On Saturday, July 31, a small group of Nederland music-loving seniors boarded a Peaceful Rides van, excited to attend an intimate afternoon of operatic love songs in the quaint Opera House Gardens in Central City.

Founded in 1932, Central City Opera is the fifth oldest professional opera company in the country and known for its world-class productions, young artist training program, and community engagement activities. The 45-minute long recital which was part of the Al Fresco summer series and featuring tenor Matthew Payne and pianist Ah-Young Kim fit the bill perfectly…except for the rain!

After days of near perfect weather, it was due time for a little sprinkle, but the timing of pouring rain couldn’t have been worse for an intimate performance outdoors. However, as soon as Matthew Payne began telling the story of a young man in search of life-long love and crooning well-known ballads in English, French, and German, it was as if the rain had been planned just for the performance. Clothed in raingear and open umbrellas, the Nederland Area Seniors were all smiles.

The trip to the opera was part of a series of events funded by a grant especially for the Nederland Area Seniors and well worth it!

For more information about the Nederland Area Seniors and Mountain Peak Life, check out their website at https://mountainpeaklife.org/ or contact Director Nicole Cavalino by email at MountainPeakLife.NAS@gmail.com or phone at 303-258-0799.