TRAGIC PASSION TAKES CENTER STAGE
Opera Colorado opens its 2018-19 season with this romantic masterpiece, overflowing with some of Verdi’s most brilliant melodies—including the instantly recognizable “Drinking Song,” which will have you humming all through intermission!
Experience why La Traviata ranks as the world’s most beloved opera, and get swept away in the drama of its iconic heroine: the doomed courtesan Violetta, who sacrifices everything for love. Set among the glamour of 1850s Paris, La Traviata offers a stunning combination of music and drama…and an unforgettable evening for newcomers and longtime fans alike.
The Ellie Caulkins Opera House at Denver Performing Arts Complex
Estimated Length: Two hours and 45 minutes, including two 20-minute intermissions
Performed in Italian, with English and Spanish subtitles at every seat.
The November 11th performance will be audio described.
Click to Read Synopsis | Click to Read Program Note | Watch Video Trailer
Cast
Creative Team
Appointed in 2015 as Opera Colorado’s first-ever music director, Ari Pelto’s “breathtaking wizardry in the pit” (The Denver Post) has been widely celebrated, with Pelto in demand at opera houses and concert halls throughout the United States. At the age of 24, Pelto was appointed Assistant Conductor at the Spoleto Festival and he has since gone on to conduct worldwide. International engagements include performances with Bochumer Philharmoniker and opera productions at New National Theatre of Tokyo and the Teatro Nacional Sucre in Quito, Ecuador. In 2004 he made his highly-praised debut with New York City Opera, conducting La Traviata, after which he became a regular, returning for productions of Madama Butterfly, La Bohème, and Carmen. Recent successes include Eugene Onegin at Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Lucia di Lammermoor at Virginia Opera, and La Voix Humaine at Chicago Opera Theater. Here in Denver, he has led many acclaimed performances, including this season’s La Traviata. Opera Colorado is pleased to announce an extension of Pelto’s contract through the 2023-24 season.
Iranian pianist and conductor, Sahar Nouri, returns to Opera Colorado for a sixth season, serving as the company’s chorus master, assistant conductor, and pianist coach. Ms. Nouri is the newly appointed music director of the Lamont Opera Theatre at Denver University. While being based in Denver, she continues to serve as guest coach/faculty with various organizations including San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Opera North Carolina, Opera Steamboat and more.
Previously, Ms. Nouri has been a member of the music staff at Houston Grand Opera, Dallas Opera, Glimmerglass Festival, Utah Opera, Aspen Opera Center, Opera Parallèle, and Opera in the Heights. Her repertoire includes numerous classic operas as well as many world premieres such as: Prince of Players (Carlisle Floyd), O Columbia! (Gregory Spears), Steal a Pencil for Me (Gerald Cohen), and Today It Rains (Laura Kaminsky). A multi-lingual, Nouri has done studies in the Czech Republic, Italy, and Austria, and is frequently in demand as a language coach and recitalist.