmen, filmed on location in Seville, Spain (see the full movie here)
Powell and Pressburger's 1951 movie version of Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann (see the HD trailer here)
The BBC's 1995 movie version of Dido and Aeneas, starring Maria Ewing (see the full movie here)
The Santa Fe Opera production of Mason Bates' The (R)Evolution of Steve Jobs, for which Dan was Assistant Director (see a highlights video here)
Kendrick Lamar's performance at The Grammy Awards in 2016 - unfortunately, I couldn't find a video online, but here's a news clip about it from online video news community The Grio which shows a few highlights

Finally, here's an excerpt from Dan's production of the Britten adaptation of Poulenc's Les mamelles de Tirésias, which he directed for Vespertine Opera Theater in 2013, vaudeville-style.

A huge thank-you to director Dan Wallace Miller for being on the Central City Opera Podcast this season! This was a fascinating interview. Dido and Aeneas will be performed on July 17, 20, 22, and 28, 2021 in the Opera Garden in Central City. Although the shows are sold out at the time of this post, call the CCO Box Office at 303-292-6700 or email boxoffice@centralcityopera.org to see if you can snag last minute tickets.

-Emily Murdock, Host & Producer

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On this episode, the director of this summer's production of Purcell's DIDO AND AENEAS, Dan Wallace Miller, talks about ALL the things - his outdoor, updated production in the Central City Opera Garden, his background in film and how he brings that into opera, how his love of Wagner and all things music drama started at the very young age of four, how he approaches older works to make them new again for today's audiences, his vision and hope for the future of opera - and so much more. You'll definitely want to check out the show notes page for this episode - it is chock full of goodies.

Read the show notes for this episode here.

Have questions or want to provide feedback? Email us at podcast@centralcityopera.org. Remember to subscribe to our podcast to get the latest episodes delivered directly to your device. To hear more stories from inside Central City Opera and buy tickets to the shows, visit us at centralcityopera.org.

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Anna Christy, soprano, and Steven LaBrie, baritone

CAROUSEL principal singer-actors Anna Christy ("Julie Jordan") and Steven LaBrie ("Billy Bigelow") joined me over Zoom a week after their opening night. I had already seen the production a few days before - it is so deeply moving. (By the way, I mentioned in the episode that I was sitting in 90-degree heat while watching the performance. Since then, Central City Opera has moved almost all matinee productions of CAROUSEL and RIGOLETTO to evening performances to save audiences and performers from Colorado's hot summer temperatures. Visit centralcityopera.org to find the updated schedule.)

I asked Anna how her roles upon the Central City Opera House stage had influenced her as an artist. Here are photos from the productions and roles she mentioned:

As "Tytania" in Britten's A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, Central City Opera, 2002. Photo by Mark Kiryluk.

As "Emily" in Rorem's OUR TOWN, Central City Opera, 2013. Photo by Mark Kiryluk. (On the right, tenor Will Ferguson as "George" - and he plays Enoch Snow in this year's CAROUSEL!)

As "Susanna" in Mozart's THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO, Central City Opera, 2014. Photo by Mark Kiryluk.

As "Baby Doe Tabor" in Moore's THE BALLAD OF BABY DOE, Central City Opera, 2016. Photos by Amanda Tipton.

Since this episode was recorded and released after production photos of CAROUSEL were taken, here's a great one featuring Anna and Steven in their roles "Julie" and "Billy." Photo by Amanda Tipton.

Steven mentioned how the Panama Canal was not finished at the time this musical was set - and this got me curious. The Panama Canal was finished in 1914, and Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II wrote this musical in 1946. HOWEVER - it is indeed set in 1873, which means that yes, construction on the Panama Canal had not even started.

As CAROUSEL is set in 1873 coastal Maine, of course I went looking for photos or paintings of that time and place. The closest I found was a beautiful painting by American watercolor painter Winslow Homer entitled "A Basket of Clams." Homer painted this in 1873, not in Maine, but in Gloucester, Massachusetts, just down the coast. You can read more about Homer and this painting here.

Winslow Homer's "A Basket of Clams." 1873

It's important to note that the topics discussed in this episode and in the musical CAROUSEL can be triggering. If you are a victim of domestic violence, find help by calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at (800) 799-SAFE (7233).

My deepest thanks to Anna Christy and Steven LaBrie for joining me on the Central City Opera Podcast. To follow the careers of these exciting and incredibly talented singer-actors, visit their websites: annachristy.com and stevenlabrie.com. You can also follow Steven on Instagram @stevenlabrie.

-Emily Murdock, Host & Producer

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On this episode, soprano Anna Christy and baritone Steven LaBrie talk about their roles of Julie Jordan and Billy Bigelow in CAROUSEL. Steven and Anna discuss the big question most of us think when watching this show – why does Billy treat Julie the way that he does, and why does Julie stay? Anna also shares how the roles she’s played on the Central City Opera House stage have shaped her as an artist, and Steven goes into how his first big role with a lot of spoken dialogue has been both challenging and immensely rewarding. They also share what they’d like audiences to take away from this summer’s production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s CAROUSEL.

Read the show notes for this episode here.

Have questions or want to provide feedback? Email us at podcast@centralcityopera.org. Remember to subscribe to our podcast to get the latest episodes delivered directly to your device. To hear more stories from inside Central City Opera and buy tickets to the shows, visit us at centralcityopera.org.

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Soprano Alisa Jordheim ("Gilda") and tenor Galeano Salas ("The Duke of Mantua") were able to squeeze in a podcast interview at the beginning of their tech week, a few days before opening night of RIGOLETTO at Hudson Gardens and Event Center in Littleton, Colorado. They set up on Alisa's porch in Central City so that the conversation wouldn't disturb Galeano's young son who was napping. It was a ton of fun with only a little bit of wind and cars driving by on Eureka Street.

Early in the interview, we took a walk down memory lane, reminiscing about the performances Alisa and Galeano were in as Apprentice Artists with Central City Opera. Here are some photos from some of those productions (all photos by Mark Kiryluk):

OUR TOWN, 2013. Galeano is part of the chorus and is seated in the second position of the second row.

THE TURN OF THE SCREW, 2012. Alisa as "Flora."

OKLAHOMA!, 2012. Galeano, part of the chorus, is on the far left holding his hand out - his face is partially blocked by a castmate.

THE TURN OF THE SCREW, 2012. Alisa as "Flora" on the right.

Galeano and I also talked about the unique concept for the character of "Parpignol" in Kevin Newbury's production of LA BOHEME in 2012. Here's a photo of tenor Nicholas Nesbitt in that role - Galeano was his cover (understudy). "Parpignol" is the clown dressed in white in the center of the photo.

Alisa and Galeano also pointed out that one of their RIGOLETTO castmates, John Paul Huckle, the bass who plays "Sparafucile," was also a former young artist with Central City Opera. I investigated and found out that John was here in 2006 as a CCO Studio Artist. But alas - I could not find any production photos with him. In case you're curious, the 2006 Central City Opera Festival featured the productions The Ballad of Baby Doe, Don Giovanni, L’Incoronazione di Poppea, and The Face on the Barroom Floor.

When asking Alisa and Galeano if they had any significant experience with singing outdoors, Alisa brought up On Site Opera's co-production of Mozart's LA FINTA GIARDINIERA with The Atlanta Opera in 2017. I found a promo video for that production! Look for Alisa at 0:37 seconds wearing clear-rimmed glasses and at 1:25 riding piggyback on a castmate.

