Central City Opera Guild Grapevine Newsletter Spring 2021

A PUBLICATION OF CENTRAL CITY OPERA GUILD - SPRING 2021

CENTRAL CITY OPERA TO PRESENT 2021 FESTIVAL ALL MAINSTAGE PRODUCTIONS WILL BE HELD THIS SUMMER AT TWO BEAUTIFUL OUTDOOR VENUES. Central City Opera is excited to announce that it has partnered with The Hudson Gardens & Event Center to present the 2021 Festival mainstage productions. Rodgers & Hammerstein’s beloved musical Carousel and Verdi’s thriller, Rigoletto, will be produced as open-air, socially-distanced performances at Hudson Gardens, while Purcell’s bewitching, hour-long opera Dido and Aeneas and the CCO Al Fresco concert series will be presented in the Opera House Gardens in Central City.

TUNE IN TO THE THEATRE OF DREAMS GALA LIVE STREAM ON APRIL 23 The 2021 Theatre of Dreams Gala will take place via live stream and will feature a virtual concert from former Apprentice Artists around the world. There will be no cost to attend, but viewers are encouraged to raise their virtual paddle and bid on Live Auction items!

Our popular Dream Events are being finalized, with some past favorites still in the mix. Continue to check https://centralcityopera. org/gala and your email for registration information.

UPGRADE YOUR WARDROBE AND THE CCO GUILD WILL BENEFIT FROM 15% OF YOUR PURCHASE! SATURDAY MAY 8 For more information see Page 7

“We had hoped that by now it would be safe to return to the Opera House and resume normal operations,” said Pelham “Pat” Pearce, Central City Opera’s General/Artistic Director. “In order to prioritize the health and safety of our patrons, performers and company members, we determined it was necessary to secure an outdoor venue in order to return to live, in-person performances this summer. We are thrilled to partner with Hudson Gardens to host our 2021 Festival in their beautiful outdoor amphitheater.”

“One of America’s finest theatrical achievements,” Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel follows the ups, downs, round and rounds of life and love.

Muddling through small town expectations, meager means and conflicting dreams, Julie, Billy and their daughter, Louise learn “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

Central City Opera’s rendition of Rigoletto, a topsy turvy suspense, teems with twists of plot and twists of fate. A devilish Duke and his tortured court jester, Rigoletto, clash over the jester’s beautiful daughter in this standard of the Italian opera repertoire. Rigoletto pits humor against heartbreak in a joke gone too far, set to some of the best-known music in all of opera.

Sprung from epic poetry and myth, Dido and Aeneas is an opulent tale of power and passion between two formidable rulers and the Sorceress who toys with their fates. This gem of the early music canon will be performed in the intimate Opera House Gardens, featuring singers from the BonfilsStanton Foundation Artists Training Program, which sees graduates off into international performance careers and critical acclaim.

“We realize that this season won’t be a typical Central City Opera experience, but we are committed to bringing audiences quality productions, incredible music and wonderful artistry this summer,” said Pearce. “We are Continued on Page 6

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2021 SPRING GRAPEVINE PRESIDENT’S LETTER Dear Fellow CCO Guild Members: We are so excited to announce there will be a festival this year!!

The Central City Opera has created a partnership with Hudson Gardens & Event Center to host the 2021 Festival in their beautiful outdoor amphitheater. The venue, located just outside of Denver in Littleton, is easily accessible with lots of parking. The space will easily accommodate social/physical distancing for our patrons and performers. This will be a wonderful opportunity to share Central City Opera with our Denver Front Range guests.

The mainstage productions of Carousel and Rigoletto will be produced as open-air, socially-distanced performances at Hudson Gardens. Central City Opera will also be present in Central City this summer as Company members will reside and rehearse there throughout the festival season. The production of Dido and Aeneas will be presented in the Central City Opera House Gardens. Additionally, the Al Fresco outdoor performances have also been planned in Central City.

SUMMER FESTIVAL STARS HOST VIRTUAL HAPPY HOURS WITH CCO During the summer, we like to “Mix and Mingle” with our resident performers after the show. This year, we take the festivities virtual for CCO Artist Happy Hours with main stage cast members. They’ll mix up their favorite beverage while in conversation about their stage characters, hobbies and other fun facts! Register at centralcityopera.org/2021-artist-happy-hours.

