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Events |
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HIGH DESERT OPERA FUNDRAISER: THE SWEETHEART GALA FEB 4, 2012 |
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Saturday, February 4, 2012 6.00 pm - 11:00 pm Bookcliff Country Club 2730 G Road Grand Junction, Colorado
Menu The cost is $125 per person or call your friends and make it a table of 8 for $800! All proceeds go to the musical support of the Opera. Consult your tax advisor for deductions. Call 970-250-3545. Reservations required, please. Vegetarian Alternative Menu available upon request with your reservations
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New Year's Eve & Encore performance of Lerner & Loewe's "Camelot" |
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Recent Events |
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CAMELOT New Year's Eve with Encore performance January 7th. |
Our huge and appreciative audiences thrilled once again to the unforgettable music, romance, and authentic sword fighting as we struggled with the possibility of "Might for Right" and loyalty in love and friendship. We would like to thank our fabulous audience, our splendid cast, orchestra, and crew for participating in the epic Lerner and Loewe musical. We have received wonderful feedback on this production, especially praising our singers and musicians, the towering sets, delightful dancers, and great costumes. |
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The Barber of Seville |
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"The Barber of Seville" is considered the most popular comic opera of all time. The story opens with Lindoro (Count Almaviva) a poor student, who has assembled a group of musicians to serenade the beautiful (and rich) Rosina. His attempt to woo her fails. The Count's former servant and local barber, Figaro, appears. Figaro agrees to help his old boss win Rosina's heart for compensation. Figaro then devises a plan to sneak the Count into the house as a drunken soldier who has been ordered to stay there for shelter. Of course the much older Bartolo, Rosina's guardian, intends to marry Rosina for her money... |
 Thank you to everyone for the success of our New Year's Eve and Encore production of The Sound of Music. High Desert Opera has been receiving many supportive and positive comments from our audience members. "I thought the performance was absolutely excellent and perfect." Charlene - Chicago, IL "we enjoyed the very professional production of 'Sound of Music'! Every single scene was so well done!" Murphy - Grand Junction, CO "What a wonder performance of the 'Sound of Music!'...Just everything was superb." Bev & Jim - Grand Junction, CO |
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Summer Opera 2010 - Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Mikado" - July 16,17,24 |
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The singing, orchestra, staging, costuming, and acting were all at the top of any prior HDO performance. By world standards for opera we are a small town and a small opera company. This production exceeded all expectations across the board and signals a growing addiction to well done local opera in the Grand Valley |
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"Man of La Mancha" with James Werner as "Don Quixote" For all who saw this production it will be remembered as one of the finest locally produced musicals available to Grand Junction music lovers. Singing and orchestra were superb and the staging very creative. HDO productions are becoming an essential part of Grand Junction's musical scene.
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A Successful High Desert Opera Summer 2009 Opera Festival |
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Christopher McKim's character, "Dr. Daly, the Vicar of Ploverleigh," wistful thoughts of "love unfulfilled" transformed after drinking the philtre. He found every woman of Ploverleigh "quite comely" (attractive). You could hear the chuckles from the audience as he sought to control his affectionate heart upon meeting some one new of the fairer sex. Expressing that they to where "quite comely." McKim's choice of character attributes made one feel humorously sympathetic towards Daly's magically induced desire for love. With "John Wellington Wells," played by Thom King, it was easy to get caught up in his energetic and contagious personality when it came to the use of his family's magical "philtre." His addition of current events used during his deflection of the unwanted philtre induced affections of "Lady Sangazure," played by Shazy King, caused a resounding laugh from the audience. The mixture of all the talented vocalist/performers in this production set in motion a performance filled with fun and memorable scenes. It just must be said that this was a production that should not have been missed.
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Opera Seminars |
Participate in our inaugural fundraiser The Sweetheart Gala. Enjoy an elegant evening of fine food, dancing and entertainment. Dance to the music of Scott Betts and Hot Tub Jazz. Thrill to Broadway and classical selections performed by Jim Werner and other High Desert artists. Take part in the Silent Auction.
Camelot's Legend Lives Again!
High Desert Opera's summer production of "The Barber of Seville" was performed in English at the Avalon Theatre in Grand Junction. The two performances were filled with an appreciative audience, who enjoyed the classic humor of Cesare Sterbini libretto. Gioachino Rossini's lively music kept the High Desert Opera orchestras fingers flying over the notes. Due to an amazing cast and production crew, praise of costumes, sets and the musical experience continued to arrive from our patrons. HDO is also receiving donations in support our continued operatic efforts. 
High Desert Opera's Summer production
of Gilbert & Sullivan's "The Mikado" was both a successful
production and a delightful, light hearted, yet profound summer entertainment.
Gilbert's clever spoof of the human (particularly British) capacity
for pomposity and exaggeration has all the characters fearing beheading
for "crimes" like flirting. But another human capacity for
ingenuity saves all from the Lord High Executioner and love triumphs.
Sullivan's melodies are always fun and sometimes well known to us
but we don't know they are from a Gilbert & Sullivan Opera e.g. "Tit
Willow".
In creating this production, HDO decided
to substitute a Broadway musical for its usual New Years Eve Opera/Musical
potpourri
format.
The idea worked and the Man of La Mancha performance was a critical
as well as financial success. This performance also introduced the format of
multiple performances not on successive days which will likely be duplicated
in the future.
Audience members at three different performances on the Western Slope enjoyed Gilbert & Sullivan's "The Sorcerer." This production provided many humorous and memorable moments to expound upon. To mention a few; the character played by James Werner "Sir Marmaduke Pointdexter" appeared to have the most grave face and demeanor. Once he drank the philtre (potion) his obvious un-bounding joy, plus his choice of love, took his son (Alexis) and his betrothal (Aline) completely by surprise. The humorous change was not lost on the audience. Alexis and Aline quickly regained their composure to support Marmaduke's near rapturous affections.