Opera, She Wrote

Are you a woman? Do you like lunch? Do you enjoy or are curious about opera? If you said “yes,” to all of these, I bet you’d enjoy our Opera Colorado Women’s Luncheons – which is where I was yesterday! A group of approximately 100 women sat down to a lunch catered by Kevin Taylor’s at the Opera House to listen to Isabel Leonard, our Rosina in The Barber of Seville, speak about her career in opera with General Director Greg Carpenter.

Isabel was charming and funny. She’s very down to earth and I loved watching how animated she got telling stories of her life on the stage. She talked about how she got into opera and how her parents encouraged her to be active in the arts. After attending Julliard and receiving her undergraduate and graduate degrees, Isabel’s big break came when she sang the pants role of Stephano in Romeo and Juliet. At the Met. Alongside Anna Netrebko. And Nathan Gunn.Conducted by Placido Domingo. That may be the biggest break I’ve ever seen! Isabel also talked about her process preparing for a new role, some mishaps she’s encountered on stage, as well as her perspective on where she wants her career to go.

After the talk, about twenty ladies took a tour of the set, costumes, dressing rooms and the rest of the backstage area. Women also had an opportunity to purchase adorable vintage handmade bags from Sweet Pea Pockets. Kate Adams, the owner, donated 20% of her proceeds that day to Opera Colorado. Isabel even bought one!

Sound like fun? I thought so. Fortunately, you can still sign up for the Tosca luncheon on Wednesday, April 21st. You’ll get to hear from Sondra Radvanovsky, also known as she who has been burning up the stage at the Met.

And just in case you forgot: The Barber of Seville opens THIS Saturday. You don’t want to be the one left out when all your friends are talking about how amazing it is. Need tickets? Click here.

See you next week!

-AriaGirl