The Tabor Opera House was the first theater to set up in Leadville in 1879, and over 140 years later it is the only one still standing. Originally built by Horace Tabor, who made a fortune of $ 9 million in cash before losing it all in a single decade, the building has stood the test of time by passing into the ownership of the fraternal order of the Elks Club, then to the locals historian Evelyn Furman and her family, until she was finally purchased by the Town of Leadville in 2016.

The design and architecture of the theater alone has earned the Tabor Opera House the official designation of “National Treasure” by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Thousands of tourists and visitors have passed through its doors to find themselves transported to the glory days of mining-fueled wealth in the wild west, when the best ladies and gentlemen in town dressed to sit in richly decorated seats and attend an opera among the elite of Western society.

The theater gained national opera fame, but it wasn’t until three years ago that historical stage specialist Wendy Waszut-Barrett with a Ph.D. in the theater arts discovered a new treasure in the attic: around 250 painted stage sets depicting scenes from 1879 to 1902.

“I had coworkers saying there was scenery in the attic so I asked to poke around and then I was absolutely amazed at what was there,” Waszut- Barrett. “I’ve been doing this for three decades, and I’ve checked with colleagues all over the world, and they’re all as shocked as I am that it’s still there and still intact. It shows the full scope of performing art in American theater – it’s also big. “

After her initial discovery in 2018, Waszut-Barrett returned to Leadville twice in 2020 to begin cleaning and documenting the sets that have been rolled up, put away and covered in dust, some hidden away for over a century. With the help of local volunteers, she carefully unrolled and processed the paintings to reveal what she considers to be one of the largest collections of 19th-century landscapes in North America.

“There may be hundreds of historic theaters with a play in a setting, but the Tabor has 14 theater collections ranging from 1879 to 1902, and I don’t even count the last pieces of the 20th century,” Waszut-Barrett said. . “They have two decent theaters, and it’s unheard of.”

The discovery of this exceptional collection came at an already dramatic turning point in the history of opera. After helping to raise $ 600,000 to help the city buy the opera house in 2016, the Tabor Opera House Preservation Foundation began working on plans for a $ 15 million rehabilitation of the building, which would include winterizing of the structure to allow tours and performances throughout the year.

Jenny Buddenborg is the current President of the Tabor House Opera Preservation Foundation.

“We didn’t know how perfect the term ‘national treasure’ was for this,” Buddenborg said with a laugh. “The building itself is this incredible treasure in the story it tells, and here we have this incredible collection of historic stage sets as well.”

While the collection holds the potential for an abundance of new artistic, cultural and educational opportunities, it also poses an additional challenge for the foundation, an entirely volunteer staff who are now tasked with the curation and preservation of these precious artefacts.

“This is a great discovery with great responsibility, because, whether the Tabor Opera Preservation Foundation likes it or not, it has become a major steward of a truly significant historical and cultural acquisition,” Waszut-Barrett said. “It’s one of those times when it’s so exciting, and anything is possible, but it’s also terrifying, because the same story has been played out thousands of times in the United States.”

Waszut-Berrett saw comparable collections end up in dumpsters during theater renovations, either because the stewards didn’t know what they had, or because they didn’t have the resources or motivation to do so. to keep.

Buddenborg and his team are only beginning to come to terms with what is now in their hands, but if they manage to raise the funds they intend to keep the sets at the opera and hopefully bring them back to the opera house. public space to share them. with as many people as possible.

“We always try to figure out what we have first, and then we can come up with a plan to use it, but ideally we would like to continue using these parts in performances in the future,” Buddenborg said. “We also want to be able to ensure that the audience experiences it also outside of performances, and it is possible to create educational opportunities and conservation workshops. The sky is the limit at this point, and we’re just trying to figure out how that will fit into our larger vision of Tabor Opera. “

The discovery of the landscape drew the attention of an international audience to Leadville, and on August 11 of this year, the New York Times published a feature article on the collection, which has strengthened opera’s presence on the world stage.

The article led to an increase in donations to the foundation’s conservation efforts, as well as an increase in the number of visitors hoping to see the collection for themselves. Tammy Taber, who is married to a distant relative of Horace Tabor, is the main guide of the Tabor opera. The touring season runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day and over 800 tourists have visited this summer. Tabor said that since The Times report, 50% more people than usual came, wanting to know more and see the scenery.

