From left, Adriana Ripley, Lydia Blaisdell, Elena Diederich, Izzy Bodley and Quint Hill perform in a scene from Little Women during a dress rehearsal for Eklund Opera Scenes in the Imig music building on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)
Graduate and undergraduate music students presented a varied, somewhat serious, somewhat whimsical one-night-only opera program in the University of Colorado Boulder’s Music Theatre on Dec. 4. The show was free to attend, and allowed students to show off their skills in a professional setting.
“I think it’s a great showcase of modern operas, and classic scenes,” said JJ Robinson, a voice major at CU Boulder who performed in the show. “The undergrads have a lot of classic things going on, then the grad students are more, like, modern opera.”
Hosted by Nicholas Carthy, the Eklund Opera Program music director, the scenes were fully staged with costumes and settings and allowed students to showcase emotional, tense and deeply fun selections. The showcase also offered an in-depth look at how students approach an operatic role, develop musical skills and expand their repertoire.
Hannah Benson performs the role of Ms. Todd in a scene from Old Maid and the Thief during a dress rehearsal for Eklund Opera Scenes in the Imig music building on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)
Serving as the final for an opera theater class on campus, the Opera Scenes performance is the culmination of months of preparation. At the beginning of the semester, students auditioned in front of their peers in a low-pressure environment and were assigned scenes that best fit their levels of experience.
“We all had to show our skill set, so we all performed for each other,” said Lydia Blaisdell, who appeared in the show.
“It’s been a lot of fun working with [professor Leigh Holman],” Robinson said. “Plus doing scenes outside of full opera production, it’s nice to get more repertoire learned, and do something that you might not normally do.”
This showcase was an excellent opportunity to peek behind the scenes of the Eklund Opera Program at CU Boulder and view opera’s often overlooked, but incredibly enjoyable, whimsical side.
Contact CU Independent Arts Editor Grace Ptak at grace.ptak@colorado.edu.
Marcus Schaller performs the role of Papageno in a scene from Magic Flute during a dress rehearsal for Eklund Opera Scenes in the Imig music building on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)
Hannah Benson performs the role of Baba in a scene from The Rake's Progress during a dress rehearsal for Eklund Opera Scenes in the Imig music building on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)
Hannah Benson performs the role of Ms. Todd in a scene from Old Maid and the Thief during a dress rehearsal for Eklund Opera Scenes in the Imig music building on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)
Rebecca Seifert performs the role of Letitia in a scene from Old Maid and the Thief during a dress rehearsal for Eklund Opera Scenes in the Imig music building on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)
Alleigh Watson, left, and Andrew Konopak perform in a scene from Albert Herring during a dress rehearsal for Eklund Opera Scenes in the Imig music building on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)
Izzy Bodley performs the role of Jo in a scene from Little Women during a dress rehearsal for Eklund Opera Scenes in the Imig music building on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)
Quint Hill, left, and Izzy Bodley perform in a scene from Little Women during a dress rehearsal for Eklund Opera Scenes in the Imig music building on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)
Marcus Schaller, left, and Jacqueline Bell perform in a scene from Le Nozze di Figaro during a dress rehearsal for Eklund Opera Scenes in the Imig music building on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)
Jude Hill performs the role of Poppea in a scene from L'incorinazione di Poppea during a dress rehearsal for Eklund Opera Scenes in the Imig music building on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)
Jada Abbott performs the role of Nerone in a scene from L'incorinazione di Poppea during a dress rehearsal for Eklund Opera Scenes in the Imig music building on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)
