SPOTLIGHT ON TRAGEDY

Tenor John Pickle quickly has established himself as a strong tenor, most recently for his portrayals of Erik in Der fliegende Holländer, a role he débuted with Los Angeles Opera. Of a performance as the jilted hunter with Lyric Opera of Kansas City, The Kansas City Star raved, “Pickle’s emotionally wrought characterization drove this [performance] even harder home than usual.” In recent seasons, Pickle also enjoyed performances as Erik with Mobile Opera, Utah Festival Opera, and Michigan Opera Theatre. This season, Pickle performs Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Pacific Symphony, sings Don José in Carmen with Opera Louisiane, and performs as a soloist in Eugene Suchon’s Psalm of the Carpathian Land with Sonomento and the Kenwood Symphony, in Kodaly’s Te Deum with Oregon Music Festival, and in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Dayton Opera and Springfield Symphony.

Opera Colorado debut

Celebrated soprano Cecilia Violetta López has been named one of opera’s “25 Rising Stars” by Opera News. She has received accolades for her signature role of Violetta in La Traviata, which she has performed countless times throughout North America. Past roles include Maria in a concert production of West Side Story with Opera Idaho, Violetta in La Traviata with Minnesota Opera, Adina in L’elisir d’amore with Virginia Opera and Opera Las Vegas, and Marguerite in Faust with Opera Omaha. Other concert engagements include a performance for the opening of the Idaho State Museum and performing as a soloist in Madison Symphony’s Christmas Concerts. She most recently appeared at Opera Colorado as Nedda in Pagliacci. Ms. López is the recipient of an Idaho State Concurrent Resolution honoring her life as an Idahoan and her work in the world of opera.

Called “one of the most versatile singing artists performing today” (Bachtrack), baritone Will Liverman is a recipient of a 2019 Richard Tucker Career Grant and Sphinx Medal of Excellence.

Engagements this season include his return to the Metropolitan Opera as Papageno in its holiday production of The Magic Flute, in addition to Philip Glass’ Akhnaten (Horemhab). He also appears as Pantalone in The Love of Three Oranges at Opera Philadelphia, as Marcello in La bohème at Seattle Opera, and as Silvio in Pagliacci at Opera Colorado and Portland Opera.

Performance highlights include his Metropolitan Opera debut in Nico Muhly’s Marnie; Il barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro) with Seattle Opera, Virginia Opera, and Madison Opera; Charlie Parker’s Yardbird (Dizzy Gillespie) with Opera Philadelphia and English National Opera; The Little Prince (The Pilot) with Tulsa Opera; and La bohème (Schaunard) with Opera Philadelphia, Santa Fe Opera, and Dallas Opera.

Opera Colorado debut

Baritone Levi Hernandez has joined the rosters of leading opera companies including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Houston Grand Opera. Recent highlights include his debut with Opera Colorado as Marcello in La bohème; Inspector Kildare in Elizabeth Cree with Chicago Opera Theater; his return to Opera Theatre of St. Louis as Music Master in Ariadne auf Naxos and Pa Joad in The Grapes of Wrath; Alvaro in Florencia en el Amazonas with Arizona Opera, San Diego Opera, and Madison Opera; Sonora in La fanciulla del West with Opera Omaha; Guglielmo in Puccini’s Le Villi with the Spoleto Festival, USA; and his European debut with Komische Oper Berlin’s Pique Dame as Tomski. The 2018-2019 season brought Rambaldo in La rondine with Minnesota Opera; Rabbi Lampert in Enemies, A Love Story with Kentucky Opera; Sharpless with Virginia Opera, and Pa Joad in The Grapes of Wrath with Michigan Opera Theatre.

Rising young tenor Jonathan Johnson’s many recent engagements have included Sweeney Todd (Anthony Hope) at Opera Omaha, The Love of Three Oranges (The Prince) with Opera Philadelphia (where he was named as one of their Emerging Artists), Silent Night (Jonathan Dale) with Utah Opera, Pagliacci (Beppe) with Opera Colorado, the title role in Candide with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Utah Symphony Orchestra, and Des Moines Metro Opera; Lucia di Lammermoor (Arturo) at Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Falstaff (Fenton) at San Diego Opera. He has also appeared with the Detroit Symphony in Messiah and with Cincinnati Symphony for Schumann’s Das Paradies und die Peri Hailing from Macon, GA, Mr. Johnson is a graduate of the Patrick G. & Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. He holds a master’s degree and Professional Artist Certificate from the A.J. Fletcher Institute of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and earned a Bachelor of Music from Townsend School of Music at Mercer University.

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.

David Lefkowich is an accomplished stage director, choreographer, and fight choreographer and has enjoyed success with different companies including the Metropolitan Opera, Teatre alla Scala, San Francisco Opera, New York City Opera, Minnesota Opera, and Glimmerglass Opera.

Directing credits include Don Giovanni at L’Opéra de Montréal, Don Giovanni, Idomeneo, Le Nozze di Figaro and L’Histoire du Soldat at the Ravinia Music Festival with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Maestro James Conlon conducting. Lefkowich also directed and choreographed L’Histoire du Soldat at the Juilliard School, with Maestro Conlon. He made his European debut directing Le Portrait de Manon at the Gran Teatre Liceu in Barcelona, Spain and followed with The Rake’s Progress at La Monnaie in Brussels, Belgium.  Other credits include directing and choreographing new productions of La Traviata (Austin Opera, Opera Birmingham, San Francisco Opera, Lake George Opera), Carmen (Fort Worth Opera, Anchorage Opera), Lucia de Lammermoor (Eugene Opera), Simon Boccanegra (Kentucky Opera), La Bohème, La fille du Regiment and Acis and Galatea (Madison Opera), Salome (Minnesota Opera), Roméo et Juliette (Florida Grand Opera, Minnesota Opera, Virginia Opera, Opera Tampa, Seagle Music Colony), Tosca at Boston Lyric Opera, Cosi Fan Tutte (Opera Saratoga), Le Portrait de Manon (Glimmerglass Opera), and Il Trovatore (New Orleans Opera, Fort Worth Opera).  He was thrilled to fight direct the world premieres of Appomattox (Philip Glass) at San Francisco Opera, and Miss Lonelyhearts at the Juilliard Opera Center, La fanciulla del west at the New York City Opera and the New York off-Broadway run of A Clockwork Orange.

Opera Colorado debut