I mentioned that RIGOLETTO's conductor, CCO Music Director John Baril, was featured on one of our springtime Lunch & Learn virtual lectures, talking about what to listen for in RIGOLETTO. Here's a link to his lecture video on our Facebook page. I also shamelessly plugged Episode 2 of Season 6 of the podcast, which features RIGOLETTO's stage director Jose Maria Condemi as well as John Baril. If you haven't already, you can listen to that episode here.

Thank you again to Alisa and Galeano for taking the time to be on the Central City Opera Podcast. This was such a fun interview!

-Emily Murdock, Host & Producer

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On this episode, soprano Alisa Jordheim and tenor Galeano Salas join the podcast from a porch in Central City – so you’ll hear some wind and cars driving by. Alisa is performing the role of Gilda in this summer’s production of Verdi’s RIGOLETTO, and Galeano is performing the role of The Duke of Mantua in the same production. They are also fairly recent past Apprentice Artists, having gone through CCO's Bonfils-Stanton Artists Training Program about a decade ago. Alisa and Galeano share what they’ve been up to since then, and what it’s like to be back in Central City singing these roles, plus they dig into the psyche of their characters, talk about the challenges of singing outdoors, and so much more.

Read the show notes for this episode here.

Have questions or want to provide feedback? Email us at podcast@centralcityopera.org. Remember to subscribe to our podcast to get the latest episodes delivered directly to your device. To hear more stories from inside Central City Opera and buy tickets to the shows, visit us at centralcityopera.org.

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Jose Maria Condemi (left) and John Baril (right)

June in Central City is an incredibly busy time, the schedule jam-packed with rehearsals and this summer, commuting to and from our outdoor mainstage location at Hudson Gardens and Event Center in Littleton, Colorado. So I was thrilled to find a time sandwiched between rehearsals on June 24 to interview Rigoletto's director Jose Maria Condemi and conductor/CCO Music Director John Baril. They joined me on Zoom from their respective housing in Central City.

Jose Maria mentioned the New Orleans Opera production of Rigoletto designed by Steven Kemp, which was the intended design had we been able to produce this opera in 2020. Here is a photo of that design, and you can find more photos here.

Rigoletto Set Design by Steven Kemp for New Orleans Opera

A big reason why our 2021 production was reimagined and updated to modern times is because of the hot temperatures. Here's a graph of average temperatures in Littleton, Colorado, where Hudson Gardens and Event Center is located. Note that the hottest day of the year usually falls on July 10 - which is Opening Night for Rigoletto!

John mentioned Le Roi S'Amuse, the Victor Hugo play upon which Rigoletto is based. You can buy the English translation here.

Near the end of the episode, Jose Maria commented on how opera singing (and singing in general) is considered a dangerous and high-risk activity in the context of Covid-19. Here is a link to a report from the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) that digs deeper into the science of singing in Covid times.

John has been a guest on the Central City Opera Podcast many times, and Jose Maria was a guest back in 2017 when he directed Carmen for the company. Here are the links to those episodes:

John Baril: Season 4, Episode 3 - on Billy Budd with director Ken Cazan
John Baril: Season 3, Episode 5 - on Il Trovatore with director/designer Joachim Schaumberger
John Baril: Season 2, Episode 8 - on Cosi fan tutte
Jose Maria Condemi: Season 2, Episode 5 - on Carmen
John Baril: Season 1, Episode 2 - on Tosca, Later the Same Evening, and his role as CCO Music Director

Photos: CCO production of Carmen, 2017 (left) and John Baril conducting a rehearsal of Billy Budd in the Central City Opera House orchestra pit, 2019. Photos by Amanda Tipton Photography.

Finally, we didn't mention it in this episode, but John Baril was a presenter on CCO's virtual Lunch & Learn series this past spring. He talked about what to listen for in Rigoletto, and you can watch it on our Facebook page here.

It was great fun to interview Jose Maria Condemi and John Baril! Visit centralcityopera.org to buy tickets to the 2021 production of Rigoletto at Hudson Gardens and Event Center in Littleton, Colorado.

-Emily Murdock, Host & Producer

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On this episode, Stage Director Jose Maria Condemi and Conductor/CCO Music Director John Baril discuss the details of this summer's production of Verdi's RIGOLETTO. John talks about the adjustments made the orchestra - including how he wrote a tuba part! - and Jose Maria tells us why and how the time period was modified to modern day. (Here's a hint - the weather is a factor.) The two also debate whether or not there is a "true villain" in the opera, and they share how the pandemic has changed them and the industry as a whole on a profound level.

Read the show notes for this episode here.

Have questions or want to provide feedback? Email us at podcast@centralcityopera.org. Remember to subscribe to our podcast to get the latest episodes delivered directly to your device. To hear more stories from inside Central City Opera and buy tickets to the shows, visit us at centralcityopera.org.

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Stage Director Ken Cazan is back this summer at Central City Opera, directing Rodgers & Hammerstein’s musical Carousel. Ken has been a guest on the Central City Opera almost every summer since its inception in 2016, and he always delivers an incredible interview. This year was no different. The interview was conducted over Zoom due to Covid restrictions, so I missed giving Ken a welcome-back hug, but we still had a great time! Read on for the show notes.

Correction Alert – When I asked Ken about his history of directing musicals here at Central City Opera, I said that he directed The Sound of Music in 2015. That was incorrect – he actually directed it in 2014, the same summer that he directed Dead Man Walking. Talk about a busy summer!

Photos: The Sound of Music, right, and Dead Man Walking, left. Photos by Mark Kiryluk.

When talking about Rodgers and Hammerstein’s collaboration and impact on the American musical genre, Ken mentioned Tin Pan Alley. He teaches a course at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, where he is the resident stage director of opera, called Musical Theatre Song Interpretation: Tin Pan Alley Era. This era spanned from the mid-late 19th century to the mid 20th century, and the music and lyrics written during this era created contemporary Broadway. Find out more about Tin Pan Alley here.

I brought up Ken’s vast range of work with Central City Opera during this interview. Here are some photos from a few productions that Ken directed in the past (not an exhaustive list):

Photos: 1. Billy Budd, 2019; 2. Acis and Galatea, 2018; 3. The Burning Fiery Furnace, 2017; 4. The Ballad of Baby Doe, 2016; 5. Our Town, 2013; 6. Oklahoma!, 2012

Photo credits: 1-4, Amanda Tipton Photography; 5 -6, Mark Kiryluk.

When talking about depicting traumatic moments onstage, Ken brought up how it is important for performing arts organizations to connect to their communities. A local organization that assists victims of domestic violence is Violence Free Colorado, formerly known as the Colorado Coalition Against Domestic Violence (CCADV). If you are a victim of domestic violence, find help by calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at (800) 799-SAFE (7233).

Ken mentioned famed choreographer Agnes De Mille, who choreographed many shows with Rodgers & Hammerstein, including Carousel. Read more about her on the American Ballet Theatre’s website.

Ken has been featured several times on the Central City Opera Podcast before. You can listen to his previous episodes at these links:
On Billy Budd with conductor John Baril (2019); on The Burning Fiery Furnace (2017); and on The Ballad of Baby Doe (2016).

It was so much fun to talk with Ken again! Visit centralcityopera.org to buy tickets to the 2021 production of Carousel at Hudson Gardens and Event Center in Littleton, Colorado.

