ORO Editions

Lee Holdridge

Nature surrounded us in all its glory. This is what I remember about growing up in Costa Rica. The vast array and diversity of ecological zones attracted my scientist father and so many other scientists from around the world to come to Costa Rica to study, to research and to hopefully preserve this remarkable ecosystem. The miracle is that the “Ticos” themselves came to appreciate this bounty and amidst so many struggles with dogmatic thinking and unbearable and insatiable greed, they endeavored to do their best to try to preserve and nurture this natural treasure. Years later, working on the opera Dulce Rosa, when I saw Jenny’s photographs and designs for the opera, so many emotions and memories re-awakened within me. I relived being back in that dimension of those hard-working people and their beautiful land. These feelings poured through my mind and found their way into many corners of the score, as I worked to set this tragic and beautiful story to music.