“We had to add a whole different set of stage sets to our tour,” Taber said. “There are a lot of people who come who are theater and scenography people, so we have to know what we are talking about. I’m in a whole different world now with this landscape thing, and it’s awesome.

Taber has worked at the opera house for 18 years and is the only full-time employee. She began volunteering under former owner Evelyn Furman and is now an integral part of the rehabilitation and preservation processes.

“What attracted me here was Ms. Furman and the story, and now what keeps me here is being part of the story, being right in the middle of the story,” Taber said. “For me, this place is magical. I saw him move into a new property, a new life, a new longevity, I saw him go totally on the map. And I have always been here with the same passion. I mean, I can walk into this theater and cry the same tears of joy that I cried 15 years ago, I really can. So feeling that again, and then having the excitement of continuing to jump to another level and another level and another level, that’s pretty cool. What’s next? I give myself goosebumps.

For now, Waszut-Barrett is donating her time as an expert consultant to help create a plan and build a solid foundation to preserve and hopefully reuse the landscape in the future.

“I would love to stay involved because there is so much to learn that goes beyond just documentation,” Waszut-Barrett said. “I would love to do restoration techniques and for it to become a center of landscape restoration on an international scale. Would love to see the sets reused on stage – would love to move to Leadville then, if I can survive the 10,000 feet!

The Tabor Opera House Preservation Foundation continues to increase its fundraising and planning efforts to meet the emerging needs of the space, and with sufficient support it intends to make the building and the landscape accessible to the audience for decades to come.

“It takes a tremendous amount of passion, and our board exudes that,” said Buddenborg. “The non-profit organization will continuously evolve and we will increase our staff to be able to administer the vision of the board in the future. We’re a mixed group, but each of us has a very deep passion for Tabor Opera, its connection to the community and how we can all work together to make it a very vibrant space.

To learn more about the Tabor Opera House and to contribute to preservation efforts, visit taboroperahouse.net.

For a detailed description of Wendy Waszut-Barrett’s findings and landscape analysis, visit drypigment.net and search for “Tabor Opera”.

The D’Angelo music department chose Dido and Aeneas to be this year’s large-scale performance opera.

Composed between 1683-1688 with a premiere date of 1689, the opera is popular among English opera fans and Baroque music listeners as it is one of the earliest English operas. It is also one of the most famous baroque operas with the libretto written by Nahum Tate.

Composed by Henry Purcell, this is his only real opera, as it is an entirely sung dramatic performance.

The story is based on Virgil’s Aeneid, specifically Book IV, where it tells of Dido’s love for Aeneas after he landed in Carthage and the despair she has once Aeneas leaves.

Auditions for the opera have already taken place on September 2 in Room 19 of the D’Angelo Music Building, but more information is to come on how to get involved with the opera.

Music majors and non-majors were able to try their hand at opera with a variety of characters and opportunities to be in the choir. The opera has a strong implication for all those who are involved musically.

Among the characters auditioned are: Dido, the queen of Carthage, also known under the name of Elissa, sung by a soprano or a mezzo-soprano; Aeneas, a Trojan prince, sung by a tenor or a great baritone; Belin-da, sister and servant of Dido, sung by a light soprano; Second Woman, another servant, sung by a soprano or a mezzo-soprano; Witch / Sorcerer, sung by a mezzo-soprano or contralto, or sung by a countertenor or bass; First Witch / Enchantress: sung by a mezzo-soprano; Second Witch / Enchantress: sung by a mezzo-soprano; Spirit, in the form of Mercury, sung by a soprano or countertenor and First Sailor, sung by a tenor.

The opera follows Dido, the widowed queen of Carthage, as she entertains Aeneas, a Trojan prince, after he is shipwrecked while trying to get to Italy to find a new Troy.

The two end up falling in love, but the witches plan the destruction of Dido.

The witch then conjures a storm while the couple hunt, and the impersonation of Mercury is carried out by a member of the witch’s clan.

As the storm erupts and the couriers return to town, Mercury tells Aeneas that he must sail to Italy, leaving Dido in Carthage.

Aeneas and the sailors leave, and Dido commits suicide.

Those who are majors in music may receive credits if their credit load permits, and those who are not majors may be eligible to receive REACH credits for their artistic requirements.

