CENTRAL CITY OPERA

Central City

News: For the 92nd year, the gala prelude to the Central City Opera’s Summer Festival was both a celebration of the past and a nod to the future as families with deep Colorado roots gathered in the Teller House Garden on June 15 for the presentation of the Central City Flower Girls.

The Flower Girl program was begun in the opera company’s inaugural year when daughters of prominent Colorado families were asked to craft yellow rose nosegays to be distributed to opening night patrons, who would then follow a tradition of tossing the flowers on stage after the opera. This was a variation of what the Cornish miners who once inhabited Central City did to show their appreciation for a performance well done. The miners had tossed coins to the singers.

Roopesh Aggarwal, senior director/investment relations for Xcel Energy and a member of the Central City Opera board of directors, introduced the 2024 Flower Girls and said he hoped that their experience would be the start of their long-term association with the company.

The 2024 Flower Girls, all of whom are about to start their senior year in high school, were:

• Sydney Bouchard, who spent the fall of her sophomore year in Zermatt, Switzerland, and recently completed a five-week Spanish immersion program in Ubeda, Spain.

• Bridget Brown devotes 100 hours of volunteer time annually to the Rocky Mountain Repertory Theater and was the recipient of a Bruin’s Choice Award for outstanding freshman math student at Cherry Creek High School.

• Marin Calkins, a fifth-generation Coloradan whose grandfather, Ray Bell, opened the state’s first gas station. She plays varsity field hockey at Kent Denver School and is a member of its Mock Trial Team.

• Allie Cavanaugh plays volleyball at Valor Christian High School and is described by her parents as a well-rounded, fun, kind, caring and empathetic young woman.

• Maggie Coors, the great-great-great granddaughter of Coors Brewing Company founder Adolph Coors, volunteers at Children’s Hospital Colorado and has trained as a dancer with Colorado Ballet.

• Georgie Dollarhide lettered in public forum and theater at East High School and studied abroad in Ireland in 2022. She recently returned from Spain, where she walked the 70-mile Camino de Santiago and received her certification as a Pilgrim.

• Cricket Dur recently spent six months in Paris, where she tutored Ukranian refugees in English and other subjects. She attends Crystal Springs Uplands School in California, where she founded and runs a political discussion club.

• Ada Frankel’s maternal family has lived in Colorado since the late 1800s, and her relatives include former Gov. James Peabody, statesman and mountaineer James Grafton Rogers, former Sen. Stephen H. Hart, and architect Dudley T. Smith.

• Paige Furgason, a fifth-generation Coloradan, is a varsity golfer at Regis Jesuit High School and a junior ski patroller at Loveland Ski Area. She volunteers for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation and her mother, Shannon, will chair the 2024 Denver Debutante Ball.

• Sophia Grauer has been a member of the National Charity League since she was a sixth grader. She is a member of the Cherry Creek High School varsity hockey team and the Hellenic Dance Academy at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral.

• Josie Hicks is captain of the volleyball team at Colorado Academy, where she also plays varsity tennis. Her sister, Avery Hicks, was a Flower Girl in 2022.

• Lila Inmann, granddaughter of the Central City Opera board co-chairman, Sonny Wiegand, and his wife, Pam, aspire to be a veterinarian or zoologist. She attends the Denver Waldorf School.

• Ginna Jacoby is a sixth-generation Coloradan and has been on the Honor Roll and Dean’s List at St. Mary’s Academy, where she is a three-sport athlete. She volunteers for the National Sports Center for the Disabled and also plays for the Colorado Bears club field hockey travel team.

• Stella Jansen is a competitive synchronized swimmer and dancer and was president of her sophomore class at East High School. She now attends South High School, where she is a member of the Student Council.

• Margaux Lively is a member of Kent Denver’s tennis, field hockey and Mock Trial teams and has made High Academic Honor Roll every year since 9th grade. Her mother, Kate Osborn Lively, was a Flower Girl in 1994.

• Grace Lyford is a year-round competitive All-State swimmer, specializing in the 100 fly, 200 individual medley and relays. She was Freshman of the Year at East High School, where she holds a 4.71 grade point average.

• May Mackenzie was on the varsity poms team at Regis Jesuit High School and has performed with the Littleton Theater Company. She has participated in the Polar Plunge, a fundraiser for Special Olympics, and volunteers at the Be Happy Boutique, which provides formal attire for homecoming and prom.

• Lila Moldenhauer is an honor student at Kent Denver, where she plays varsity tennis, is an editor of the student newspaper and founded a club that promotes activism surrounding gun violence.

• Ellie Perkins’ family has lived in Colorado for 70 years. She attends Colorado Academy and helps build homes for the underserved by volunteering with Homes for Hope.

• Amelia Roberts is a member of the National Honor Society at Cherry Creek High School and has studied classical ballet for 12 years and piano for 10 years. Her father’s family settled in Colorado in the 1860s and her paternal grandmother, Linda Zimmerman Roberts, was a Flower Girl in 1959.

• Ashley Seavall will be a senior at Arapahoe High School and has volunteered for the Denver Rescue Mission. She’s active in her church and loves to ski, swim and read.

• Sora Sohn is an active equestrienne, competing at the national level on her horse, Basil. She also plays varsity volleyball and was captain of her club team for the last two seasons.

• Sophie Stern has been captain of the cheer team at Northfield High School for the past two years. She maintains a 4.75 grade point average and participates in varsity track and field and weight lifting. Her 300 hours of community service includes working with Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning and Kenzie’s Kids.

• Sloane Thompson, a member of the Student Leadership Board at Vail Mountain School, skis competitively in big mountain free ski. She volunteers at Roundup River Ranch and for WeeCycle.

• Neilly Watts plays varsity lacrosse and varsity field hockey at Cherry Creek High School, where she is a member of the Student Senate. She also hosts an annual toy drive for the Denver Santa Claus Shop.

• Sophie Zotti is a fifth-generation Coloradan who attends South High School, which also is the alma mater for her grandmother and great-grandmother. Her mother, Stacey Zotti, was a Flower Girl, as were her aunt and cousin.

About the organization: Founded in 1932, the Central City Opera is the nation’s fifth-oldest professional opera company. It is known for its world-class productions performed at 8,500 feet above sea level in the historic Central City Opera House that was built in 1878.

Website: centralcityopera.org

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