-Emily Murdock, Host & Producer

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On this first episode of season six of the Central City Opera Podcast, we hear from stage director Ken Cazan. Ken is back this summer in Central City for his 19th season to direct Rodgers & Hammerstein's musical CAROUSEL. Ken dives deep into the story and themes of this beloved musical, how he and conductor Christopher Zemliauskas made the adjustments for our special outdoor production, and how he connects with the story of CAROUSEL on a personal level.

Read the show notes for this episode here.

Have questions or want to provide feedback? Email us at podcast@centralcityopera.org. Remember to subscribe to our podcast to get the latest episodes delivered directly to your device. To hear more stories from inside Central City Opera and buy tickets to the shows, visit us at centralcityopera.org.

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Opera Central and the Central City Opera Podcast proudly host the heads of two leading equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (EDIA) organizations in Colorado: IDEA Stages Founder Lisa Young and Alliance for Music Education Equity Director Ana Luna Uribe. They talk with CCO Audience Development Manager Teila Theisen about their goals for our local arts community, “working out” or “exercising” inclusivity, the importance of stepping outside your bubble and much more.

ABOUT OUR GUESTS:

Ana Luna Uribe-Leteinturier

Ana Luna is a French-Colombian violinist, born and raised in the United States. She is currently based in Denver and is an avid performer, teacher and arts administrator. As a multi-faceted performer, Ana Luna is currently experimenting with arranging, electronic music and loop pedaling. Interested in serving her community through the arts, Ana Luna is currently the Director of the Alliance for Music Education Equity and the Site Coordinator at El Sistema Colorado.

Ms. Uribe has also been an active part of the Next Festival of Emerging Artists in New York City since March of 2020. One of her main focuses is new music and collaboration and she has worked to bring new works to life with composers such as Lisa Bielawa, Ryan Lindveit, Samantha Wolf, Andrew Dewey and Sergio Herrera, among others.

As an orchestral player, she has appeared with the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, the Sinfonia Gulf Coast Orchestra, the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra and the Boulder Symphony. Recent festivals attended include the Domaine Forget Academy in Quebec, the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, NC and a Violin Fellowship at the Texas Music Festival in Houston, TX. She has performed under the batons of great conductors such as Brett Mitchell, Yoav Talmi, Andres Franco, Gerard Schwartz and Ari Pelto.

As a chamber musician, she has played with groups at the Domaine Forget Academy, the Texas Music Festival, the Eastern Music Festival, the Florida State University and the Lamont School of Music. She has studied under artists such as Neal Carey, Basil Vendryes, Shannon Thomas, Elizabeth Phelps and Qing Li. Most notably, in 2014, she was chosen as the second violinist for the Miami Music Project String Quintet. The group travelled to Paris, France to bring the works of Cuban, Haitian and Brazilian composers to the International St. Denis Festival. Her string quartet was also given an honorable mention for their performance of the Barber String Quartet at the 2020 Lamont Chamber Music Honors competition.

Ms. Uribe holds a Bachelor’s degree in Violin Performance from the Florida State University’s College of Music where she studied with Corinne Stillwell as well as a Master's degree in Violin Performance from the University of Denver's Lamont School of Music where she served as teaching assistant to Linda Wang and Igor PIkayzen.

www.analunauribe.com

Lisa Young

Lisa Young is an actor-vist, director, singer, teaching artist and founder of IDEA Stages, a grassroots movement for theatre that uses the philosophy we are all accountable for inclusion, diversity, equity and access in the arts. She has served on the Colorado Theatre Guild Board since 2013 and 30+ years in community and professional theatre. In addition, Lisa is a drama-teaching artist at Boston P-8 in Aurora Colorado.

IDEA Stages’ Story & Purpose: IDEAs was founded by actor-vist Lisa Young, (a Black Woman who is a stroke survivor), in May 2020 after the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and countless other Black people. In 2020, as we considered the impact of COVID-19, and the mobilization and out-cry for justice from people supporting the Black Lives Matter movement, we also asked ourselves "What are we prepared to do to dismantle racism, anti-Blackness and inequalities in theatre?"

IDEAs is a grassroots outreach organization providing activism, resources, and accountability for the work of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access (DEIA) in theaters to our members. We serve our membership of individuals, companies, and communities by granting IDEAs designations to organizations which fulfill guiding principles - called Pillars of Inclusion - within their policy and infrastructure. We are Change Agents, who are making demonstrable advancements, real and effective.

Teila Theisen

Teila Theisen joined the Central City Opera as Audience Development Manager, the newest member of the Marketing and Communications team, in 2020. Teila has an extensive background in performing arts and began studying dance, opera and choral music at age seven. She has a bachelors in fine arts, cum laude, from Northern Illinois University and has been working in the nonprofit sector for nearly ten years. Teila is a three-time AmeriCorps Alum, a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer from The Gambia, West Africa and has worked with several national nonprofits, including Girl Scouts and The Boys & Girls Clubs. Teila has a passion for diversity, equity and inclusion work, community development, travel and music. She is very much looking forward to working with the entire Central City Opera team to create unique and memorable experiences throughout Colorado!

SHOW NOTES:

EDI or EDIA and IDEA are acronyms for inclusivity, diversity, equity and accessibility.

Diversity is presence of difference within a given setting. In this case the workplace is the setting, and the differences typically refer to identity like race and gender and sometimes ethnicity, religion, nationality or sexual orientation. A person isn’t diverse. They’re unique. They can bring diversity to a group though. You’re not looking for a diverse candidate. Diversity is about a collective or a group."

Inclusion has to do with people with different identities feeling and/or being valued, leveraged and welcomed within a given setting (whether that’s a team, workplace or industry). Longtime diversity, equity and inclusion educator, Verna Myers, said: 'Diversity is being asked to the party. Inclusion is being asked to dance.' Inclusion isn’t a natural consequence of diversity. You can have a diverse team of talent, but that doesn’t mean they feel welcomed or valued or are given opportunities to grow.

Equity is an approach that ensures everyone has access to the same opportunities. Equity recognizes that we don’t all start from the same place because advantages and barriers exist. It’s a process that acknowledges uneven starting places and seeks to correct the imbalance. Diversity and inclusion are both outcomes. Equity is not. It refers to the process an organization engages in to ensure that people with marginalized identities have the opportunity to grow, contribute, and develop.

Access/Accessibility is giving equitable access to everyone along the continuum of human ability and experience. Accessibility encompasses the broader meanings of compliance and refers to how organizations make space for the characteristics that each person brings. The definition of accessibility is broadening beyond public accommodations and job opportunities. It’s not just about the physical environment: it’s about access to and representation in content for all.

Read more: generalassemb.ly/blog/diversity-inclusion-equity-differences-in-meaning/ and aam-us.org/programs/diversity-equity-accessibility-and-inclusion/facing-change-definitions/

This interview was recorded on the heels of anti-Asian shootings in Atlanta, April 2021: cpr.org/2021/03/18/exhaustion-frustration-and-anger-coloradans-gather-for-a-virtual-town-hall-after-atlanta-shootings/?utm_source

Further reading: npr.org/2021/03/17/978055571/anti-asian-attacks-rise-during-pandemic-read-nprs-stories-on-the-surge-in-violen?utm_so

NOTES ON INTERVIEW INTRODUCTIONS:

Central City Opera’s staff shared a public statement and commitment fall 2020: centralcityopera.org/inclusion-diversity-equity-and-access/

Lisa and Ana introduced themselves using physical descriptions to help audience members with limited sight access this conversation. They also stated their preferred pronouns, which helps create a safe space for gender inclusion. Finally, the speakers shared acknowledgements of indigenous land on which they live and work.

