Crested Butte Music Festival to Host Opera In Paradise, 7/15-26

Now it its 19th season, Crested Butte Music Festival (CBMF) continues its bold new approach in presenting music that is elevating, entertaining and transforming. Opera In Paradise (July 15-26), one of four "mini" festivals taking place during the Festival, is no exception, as some of the biggest names on the opera world, along with top-tier emerging talent through CBMF's acclaimed training program, the Crested Butte Opera Studio, join the Festival for a six-week residency.

"Opera is the ultimate art form, combining music, theater, sets and costumes-it has something for everyone. This year's line-up is one of our strongest in years," says Alexander Scheirle, artistic director of Crested Butte Music Festival.

Breaking the Mold: Cabaret Bleu and Opera on Tap

Cabaret Bleu and Opera on Tap demonstrate that opera isn't confined to the "expected" performance venues and approaches.

Since its beginnings in 19th-century Paris, cabaret has been a beloved form of expression, bridging the worlds of classical and popular art. On June 30, members of the Crested Butte Opera Studio will perform Cabaret Bleu, directed by internationally renowned director Kevin Newbury with a special appearance by local singer Ron Earl. The lively performance will feature music and scenes by Cole Porter and Noël Coward and begins at 7:30 p.m. at Gunnison High School, with tickets available for $28 per person.

Leave the opera glasses and gowns at home and grab a beer or a cocktail instead at the late-night Opera on Tap at Kochevar's Saloon in Crested Butte. Ron Earl and the Crested Butte Opera Studio will serenade the audience with popular arias and ensembles from great operas and musical theater. This free presentation is part of CBMF's commitment to making the festival and opera accessible to everyone. The event will begin at 10 p.m.

Main-Stage Opera: Donizetti's Don Pasquale

Maestro David Stern, CBMF's new music director of opera, joins the Festival for a season that will feature a new production of Gaetano Donizetti's Don Pasquale on July 22, 23, 25 and 26. When the rich and middle-aged Don Pasquale decides he wants to marry, the wily Dr. Malatesta convinces his friend Norina to help dupe the old man's pretensions. Donizetti's comic masterpiece glows with unforgettable melodies as audiences laugh at Don Pasquale's good-humored misfortunes and celebrate the eventual triumph of Norina and her young lover.

Renowned bass Kevin Glavin makes his CBMF debut in the title role, joined by guest tenor Jason Slayden and members of the acclaimed Crested Butte Opera Studio and Opera Children's Chorus. Fenlon Lamb directs this lively new production, which presents Donizetti's heart-warming opera with a modern twist.

At the free talk "Everything You Wanted To Know About Donizetti But Were Afraid To Ask" on July 15, Maestro Stern will lead a lively discussion about Donizetti's masterpiece Don Pasquale, including insights about the origins of the piece and the musical and dramatic highlights. Sign up online for a free ticket to the talk, which begins at 5:30 p.m. at Crested Butte Mountain Theatre.

Artist-In-Residence and Intimate Home Soirée - Barry Banks

World-renowned tenor Barry Banks returns for a second year as artist-in-residence, and will work directly with Opera Studio participants who will be performing an evening of arias and ensembles from beloved operas at the Opera Studio Gala at Center for the Arts Crested Butte on July 16. Banks also will lead a master class for Opera Studio artists at Union Congregational Church on July 20. Tickets for the gala cost $40, and the public can observe the master class for free.

On July 21, Banks will present an intimate concert of songs and arias joined by his wife, mezzo-soprano Toby Newman. Always a favorite part of CBMF's annual calendar, the opera Home Soirée is an intimate concert featuring casual socializing over wine and appetizers in one of the valley's most exquisite mountain homes. A limited number of tickets are available for the July 21 concert, and the cost is $210.