SCHEDULE: Wednesday, May 12 at 5 PM

JENNIFER DEDOMINICI (Carrie Pipperidge in Carousel) Wednesday, May 26 at 5 PM

Our first In Person Event of 2021!! We will be hosting our Spring Membership Party at the Wellshire Inn on June 3, 2021!

Volunteer opportunities!

May 15 and 19: House warming Days will be held in Central City. Contact Cathy Grone at cggroene@msn. com

ANNA CHRISTY (Julie Jordan in Carousel) Wednesday, June 23 at 5:PM

June 9: Planting Day in Central City. Contact Christina Dinegar at christinadinegar@gmail.com The Central City Opera Gala will be held on April 23, 2021. There are some really fun auction items such as Dinner on the Opera Stage, Dinner Al Fresco, Tabernash Mountain Home that sleeps six. Look for emails from Central City Opera with all the thrilling auction items!!

We will be virtual again for L’Espirt. Our presenting sponsor again this year for Petit L’Esprit is Sanctuary Wealth Advisors. Thank you, Marty Erzinger, for your continued support. Huge thank you to Karen Christiansen for the use of her lovely home. The McCourt Mansion will serve as the venue for our event.

So look forward to seeing you all at the Spring Membership Party!!

With gratitude, Cindy Koch

ALEKSEY BOGDANOV (Rigoletto in Rigoletto)

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2021 GUILD MEMBER UPDATES Jassen, Sue and Lee Principal Couple/Family Mr. and Mrs. Lee K. Janssen 6051 South Franklin Street Centennial, CO 80121-2427 H: (303) 936-8339 susan.g.janssen@gmail.com Jordan, Christy and Chris Chorus Ms. Christy Jordan and Mr. Christopher B. Little 7042 East Mexico Avenue Denver, CO 80224-2244 H: (303) 210-2676 C: (303) 758-2258 christy.jordan@comcast.net Pientka, Patrick and Susan Diva/Divo Couple/Family Got 30 minutes to spare during your lunch break?

Expand your knowledge of Central City Opera’s upcoming repertoire and find out what goes on behind the scenes by attending our virtual “Lunch & Learn” series on Zoom and Facebook Live! All streams are free and will be recorded for those who can’t make the live presentation.

SCHEDULE: Tuesday, March 30 at 12:00 PM Rigoletto: A Music Historian’s Perspective with Betsy Schwarm Tuesday, April 6 at 12:00 PM Rigoletto “What to Listen For” with John Baril, CCO Music Director Tuesday, April 13 at 12:00 PM Backstage at the Opera: Wigs & Makeup with Jason Allen, wig master Tuesday, April 27 at 12:00 PM Producing a Festival in COVID Times with Karen Federing, CCO Production Director Tuesday, May 4 at 12:00 PM Carousel: A Music Historian’s Perspective with Betsy Schwarm Tuesday, May 11 at 12:00 PM Carousel: “What to Listen For” with Chris Zemliauskas, conductor Tuesday, May 18 at 12:00 PM Dido & Aeneas with Betsy Schwarm

Mr. and Mrs. Patrick H. Pientka 10178 East Fair Circle Englewood, CO 80111-5450 H: (303) 694-3656 susanblp@gmail.com Russo, Sally and Richard Diva/Divo Couple/Family Mr. and Mrs. Richard M. Russo 5555 South Steele Street Greenwood Village, CO 80121-1904 H: (303) 220-7553 sallyrusso22@hotmail.com

SAVE THE DATE: JUNE 3 FOR THE LIVE AND IN-PERSON CCO GUILD ANNUAL SPRING MEMBERSHIP PARTY Reconnect with old friends, bring a new opera-loving friend, and learn about Central City Opera’s plans for the re-imagined 2021 Summer Festival Season Thursday June 3 at 5:30 PM Wellshire Events Center 3333 South Colorado Boulevard, Denver Watch the mail for a formal invitation in late April.