Learn more about pronouns: qz.com/work/1647596/gender-pronouns-in-the-workplace-are-not-a-passing-trend/

Learn more about land acknowledgements: nativegov.org/a-guide-to-indigenous-land-acknowledgment/

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM THIS CONVERSATION:

Ana: “White bodies live with trauma of white supremacy too”
Lisa: “(IDEA) doesn’t just take three months”
Lisa: Comparing working on IDEA to physical exercise: “If you’re not uncomfortable, you’re not working out!” “Anti-racism hurts (in a good way)”

Lisa talks about influential and decorated author Dr. Ibram X Kendi. Learn more about him at ibramxkendi.com

OPERA America offers a great list of Industry Resources covering IDEA work in opera, grants, story-telling, innovations and databases of opera repertoire modern and historical:

operaamerica.org/industry-resources

Lisa talks about Phamaly Theater Company, “A creative home for theatre artists with disabilities.” Learn more at phamaly.org

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Opera Central and the Central City Opera Podcast proudly host the heads of two leading equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (EDIA) organizations in Colorado: IDEA Stages Founder Lisa Young and Alliance for Music Education Equity Director Ana Luna Uribe. They talk with CCO Audience Development Manager Teila Theisen about their goals for our local arts community, “working out” or “exercising” inclusivity, the importance of stepping outside your bubble and much more.

Go to ccopodcast.org for the full show notes.

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Left to right: Stephen Brackett and Gail Bransteitter

Colorado Music Ambassador and Flobots emcee/lead singer Stephen Brackett talks about music as a tool for liberation, working with young people through his nonprofit Youth On Record and the state of music in Colorado with CCO Director of Marketing and Communications (and longtime friend) Gail Bransteitter. From the halls of George Washington High School to leadership of the Colorado arts world, Stephen and Gail have both been dedicated advocates and artists making a difference in our community for decades.

Learn more about the Colorado Music Ambassador position and the word of both Stephen and previous Colorado Music Ambassador Shawn King of DeVotchKa.

Stephen co-founded the rap/rock experimental band, the Flobots, nationally known for songs like “Handlebars” and “Rise” and their focus on social and political consciousness. Check out their music and mission at flobots.com. Watch for new songs dropping every three weeks in 2021!

The Flobots created the Denver nonprofit Youth on Record offering for-credit music classes in music production, poetry and ethnic studies during the school day in high schools and middle schools. Stephen sat on the board for about ten years, acted as board chair for two and stepped off the board to become Director of Special Programs last year. During the interview he mentions the Denver Children’s Home, learn more at www.denverchildrenshome.org.

Youth On Record offers free and open to the public, virtual programming five days out of the week. Explore their offerings and sign up at www.youthonrecord.org.

About Youth On Record, Stephen says:

“What started as an attempt of a band to do more than just soapbox but to actually live our lyrics and create pathways to challenging the power and agency that our songs were about, it actually grew into something that far exceeded our expectations. It has been the best contribution that could have come out of my musical career...That is the thing I’m most proud of.”

“We’re using (music classes) as a delivery method for liberation. We’re not teaching music classes for music’s sake, we are teaching music classes so that during the school day, these students have the opportunity to speak their world, their perspective, their view, and to do so with the excellence that the arts kind of require of you.”

“When you’re battling perfection, that means that you never win, but the grit that you earn in trying to meet the impossible gives you a kind of resilience that you can then leverage against the rest of your academic day. That’s what I believe when I’m talking about how music can be a great medium for liberation and a great leverage point for somebody becoming a life-long learner.”

Stephen has been all over the news in Colorado for more than a year! Check out some of the headlines below:

Black History Month Honors Stephen Brackett “Brer Rabbit” - How music gives voice to social justice
Nine People to Watch in Denver's Culture Scene in 2021

WE WIN THE DAY BY FLOBOTS (SNEAK PEEK) * Flobots co-founder, Denver nonprofit leader named state’s music ambassador

B-boy: Someone involved with hip-hop culture, especially a breakdancer

Shout out to George Washington High School in Denver, where Gail and Stephen got to know one another and established a love of the arts.

Stephen on his influences:

“My influences right now are any of the students who are bold enough to get on stage during the talent show. When I see young creatives doing things when they haven’t learned the rules yet, and the kinda stuff they come out with when they are unafraid, is always a humbling lesson for me.”

A list of local artists we should know about from Stephen:

Adam Stone, formally Indestructible North, now performs as Lucy (music and visual arts)
Kayla Marque, singer/songwriter
Joseph Lamar, singer/songwriter/producer of various mediums
Buntport Theater, self-described as “a wee group of theater-making humans based in Denver. We’ve worked together for over 18 years, making new stuff.* We work collaboratively—without ‘official’ writers, directors, designers, janitors. We do all the stuff. Because we love it.”
Rodney Mullen, Colorado Country Hall of Fame
The Downy Sisters, “dynamite songwriters”
Suzi Q. Smith is an award-winning artist, activist and educator who lives in Denver, Colorado. Her background is in opera!

Stephen also draws inspiration from Disney songwriters Howard Ashman and Alan Menken.

Learn more about The Ballad of Baby Doe, an opera commissioned by and premiered at Central City Opera in the 1950s, based on the famous figure of Colorado history Baby Doe Tabor.

Watch the video version of this interview and more at centralcityopera.org/opera-central.

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Colorado Music Ambassador and Flobots emcee/lead singer Stephen Brackett talks about music as a tool for liberation, working with young people through his nonprofit Youth On Record and the state of music in Colorado with CCO Director of Marketing and Communications (and longtime friend) Gail Bransteitter. From the halls of George Washington High School to leadership of the Colorado arts world, Stephen and Gail have both been dedicated advocates and artists making a difference in our community for decades.

Learn more about the Colorado Music Ambassador position and the word of both Stephen and previous Colorado Music Ambassador Shawn King of DeVotchKa.

Stephen co-founded the rap/rock experimental band, the Flobots, nationally known for songs like “Handlebars” and “Rise” and their focus on social and political consciousness. Check out their music and mission at flobots.com. Watch for new songs dropping every three weeks in 2021!

The Flobots created the Denver nonprofit Youth on Record offering for-credit music classes in music production, poetry and ethnic studies during the school day in high schools and middle schools. Stephen sat on the board for about ten years, acted as board chair for two and stepped off the board to become Director of Special Programs last year. During the interview he mentions the Denver Children’s Home, learn more at www.denverchildrenshome.org.

Youth On Record offers free and open to the public, virtual programming five days out of the week. Explore their offerings and sign up at www.youthonrecord.org.

About Youth On Record, Stephen says:

“What started as an attempt of a band to do more than just soapbox but to actually live our lyrics and create pathways to challenging the power and agency that our songs were about, it actually grew into something that far exceeded our expectations. It has been the best contribution that could have come out of my musical career...That is the thing I’m most proud of.”

“We’re using (music classes) as a delivery method for liberation. We’re not teaching music classes for music’s sake, we are teaching music classes so that during the school day, these students have the opportunity to speak their world, their perspective, their view, and to do so with the excellence that the arts kind of require of you.”

