Mayor John Hickenlooper gazed at the lobby at Saturday night’s opening of the Ellie Caulkins Opera House and pronounced it flawless. “This is the perfect combination of true elegance and western hospitality. I can’t remember the last time I saw this level of energy, this kind of buzz at a cultural event.”
One couldn’t help noticing that this gathering of old Denver really was old Denver, but Hickenlooper said the opera house “will bring in a new generation and give them new reasons to be proud of their city.”
The black-tie gang of 700 attended a cocktail reception 5-6:30 p.m., then the celebration concert, followed by a shrimp salad and steak dinner from in-house restaurateur Kevin Taylor. Then it was dancing on the stage to the Peter Duchin Orchestra. The sale of these high-end tix benefited Opera Colorado.
Some 2,165 people filled the house for the opening concert.
“This is a big night for Denver,” said lawyer Tom Strickland. “It doesn’t get any bigger than this in this town.”
Ellie Caulkins, resplendent in green silk, welcomed all to her eponymous opera house. “It’s the most wonderful thing for the people of Denver,” she said. “I am just so grateful to be part of this.”
Many were there not only to see the opera house but to support Caulkins, who drives around town with “opera” license plates.
“Nothing is more fun than doing something for Ellie,” said Marcy Benson.
“Ellie is the best,” said former U.S. Sen. Tim Wirth, who now lives in Washington, D.C. “We would fly across the country any day to see Ellie.”
Rep. Diana DeGette said she has been an opera fan since she was a kid, when her mom took her every summer to Central City. “This is a big deal,” she said. “For us to have this world-class opera house is really exciting.”
In addition to the lofty lines of the lobby and the stunning Dale Chihuly chandelier hanging above, the crowd itself was worthy of a second look. The guest list included such local and national bold names as Phil and Nancy Anschutz, Norm and Sunny Brownstein, Barry and Arlene Hirsch feld, Tim Gill, Fred Hamilton, Bob and Kalleen Malone, John and Sally Nordstrom, Jack Finlaw, Metropolitan Opera GM Joseph Volpe, Denver school super Michael Bennet, movie producer Barbara Bridges, Jill Crow, city attorney Cole and Robin Finegan, Nancy Petry, Jim and Tinka Kurtz, Fred and Jan Mayer, Dick and Marcia Robinson, Stan Rumbough, Marvin and Judi Wolf, and cultural affairs director Denise Montgomery with her new fiancé, venture capitalist David Urso.
But, of course, the star was the opera house itself. And the acoustics were drawing raves.
“Ahh,” sniffed Frontier Airlines mouthpiece Andrew Hudson. “Nothing like that new opera-house smell.”
It was smelling sweet Saturday night.
The Ellie Caulkins Opera House will be open from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. today with free performances by various Colorado arts groups and tours of the facility.