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HISTORIC PROPERTIES PROJECTS UPDATE AND HOUSE WARMING DAYS MAY 15 AND MAY 19 We’re SO excited to be welcoming Central City Opera festival staff (approximately 75 people) once again to their homes away from home in the Opera’s historic properties this summer! Prior to House Warming days we will be finishing Coe house’s projects: kitchen paint, flooring, lighting and furnishings. The new shower stall was installed by Sam Carrington and the improvement is fantastic! We will also check other homes which have not had attention in more than a year. Call for various April and May dates when volunteers will work inside and outside following state health guidelines. Please consider lending a hand for a few hours of light work and fun!

House Warming Days May 15 And May 19 May 15 and 19 we invite Guild members and friends for housewarming and lunch – one of the highlights of Historic Properties’ year! Volunteers will start the day at 9:30 and deliver bedding and kitchen items to the houses. Please be sure to rsvp so we can have a lunch for you. We will also leave housewarming gifts for each resident. The Guild’s gift this year is a health safety packet for each person with a personal thermometer, masks, hand sanitizer and wipes. These packets are running over our usual gift budget so any cash donations would be much appreciated. Checks can be made payable to Central City Opera Association and sent directly to the office to the attention of Guild Historic Properties. As always, Bed Bath and Beyond and Walmart cards are helpful in supplying bedding and kitchen items. Your furniture donations are very helpful – please contact us to discuss details.

Another activity being discussed is the possibility of the Guild hosting tea in Central City at one of the historic properties over the summer. Please let us know if you’d be interested in attending or assisting with such an event.

The care and preparation of the houses is a large job and volunteers are key to this important part of the Opera Season! Many thanks to all of you for your support!

RSVPs or questions: Cathy Groene: 720-205-9058 or cggroene@msn.com

MEDICAL BUILDING HAS LONG ROOTED HISTORY IN CENTRAL CITY The Medical Building (referred to as “Med”) has a long, intriguing history. The two-story brick building is located at 115 – 117 Pine Street, just north of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Central City. The city had begun requiring new structures be built with stone or brick in response to the fire of 1874 which burned most of the downtown area. Typical of Central City architecture, building materials also included the use of rubble stones for the foundation and retaining wall which can be seen from the parking lot and from one of the bedroom windows. Stone lintels top the doors and the flagstone porch spanning the length of the building is bordered by a wrought iron fence.

Gilpin County historical documents show the first recorded deed was in 1863, but no information is available about who may have built there. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Richville did build a frame home on the property in approximately 1865. Nothing has been found to date as to what their professions may have been or how long they lived at the address. Interestingly, the wood home was in the direct path of the devastating 1874 fire, but somehow escaped untouched. The story goes, whoever owned the house at the time had it insured (one of many buildings in town to have insurance) and was greatly disappointed they were not able to collect and rebuild a nicer home! It was shortly thereafter that Mr. Burrell, who is believed to have been a druggist in town, resided in the house. David Henderson purchased the property and erected the brick building that still stands today. He built the building as a commercial property where brother-in-laws Dr. Asquith and Dr. Ashbaugh held their offices for many years. At the time, the building was called the Henderson Block, but thanks to the longest residing tenants, the doctors, it is known as Medical Building The photo above, taken circa 1950, shows a clapboard,

52 siblings came from Scotland to handle his estate and his burial at Fairmount Cemetery in Denver. He had established himself as a quiet, wealthy and well-respected citizen of Central City and his funeral at the Central City Presbyterian Church in 1909 was well attended.

two story building between “Med” and St. Mary’s Catholic Church which was moved when the casinos came to Central City to grace the parking lot along Central City Parkway. The small building also appears at its original location on Pine Street in a photo from 1895.