“When you’re battling perfection, that means that you never win, but the grit that you earn in trying to meet the impossible gives you a kind of resilience that you can then leverage against the rest of your academic day. That’s what I believe when I’m talking about how music can be a great medium for liberation and a great leverage point for somebody becoming a life-long learner.”

Stephen has been all over the news in Colorado for more than a year! Check out some of the headlines below:

Black History Month Honors Stephen Brackett “Brer Rabbit” - How music gives voice to social justice
Nine People to Watch in Denver's Culture Scene in 2021

WE WIN THE DAY BY FLOBOTS (SNEAK PEEK) * Flobots co-founder, Denver nonprofit leader named state’s music ambassador

B-boy: Someone involved with hip-hop culture, especially a breakdancer

Shout out to George Washington High School in Denver, where Gail and Stephen got to know one another and established a love of the arts.

Stephen on his influences:

“My influences right now are any of the students who are bold enough to get on stage during the talent show. When I see young creatives doing things when they haven’t learned the rules yet, and the kinda stuff they come out with when they are unafraid, is always a humbling lesson for me.”

A list of local artists we should know about from Stephen:

Adam Stone, formally Indestructible North, now performs as Lucy (music and visual arts)
Kayla Marque, singer/songwriter
Joseph Lamar, singer/songwriter/producer of various mediums
Buntport Theater, self-described as “a wee group of theater-making humans based in Denver. We’ve worked together for over 18 years, making new stuff.* We work collaboratively—without ‘official’ writers, directors, designers, janitors. We do all the stuff. Because we love it.”
Rodney Mullen, Colorado Country Hall of Fame
The Downy Sisters, “dynamite songwriters”
Suzi Q. Smith is an award-winning artist, activist and educator who lives in Denver, Colorado. Her background is in opera!

Stephen also draws inspiration from Disney songwriters Howard Ashman and Alan Menken.

Learn more about The Ballad of Baby Doe, an opera commissioned by and premiered at Central City Opera in the 1950s, based on the famous figure of Colorado history Baby Doe Tabor.

Watch the video version of this interview and more at centralcityopera.org/opera-central.

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Katie Nicholson and Phebe Berkowitz-Tanners

Phebe Berkowitz-Tanners grew up in the Central City Opera House. Her family made a second home in our magical, old western town during the summers of 1953-1963 when her father, Metropolitan Opera violist David Berkowitz, played the Festival season with the Central City Opera Orchestra. Now a dedicated supporter of the company, Phebe reminisces with CCO Director of Development Katie Nicholson about mounting backyard opera productions with other children of the Festival company (attended by famous singers and actors of the main stage!), experiencing the world premiere of The Ballad of Baby Doe from behind the scenes and the expansive and international Central City Opera community that she found throughout her career as an opera stage director and production professional.

Guest host Katherine (Katie) Nicholson was recently featured on the Central City Opera blog, take a read get to know her better!

Those of you watching the video version of this interview will notice the poster for Central City Opera’s Voice Your Dreams Endowment Campaign behind Katie. If you want to learn more and/or contribute to the Campaign to help our company endure long into the future, contact Katie at knicholson@centralcityopera.org or 303-331-7015!

Special thanks to Central City Opera Office Administrator Wanda M. Larson who’s helped us keep in close contact with our guest, Phebe, throughout the years and continues to show her passion for unforgettable Central City Opera experiences and community. You’ll probably recognize her if you’ve been up to the summer Festival, she’s the Gift Shop Admin/Buyer, too!Wanda Larson

Historical preservation is a pillar of Central City Opera’s mission. Learn about the dozens of historic properties we own and maintain. Explore more Central City history, and even schedule a tour at www.gilpinhistory.org.

“The famous ghost town” of Nevadaville is just up the street from Central City. Learn more about it at www.uncovercolorado.com.

Like many patrons and visitors, Phebe mentions paranormal experiences in and around our properties. Have you encountered something ghostly in Central City?

Phebe talks about many exciting moments and incredible figures from Central City Opera, including:

Phebe spent her first summer at Central City Opera in 1953, the production was Bizet’s Carmen. She was 7 and her sister was 9. They fell in love with the music, sitting in on every rehearsal, and they began the tradition of performing their own versions of the season’s operas in their backyard with the other children of the Festival company. They’d string up a sheet to make a stage curtain, and star actors and singers would even come to see their shows! According to Phebe, these “parodies” and performances went on to inspire the tradition of our famous singing ushers.

Ushers at Central City Opera, 1960. Photo provided by Phebe Berkowitz-Tanners

You’ll hear the famous Risë Stevens recording of Carmen that Phebe and her sister loved so much as background music during this podcast.
Wonderful performers Phebe recalls knowing as a child—some of whom attended her backyard productions—were Julie Harris, Tammy Grimes, Shirley Booth, Arlene Saunders.
One of Phebe’s favorite memories of Central City Opera was the world premiere of The Ballad of Baby Doe in 1956. She was 10 years old at the time, and she remembers all the excitement and artistry of composer Douglas Moore, librettist John La Touche, director and renowned choreographer Hanya Holm, director Edwin Levy and starring sopranos Dolores Wilson and Leyna Gabriele, all working together on this brand new opera. Read more about Baby Doe Tabor as a historical figure and the opera based on her life on the Central City Opera blog!

From left to right: Edwin Levy, Hanya Holm, Douglas Moore, and John Latouche, original creative team for THE BALLAD OF BABY DOE. Photo provided by Phebe Berkowitz-Tanners.

Cyril Richard—perhaps best remembered as Captain Hook in the Mary Martin musical production of Peter Pan—played Don Andres in La Perichole at Central City Opera in 1958. Phebe talks about how he kindly reassured her little brother, who had made a loud mistake on stage while playing a non-singing role in the production.
Over her summers at Central City Opera, Phebe memorized 17 operas along with the other children. “It was incredible musical education,” she says, “it was all about the music.”
Phebe points out, “in those days all the operas [in Central City] were performed in English.” Throughout history it’s been common practice for operas to be adapted to the vernacular of the place they’re being performed. In recent years—especially in the United States—operas are more commonly performed in their original language. Wonder where the performance trends in this 400-year-old artform will take us next!
Since various opera companies and orchestras perform during different times of the year, many musicians play in multiple ensembles like Phebe’s dad. For instance many orchestra members at Central City Opera also played with the Metropolitan Opera, and today our orchestra shares many musicians with the Colorado Symphony.
The Berkowitz family stayed in a historic house that, during those years, was named after Gypsy Rose Lee (1911-1970). Famous for her burlesque act, Lee was also an actor, author, playwright and all-around fascinating figure that inspired and captured the kids’ imagination.

