OPERA COLORADO FOUNDER NATHANIEL MERRILL TO BE HONORED BY CITY OF DENVER

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NEW FOUNDER'S ROOM AT THE ELLIE CAULKINS OPERA HOUSE TO BEAR MERRILL'S NAME

DENVER - Denver's Division of Theatres and Arenas today announced plans to construct the Nathaniel Merrill Founder’s Room, a new event and meeting space adjacent to the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in the Newton Auditorium at the Denver Performing Arts Complex.  The elegant lounge overlooking 14th and Champa Streets will be dedicated in memory of Opera Colorado's late founder, Nathaniel Merrill.  Humphries Poli Architects have completed the room’s design and construction should begin early in 2009.  The Nathaniel Merrill Founder’s Room is expected to be open by summer.   

Located on the house left side of the Ellie and accessed via the mezzanine-level lobby of the opera house, the 1,000-square-foot Founder’s Room will feature a built-in bar and cabinetry, and there will be casual seating for 20 to 25 people.  The space will be available to Opera Colorado and Colorado Ballet for board meetings, donor cultivation events and post-show gatherings with artists.  Like the Chambers Grant Salon at the Newton Auditorium and the Buell Theatre's Wolf Room, the Nathaniel Merrill Founder’s Room also will be available for rent to individuals, businesses and non-profit organizations for meetings and parties.  Funding for the design and construction of the new event and meeting space is being provided through Theatres and Arenas’ capital budget.   

“The City is very pleased to have this opportunity to honor Nat Merrill and to celebrate all that he did for Opera Colorado and the Denver performing arts community,” said Jack Finlaw, Director of Theatres and Arenas.  “Nat’s vision for grand opera in Denver led to the birth of Opera Colorado.  Opera Colorado’s success as one of the nation’s best regional opera companies is a tribute to his passion and hard work.  Nat's presence is greatly missed by everyone who knew or worked with him, but his name and spirit now will live on at the Ellie, which is home to the company he founded.” 

In a career that spanned four decades, Opera Colorado founder Nathaniel Merrill became one of the most revered and accomplished directors and producers of opera of his generation.  Merrill served for 28 seasons as Resident Stage Director for the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, and he directed more than 100 different operas in over 200 separate productions worldwide.  During the late 1950s and '60s, he directed productions for the Central City Opera Festival, including a notable offering of Aida starring a young Beverly Sills.  Merrill moved to Denver in 1981 to found Opera Colorado, and the organization became the first company in the United States to produce “grand opera in the round” at Boettcher Concert Hall.  The company produced two operas annually in repertory, adding a third production to its season at the Buell Theatre during its 1990-1991 season.

Under Nathaniel Merrill's leadership, artists such as Placido Domingo, Eva Marton, James McCracken, Jon Vickers, Sherill Milnes, Diana Soviero, Elizabeth Holleque, Catherine Malfitano, Pilar Lorengar, Justino Diaz, Richard Bonynge, Julius Rudel,  Cornell MacNeil, Hao Jiang Tian, Yalun Zhang, Samuel Ramey, set designer Ming Cho Lee and many others lent their talents to Opera Colorado's world-class productions.  Merrill received many accolades during his time with Opera Colorado, including the Mayor’s Award for Special Achievement for Excellence in the Arts (1983 and 1989), a recognition by the Colorado General Assembly (1989), the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Annual Award for Contributions to the Field of Arts and Humanities (1990), and the Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts (1991).  Nathaniel Merrill passed away on September 9, 2008.  He is survived by his wife Pamela Merrill, his sons Christopher and Hank, his daughter Linda Ely and his brother Henry.   

In 2003 the historic Quigg Newton Denver Municipal Auditorium was completely renovated through the combined use of a taxpayer-supported City bond initiative and private funds.  The Newton Auditorium now houses the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, a state-of-the-art lyric style opera house that is the home of Opera Colorado and Colorado Ballet.  The Ellie also hosts touring Broadway productions, rock, folk and pop concerts and film festivals.  The Chambers Grant Salon at the Newton Auditorium is one of Denver’s most popular venues for fine dining and social gatherings.  

The City of Denver’s Division of Theatres and Arenas owns and operates Red Rocks Amphitheatre, the Denver Performing Arts Complex, the Colorado Convention Center and the historic Denver Coliseum.  For more information visit www.redrocksonline.com, www.artscomplex.com, www.denverconvention.com and www.denvercoliseum.com.

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