David Henderson’s pioneer story began when he arrived in Denver from his home in Dundee, Scotland in 1863. He was a carpenter by trade and built houses in Denver for a time until he could afford to follow his mining dream in Central City in 1865. He carefully looked at several claims until he found a group in Russell Gulch who felt they had placer mined all the gold there was and were happy to take the $1,600 Henderson offered. The new owner could see the tailings had not been well washed and began panning. He quickly saw profits so developed a washing plant of sorts to extract $50,000 of gold by the time he finished. He stored the gold in tomato soup cans in the floorboards of his cabin until he sold the claim and the cabin. He moved the cans to a specially built hold in a close friend’s house before he left on a trip to the Black Hills. At the last moment, Henderson decided to pay a visit to the new owner who was moving the small cabin to a new location. While surveying the move Henderson luckily noticed a $1000 soup can he had missed and quickly retrieved it.

His adventure to South Dakota found him in the midst of a stagecoach robbery where the driver and two travelling companions were shot. He returned safely to Central City where he continued mining until 1886 when he became a partner in JenkinsMcCay Hardware as the mechanical manager of the largest store of its kind in the area. At the time of his death he was the CEO of the company and still owned the Henderson Block (today’s Med House). David Henderson had never married so his

After Henderson’s death, Gilpin County records shows the property title transferred to Guy Ashbaugh, most likely one of the doctors’ descendants, perhaps left to him by Mr. Henderson. There were only a few other owners according to the county records between 1912 and 1953 when Central City Opera Association purchased the building from Mr. Thomas Wheeler for $6,777. From 1976 to 1977 exterior as well as interior renovations funded by Julie Penrose’s El Pomar Foundation converted the building to a 10 bedroom, 2 bath house for festival staff. In 2001, additional upgrades were completed including the addition of two baths and one more bedroom. In 2011, the CCOA Guild was tasked with upgrading furnishings for the 11 bedroom house. Julie Hughes, Guild Historic Properties VP at the time, and her team created a comfortable and attractive home occupied by Opera staff for the summer season. Of course, there have been a few replacements over the last 15 years (thanks to Guild donors), but the house continues to be a well-used and important part of housing for the Opera.

PLANTING DAY 2021 – LET’S MAKE CENTRAL CITY GARDENS BEAUTIFUL!!

Please join us to make our Central City Opera House Gardens bloom! We will meet in the gardens on Wednesday, June 9 beginning at 9 AM Dress warmly and bring your mask and gardening tools. We will have a delicious lunch and Guild meeting after planting is finished.

Please RSVP to Nancy Parker at nancyparker303@ gmail.com or 303.320.6620 or to Christina Dinegar at christinadinegar@gmail.com or 303.886.2980. If you are unable to attend and/or would like to donate to help make our gardens beautiful, please visit: centralcityopera.org/2021Gardens or call the Central City Opera Box Office at (303) 292-6700.

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optimistic that we will celebrate our 90th anniversary season with a return to our jewel-box Opera House in 2022!”

The four-week celebration of storytelling and powerful voices features classical music’s biggest talent, the Central City Opera Orchestra and rising stars from the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Artists Training Program.

Central City Opera brings renowned performers who travel the U.S. and internationally, performing at toptier venues such as The Metropolitan Company, Santa Fe Opera, the Salzburg Festival and many more. Company members will reside and rehearse in Central City.

Central City Opera is currently releasing tickets in phases in accordance with the state of Colorado and CDC capacity guidelines. All previous ticket holders will be contacted by the Central City Opera Box Office in the next two weeks about ticket options for this summer’s offerings. Single tickets are scheduled go on sale April 20, 2021. Visit www.centralcityopera.org or call 303-292-6700 to learn more.

GREET-A-SINGER COMMITTEE EXCITED TO WELCOME BACK OPERA ARTISTS & STAFF The Greet-A-Singer Committee is especially excited this year for the upcoming 2021 Central City Opera Season.

We are looking forward to begin preparations for the arrivals of the artists and staff at DIA, starting around June 1. We are once again looking for volunteers to provide transportation from DIA to Central City with a stop locally for food and incidentals at a market en route.

Past volunteers have enjoyed the extra dimension this activity adds to the opera season when meeting and even bonding with those on and behind the stage.

The only difference this year is, masks for drivers, artists and staff may still be in vogue and mandatory for everyone’s protection.

If you would like to participate and enjoy this unique experience, please contact Bette Poppers at 303-8881170 or email: bpoppers@comcast.net.

