Speed of Life

Credit: Courtesy of Gregg Chadwick Opera Portrait of Elyn Saks 24”x36” oil on linen 2026 by Gregg Chadwick What: Premiere of The Center Cannot Hold, Part 3: Beyond Recovery , an original opera composed by Kenneth Wells with a libretto developed in collaboration with Elyn Saks, based on her acclaimed memoir. The opera follows Saks through her marriage to her late husband Will Vinet, her journey to becoming a trained psychoanalyst; her cancer diagnosis, which she found far less stigmatizing than her mental illness; and her international recognition as an advocate for people living with serious mental illness. The production runs for approximately three hours with intermission and features a full cast of professional singers, chorus and chamber orchestra. Who: Kenneth Wells, MD, MPH — composer and librettist; Professor of Psychiatry and Health Services Research, UCLA Elyn Saks — subject of the opera; Orrin B. Evans Distinguished Professor of Law, Psychology, and Psychiatry and the...

  Puccini 6"x6"oil on panel 2019 by Gregg Chadwick (Private Collection, Denver, Colorado) Today we celebrate the birthday of opera composer Giacomo Puccini, born  #onthisday  in 1858. Known for "La Boheme", "Tosca", "Madama Butterfly", and "Turandot", Puccini's operas continue to inspire. I painted this small oil on panel painting of Puccini for a solo exhibition of opera inspired artworks at the Central City Opera in the summer of 2019. That year and also in 2007, I created a series of paintings that were commissioned by the  @ccityopera  to be used as keynote images for each of their productions during the summer season. It was a marvelous project to work on and I loved spending time in Colorado with the entire Central City team. Great music and great camaraderie! Thank you Central City Opera! #puccini   #centralcity   #Colorado   #Opera   #classicalmusic   #art

  My Opera loving Dad will appreciate this quote from Bruce:   "And I had an interesting moment — I got to know Luciano Pavarotti a little bit before he died. I went to his apartment one night and he made me and my wife spaghetti. And so we're sitting and eating and he invites me to the opera. So I go to the opera, which I've never been to in my life, and I watch him perform. And after the opera, we're out having a drink and he says, "What do you think, Bruce? What did you really think of the opera?" I said, "Well, it was incredible." You know, there's no mic; he came out, his voice was, to me, still in fantastic shape. And he says, "Well, yes, but the popular singer has it over the opera singer." I said, "Really? Why is that?" "The popular singer sings the way people speak." I thought about Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, and I thought: Yeah, that's true; they sing colloquially, the way people speak to one an...