Central City Opera Announces 2018 Summer Festival

Central City Opera's 2018 Summer Festival, which runs from July 7 to August 5, 2018, features Mozart'sThe Magic Flute and Verdi's Il trovatore in repertory. Also performed in smaller venues throughout Central City are one-ACT Productions of Handel's Acis and Galatea and the 40th Anniversary of Henry Mollicone's Face on the Barroom floor, a Central City Opera commissioned work.

"In previous years, we have performed our productions in Central City, Colorado as well as various venues in the Denver metro area," said Central City Opera General/Artistic Director Pelham (Pat) Pearce. "While we presented to a number of patrons in the city who had never experienced Central City Opera before, we have determined that the most important thing we can do is perform our extraordinary operas in the 550 seat jewel-box theater in the beautiful mountain location of Central City, just a 45 minute drive from Denver. We feel our performances are so impactful, not only because of the attention we give to the artistic details but also because they are curated for the special environment of the historic town, in the incredible opera house built in 1878. The experience of seeing the operas in Central City is so unique and special."

Complementing the two main stage productions during the 2018 Festival, Central City Opera is featuring two one-act operas. "The popularity of these one-acts continues to grow since we introduced them in 2015," said Pat Pearce. "They draw both opera goers who are looking for something different as well as those who are new to the art form and curious about experiencing something that's shorter, less expensive, and feels more accessible."

Rounding out the two main stage productions and the two one-acts, the Central City Opera four-week summer festival offers a series of recitals, opera scenes, pre-performance lectures and post-performance mix-and-mingles with the artists. Thursday evening performances have returned to the mix of matinee and evening performances throughout the festival, making it possible for those that are unable to attend matinee performances during the week to see all the productions during an extended weekend. New subscriptions are available December 1, 2017, and single tickets go on sale April 1, 2018.

Central City Opera 2018 Festival

The Magic Flute (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart/Emanuel Schikaneder)
The 2018 summer festival opens with Mozart's final opera, The Magic Flute. Last performed by Central City Opera in 1995, the opera tells the fantastical story of love with moving arias and poignant melodies. Alessandro Talevi, who has worked with Central City Opera many times over the years, including most recently as director of Marriage of Figaro in 2014, will direct. Central City Opera welcomes back Bass Kevin Langan, last seen as Dr. Gibbs/Our Town, 2013, singing the role of Sarastro and Katherine Manley last seen as Maria/Sound of Music, 2014 as Pamina. Debuting with Central City Opera: Joseph Dennis as Tamino, Will Liverman as Papageno, Jeni Houser as The Queen of the Night and Ashraf Sewailam as The Speaker. Also making his Central City Opera debut, conductor André de Ridder.

Matinees at 2:30 pm: July 11, 13, 15, 17, 21, 25, 29; August 2, 5
Evenings at 8:00 pm: July 7, 19, 27, 31
Performed in German with English supertitles.

Il trovatore (Giuseppe Verdi/Salvadore Cammarano)
The second mainstage production for the 2018 Festival is Giuseppe Verdi's Il trovatore. Known for some of the most glorious music that Verdi ever composed, the opera was last performed in 1962. This production boasts the return of the critically acclaimed 2016 cast of Tosca. Joachim Schamberger, directs and John Baril, Central City Opera Music Director (Così fan tutte, 2017), conducts. Principal Artists from Tosca returning for the 2018 Festival include Jonathan Burton as Manrico, Alexandra Loutsion as Leonora and Michael Mayes (Escamillo/Carmen, 2017) as Count di Luna. Also performing in Il trovatore is Maria Zifchak, (Mother Abbess/The Sound of Music, 2014, Mrs. De Rocher/Dead Man Walking, 2014) in the role of Azucena and Ashraf Sewailam as Ferrando (The Speaker/The Magic Flute, 2018).

Matinees at 2:30 pm: July 18, 22, 24, 28; August 1, 3
Evenings at 8:00 pm: July 14, 20, 26
Performed in Italian with English supertitles.

Acis and Galatea (George Frideric Handel/John Gay, Alexander Pope, John Hughes)
In its Central City Opera debut, patrons Will B. Able to experience Handel's opera, Acis and Galatea in an intimate venue in Central City, Colorado. This idyllic story tells the tale of the nymph Galatea and her lover Acis, a shepherd. The blissful couple is faced with danger when a powerful cyclops appears, desiring Galatea for himself. Artists of the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Artists Training Program will sing principal roles in this fully orchestrated, one-act production. Both returning after 2017's moving one-act production ofThe Burning Fiery Furnace, Ken Cazan directs and Christopher Zemliauskas conducts.

July 25, 28 and August 1 at 8PM
July 26 at 5PM
Performed in English.

40th AnniversaryThe Face on the Barroom Floor (Henry Mollicone/John S. Bowman)
The gripping chamber opera, The Face on the Barroom Floor, was commissioned by Central City Opera in 1978, and made its world premiere in the Teller House Bar in Central City, Colorado, where the painting that inspired the opera still draws tourists today. This one-act drama, last performed in 2012, mingles two love triangles, separated by a century but paralleled through time, both revolving around the mysterious yet beautiful face on the barroom floor. Artists of the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Artists Training Program will sing principal roles. Michael Ehrman, (Later The Same Evening, 2016) head of the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Artists Training Program, returns as director.

July 25, 28 and August 1, 2, 3 at 1:15PM
Performed in English.

About Central City Opera-Celebrating Its 86th Season
Founded in 1932, Central City Opera is the fifth oldest professional opera company in the country and is renowned for its exquisite world-class productions, competitive and robust young artist-training program, and creative educational and community engagement activities. Its summer festival, only 35 miles west of Denver, takes place at 8,500 feet above sea level in the Colorado mountain town of Central City, where the company owns and maintains 28 Victorian-era properties, including the intimate 550-seat jewel box opera house built in 1878. For information, visit www.centralcityopera.org. For tickets, email boxoffice@centralcityopera.org or call (303) 292-6700.