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2021 – 2022 CENTRAL CITY OPERA GUILD BOARD EXECUTIVE BOARD PRESIDENT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cindy Koch PRESIDENT ELECT. . . . . . . . . . Louise Atkinson COVPS MEMBERSHIP. . . . . . . Louise Atkinson & Susan Stiff VP EDUCATION . . . . . . . . . . . . Kristin Bender

2021 CENTRAL CITY OPERA GUILD TENTATIVE CALENDAR APR 23. . . . . . C entral City Opera Theatre of Dreams Gala 6:30 PM Virtual Experience DATE TBD. . . Y outh Education, Opera and Art TBD Denver Art Museum MAY 13. . . . . . C CO Guild Board Meeting 10 AM Karen’s Home (or Zoom)

VP HISTORIC PROPERTIES . . Cathy Groene

MAY 15 & 19 . H ouse Warming Days 10 AM Central City

TREASURER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sara Blackwelder

MAY 30. . . . . . Opera Teaser TBD Levitt Pavilion

SECRETARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edie Bell

JUNE 3. . . . . . S pring Membership Party 5:30 PM Wellshire Event Center

PAST-PRESIDENT . . . . . . . . . . Karen Ritz CCO LIAISON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elisabeth Boyce

COMMITTEE CHAIRS AND COMMITTEES: ANNUAL MEETING . . . . . . . . . Nancy Hemming OPERA TEASER . . . . . . . . . . . Kristin Bender

JUNE 9. . . . . . Planting Day 9 AM Central City JUNE 10. . . . . G uild Meeting 10 AM Karen’s Home (or Zoom) JUNE 19. . . . . Y ellow Rose Ball, Presentation of Flower Girls 4 PM Central City

YOUTH EDUCATION . . . . . . . . Kristin Bender

JULY 17. . . . . . O pera Inside Out – Community Event 10:30 AM Central City

SPRING MEMBERSHIP PARTY . Louise Atkinson & Susan Stiff

JULY 27 . . . . . O pera Adventures 1 PM Hudson Gardens

HISTORIC PROPERTIES . . . . . Cathy Groene

SEPT 2. . . . . . C CO Guild Board Meeting 10:00 AM Karen’s Home (or Zoom)

GREET A SINGER . . . . . . . . . . Bette and Dave Poppers GARDENS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nancy Parker, Christina Dinegar & Sally Scott FALL MEMBERSHIP COFFEE . Louise Atkinson & Susan Stiff

SEPT 9 & 12. . H istoric Property Inventory Days 10 AM Central City OCT 7. . . . . . . F all Membership Coffee 10 AM Location TBD

BELLE AWARD . . . . . . . . . . . . Karen Ritz, Margaret Baker, Edie Bell, Kristin Bender, & Suzie Erzinger L’ESPRIT DE NOËL . . . . . . . . . Katie Grassby & Karen Ritz NEWSLETTER CO-EDITORS . Christy Darling & Priscilla Mead MARKETING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Erin Osovets NOMINATING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kristin Bender PHOTOGRAPHER . . . . . . . . . . Kathy Wells & Kathy Eichenberger

SPREAD THE NEWS FAR AND WIDE! Participate in the McLaughlin Shopping Event, Saturday, May 8 from 10 AM to 6 PM and 15% of all your purchases will benefit Central City Opera Guild!

What perfect timing for Mother’s Day or adding lovely new Spring piece(s) to your wardrobe!

Thank you to Rosy Taubr who manages the J. McLaughlin in Cherry Creek North. She is looking forward to partnering with our Guild.

Please support J. McLaughlin and the Guild by SHOPPING, Saturday, May 9 from at 2701 E. 3rd Avenue (3rd & Clayton).

Central City Opera House Association PO Box 1212 Wheat Ridge, CO 80034 Central City Opera Box Office: 303.292.6700 centralcityopera.org

2021 CCO GUILD SPRING NEWSLETTER Coeditors Christy Darling and Priscilla Mead Return Service Requested

CAROUSEL

RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN

RIGOLETTO VERDI

DIDO AND AENEAS PURCELL