Artist Preview Concert
Sunday, July 16, 2023 at 2:00PM
Bud Werner Memorial Library, Steamboat Springs
It all started when the BRDG Project learned that there was an opera singer in their community who loved to collaborate.
In the summer of 2021, artists at the BRDG Project in Denver gathered to hear opera arias and ensembles performed by Kira Dills-DeSurra (Mezzo-Soprano), Leah Podzimek (Soprano), and Jessica Nilles Kressin (Piano). They not only listened to the music, but heard about the context of each individual aria or duet within the story of a full operatic work, the background of the operas and the composers, and more.
One month later, they delivered completed, new works of art to the gallery. Over 30 individual artists, working in their chosen medium and their own style, had internalized the emotion of the performance and expressed it in their artwork.
The project, dubbed INTERPLAY, was so successful that it is traveling throughout the state of Colorado.
Today, over a dozen artists from the Yampa Valley will gather at Bud Werner Memorial Library (along with the public) to listen to opera. The musical program includes vocal works from throughout the ages that showcase the breadth, depth, and magnitude of operatic repertoire, and highlights musically the things that connect us all: emotion and storytelling.
After today’s concert, participating artists will work on their own visual interpretations of the music they witnessed. Their new artworks will be on display in September and October at Colorado Mountain College, and on September 29th we will present a public event celebrating the collaborative exhibition, with live performances from Leah, Kira, and Jessica.
Today’s Program
Click here for translations!
Habañera from Carmen by Georges Bizet (1838-1875)
performed by Kira
“Follie!… Sempre libera” from La traviata by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
performed by Leah
“When I am laid in earth” from Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
performed by Kira
“Porgi amor” from Le nozze di Figaro by W.A. Mozart (1756-1791)
performed by Leah
“Ah, guarda sorella” from Cosi fan tutte by W.A. Mozart (1756-1791)
performed by Leah & Kira
“Smanie implacabili” from Cosi fan tutte by W.A. Mozart (1756-1791)
performed by Kira
“Tiara! Tiara!” from The Enchanted Pig by Jonathan Dove (1959-)
performed by Leah
“Allerseelen” by Richard Strauss (1894-1949)
performed by Kira
“Meine Lippen sie küssen so heiss” from Giuditta by Franz Lehár (1870-1948)
performed by Leah
Barcarolle from The Tales of Hoffman by Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880)
performed by Leah & Kira
Click here for translations!
About the Musicians
Leah Podzimek, Soprano
Hailed as “opulent and rich”, Soprano Leah Podzimek’s recent roles include Second Lady (The Magic Flute) with Opera Fort Collins and Princess Dora (The Three Feathers) with Opera Steamboat. She also works extensively through her business Luster Productions, performing in interactive, site-specific performances including “Interplay: Art + Opera”. Based in Denver, Ms. Podzimek received her Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Wartburg College, and MA from Goldsmiths, University of London. While abroad she performed roles with OperaGold (Tytania/A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Giornata Opera (Suor Osmina/Suor Angelica), and Park Opera (Chloë/The Queen of Spades). She has received scholarships to attend and perform at the Aldeburgh Festival, Dartington International Summer School for Music, Abingdon School for Solo Singers, and OperaWorks in Los Angeles.
This season looks forward to performing Rosita & Fulang (Frida Kahlo and the Bravest Girl in the World) with Central City Opera, Mrs. Gleaton (Susannah) with Opera Fort Collins, taking “Interplay” to Steamboat Springs, and continuing to work with the Rocky Mountain Region’s premier new music group, The Playground Ensemble, as their core vocalist. She currently studies with Dramatic Soprano Alexandra LoBianco.
Kira Dills-DeSurra, Mezzo-Soprano
Kira Dills-DeSurra is a vibrant American mezzo-soprano whose magnetic stage presence communicates effortless charm and authenticity. Hailed as a nuanced singer and talented comedic stage actress (San Diego Union-Tribune) Kira cultivates skills in musical improvisation and circus arts as part of her broad-ranging palate of storytelling tools. She is a champion of new and rarely performed works and has appeared in many American premieres. She also cultivates skills in musical improvisation and circus arts as part of her broad-ranging palate of storytelling tools. She was a Resident Artist with Opera Colorado, where she performed Mercédès (Carmen), Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Flora (La traviata), Gertrude Stein (After Life), Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro), Stéphano (Roméo et Juliette), and Hansel (Hansel and Gretel). She is also a graduate of the Chicago Opera Theater Young Artist Program.
Most recently, Kira showcased her “vocal and acting excellence” as the “consistently hysterical” (Marlowe’s Musings) Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus) with Central City Opera and as Lola (Cavalleria Rusticana) with Opera Colorado. Hailing from Petaluma, California, Dills-DeSurra earned both a Master of Music and Artist Diploma from Roosevelt University: Chicago College of Performing Arts and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Southern California.
Cody Guy Garrison, Piano
Denver-based Cody Guy Garrison enjoys a diverse career as a collaborative pianist. He is on the music staff at the University of Denver as a pianist and vocal coach, and previously served as a faculty pianist at Metro State University of Denver. He will return for his seventh season at Opera Colorado this fall where he serves as the chorus pianist, a repetiteur, and orchestral keyboardist, and has performed with principal artists on Colorado Public Radio. Garrison has performed Franz Liszt’s Totentanz and Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Boulder Symphony. He is often sought after as a recitalist; recent notable collaborative partners include dramatic soprano Heidi Melton; and Grammy-winning mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung, including performances for the Ravinia Festival, Colorado Music Festival, Mahler Festival, and the Newman Presents Classical Series.
When not playing piano, Dr. Garrison practices dentistry at his office, City Roots Dental, in Denver.