Opera experience is not required. Those who choose to become vocally involved in opera must provide two songs that showcase technical vocals, which can be arias, art songs or musical theater songs, and must have a form filled out with the sheet music for both songs.

The songs must be memorized. A pianist will be made available to all singers. The opera performances will take place on Friday March 25 and Sunday March 27 at the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center. The D’Angelo Opera Theater will be under the direction of its new director, Professor Royce Strider MM

For any questions, contact Strider at [email protected]

Join soprano Kirsten Chambers and bass-baritone Andrew Richardson at the season opener of Opera at Florham, Viva Verismo: Exploring the realism in opera. The concert will take place on Sunday, September 25 at 3:00 p.m. at St. Margaret’s Church in Morristown, New Jersey. The program features selections of operas with relatable stories reflecting real-life drama. Reality and truth are revealed through dramatic scenes of opera and musical theater.

The singers are accompanied by organist Frank Fano and pianist Mary Pinto. The narration is provided by Mariana Karpatova, voice professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Artistic Director Mary Pinto explains the theme of her program: “After a season of COVID, I felt the audience needed to experience something ‘real’ at opera. I have chosen selections in which our heroine and our hero experience realistic emotions in the dramatic musical scenarios of the opera. Scenes and arias by Verdi Nabuco, Ernani and Don Carlo and Puccini Tosca are sung by Metropolitan Opera soprano Kirsten Chambers and the powerful voice of bass-baritone Andrew Richardson. Leave your worries behind and enjoy the drama of happiness, hypocrisy and revenge all in one afternoon.

Kirsten Chambers, soprano, is best known for her interpretation of Salome, made her Carnegie Hall debut on just two days notice and sang the role of Maria in Friedenstag. She joined the Metropolitan Opera roster in 2016 when she sang on the cover for Isolde in Tristan and Isolde and then joined the list of Die walking.

Andrew Richardson is a bass-baritone with a “powerful and beautiful” voice, reminiscent of the older generation of opera greats. He developed a true Bel Canto technique which opened up his current dramatic repertoire, including the Flying Dutchman, Amfortas (Parsifal), Wotan (Das rheingold), Scarpia (Tosca), Philip II (Don Carlos), Silvio (Ernani), Count Almaviva (The Marriage of Figaro), Escamillo (Carmen), and many more.

Marie Pinto, Opera at Florham’s Artistic Director, is a renowned accompanist and vocal coach who has worked with international opera singers and major US opera companies for over 25 years. In 2021, Ms. Pinto coached and directed stages at the Summer Opera Festival in Morelia and coached at the Queens Summer Vocal Institute. In the fall of 2020, she performed at the Black Opera Tribute to honor Jessye Norman’s 75th birthday.

Tickets are $ 25 for adults and $ 10 for students. They can be purchased online or at the door. A season pass for 5 events, including the annual International Singing Competition, costs $ 100.

Aware that COVID is not over, Opera at Florham’s is concerned about the safety and well-being of our patrons and artists. The concert takes place in a large, airy hall that meets COVID guidelines. Masks are mandatory.

Our 2021-22 concert series continues with La Vie de Bohème on November 7, Winter Show on December 5, Love, Death and Redemption on March 27 and International Singing Competition on May 1.

Opera at Florham also offers a series of fall opera lectures with Lou barrella Saturday mornings from 10:30 a.m. to noon on September 25 (Morris County Library), October 16 (Morris County Library) and November 13 (Madison Public Library). The lectures are free. Walk-ins are welcome.

Opera in Florham, located in northern New Jersey, features professional singers in recital, concert and competition from opera to musical theater. Artists perform classics and rarities from opera and related musical repertoire, enriched with stories, stories and facts about the music.

A 501 (c) 3 non-profit founded 39 years ago, the mission of the opera company is to bring opera to everyone by delivering high quality events at low prices at home and in the community ; and supporting young professional singers through performance opportunities and singing competitions.

Funding was made possible in part by Morris Arts Council funds through the New Jersey State Council of the Arts / Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.

A dramatic, thrilling scene from a long-running TV soap opera is probably one of the last places Bills Mafia would expect star receiver Stefon Diggs to come into discussion, but this odd combination came to fruition recently.

