20 Moments at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House
20 years ago, the Ellie Caulkins Opera House opened its doors, and during those two decades, the hall has witnessed unforgettable performances, magical moments, and countless faces come and go. The Ellie has cemented itself as an artistic landmark of Denver and Colorado, welcoming patrons of the Arts Complex with its beautiful facade—but more importantly, the memories made within. To honor 20 years of our magnificent home, we asked 20 different people connected to Opera Colorado in different ways about their favorite memory of The Ellie.
Dr. Larry Berliner, donor and subscriber
We’ve been Opera Colorado subscribers for many years, ever since moving here 24 years ago, and donors since 2021. Our fondest memory was the 2024 Family Day at The Ellie where the Artists in Residence presented Cinderella.
Prior to going on stage with our two granddaughters to watch the show, there was music and crafts in the lobby. Our 5-year-old granddaughter, Verity, whose career plans at the time were to be a princess, was dancing with her father, dressed in a princess dress that enchanted everyone. To our surprise, their dancing was videotaped by Opera Colorado and later used in their advertising and performance programs for at least a year. What a memorable gift for our family to be part of this!
Joe Beumer, Lighting Designer
Designing for Opera Colorado in the Ellie is always a fantastic experience, and one big part of that is the awesome team of electricians I get the chance to work with.
Two of my favorite things are their love of all things Halloween (including group photos of the whole lighting/electrics team in Wigs) and the way they embellish the designer-submitted drawings with their own personalities.
When I design, I submit boring black and white drawings, but the electrics crew finds ways to add themselves into the drawings—truly taking ownership of the process. This example is from 2024’s Daughter of the Regiment and features a combination of these two things: the electrics crew added themselves into the drawings, including many of their Halloween costumes they had worn earlier that week.
Claudia Bieschke, volunteer
Of all my memories at the Ellie, nothing beats my first backstage tour. It had been years since I’d seen the inner workings of a theater—not since my childhood at the Sydney Opera House, the very place my love for the art form began—and it was a stunning reminder of the artistry happening off-stage. Witnessing the dedication in everything from costume design to rehearsals really highlighted the collaborative spirit it takes to mount a world-class production.
Mark J. Gabriel DeBell, Denver Theatrical Services Production Manager, Denver Performing Arts Complex
Over the years, I have had the opportunity to work with Opera Colorado as a general Stagehand, their Master Electrician and as a Lighting Designer for two Mainstage productions as well as their Young Artists Program, now known as the Artists in Residence. My last thirteen years, I have advanced their productions for The Ellie as a Venue Production Manager. My all-time favorite experience was being able to light La bohème in 2010, the collaboration with the Artistic Staff to help create such a beautiful production was exhilarating.
Michele DiNuovo, Opera Colorado Chorus Current & Founding Member
As a founding chorus member with Opera Colorado, I have had the pleasure of working with so many famous singers and conductors over the past 43 years. Each contributing name recognition, tremendous skill and expertise, and imaginative interpretations that mesmerized not only the audience, but everyone —chorus, supers, dressers, stage management, and stage hands… it didn’t matter who you were, Opera Colorado was always an experience that changed your life.
The move into the new Ellie Caulkins Opera House in 2005 was a game-changer for the company. I don’t think we realize how wonderful a venue it is and how many incredible memories have been generated from the experience in the past 20 years. From the infamous rubber chicken that props would ever so discretely place behind the scenery of each show, leaving all of us searching for it each night to the behind-the-scenes fun such as the pre-show fight rehearsal of La fanciulla del West that suddenly devolved into a vague rendition of a hip-hop rap replete with beat boxing.
Personally, I was grateful to have portrayed an atypical character that added an extra comical element. My favorite memory from the many shows at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House is when I played the role of “Hop-Sing” in David Gately’s cowboy western interpretation of Don Pasquale. Hop-Sing was the bodyguard and valet of the titular role. Back in those days, sensitivities to stereotypes were not as prevalent as they are today. The character was, indeed, a stereotype from the old TV show Bonanza. As such, David sought me out for the part because of those sensitivities and the fact that I am half Asian (Japanese). David asked me to do some karate moves, but I didn’t know the first thing about karate, so I sought out a karate master to teach me some basic routines; it seemed to have been convincing and was comic enough to have received a lot of laughs and applause.
