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Amargosa Opera House carries on the legacy of Marta Becket

The launch of the 51st season at the legendary Amargosa Opera House, in Death Valley Junction, was nothing less than fantastic. Here, performing on stage in the 110-seat opera house, was the incredibly talented and engaging Sin City Opera. Yes, real opera on stage, close up and personal, with the opera house revealing impressive acoustics.

The program, which audience members agreed could have gone on for another hour or two without complaint from all of us in attendance, featured a well curated selection of arias and ensembles from such operas as Carmen, La Boheme, The Tales of Hoffman, Elixir of Love, Turandot, Rigoletto, Gianni Schicchi, and the Magic Flute. Whether on stage together, or solo, accompanied by pianist Deborah Gordillo, the members of Sin City Opera worked their musical magic into the desert night. What a treat to have Quando men vo, from La Boheme echoing out into the darkness of this dusty desert town!

The energy of the performance, and the informative and entertaining narratives about the pieces being performed, all went far to assure those of us who have loved the Amargosa Opera House and its creator, Marta Becket for years that Marta was present, and was proud to see her legacy continue in this theatre where she performed since 1967.

I was thrilled that the ensemble closed their evening's performance with one of my all time favorites, that seemed especially appropriate here among the opera murals Marta had painted all around us - Nessun Dorma (none shall sleep), from Turandot. This brilliant and well known work by Puccini, is sung by Calaf, the unknown prince, about the seemingly distant and cold Princess Turandot. Calaf passes the test of three riddles that he must answer correctly or be beheaded. But then the princess adds a new test he must pass - if she guesses his name correctly before dawn, he will die. In the meantime, none of her subjects may sleep until his name has been discovered upon penalty of death.

Nessun dorma! Nessun dorma! Tu pure, o Principessa, nella tua fredda stanza, guardi le stelle che tremano d'amore, e di speranza!

None shall sleep! None shall sleep! Not even you, oh Princess, in your cold bedroom, watching the stars that tremble with love and with hope!

Ma il mio mistero è chiuso in me; il nome mio nessun saprà! No, No! Sulla tua bocca lo dirò quando la luce splenderà!

But my secret is hidden within me; no one will know my name! No, no! On your mouth I will say it when the light shines!

Ed il mio bacio scioglierà il silenzio che ti fa mia!

And my kiss will dissolve the silence that makes you mine!

Overcome by his love for the princess, Calaf gives in and reveals his true identity to her, and in the morning, prepares to die. But when she proclaims she knows his name, she says it is love, and in an unusual operatic plot twist, nobody dies after all. It's really perhaps a more universal theme though, as maybe we're all really awaiting our death, hoping for love with the coming of the dawn.

As the audience crossed the Amargosa Hotel courtyard to the lobby where we enjoyed champagne and cake, it seemed as if there was much to celebrate with the beginning of the Amargosa Opera House's 51st season. The opera house and hotel have endured much danger and this cultural icon of the California deserts was nearly lost. Now, thanks to the dedication and (very) hard work of Fred Conboy and the Amargosa Opera House, Inc. board of directors, as well as Bobbi Fabian who tirelessly manages both the hotel and the delightful Amargosa Cafe (much to our benefit!), and a great capable and hospitable staff, it seems there is a future for Death Valley Junction and Marta's legacy, after all.

For that, we're extremely grateful. Upcoming events at the Amargosa Opera House include Gypsy Time Traveler (from nearby Tecopa), a Proust-themed violin and piano concert, a Celtic band, a classical harpist, ballet, singer songwriters, mime, live 20s and 30s jazz, the Donna Lamm Dance Studio, Murder Mystery Productions (Danniel Stallings) from Ridgecrest, a screening of the original 1925 Phantom of the Opera, and a special holiday event on December 21 and 22, "The Nutcracker," performed by dancers from The Pink Tutu Ballet from Las Vegas.

