To celebrate what designers believe is a world-class opera house, a run-of-the-mill classical concert just would not do.
Something very special was called for, and that’s what Opera Colorado plans to deliver Saturday evening with the first performance in the $92 million Ellie Caulkins Opera House.
The event is billed as a gala concert, and the company has gone out of its way to make sure it lives up to the appellation, with one of the most spectacular lineups of operatic talent in the city’s history.
But that’s only the beginning. The performance will be accompanied by a lavish dinner and a range of other pre- and post-concert activities for patrons from near and far who have ponied up as much as $25,000 for a table of 10.
Here are answers to 10 questions about the theater and Saturday’s opening-night bash:
Q: What makes the Caulkins Opera House special?
A: The opening of a new opera house anywhere is noteworthy, because the construction of such buildings is so rare. Some companies have to perform in less-than-ideal venues designed for multiple functions or adapted from other uses.
For this 2,268-seat facility, Boulder acoustician Bob Mahoney and Semple Brown Design created a lyre-shaped theater that they believe can compete with any of the world’s top opera houses in terms of sound, comfort and technical sophistication.
Q: What impact will it have on the Denver performing arts scene?
A: The opera house, the first in Denver since the Tabor Grand Opera House was razed in 1964, has been constructed inside the 97-year-old Newton Auditorium. The storied building, last refitted more than 40 years ago, had become rundown and out of date.
This new structure provides a specially tailored home for the Colorado Ballet and Opera Colorado. It is expected to spur the organizations’ artistic growth and bring them heightened attention both in Denver and the broader arts world.
Q: Who are the headliners?
A: The event will feature two much-recorded performers at the apex of the opera world – soprano Renee Fleming and tenor Ben Heppner.
Q: Who else is performing?
A: Other notable artists include bass-baritone James Morris, a longtime star of the Metropolitan Opera, and soprano Emily Pulley, an Opera Colorado and Central City Opera regular.
Also performing are mezzo-soprano Judith Christin, tenor Julian Gavin, mezzo-soprano Theodora Hanslowe, baritone Robert Orth, tenor Garrett Sorenson, baritone Charles Edwin Taylor, bass-baritone Stephen West, baritone Yalun Zhang.
Q: Will there be any local talent?
A: Longtime Denver mezzo-soprano Marcia Ragonetti is in the lineup along with bass Hao Jiang Tian, who has residences in New York City and Denver. Soprano Cynthia Lawrence, who spent most of her childhood in Boulder and attended the University of Colorado at Boulder, is also appearing.
Q: What’s on the program?
A: Besides operatic arias and ensemble numbers, the evening will feature the premiere of a short work written especially for the occasion by Jake Heggie.
He is best known as the composer of “Dead Man Walking,” one of the most successful new operas of the past decade. Tony Award-winning playwright Terrence McNally provided text.
The piece, titled “At the Statue of Venus,” will be performed by up-and-coming soprano Kristin Clayton with Heggie accompanying her at the keyboard.
Q: What notables will be attending?
A: Topping the VIP list are an array of friends and associates of the hall’s namesake – Ellie Caulkins, Opera Colorado’s lifetime honorary chairwoman.
Among these are David Acheson, son of former Secretary of State Dean Acheson; John Daniels, former chairman of Archer Daniels Midland; and John Nordstrom, a member of the famed department-store family.
Opera-world notables will include Joseph Volpe, general manager of the Metropolitan Opera; Marc Scorca, president and chief executive officer of Opera America; and William Morris, president of the Met’s board of directors.
Mayor John Hickenlooper and his wife, Helen Thorpe, are serving as honorary co-chairs of the event.
Q: Are tickets available?
A: Season-ticket subscribers snatched up most of the seats months ago and the few remaining tickets were sold within minutes after they went on sale.
Q: Will the concert be broadcast?
A: Colorado Public Radio will air the performance live beginning at 6 p.m. It can be heard on KVOD 90.1-FM in Denver, KCFP 91.9-FM in Pueblo, KPRE 89.9-FM in Vail and KPRU 103.3-FM in Delta.
Q: Is it possible to tour the opera house?
A: Hickenlooper will preside over a public ceremony commemorating the reopening of the Newton Auditorium at noon Sunday. An open house will continue through 5 p.m. with backstage tours and entertainment.
Fine arts critic Kyle MacMillan can be reached at 303-820-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com.
Ellie Caulkins Opera House Opening Gala
OPERA|More than a dozen opera singers including Renée Fleming and Ben Heppner|Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Denver Performing Arts Complex,14th and Curtis streets; 6:30 p.m. Saturday|SOLD OUT|303-468-2030 or operacolorado.org