As part of an ongoing ad group to promote upcoming new episodes for Love glory and beauty, CBS – which houses the program and NFL on CBS – Did two characters named Hope and Liam take part in an intense argument over… fantasy football?

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In most fantasy football leagues, the championship game takes place in week 16 of the NFL season. Thinking back to Diggs’ “nuclear” effort in Week 16 against the New England Patriots, we can see why Liam lost.

Seeing the clip, Diggs even responded with a cheeky backlash on Twitter.

Diggs’ week 16 performance against the Patriots was epic

GettyBuffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs in a game against the New England Patriots in 2020.

Ahead of the start of the 2021 season, let’s go back to one of the many highlights from the past year. On a four-game winning streak heading into Week 16 against rival-Pats in New England, the 11-3 Bills were fortunate enough to assert themselves as the main threat for the Kansas City Chiefs in AFC, while also putting the last nail in the coffin of Bill Belichick’s team.

In national television Monday night football battle, Diggs had an unforgettable night, racking up nine receptions on 11 targets for 145 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Bills in a 38-9 laugh. Diggs was Josh Allen’s favorite target that night and throughout the season, as he tallied 127 receptions, a league record and 1,535 absurd receiving yards.

Unsurprisingly, the 27-year-old forward and one of the best players in the NFL, took home the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Week honors after the blast. With recent injuries and COVID-19 issues plaguing the Bills receiving body, it’s nice for Buffalo fans to have a reliable weapon like Diggs.

With Diggs at the head of a group that includes slots catcher Cole Beasley, fourth-year pro Isaiah McKenzie and others, the Bills could bequeath to retired Terrell Owens and recently released Steven Sims.

Where does Diggs rank ahead of the 2021 Fantasy Football season?

GettyTampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans and Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams in the 2019 Pro Bowl.

Since Liam made it to his league title game last season – maybe Love glory and beauty the cast has a league – chances are they had a pretty solid draft, even though they didn’t pick Diggs. After last year’s huge campaign that saw him be named to his first Pro Bowl and be part of the All-Pro First Team, the No.14 is deservedly ranked high on the draft boards. experts before the last weekend for the drafts.

Depending on league settings – non-PPR, PPR 1/2 point, PPR, etc. – Diggs appears to be ranked second, third, fourth or fifth wide receiver off the board. Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams was the near-consensus No.1 player for the fantasy job this summer, while names like DeAndre Hopkins of the Arizona Cardinals, Calvin Ridley of the Atlanta Falcons and Tyreek Hill of the Kansas City Chiefs also are generally placed in the top five group of fantastic wideouts.

The preseason is over and fantasy football is just around the corner, so “hopefully” – for Liam’s sake, it will never be done by Diggs again.

READ NEXT: Bills Roster Cut Tracker: the old Steelers RB among the latest releases

Atlanta Opera has announced its return to the stage with four stage productions planned for the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center and two planned as part of their Discovery series presented in their Big Tent venue.

Atlanta Opera 2021-22 season

Starting in November, the four main productions are: JULIUS CAESAR IN EGYPT by Handel, THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE by Gilbert and Sullivan, BARBER OF SEVILLE by Rossini and THE (R) EVOLUTION OF STEVE JOBS, written by Mason Bates on a libretto by Mark Campbell. . This follows a season of productions in the Big Tent, which was custom-built to keep audiences, performers and crew safe during the pandemic, but proved popular beyond all expectations.

It was the company’s Discoveries series, dedicated to mounting new, adventurous productions in alternative spaces, that inspired Big Tent’s much-loved performances, and the venue rightly returns this season for the Discoveries Series’ Come As You Are ”(June 2-19, 2022), featuring a production of the hit musical CABARET performed in the repertoire with the critically acclaimed chamber opera CABARET.

In the words of Atlanta Opera Artistic Director Tomer Zvulun

“We believe that what unites us is much greater than what divides us. CABARET and AS ONE take place a century apart: one at the start of the 20th century and the other at the beginning of the 21st. But they’re all about the same theme: we’re all different, but as human beings we look a lot more alike than we sometimes say. History proves again and again that great dangers lie ahead if we choose to focus on what separates us rather than what unites us.

