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Opera comes to Winter Park on Nov. 19

Kristen LodgeSky-Hi NewsWinter Park, CO Colorado

Joan Shaw knows talent when she sees it. Shaw is a music therapist and frequent piano accompanist to singers, heard Pablo Romero sing, and knew they must collaborate. Their collaboration will culminate in a musical evening at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19, at Mountain Grind Coffee & Bistro in Cooper Creek Square. Romero is from Equador and has lived in Colorado since 2003. He studies with Martile Rowland, a former New York Metropolitan Opera soprano who now lives in Colorado Springs. He attended her three week Opera Boot Camp and has been a student ever since. Through music, he brings immigrant voices to Grand County on Saturday to celebrate those who uprooted their lives and came to the U.S. He will read letters about their hopes and dreams between musical pieces. The musical journey starts with music from the Old Country with Italian Romantics and continues with classical Latin American composers. Romero will end with American contemporary classics.Shaw will be playing a historical piano that was lent to Mountain Grind by Joyce Engel. The piano was a fixture at the Winter Park Sports Shop when the Engels owned the shop. Shaw said the bus drivers from the Eskimo Ski Club would come to the shop and play the piano after dropping of their skiers at Winter Park Resort. “They would play music all day,” she said. “We are lucky that the piano found a new life at Mountain Grind.”The letters Romero reads reflect the mood and nature of America. “We are a country of immigrants,” said Romero. “I think it’s important to never forget that.”


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