Phebe (right) and her brother Robert at the Gypsy Rose Lee House, 1953. Photo provided by Phebe Berkowitz-Tanners

As an adult, Phebe went on to build a career as an opera director and production professional, herself. Learn more about some of the figures and references she makes in this interview:

She snagged a job as an intern in makeup and costumes with Hamburg State Opera as a young woman. As she was such a keen observer during rehearsals, Gian Carlo Menotti—the composer of the world-premiere production of Help, Help, the Globolinks! they were producing—asked her to call the light cues. Even with her very limited German vocabulary, she was up to the task!
After that, Hamburg State Opera Artistic Director Rolf Liebermann hired her on as lighting stage manager. Later, he took Phebe with him as a stage director when he joined Paris Opera as Artistic Director.
Phebe enjoyed many years as a part of the Metropolitan Opera Company, as an assistant stage director, director for revivals and Executive Stage Director (1974-2016).
Her time with the Met Opera began when August Everding brought her along as his personal assistant for Tristan und Isolde (1971), which was Rudolf Bing’s last new production.
Central City Opera Artistic Director Emeritus John Moriarty is also a close friend and mentor to Phebe. While they didn’t cross paths at CCO, he taught her to stage manage at Lake George Opera—now Opera Saratoga—where they worked together for three years.
Read Phebe’s general bio at centralcityopera.org/opera-central

Join Phebe in supporting the community and artistry of Central City Opera for many years to come. Find all kinds of ways to donate at centralcityopera.org/support-us

Thanks for listening!

Musical excerpts featured in this podcast:

Carmen by Georges Bizet. Mezzo-soprano Risë Stevens (1913-2013) sings the Act 1 “Habanera.” Recording with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in approximately 1948 and conducted by Erich Leinsdorf.
The Ballad of Baby Doe by Douglas Moore, Act 1, Scene 2 “Willow Song.” Recorded in 1959 at the New York City Opera Company with soprano Beverly Sills (1929 – 2007) as Baby Doe and Walter Cassel (1910-2000) as Horace Tabor. Conducted by Emerson Buckley (1916-1989). (Cassel and Buckley were part of the original 1956 production at Central City Opera in these same roles.)
The Girl of the Golden West by Giacomo Puccini, Act 1 with soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek as Minnie and tenor Yusif Eyvazov as Dick Johnson. Recorded at the Metropolitan Opera and featured on PBS’s Great Performances.

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Phebe Berkowitz-Tanners grew up in the Central City Opera House. Her family made a second home in our magical, old western town during the summers of 1953-1963 when her father, Metropolitan Opera violist David Berkowitz, played the Festival season with the Central City Opera Orchestra. Now a dedicated supporter of the company, Phebe reminisces with CCO Director of Development Katie Nicholson about mounting backyard opera productions with other children of the Festival company (attended by famous singers and actors of the main stage!), experiencing the world premiere of The Ballad of Baby Doe from behind the scenes and the expansive and international Central City Opera community that she found throughout her career as an opera stage director and production professional.

Guest host Katherine (Katie) Nicholson was recently featured on the Central City Opera blog, take a read get to know her better!

Those of you watching the video version of this interview will notice the poster for Central City Opera’s Voice Your Dreams Endowment Campaign behind Katie. If you want to learn more and/or contribute to the Campaign to help our company endure long into the future, contact Katie at knicholson@centralcityopera.org or 303-331-7015!

Special thanks to Central City Opera Office Administrator Wanda M. Larson who’s helped us keep in close contact with our guest, Phebe, throughout the years and continues to show her passion for unforgettable Central City Opera experiences and community. You’ll probably recognize her if you’ve been up to the summer Festival, she’s the Gift Shop Admin/Buyer, too!

Historical preservation is a pillar of Central City Opera’s mission. Learn about the dozens of historic properties we own and maintain. Explore more Central City history, and even schedule a tour at www.gilpinhistory.org.

“The famous ghost town” of Nevadaville is just up the street from Central City. Learn more about it at www.uncovercolorado.com.

Like many patrons and visitors, Phebe mentions paranormal experiences in and around our properties. Have you encountered something ghostly in Central City?

Phebe talks about many exciting moments and incredible figures from Central City Opera, including:

Phebe spent her first summer at Central City Opera in 1953, the production was Bizet’s Carmen. She was 7 and her sister was 9. They fell in love with the music, sitting in on every rehearsal, and they began the tradition of performing their own versions of the season’s operas in their backyard with the other children of the Festival company. They’d string up a sheet to make a stage curtain, and star actors and singers would even come to see their shows! According to Phebe, these “parodies” and performances went on to inspire the tradition of our famous singing ushers.
You’ll hear the famous Risë Stevens recording of Carmen that Phebe and her sister loved so much as background music during this podcast.
Wonderful performers Phebe recalls knowing as a child—some of whom attended her backyard productions—were Julie Harris, Tammy Grimes, Shirley Booth, Arlene Saunders.
One of Phebe’s favorite memories of Central City Opera was the world premiere of The Ballad of Baby Doe in 1956. She was 10 years old at the time, and she remembers all the excitement and artistry of composer Douglas Moore, librettist John La Touche, director and renowned choreographer Hanya Holm, director Edwin Levy and starring sopranos Dolores Wilson and Leyna Gabriele, all working together on this brand new opera. Read more about Baby Doe Tabor as a historical figure and the opera based on her life on the Central City Opera blog!
Cyril Richard—perhaps best remembered as Captain Hook in the Mary Martin musical production of Peter Pan—played Don Andres in La Perichole at Central City Opera in 1958. Phebe talks about how he kindly reassured her little brother, who had made a loud mistake on stage while playing a non-singing role in the production.
Over her summers at Central City Opera, Phebe memorized 17 operas along with the other children. “It was incredible musical education,” she says, “it was all about the music.”
Phebe points out, “in those days all the operas [in Central City] were performed in English.” Throughout history it’s been common practice for operas to be adapted to the vernacular of the place they’re being performed. In recent years—especially in the United States—operas are more commonly performed in their original language. Wonder where the performance trends in this 400-year-old artform will take us next!
Since various opera companies and orchestras perform during different times of the year, many musicians play in multiple ensembles like Phebe’s dad. For instance many orchestra members at Central City Opera also played with the Metropolitan Opera, and today our orchestra shares many musicians with the Colorado Symphony.
The Berkowitz family stayed in a historic house that, during those years, was named after Gypsy Rose Lee (1911-1970). Famous for her burlesque act, Lee was also an actor, author, playwright and all-around fascinating figure that inspired and captured the kids’ imagination.

As an adult, Phebe went on to build a career as an opera director and production professional, herself. Learn more about some of the figures and references she makes in this interview:

She snagged a job as an intern in makeup and costumes with Hamburg State Opera as a young woman. As she was such a keen observer during rehearsals, Gian Carlo Menotti—the composer of the world-premiere production of Help, Help, the Globolinks! they were producing—asked her to call the light cues. Even with her very limited German vocabulary, she was up to the task!
After that, Hamburg State Opera Artistic Director Rolf Liebermann hired her on as lighting stage manager. Later, he took Phebe with him as a stage director when he joined Paris Opera as Artistic Director.
Phebe enjoyed many years as a part of the Metropolitan Opera Company, as an assistant stage director, director for revivals and Executive Stage Director (1974-2016).
Her time with the Met Opera began when August Everding brought her along as his personal assistant for Tristan und Isolde (1971), which was Rudolf Bing’s last new production.
Central City Opera Artistic Director Emeritus John Moriarty is also a close friend and mentor to Phebe. While they didn’t cross paths at CCO, he taught her to stage manage at Lake George Opera—now Opera Saratoga—where they worked together for three years.
Read Phebe’s general bio at centralcityopera.org/opera-central

Join Phebe in supporting the community and artistry of Central City Opera for many years to come. Find all kinds of ways to donate at centralcityopera.org/support-us

Thanks for listening!

