Ask an opera singer about the state of his or her career and the usual response is an enthusiastic if generic statement of how well things are going.
But the recent answer of soprano Kelly Kaduce, who is singing the lead role in Opera Colorado’s production of Antonín Dvorák’s “Rusalka,” was surprising in its candor.
“Probably like many singers, I secretly wish I was Renee Fleming and had this fabulous career and was singing all over the world in these big houses,” said Kaduce, 37, during a backstage interview at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House.
“But in reality, I know I’m happy to make a living singing, and I’m happy that people want to hire me and come to hear me sing. So, there is that dichotomy about it.”
While no doubt an honest portrayal of her feelings, at least at that moment, it’s an assessment that seems to undersell the singer’s considerable accomplishments.
After all, the Minnesota native has appeared twice on the cover of Opera News magazine, and if she is not appearing at the Metropolitan Opera, she is performing with many of the country’s other major companies.
Denver audiences have seen her previously in Opera Colorado’s madcap production of “Hansel and Gretel” in 2002, and she has also appeared in three productions at the Santa Fe Opera, including the title role in last summer’s stunning production of “Madama Butterfly.”
There, as she has in most of her roles, she showed herself to be as much an actress as a singer, delivering a gut-wrenchingly real and moving portrayal of the character’s tragic breakdown after she realizes she has been betrayed.
Although Kaduce has appeared just once before in “Rusalka,” an operatic fairy tale about a water nymph who longs to be human, she has a long association with its famous aria, “Song to the Moon.”
She performed it on the way to becoming one of the winners of the 1999 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, a launching pad for many of this country’s top singers.
“It appeals to me in its lyricism, in its melody, in just the simple beauty of it,” Kaduce said. “It suits a lyric soprano voice to a T — the whole role, in reality.”
While traditional roles like Rusalka remain a mainstay of her career, the soprano also devotes much of her time to modern and contemporary opera. She appears frequently with companies that promote such work, like the Minnesota Opera and the Opera Theatre of St. Louis.
After leaving Denver, she travels to Minneapolis to appear in a revival of “Wuthering Heights,” which famed film composer Bernard Herrmann wrote in 1951.
“Over time,” she said, “I came around to realize how much I enjoyed it (new work) and how important it was to be able to participate in something that is happening right now instead of re-creating operas that have been done in the past.”
“Rusalka.”
Opera. Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets. Opera Colorado presents its first-ever production of Antonín Dvorák’s most famous opera, a fairy tale about a water nymph who longs to become human and gain the love of a prince. The event is part of Czech Point Denver, a communitywide celebration of Czech culture spearheaded by the opera company. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Tuesday and Feb. 18 and 2 p.m. Feb. 20. 2 hours, 30 minutes. $20-$150. 800-982-2787 or
