Mozart, Verdi and More: Central City Opera Announces 2018 Season

(Photo: Amanda Tipton)

The lineup includes classic operas by Giuseppe Verdi, George Frideric Handel and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as well as the return of a newer work originally commissioned by the opera company. Highlights:

• Mozart's “The Magic Flute” -- an opera we recently explored in our “Great Composers” podcast -- kicks off the 2018 festival on July 7. Conductor Andre de Ridder, who's made several memorable appearances with the Colorado Symphony, will lead the musicians.  
• Verdi's beloved "Il Trovatore" makes its first appearance at the festival since 1962. The creative team and cast from Central City Opera’s 2015 production of “Tosca” returns for the production.
• Handel’s one-act opera “Acis and Galatea” also appears on the schedule. Festival organizers say they plan to present it in a more intimate venue than the usual Central City Opera House setting.
• Last year, Central City Opera revived its most popular commissioned opera, “The Ballad of Baby Doe,” for a 60th anniversary production. This year, Henry Mollicone’s "The Face on the Barroom Floor," a piece commissioned by Central City Opera in 1978, returns for a 40th anniversary run.

See performance dates for the 2018 Central City Opera season.

Does next summer seem like a long time from now? Tie yourself over with some of our recent CPR Performance Studio sessions featuring Central City Opera performers.

Soprano Alexandra Loutison, who played Floria Tosca in “Tosca,” sang “Vissi d’arte” during a session in  2016:

Watch “Libiamo, Libiamo,” a song performed as a duet by soprano Ellie Dehn and tenor Ryan MacPherson. The singers appeared in Central City Opera’s 2015 production of Verdi’s “La Traviata” and also recorded a session in the CPR Performance Studio.

More exclusive music from the CPR Performance Studio:

• Anderson & Roe Piano Duo Plays Music by Gluck
• Cellist Jay Campbell Plays Bach In The CPR Performance Studio 
• Vocal Group Roomful of Teeth Sings A Stunning Song From Ted Hearne's "Coloring Book"
• Pianist Hsing-ay Hsu Plays Kevin Michael Olson's Jagged "Dichotomiae"