Opera Colorado: The Promise of Living & Josephine

PREMIERES MARCH 4, 2021, 7:30 p.m. MST
Available On Demand: March 4-18, 2021

This program is free for all. Simply reserve to access online via an Opera Colorado account.

Opera Colorado presents an encore presentation of Tom Cipullo’s Josephine and an original, multimedia program in this digital double-bill.

The one-act opera Josephine casts a spotlight on jazz-age icon and civil rights activist Josephine Baker. Laquita Mitchell reprises her role in this intimate portrayal, previously presented at the Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art in 2019.

Then, embark on a journey through American history that highlights the challenges, opportunities, and successes of the Black experience with The Promise of Living. Laquita Mitchell and Nmon Ford are the creators and stars of this multimedia program featuring Israel Gursky, Denver’s own Davis Contemporary Dance Company, poetry, and music by Copland, De Falla, Price, and more. Explore enslavement and exodus, war and rebellion, and the promise of the American dream—the promise of living—in this unique digital concert.

Music by: Tom Cipullo, Aaron Copland, Manuel de Falla, Florence Price, and more

Language: Performed in Spanish and English

Former Denver Mayor and First Lady Wellington and Wilma Webb will narrate this journey, featuring the words of Senator John Lewis, Langston Hughes, and more.