Angie Dombrowski, Orchestra Manager
On April 27, 2021, at 11:45 a.m., I stepped on the Ellie Caulkins Opera House stage for the first time since March 1, 2020, when the company presented its final performance of Pagliacci. As I stepped on the stage for the first time in almost 14 months, I saw the ghost light shining brightly, front and center, and I felt an immense wave of gratitude for the opportunity to be back and dreaming of what might be possible in the performing arts community. To be part of the team that worked to bring back the performing arts to our Denver community in a safe way during the pandemic was an incredibly powerful memory.
Kendra Green, Production Stage Manager
My favorite memories at The Ellie are times when our whole team came together to solve a problem, like when one of our singers had to call out sick last minute from Rigoletto and we had to put on our assistant director in his role. While moments like that are stressful, they activate our incredible production team with a “the-show-must-go-on” energy. All departments—costuming, direction, lighting, etc.—come together under pressure to still bring the magic to our audiences.
Barbara Lynne Jamison, Ellie Caulkins General Director & CEO
The Ellie is a vital, vibrant space; it’s the hearth of our home city. It’s where we can gather to share space with our neighbors, to celebrate the joy of being human through story, song, and spectacle. I’m proud to be part of a community that values gathering, generosity, beauty, and the power of the human spirit—and The Ellie is a magnificent manifestation of these values.
Richard Koseff, Opera Colorado Board Chair
The most magical recent moment at The Ellie for me was at the closing of the opening night performance of Puccini’s Turandot. At that moment, the emotion of the story, singing, orchestra, costumes, and staging combined with the audience jumping to their feet truly underscored the unbeatable value of live performance—how the feelings of thousands of people became a tangible part of the experience. Then, when the lights came up, our Denver audience looked so elegant and happy. The magic of what Opera Colorado did really shine that night!
Jessica & Marc Levy, subscribers
Our first experience at The Ellie was in 2014 when we had the joy of seeing a dear friend, John Hancock, perform Sharpless in Madama Butterfly. Around that same time, our daughter went off to college where she fell in love with opera. Her enthusiasm was infectious, and with her encouragement and insight we found ourselves looking for more opportunities to enjoy the entertainment and escape that opera offers. I’m happy that we finally took the leap this year to becoming subscribers–and can’t wait to see Butterfly again!
Will Liverman, baritone
The Ellie has been such a meaningful place for me. Pagliacci is one of my favorite operas and getting to do it with Opera Colorado at The Ellie and being part of such a tremendous cast made the experience even more special. Add to that how much I’ve grown to love the city of Denver, and it’s been a time I’ll always value.
What makes The Ellie so special, though, is the people that work there. The entire team treats everyone with real care and respect, and you feel that from day one. It’s a very special company and I love the deep care that they have for the arts. There’s so much wonderful and rich history and it was an honor to make my debut in Pagliacci.
Carolyn Miller, Wardrobe Supervisor
When the Ellie Caulkins Opera House opened its doors with Carmen in May of 2005, I was newly out of college and uncertain of my future plans. At the time, I was the buyer for the costume shop, so it was quite unexpected when the single greatest wardrobe opportunity came to me. To use a sports adage, I was quite literally called up to the big leagues—to dress Denyce Graves in the role of Carmen. Cemented then and forever as one of the world’s preeminent performers of the role, it was to be my first ever job as a dresser.
Then Costume Supervisor, Ann Piano, took a chance on me; a dresser who didn’t and still doesn’t sew was a surprising choice for a hire, but Ms. Graves and I fit together like a glove. I was keenly aware of her superstardom at that moment; word of her Carmen was common knowledge at that time and rightly so. Her performance was riveting—powerfully sung and brilliantly portrayed. I’ll always remember watching her bend all the way forward while her hands were tied behind her to a chair and using her teeth to pull her skirt up to reveal her legs in the seduction of Zuniga. Still to this day remains one of the most brilliant character choices I’ve ever seen.
