50 years of opera
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Opera Idaho’s Second Decade (1983 – 1992)
By Ellie McKinnon
Boise Civic Opera Presidents
June Fitzgerald, 1983
Dr. Charles B. Supplee, 1984-1985
Karma Echols, 1986
Robert C. Huntley, Jr., 1987-1989
John P. Borgwardt, 1990
Michael C. Winter, 1991
Unknown, 1992
By 1983, Boise Civic Opera was 10 years
old. Professionalism was increasing
within its talented ranks and audiences
were happily responding. That year, the
company decided it was time to leave
the name Boise Civic Opera behind and
retitled itself as the Boise Opera.
The eighties provided a roller coaster
ride in the financial sector that affected
philanthropic funding for the arts.
Despite waning financial support,
however, there was a big sun in the
sky for the arts: the long anticipated
performing arts center. The Morrison
Center was nearing completion. In the
spring doors opened to the spectacular
new center. Within it were two theaters,
a recital hall, and considerable rehearsal
and practice space. The gorgeous 2037
seat auditorium was equipped with the
latest in theatrical technology. Boise
Opera chose two operas for
their debut, Donizetti’s Lucia di
Lammermoor and the everpopular
Carmen.
But, performing in the Morrison
Center came with a stiff price
tag. In 1984 the company made
a series of decisions as they
mulled over options for bringing
down production costs. They
From left to right:
A.J. Balukoff, Mike Wetherall, Wetherell, and Laura R. Nielsen
considered operas with smaller sets that
could allow use of alternative smaller
venues like Boise State’s Special Events
Center. The Morrison Center’s Governing
Board, aware of the financial issues
facing local performing groups, created
a fund that would defer a considerable
amount of the costs for local cultural
groups that hoped to perform in the
exquisite hall in the future.
The opera company decided to mix
things up a bit by offering grand opera
alternately with operatic concert
performances featuring internationally
known opera stars. In 1985, Boise
audiences heard mezzo-soprano
Marilyn Horne in concert, and later
were treated to the beautiful opera
Madama Butterfly. Productions of
Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci took the stage
followed in March by Donizetti’s Don
Pasquale. In the spring, famed operatic
baritone Sherrill Milnes performed in
concert.
In the succeeding season the Boise
Opera audience responded favorably
to Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata and
Engelbert Humperdinck’s fairy tale
opera Hansel and Gretel. The company’s
repertoire was expanding as its positive
reputation grew. In 1987, Idaho
Governor Dirk Kempthorne identified
the Boise Opera as an important
element in the city’s cultural life – so
important in fact that he declared the
week of February 8th as “Boise Opera
Week.” In March audiences heard
Operatic Highlights in concert.
The 1988-1989 season marked the
company’s 15th anniversary. That year
the company celebrated with two
locally produced classics, Puccini’s tragic
opera Tosca and Mozart’s captivating
The Magic Flute. Two visiting companies
completed the 1988-1989 season -- the
acrobatic Peking Opera and the San
Francisco Opera Center Singers. The
latter’s performance was a mix of grand
opera and Broadway classics.
Opera Idaho celebrated the state’s
Centennial year with Franz Lehar’s
lilting The Merry Widow and a revival
of the opera A Season for Sorrow
composed by local musician C. Griffith
Bratt. The 1989-90 season also
included two special events. The first
event kicking off the season was a
trio of performances by the Ash Lawn
Highland Opera theater from Virginia.
This performance of light-hearted
dramas was performed outdoors and
included a 45-minute intermission
during which opera goers could enjoy a
picnic dinner in a nearby
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