Musical excerpts featured in this podcast:

Carmen by Georges Bizet. Mezzo-soprano Risë Stevens (1913-2013) sings the Act 1 “Habanera.” Recording with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in approximately 1948 and conducted by Erich Leinsdorf.
The Ballad of Baby Doe by Douglas Moore, Act 1, Scene 2 “Willow Song.” Recorded in 1959 at the New York City Opera Company with soprano Beverly Sills (1929 – 2007) as Baby Doe and Walter Cassel (1910-2000) as Horace Tabor. Conducted by Emerson Buckley (1916-1989). (Cassel and Buckley were part of the original 1956 production at Central City Opera in these same roles.)
The Girl of the Golden West by Giacomo Puccini, Act 1 with soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek as Minnie and tenor Yusif Eyvazov as Dick Johnson. Recorded at the Metropolitan Opera and featured on PBS’s Great Performances.

View Details

Top row: Mica Dominguez-Robinson, Margaret Siegrist. Bottom row: Armando Contreras, Daniela Guzmán-Égüez.

En Mis Palabras artists share their thoughts and experiences on racially accurate casting, representation in the performing arts and the importance of telling diverse stories on the operatic stage in today’s episode. Guests include Mica Dominguez-Robinson, who originated the leading role of Ana Maria, and brand new cast members Daniela Guzmán-Égüez (Ana Maria) and Armando Contreras (Esteban). Hosted by CCO Marketing Content Manager and Opera Central Producer Margaret Siegrist.

Central City Opera commissioned our bilingual, one-act opera En Mis Palabras/In My Own Words more than 15 years ago, with the goal of acknowledging the 1/5 Latino population here in Colorado. The opera tackles themes of immigration, family and coming of age and is performed regularly as a part of year-round education and community engagement programming. Over 19,000 people have seen it since its 2006 premiere. Central City Opera committed to casting the lead role of Ana Maria only with LatinX artists since the opera was commissioned, and that practice has been honored to this day.

Mica Dominguez-Robinson as "Ana Maria" in the early days of En Mis Palabras/In My Own Words

This third and final conversation focused on En Mis Palabras and diversity, equity and inclusion in the arts amplifies the voices of the artists of color who perform in the program!

Settle in for coffee and conversation with us. Text PALABRAS to 20123, and find great deals on over 400 coffees roasted to order and shipped to you by the bag from the nation’s best roasters. A portion of all purchases goes to Central City Opera thanks to our partners at Eat4Art.

A note on En Mis Palabras personnel and casting: “Touring artists,” a term you heard during the interview, refers to the singers, instrumentalists and production staff who perform as part of our year-round education programs. Most shows, including En Mis Palabras, are cast with multiple artists in each role so that Central City Opera is able to best serve our communities from a scheduling perspective. The artists you’ll meet in these episodes are just a few of the many current and past cast members of the show!

A scene featuring conflict between father and son, performed at History Colorado in 2015 by (left to right) Leslie Remmert Soich, Steve Taylor, James Baumgardner, and Jovahnna Anderson Borboa. Photo by Amanda Tipton.

Audience engrossed in a performance of En Mis Palabras at History Colorado in 2015. Photo by Amanda Tipton.

What are Mica, Dani and Armando up to in the near future?

Both Armando and Dani perform in Boulder Opera Company’s November 2020 production of La bohème, set in the era of COVID-19. Learn more and buy tickets at com
Armando teaches voice lessons and is currently accepting new students. Apply at https://resonance.app.link/uHPOjxVKmab
Mica looks forward to performing the following roles in postponed productions: Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, the “Day by Day” singer in Godspell, ensemble in Sweeney Todd and Bright Star and returning as a featured singer in the Cirque Dreams National Tour.

Mica talks about a couple momentous moments for inclusive casting in musical theater:

Brittney Johnson Makes History as Broadway's First Glinda of Color in Wicked
Broadway's Phantom of the Opera Announces First Asian-American Christine

Many performers of color and organizations championing diversity, equity and inclusion were mentioned in the episode. Check out the links below for more information:

Jessye Norman, opera singer
Leontyne Price, opera singer
Nadine Sierra, opera singer
Pretty Yende, opera singer
Frontiers: Fort Worth Opera Libretto Workshop
Lyric Opera of Kansas City

Our host mentioned a story about the famously voluptuous opera singer Luisa Tetrazzini (1871–1940) playing a character who was meant to be wasting away with consumption (tuberculosis) as a testament to the lack of importance placed on type-casting during different eras of opera history.

Armando talked about preference against bilingual communication in United States’ schools during the ‘70s and ‘80s that influenced the experiences of his family members. Read more about the “English-only Movement” in education.

Dani talks about “zarzuela,” a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular songs, as well as dance.”

Shout out to the educators and educational institutions referenced in this episode:

Denver School of the Arts
University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music
Vinson Cole, Armando’s voice teacher

This episode features musical excerpts from our 2008 archival recording of En Mis Palabras. Composer, Roger Ames. Librettist, Jeffrey Gilden. Ana Maria, Jennifer DeDominici. Rodolfo, Adam Sattley. Esteban, Steven Taylor. Abuela, Leslie Remmert Soich. Piano, Deborah Schmit-Lobis. Guitar, Rick Chinisci.

View Details

En Mis Palabras artists share their thoughts and experiences on racially accurate casting, representation in the performing arts and the importance of telling diverse stories on the operatic stage in today’s episode. Guests include Mica Dominguez-Robinson, who originated the leading role of Ana Maria, and brand-new cast members Daniela Guzmán-Égüez (Ana Maria) and Armando Contreras (Esteban). Hosted by CCO Marketing Content Manager and Opera Central Producer Margaret Siegrist.

Central City Opera commissioned our bilingual, one-act opera En Mis Palabras/In My Own Words more than 15 years ago, with the goal of acknowledging the 1/5 Latino population here in Colorado. The opera tackles themes of immigration, family and coming of age and is performed regularly as a part of year-round education and community engagement programming. Over 19,000 people have seen it since its 2006 premiere. Central City Opera committed to casting the lead role of Ana Maria only with LatinX artists since the opera was commissioned, and that practice has been honored to this day.

This third and final conversation focused on En Mis Palabras and diversity, equity and inclusion in the arts amplifies the voices of the artists of color who perform in the program!

Settle in for coffee and conversation with us. Text PALABRAS to 20123, and find great deals on over 400 coffees roasted to order and shipped to you by the bag from the nation’s best roasters. A portion of all purchases goes to Central City Opera thanks to our partners at Eat4Art.

A note on En Mis Palabras personnel and casting: “Touring artists,” a term you heard during the interview, refers to the singers, instrumentalists and production staff who perform as part of our year-round education programs. Most shows, including En Mis Palabras, are cast with multiple artists in each role so that Central City Opera is able to best serve our communities from a scheduling perspective. The artists you’ll meet in these episodes are just a few of the many current and past cast members of the show!

What are Mica, Dani and Armando up to in the near future?

Both Armando and Dani perform in Boulder Opera Company’s November 2020 production of La bohème, set in the era of COVID-19. Learn more and buy tickets at boulderoperacompany.com
Armando teaches voice lessons and is currently accepting new students. Apply at Resonance.
Mica looks forward to performing the following roles in postponed productions: Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, the “Day by Day” singer in Godspell, ensemble in Sweeney Todd and Bright Star and returning as a featured singer in the Cirque Dreams National Tour.

