Denver Life

Reader: Christian Ellis documents his life at war in an opera

Christian Ellis, a Marine, survived a tour of Iraq where he saw many of his comrades die. But life back in the States was tougher. Suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, Ellis attempted suicide four times before he finally found something to live for: music. And now Ellis, who has moved...
By Patricia CalhounJuly 5, 2012
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Christian Ellis, a Marine, survived a tour of Iraq where he saw many of his comrades die. But life back in the States was tougher. Suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, Ellis attempted suicide four times before he finally found something to live for: music.

And now Ellis, who has moved to Denver, has written an opera about his experiences, Fallujah.

Says JeffreyB:

Congratulations to Christian Ellis on documenting his life at war in this opera. This is terrific–many of us look forward to hearing it. I believe more music will come out of this time of history.

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Read Kelsey Outman’s story about Ellis and his opera here.

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Patricia Calhoun is editor emeritus of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She was editor-in-chief from 1977-2026. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame (probably for her bar tab). She’s received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists, and is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS12’s public affairs roundtable.

patricia.calhoun@westword.com

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