“During the pandemic, the Big Tent became the symbol of unity. A safe place, where we can come together as a community and enjoy live performances regardless of the turbulence outside. We can’t wait to get together under the marquee to enjoy these two masterpieces.

CABARET

The Atlanta Opera’s CABARET production is adapted from the 1998 Broadway revival that lasted over 2,377 performances at Studio 54 in New York City. Zvulun will conduct and James Lowe, Music Director and Conductor of the Tony Award-winning Broadway cover of ANYTHING GOES with Sutton Foster and Joel Gray, will conduct the members of the Atlanta Opera Orchestra. Award-winning decorator Alexander Dodge will transform the great tent of the Atlanta Opera House into the Kit Kat Klub, a decadent cabaret where singer Sally Bowles entertained Berlin’s elite in the 1930s. Erik Teague, the designer responsible for the whimsical costumes of last spring’s production of THREEPENNY OPERA, will take care of the costumes.

A versatile singer-songwriter also capable in opera houses and on Broadway, Curt Olds will sing the role of the flamboyant Emcee. He has been seen in productions ranging from Don Pasquale and The Magic Flute to musicals such as A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC by Sondheim, THE THREEPENNY OPERA and RIVERDANCE by Broadway. Hailed by Opera News as “a wonderful singer actor, as skilled at pointing dialogue as at phrasing a song,” Olds recently performed the role of Monsieur André on the PHANTOM OF THE OPERA world tour.

Actor and tenor Anthony Laciura will sing the role of Herr Schultz, the old owner of a fruit shop. With more than 800 performances at the Metropolitan Opera, Laciura has taken his opera talents to travel around the world, singing supporting roles in several of the canon’s most famous operas, including LE MARIAGE DE FIGARO, LA FLUTE MAGIQUE, CARMEN, TURANDOT and FALSTAFF. From 2010 to 2013, he was seen on the HBO television series Boardwalk Empire as Butler Eddie Kessler.

The rest of the casting has not yet been announced.

LIKE A

In CABARET’s repertoire there will be the Atlanta premiere of Laura Kaminsky’s critically acclaimed chamber opera AS ONE, “One of the 35 Best Classical Composers” (Washington Post), in which two voices – Hannah After (mezzo-soprano) and Hannah Before (baritone) – share the role of a single transgender protagonist. Kaminsky’s music is set to a libretto by Mark Campbell and transgender filmmaker-librettist Kimberly Reed, who also created the multimedia opera film. Since its world premiere at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, AS ONE has become America’s most produced modern opera.

Transgender baritone Lucia Lucas – recognized as a “rising star” (The Guardian) with “a voice that can rock the rafters with her power, without ever sacrificing subtlety of expression” (Tulsa World) – sings the role of Hannah Before. Lucas sang the title role in DON GIOVANNI with Tulsa Opera in 2019, becoming the first trans woman to sing a lead opera role on an American stage. The performance was the subject of James Kicklighter’s feature documentary, THE SOUND OF IDENTITY.

Blythe Gaissert, American mezzo-soprano and expert in new classical music, will perform the role of Hannah After, a role she has sung in eight previous productions, including the 2019 version at the New York City Opera. Known for her “rich, earthy voice and dramatic skills” (Broadway World), as well as for her impeccable musicality and technical prowess, Gaissert is “impossible to ignore” (Denver Post).

During last fall’s Big Tent series, Atlanta Opera’s first foray into its bespoke venue was hailed by ArtsATL as “a welcome breath of fresh air, literally and figuratively.” Whatever the state of the pandemic next spring, for the productions of the Discoveries series, the large tent is the ideal choice. Zvulun explains:

“Over the past year, the Big Tent has become our favorite ‘home away from home’. We really enjoyed playing in a venue that we can set up almost anywhere and easily turn into a Texas saloon one night and Victorian London the next. And the public response has been out of this world. I don’t think anyone is ready to see the Big Tent in storage, certainly not me. The large tent will be pitched on the grounds of the Atlanta Opera House at 1575 Northside Drive, less than half a mile from I-75.

About these tickets …

Tickets for CABARET start at $ 50 while tickets for AS ONE start at $ 15. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, August 17 at 10 a.m. and can be purchased at atlantaopera.org or by calling 404-881-8885. Both operas will be performed in English with English surtitles.

Visit AtlantaOpera.org for more information on the entire season.