CLARA BROWN:  PART II - THE NEW OPERA

by Pam North

Clara Brown, believed to be the first female freed slave to reach the
gold fields of Colorado, was a woman with an unending capacity for
courage in the face of adversity.  The majority of her life was spent in
the servitude of slavery in Kentucky, and her children and husband were
separated from her by that institution.  When she finally managed to
gain her freedom in her later years, she undertook an arduous journey
westward by wagon train in search of a favorable place to live, and also
in hope that she might find her long-lost daughter, Eliza Jane.  Her
years as a resident of Central City in its early gold-mining days were
spent in building a highly lucrative laundry business and parlaying her
earnings into successful real estate ventures.  Her wealth was
accumulated primarily as a means to continue her search for daughter,
but it also allowed her to be actively involved in supporting human
rights endeavors and funding various religious denominations, and she
was an integral force behind the the establishment of St. James
Methodist Church on Eureka Street.  Her kindness and generosity to
others was legendary, and she became a well-known and respected part of
Rocky Mountain history.  Her amazing life made her, in many ways, a
strong possibility for an opera heroine.  About nine years ago, the
Central City Opera Association felt that it was time to commission a new
opera.  A western theme was desired, and various characters who had
played colorful roles in the Old West, such as Buffalo Bill, were
considered.  Clara Brown was suggested as a candidate for consideration,
but was initially rejected because her unique life did not seem to fit
into the more typical parameters of opera presentations.

John Moriarty (now the Central City Opera Association's Artistic
Director Emeritus) still was haunted by a lingering impression of Clara
Brown in the back of his mind when Gilpin County resident, Roger Baker,
happened to showed him a play he had written about her.  Baker's play
opened with a powerful scene at the slave auction, where Clara's family
was separated, and it was this scene that prompted Moriarty to begin to
envision how Clara's story could effectively be turned into an opera.
The heartbreak of the fragmentation of Clara's family, her later
acquaintance with the controversial John Milton Chivington (central
figure in the Sand Creek Massacre), and her ultimate poignant reunion
with ther daughter, were crystallizing ingredients in the adaptation of
her life story to opera fare.

Moriarty wrote an outline of the basic concept, and with his scenario as
the core, librettist and Tony award-winning playwright William Luce
collaborated with Henry Mollicone, one of America's most distinctive
opera composers, and the result is "Gabriel's Daughter: The Story of
Clara Brown," which will have its world premiere at the Central City
Opera House on July 12th, 2003, at 8:00 p.m.  The opera will run through 
August 8th with a total of ten performances.  John Moriarty will be its 
conductor, and Lori Brown Mirabal will play the role of Clara.  Its stage 
director is Michael Ehrman, and Michael Lasswell is the scenic designer.  
The production will be sung in English, with English projection above the 
stage.  Tickets and performance schedule information may be obtained by 
calling (303) 292-6700.

The historic Central City Opera House, in operation for the past 70
years and with a seating capacity of 552, will also be presenting
"L'Italiana in Algeri" by Gioacchino Rossini, and a dramatic double
billing of "I Pagliacci" by Ruggiero Leoncavallo and "Goyescas" by
Enrique Granados.