A Partnership in Practice: How Front Range Community College and Loveland Opera Theatre Are Shaping the Next Generation

Fresh out of high school during the height of the recession, I enrolled at Front Range Community College with a practical goal: complete my general education credits while I figured out what kind of future was actually possible.

While there, I pursued music at every opportunity. Private voice and piano lessons, performing in the chamber choir, and immersing myself in music theory and history, with plans to transfer into a vocal performance program. But like many artists, I faced a difficult reality: balancing time, finances, and uncertainty. I couldn’t afford to stop working, and I wasn’t willing to take on significant debt for a career path that felt financially unpredictable.

That crossroads is far from unique. Today, at least 95 percent of opera singers rely on additional sources of income beyond performing. The challenge isn’t just artistic, it's a structural precarious game of prioritizing artistic fulfillment, mental and physical health while trying to financially tread water. Traditional degree programs and conservatories often fall short in preparing artists for the realities of sustaining a creative life.

Front Range Community College is addressing that gap. Its Bachelor of Applied Science in Business for Creative Industries equips students with practical tools to build sustainable careers meeting them where they are, not where outdated models assume they should be.

At Loveland Opera Theatre, that same philosophy guides our work. Supporting artists means more than presenting performances; it means creating meaningful, real-world opportunities that reflect the industry as it actually exists.

This spring, in partnership with Front Range and Professor Dolly Raines, we collaborated with five students to produce an event from conception to completion. They developed proposals, built timelines, navigated logistics, pitched ideas, and worked alongside our marketing team, gaining firsthand experience in what it takes to bring a production to life.

As Professor Raines describes it: “This high-impact community partnership between Front Range Community College (FRCC) and the nonprofit Loveland Opera Theatre exemplifies what FRCC’s Business for Creative Industries Bachelor’s degree program was designed for—preparing students for leadership roles of creative organizations. We are grateful for the thoughtful guidance of Executive and Artistic Director Kelsie Furst, as students engage in a real-world practicum while cultivating their own leadership style in a supportive environment. By integrating creative passion with business acumen, this experience prepares future leaders for Colorado’s arts ecosystem.”

These students balanced full course loads, jobs, and this intensive project because that’s the reality for today’s creatives. The ability to juggle competing demands while delivering high-quality work isn’t a side skill; it’s the profession.

And now, that work comes to life.

We invite you to attend this year’s Wild West Song Festival  on July 19 from 12–6 PM and experience  for yourself an event shaped not only by seasoned artists, but by emerging professionals taking their first steps into the industry. This is a one day opportunity to witness the future of the arts in action from the performers taking the stage to those that built this festival behind the scenes.

Your presence directly supports these artists and helps ensure that opportunities like this continue to exist.

We are proud to partner with Front Range Community College, whose commitment to innovative, career-connected learning is creating pathways that are both practical and transformative.

Join us on July 19 and be part of the moment where education, artistry, and the future of our field meet.

Kelsie Furst

LOT Executive and Artistic Director