World-class opera in an intimate historic theatre

It’s been a hot, hot summer and when those of us that live in Denver want to escape the heat, we think of a getaway to the mountains…Breckenridge, Vail, Aspen…lots of music festivals and cooler temps! But less than an hour’s drive from Denver, you can experience both cool breezes and world-class music at the Central City Opera‘s summer music festival. The second oldest annual professional opera festival in the country, Central City Opera continues to make history with three productions each year: one opera favorite, one American work, and one lesser-known piece.

Last Thursday night, a group of real estate brokers from Coldwell Banker Devonshire joined me for dinner at Kevin Taylor’s Rouge Restaurant in the historic Teller House, where the Central City Opera performs. No casino food for us; instead we dined on lightly smoked Berkshire pork chops, artichoke and haystack goat cheese ravioli, and for dessert, morello cherry crisp with toasted almond gelato…Absolutely exquisite food and service!

On to the opera house to enjoy Three Decembers–a powerful drama about a Broadway diva and her children that reveals the dangers of keeping family secrets. If you prefer comedy, fun and the can-can dance that evokes the days of Moulin Rouge, there’s still time to see Orpheus in the Underworld. And what opera-lover can resist one of the great classics…Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini. Don’t wait to buy your tickets; the last performance is August 7th. Click here for more info.

So the next time you want to “get out of Dodge,” head to Central City and enjoy the opera. And who knows, after the performance, if you’re game enough, you might even strike it rich!