Training the Stars of Tomorrow

Crested Butte Opera Studio (formerly known as the Marcello Giordani Young Artists Program) provides gifted singers and pianists opportunities to study and perform with leading opera professionals during a six-week residency at CBMF (June 15 - July 26). Launched in 2008, the program has grown from 35 applicants to more than 400 competing for eleven positions this year.

In 2015, participants will undergo a rigorous training program that includes 40 hours per week of vocal and dramatic instruction, along with dance and fitness training. Opera Studio participants perform roles in the main stage opera, present an evening of cabaret (June 30), sing a concert with the Festival Symphony Orchestra (July 16), and perform in public master classes given by tenor Barry Banks (July 20) and dramaturg Cori Ellison (July 17). Additionally, members of the Studio will be featured in public master classes focused on Purcell's ground-breaking opera Dido and Aeneas, led by Opera Music Director David Stern (June 27 and July 24). All master classes are free and open to the public.

Opera Children's Chorus (OCC) is a unique, tuition-free, three-week intensive performance program for talented young singers, ages 8 to 18. OCC participants receive professional-level performance training and experience and access to festival events. OCC will present a concert of choral favorites at Union Congregational Church on July 15 at 4 p.m. Led by OCC Director Allison Armerding and Music Director Stephen Sulich, this inspiring afternoon of song is sure to delight the entire family.

As a culmination of the chorus's three-week training program, the talented young singers will present Getting To Know The Sound Of Music, a children's version of the beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein musical at Center for the Arts Crested Butte on July 25 at 11 a.m. The production will be directed by rising director Omer Ben-Seadia.

Tickets to OCC performances cost $10 each. A limited number of free SoundTrack Kids tickets for ages 6 to 18 are available for both performances (kids 6 to 12 must be accompanied by a ticketed adult).

Key Talent

A native New Yorker, CBMF Music Director of Opera David Stern is a born communicator. Whether conducting a major symphony orchestra, a baroque opera or teaching vocal master classes, Stern rivets his musicians, students and audiences. Founder/Director of the Paris-based opera studio and period-instrument ensemble, Opera Fuoco, Maestro Stern recently was appointed music director of the Shanghai Baroque Festival and chief conductor of Palm Beach Opera.

Artist-in-residence tenor Barry Banks is known for his aptitude for roles in productions of works by Bellini, Rossini and Donizetti, which regularly take him to the world's leading opera houses. Current season highlights include his debut as Arnold (Guillaume Tell) at Welsh National Opera and a return to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in London to sing Don Narciso in Il turco in Italia.

Kevin Glavin is a highly respected bass with a career that spans major roles sung in leading national and international houses. Highlights include Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Don Magnifico in La Cenerentola with San Francisco Opera; Mustafà in L'Italiana in Algeri, with New York City Opera; and the title role in Don Pasquale with New York City Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Opera Colorado, Opera Company of Philadelphia, and L'Opéra de Montréal

Winner of a 2012-13 Sullivan Career Grant, tenor Jason Slayden has been celebrated for the warmth and beauty of his voice, as well as demonstrating "considerable subtlety as an actor." Recent performances include a debut with Gotham Chamber Opera in their double bill of Bohuslav Martin?'s Alexandre Bis and Veselohra na Most? (Comedy on the Bridge) and appearances as il Duca di Mantua in Verdi's Rigoletto with Arizona Opera, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Ash Lawn Opera and Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni with Austin Lyric Opera.

The top-tier directorial staff includes Omer Ben-Seadia (Opera Santa Barbara, Merola Opera Program, Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music), Fenlon Lamb (Arizona Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Mobile Opera, Bar Harbor Music Festival) and Kevin Newbury (San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Santa Fe Opera).

Schedule, Tickets & More

To view the entire 2015 Crested Butte Music Festival schedule and purchase tickets, visit www.crestedbuttemusicfestival.org. The seven-week festival also features contemporary, chamber, symphony and gypsy jazz music along with children's concerts and a Home Soirées series. For additional information, call 970.349.0619.