Saturday, February 16, 2019, will mark Marta Becket's 51st Anniversary Celebration. The celebration will feature dancers from the Fossemalle Dance Studio in Santa Ynez, accompanied by musicians Phyllis Nefsky and her trio, Wildflowers, for a special tribute to Marta Becket and her beloved partner for more than two decades, Tom Willet, AKA "Wilget." We hear Sin City Opera may have an encore performance or two this coming season.

Check the schedule of upcoming performances at the Amargosa Opera House HERE.

Reserve a room at the Amargosa Hotel HERE.

See what's cooking at the Amargosa Cafe HERE.

Sin City Opera

Ginger Land-van Buuren, Executive Director

She's performed with the Bronx Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Dicapo Opera Theater, Pacific Opera, Opera in the Heights, Natchez Opera Festival, Portland Opera, Opera Astoria, and the National Lyric Opera, and performs with her TechnOpera band, OperaRisque’. Outside of opera, she's a member of Actor's Equity and has performed as Irene Molloy in Hello Dolly, Madame de le Grande Bouche in Beauty and the Beast, Ellie Mae in Showboat, Lucy in The Telephone, Nellie Forbush in South Pacific, Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, and, well you get the idea. No doubt she's been great in all of them.

She's also appeared on the big screen in films with Vin Diesel and others. She's an impressive soprano, and brought not only an excellent voice, but a commanding stage presence to opening night at the Amargosa Opera House.

Rebecca Morris, Programs Director

Morris is a powerful and captivating mezzo-soprano, who has performed operatic roles internationally. A graduate of Northern Arizona University, she has obtained certificates from the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria, The Bay Area Summer Opera Theater Institute, and The Opera Academy of California, in San Francisco, as well as the Crittenden Opera Theater Institute in Washington, D.C., and the Flagstaff in Fidenza program in Fidenza, Italy. She has performed in numerous productions with the Arizona Opera and the Phoenix Opera, and now performs in full productions by Sin City Opera in Las Vegas.

She runs the Noteworthy Vocal Studio Las Vegas, and has two decades of experience teaching and training young singers. A power to be reckoned with, and welcomed, she thrilled the audience at opening night with selections from Carmen, Samson and Delilah, and a special piece from Cruda Sorte, "Italian Girl in Algiers."

Craig Alan Thomas

Known as the "Pavarotti of the Las Vegas Strip," Thomas has performed at every major hotel along the strip, from the Bellagio and Venetian/Palazzo, to Paris Hotel, Wynn, the Mirage, Rio, and others. His forte is opera, but he's capable of crossing easily into other genres such as rock, jazz, and Broadway. When not performing with Sin City Opera on opening night at the Amargosa Opera House, you can find him performing as, and we're not kidding (though he needed a wig for the role), Maurice Gibb with the Australian Bee Gees Show at the Excalibur Hotel and Casino on the strip, and on tour.

The lively and versatile tenor has performed with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Opera Colorado, Denver's Elle Cauklins Opera House, Central City Opera, Sarasota Opera, Opera Las Vegas, and now Sin City Opera. He performed at the US debut of The AIDS Requiem, performed with Andrea Bocelli and David Foster, and sang for the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.

Thomas has written a number of shows as well, including The Ristorante Tenors, a comic spin-off of The Three Tenors popular on the strip (it served as the entertainment for Robin Leach's 70th birthday party). He has a stage show, Opera Through the Ages, which takes audiences through arias from every age of opera, and performs his Tenor Trilogy: A Blast of Broadway, Opera and Rock.

There are plans to bring Sin City Opera and Opera Through the Ages back to the Amargosa Opera House this season, so stay tuned!

Dilegua, o notte! Tramontate, stelle! Tramontate, stelle! All'alba vincerò! vincerò, vincerò!

Vanish, o night! Set, stars! Set, stars! At dawn, I will win! I will win! I will win!

We all win when Sin City Opera performs at the Amargosa Opera House!

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