Mica talks about a couple momentous moments for inclusive casting in musical theater:

Brittney Johnson Makes History as Broadway's First Glinda of Color in Wicked
Broadway's Phantom of the Opera Announces First Asian-American Christine

Many performers of color and organizations championing diversity, equity and inclusion were mentioned in the episode. Check out the links below for more information:

Jessye Norman, opera singer
Leontyne Price, opera singer
Nadine Sierra, opera singer
Pretty Yende, opera singer
Frontiers: Fort Worth Opera Libretto Workshop
Lyric Opera of Kansas City

Our host mentioned a story about the famously voluptuous opera singer Luisa Tetrazzini (1871–1940) playing a character who was meant to be wasting away with consumption (tuberculosis) as a testament to the lack of importance placed on type-casting during different eras of opera history.

Armando talked about preference against bilingual communication in United States’ schools during the ‘70s and ‘80s that influenced the experiences of his family members. Read more about the “English-only Movement” in education.

Dani talks about “zarzuela,” a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular songs, as well as dance.”

Shout out to the educators and educational institutions referenced in this episode:

Denver School of the Arts
University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music
Vinson Cole, Armando’s voice teacher

This episode features musical excerpts from our 2008 archival recording of En Mis Palabras. Composer, Roger Ames. Librettist, Jeffrey Gilden. Ana Maria, Jennifer DeDominici. Rodolfo, Adam Sattley. Esteban, Steven Taylor. Abuela, Leslie Remmert Soich. Piano, Deborah Schmit-Lobis. Guitar, Rick Chinisci.

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Top row: Anthony ("Tony") Garcia and Margaret Siegrist
Bottom row: Deb Morrow

The conversation on our original, bilingual opera En Mis Palabras/In My Own Words and diversity, equity and inclusion in the arts continues. Today we discuss Su Teatro and Central City Opera’s collaboration on the En Mis Palabras workshop and premiere, Denver’s rich Chicano history and art as cultural affirmation. Featuring some of the original artistic minds behind the opera, director Tony Garcia and former CCO Director of Education and Community Engagement Deb Morrow, the interview is hosted by CCO Marketing Content Manager and Opera Central producer Margaret Siegrist.

Central City Opera commissioned En Mis Palabras/In My Own Words more than 15 years ago, with the goal of acknowledging the 1/5 Latino population here in Colorado. The opera tackles themes of immigration, family and coming of age and is performed regularly as a part of Central City Opera’s year-round education and community engagement programming. Over 19,000 people have seen it since its 2006 premiere.

Watch the video version of this podcast episode on the Central City Opera website, centralcityopera.org/opera-central.

Settle in for coffee and conversation with us! Text PALABRAS to 20123, and find great deals on over 400 coffees roasted to order and shipped to you by the bag from the nation’s best roasters. A portion of all purchases goes to Central City Opera thanks to our partners at Eat4Art. Cheers!

Left to right: artist Michael Gorgan's renderings of the backdrops for En Mis Palabras/In My Own Words. Stage right, Center stage, and Stage left

The set of En Mis Palabras/In My Own Words complete with furniture and props. Design by Michael Gorgan

The Denver Civic Theatre, home of Su Teatro Cultural & Performing Arts Center, located at 721 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, Colorado.

Central City Opera collaborated with Tony Garcia and Su Teatro, where he’s Executive Artistic Director, for the workshop and premiere of En Mis Palabras in 2006. Learn more about Denver’s Su Teatro Cultural & Performing Arts Center at suteatro.org and in the words of Tony Garcia. Born from the Chicano Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and 70s, Su Teatro (Your Theater) began in 1972 as a student-organized group at the University of Colorado at Denver. In 2020, the company celebrates 10 years at the Denver Civic Theater—an iconic fixture of the Santa Fe Arts District—making Su Teatro the company to make its home in the theater for the longest period of time of any other group, as well as the first to own it. Learn more about Su Teatro’s history and productions on the company’s website.

Director Tony Garcia (right) working with original cast members Thomas Erik Angerhofer (seated) and James Baumgardner (standing, left) during the first rehearsals of En Mis Palabras/In My Own Words.

Left to right: Composer Roger Ames with guitarist Rick Chinisci and pianist Deborah Schmit-Lobis during the first rehearsals of En Mis Palabras/In My Own Words at Su Teatro.

Referenced a few times throughout the interview, John Moore profiled Tony’s life and career in a 2019 article about his Community Service in the Arts Award. “The Bonfils-Stanton Foundation saluted Su Teatro Executive Artistic Director Tony Garcia for four decades of promoting Latino culture in Denver through the performing arts by presenting him with its Community Service in the Arts Award on May 14, 2019.”

Deb Morrow has been General Manager at the Arvada Chorale since 2019. Learn more about the community chorus and its 43-year history arvadachorale.org.

Composer Roger Ames and librettist Jeffery Gilden were also important members of En Mis Palabras/In My Own Words’ original creative team. Hear more from Roger about the making of En Mis Palabras and recent, collaborative language/dialect improvements to the libretto in Season 5, Episode 4 of the Central City Opera Podcast.

Left to right: librettist Jeffrey Gilden, director Tony Garcia, and composer Roger Ames

Music! Words! Opera!, an opera and musical theater “create and produce” program that Deb mentions throughout the episode, is still an integral part of Central City Opera’s programs. Learn more (and book!) on our 2020 fall virtual programming webpage. Music! Words! Opera! is available in the form of CCO teaching artist-guided residencies as well as workshops for educators.

Composer and teacher Roger Ames works with teachers during the Central City Opera Music! Words! Opera! Educator Workshop

More projects by Tony Garcia referenced in the interview include:

Interview with a Mexican is based on Gustavo Arellano’s “Ask a Mexican” columns that ran in Westword for a decade. Arellano is now a writer at the Los Angeles Times.
Tony directed And Now Miguel for the Arvada Center (circa 2000).
The Japanese notion of “searching for the imperfection that people keep” is referenced several times throughout the interview, including a play based on the concept directed by Tony Garcia.

Read more about history and social context presented in this episode:

The Chicano Movement or “El Movimiento:” history and recommended resources from MSU.
“English-only Movement” in education
“Zarzuela is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular songs, as well as dance.”
American playwright, screenwriter, film director and actor Luis Miguel Valdez is regarded as the father of Chicano theater in the United States. Valdez is well known for creating El Teatro Campesino and supporting César Chávez and the United Farm Workers.
Corrido is a style of narrative or storytelling involving song and meter, often dealing with themes of oppression and social turmoil. The style was popular during the Mexican Revolutions of the 20th century and is still common today in various cultures.

This episode features musical excerpts from our 2008 archival recording of En Mis Palabras:

Composer, Roger Ames. Librettist, Jeffrey Gilden. Ana Maria, Jennifer DeDominici. Rodolfo, Adam Sattley. Esteban, Steven Taylor. Abuela, Leslie Remmert Soich. Piano, Deborah Schmit-Lobis. Guitar, Rick Chinisci.

View Details

The conversation on our original, bilingual opera En Mis Palabras/In My Own Words and diversity, equity and inclusion in the arts continues. Today we discuss Su Teatro and Central City Opera’s collaboration on the En Mis Palabras workshop and premiere, Denver’s rich Chicano history and art as cultural affirmation. Featuring some of the original artistic minds behind the opera, director Tony Garcia and former CCO Director of Education and Community Engagement Deb Morrow, the interview is hosted by CCO Marketing Content Manager and Opera Central producer Margaret Siegrist.