Photos:©2005
FanFaire |
Party time! On September 10, 2024 THE ELLIE opened its doors...
And the guests came from
all over: the citizens of Denver - so proud of their
new house, media people from out-of-state and across the
seas, the high and mighty in politics, industry and the
opera world - dressed in their festive best for this truly
grand occasion. After all, how many opera houses get built
during one's life time? And how often does one get to attend
the opening of a brand new opera house?
Denver Mayor John
Hickenlooper and his wife Helen Thorpe were
honorary chairs of the celebration while Mary Caulkins and
Marcia Robinson served as co-chairs. [Above:
photos of the pre-concert cocktail reception and the final
curtain call.]
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"God's smiling on us!"
 Not
surprisingly, among those who really got caught up in the excitement
of the evening were the people who played a big role in shaping
Opera Colorado and bringing The Ellie to life. At the head of
the list:
SUSAN and JEREMY SHAMOS: Co-Chairs and long-time benefactors
of Opera Colorado, who shared their excitement in an interview
with FanFaire:
"It's a beautiful building, and it has such a wonderful
sound. Of course, if it hadn't sounded right, we all would have
been disappointed and wouldn't have had so much fun. But the
fact is it came out so well - so we're just more than excited.
For a building project, it got done unusually quickly - it really
was pretty amazing. It just seemed to come together. I don't
know what it is - perhaps it's that God's smiling on us!"
[Click HERE
for the interview and HERE
for the story on the chandelier which they co-donated
to the city.]
ELEANOR NEWMAN CAULKINS:
Denver's "First Lady of opera" / Lifetime Honorary
Chair and long-time benefactor of Opera Colorado, in whose honor
the opening concert celebration was held
 "I
think I was in a dream that night!" she said in a phone
interview with FanFaire.
Of her late husband's generous donation that earned the Caulkins
family the right to name the opera house in her honor, she said:
" It was his gift to the city of Denver. He wanted to
be able to make it possible for people to enjoy Denver as much
as we have."
And she added: "I hope that we have been enough of an
example to our children, that they can appreciate how important
it is to participate in your community - to take part in a way
that is meaningful not just to yourself and your family and
your friends but to a larger, wider public. And I think that
goes to whether it's public service, or philanthropy or anything
else."
[Click HERE
for the interview.]
Shamos and Caulkins photos:©2005
Michael Martin
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AT THE STATUE OF VENUS:
Jake Heggie's commisioned work takes its place among opera's favorite
arias
The highlight of the celebration was the Gala Concert that featured
performances by some of opera's most celebrated singers. Produced
by Opera Colorado, it was a wonderful program of arias that covered
the entire spectrum of opera - from baroque to contemporary, and
therefore the whole range of human emotion - from the downright
silly to the sublime, with full orchestral support provided by
the Colorado Symphony under the masterful direction of guest conductor
Stephen Lord. If you were in the audience listening to opera for
the first time that evening, you certainly got an excellent introduction
to the art form - in a hall designed for superior acoustics, perfect
sightlines, and maximum listening comfort.
The centerpiece of the program was the piece commissioned for
the occasion by Jeremy and
Susan Shamos for Opera Colorado, "At the Statue
of Venus," a charming operatic scene composed by the popular
American composer Jake Heggie
with libretto by the eminent playwright Terence McNally. Performed
by soprano Kristin Clayton
with the composer himself at the piano, the humorous piece, very
contemporary in theme, was a big hit with the audience.
CLICK HERE 
to listen to the the complete work. (Streamed
here with the permission of Mr. Heggie, Ms. Clayton and Opera
Colorado. Score© and courtesy of Jake Heggie)
Verdi's famous drinking song from La Traviata in which
all of the singers participated provided a most fitting ending
to the concert. The eminent benefactors and patrons of Opera Colorado
and The Ellie, special guests, and the artists were then honored
at a dinner reception catered by Kevin Taylor at the Chambers
Grant Salon. Dancing to the music of Peter Duchin and his orchestra
brought the celebration to a lovely conclusion.
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