Having loved Carmen since studying it in high school French, running the marathon that is that show with her was an academic and personal dream come true. That singer, in that show, at that moment in time was exquisite. At one point, mid-change in her dressing room, she stopped, turned around and hugged me. I could see myself in the mirror while it was happening and thought “is this real life?” At some point in the run, Ms. Graves’ then 18-month-old had touched the frosted glass near the door to her mother’s dressing room, leaving a teeny tiny but distinctive handprint. For many shows that followed, that handprint remained as it was, only visible when the sun from the Champa St. windows hit the glass just so. It was a small reminder of the big moments that can happen at The Ellie. Because The Ellie is a place where the biggest singer, in perhaps her greatest role, in your favorite opera, will stop the world to make sure you get a thank you…before she heads back onstage for her character to die, of course.
Emily Morgan & Patrick McKinney, Inside OC members
While Emily has loved opera for decades, Patrick had to be persuaded. She already had tickets for Carmen when they met, and Patrick asked to join. So, their third date was at The Ellie, and the rest was history! They said “I do” in the Studio Loft and had a fantastic reception in the Chambers Grant salon last August.
Sahar Nouri, Chorus Master
I loved conducting the student matinee performances for several Opera Colorado productions: La fille du régiment, Rigoletto, Don Giovanni, Carmen, Barbiere di Siviglia. Working with the Opera Colorado Orchestra is always a huge pleasure, and I adore our entire team on stage and backstage. Carmen was particularly memorable for me as my whole family and many dear friends travelled to be there in the audience and that was very special.
Ari Pelto, Music Director & Conductor
A moment I will never forget at The Ellie was the final minutes of opening night of Die tote Stadt. In those moments the wonderful tenor, Jon Burton (as Paul), sang the glorious, poignant final phrases of the opera while our orchestra played beautifully to a rapt audience. It marked for the company a pinnacle of achievement. Producing a work that has only been attempted by a small handful of American opera houses and succeeding in bringing that masterpiece to our stage… that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
Oliver Poveda Zavala, bass-baritone, Artist in Residence 2024-25 & 2025-26
In Turandot (2023) when Kara Shay came on stage as Princess Turandot, there was a moment, a breath of silence that made the entire hall feel like it stood still in time. The lights were dim, and the jewel crown that Ms. Shay was wearing was reflecting the little light that there was, like long streaks of silver straight into the house creating a wondrous effect. To that benefit, when she started to sing her first few notes, it was so powerful, it was one of those rare moments where the air felt raw with awe and magic.
S, U.S. Navy Veteran
Thank you to Opera Colorado for caring about veterans and supporting us through Vet Tix. The beauty your company of talented people brings to our community is inspiring. We loved the opera both the solo and ensemble performances were gorgeous. The set was brilliant using colors and lighting to deepen the experience of each scene. Thank you for the opportunity to see La traviata. It was a wonderful evening for all of us. I’m forever thankful for your kindness and support.
Betsy Schwarm, Longtime Pre-Show Lecturer
Having presented the great majority of Opera Colorado’s pre-performance talks since The Ellie opened, there are countless memories I could offer. However, at the top of the list is our 2012 production of Daniel Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas. How delightful to come to know an opera that was new to me, especially one with such luscious music! Even the butterfly connection in the opera’s plot seemed significant. Given that our own beloved Ellie Caulkins (the person!) has a special fascination for butterflies, that visual element in the production seemed perfect for the opera house, and indeed, for Ellie herself!
Chris Wineman, Key figure in the design and renovation of The Ellie
It’s a series of moments. The project began shortly after my daughter was born, and she accompanied me on tours of the construction when she was little. In 2014, she performed onstage at The Ellie as part of the Arts Schools Network conference. And in 2018, she graduated from high school at The Ellie. She and The Ellie have literally grown up together.
Zephyr, Age 8
I love Family Day at The Ellie Caulkins Opera House because I can do crafts, listen to the great music, and take pictures with the performers. It’s fun to be so close to the performers on stage, and I like asking questions at the end of the performances. I can’t wait to go to Family Day at the Opera again!