Legendary Soprano Kathleen Battle Coming to Denver
Denver, Colorado – August 22, 2018
World-renowned soprano Kathleen Battle opens Denver’s fall performance season on September 15 with a special concert at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, presented through a special partnership between Denver Arts & Venues, the Robert and Judi Newman Center for the Performing Arts, and Opera Colorado.
A five-time Grammy winner and opera legend, Battle will perform songs inspired by the Underground Railroad and will be joined by the University of Denver’s Spirituals Project Choir. The program will include a recital of spirituals inspired by the journey to freedom along the Underground Railroad, the 19th-century network of safe houses that allowed African–Americans to escape from slavery.
This program is personally important to Ms. Battle, who said, “Spirituals have the power to uplift and to heal, and we certainly need that in today’s world. This is a program which brings together my musical background and my cultural heritage …”
Kathleen Battle made her Met debut in 1977 as the Shepherd in Wagner’s Tannhäuser and went on to sing 224 performances of 14 roles with the company. She gave acclaimed performances in a varied repertory that included numerous roles by Mozart, Strauss, Rossini, Donizetti, Handel, Massenet, and more. She has also performed at the world’s major opera houses and concert halls, as well as a recitalist with major orchestras and performance venues around the world, including a celebrated 1990 concert of spirituals with fellow soprano Jessye Norman at Carnegie Hall.
She has performed Underground Railroad – A Spiritual Journey at the Met, Detroit Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center, Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall, UCLA’s Royce Hall, and Bethesda’s Strathmore Center, among others.
Kathleen Battle is the recipient of an Emmy Award for her performance at the Met’s Opening Night Gala, as well as the Laurence Olivier Award in London for her portrayal of Zerbinetta in Covent Garden’s production of A riadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss. She has received five Grammy Awards, including three for Best Classical Vocalist.
Kathleen Battle Underground Railroad—A Spiritual Journey Saturday, September 15, 2018 at 7:30 pm Ellie Caulkins Opera House Tickets from $35 exclusively at a xs.com/kathleenbattle
Co-presented by: Denver Arts & Venues (a rtsandvenuesdenver.com) Opera Colorado (operacolorado.org) Robert and Judi Newman Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Denver (newmancenter.du.edu)
The Robert and Judi Newman Center for the Performing Arts University of Denver 2344 East Iliff Avenue Denver, CO 80210
Additional inquiries may be directed to Nathan Willers, Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications: [email protected] / 303-871-4154 (press inquiries) / 303-871-7720 (tickets) / newmancenter.du.edu