Opera’s hallowed traditions and America’s cowboy culture converge in a documentary film that celebrates the collaborative power of art. The documentary film "RIDERS of the PURPLE SAGE: THE MAKING OF A WESTERN OPERA" follows Zane Grey’s classic Western novel as it is re-imagined by Arizona artists composer Craig Bohmler, fine art painter Ed Mell, and the performers and artisans of Arizona Opera. This trailer features soprano Karin Wolverton as Jane, baritone Morgan Smith as Lassiter, tenor Joshua Dennis Bern as Venters, soprano Amanda Opuszynski as Bess, baritone Keith Phares as Tull, and bass-baritone Kristopher Irmiter sings Bishop Dyer.
The documentary is directed by Emmy-Winning filmmaker Kristin Atwell Ford and scheduled for release in 2019. Executive Producers Billie Jo & Judd Herberger. Produced by Quantum Leap Productions in partnership with Arizona Opera. SPECIAL THANKS to Arizona Opera Center, Phoenix Symphony Hall, Scottsdale's Museum of the West, Rim Country Museum & Zane Grey Cabin, Mormon Lake Lodge, Desert Mountain Communities, Navajo National Monument, and Pipe Spring National Monument.
THE OPERA RADIO BROADCAST
Unprecedented in its regional authenticity, the opera RIDERS of the PURPLE SAGE tells a powerful story of strength and redemption through love, loss and breathtaking adventure across the sweeping vistas of the American Southwest. A century after it was first imagined, Zane Grey’s seminal novel triumphs on the operatic stage. The entire opera, RIDERS of the PURPLE SAGE, will be released by the WFMT Radio Network for broadcast nationally on November 25, 2017. As part of the WFMT Radio Network’s American Opera Series, the broadcast, a presentation of Classical Arizona PBS, will be heard in more than 370 markets, on more than 60 stations throughout the United States. Check your local station listings for details. Additionally, the broadcast will be distributed internationally to the European Broadcasting Union, making it available to more than 50 national broadcasters around Europe for broadcasts during 2018.
Find more information about Riders of the Purple Sage national syndication via the American Opera Series at: radionetwork.wfmt.com/programs/arizona-opera/
WORLD PREMIERE CAST & CREATIVE TEAM
PRESENTED BY ARIZONA OPERA
Composer Craig Bohmler
Librettist Steven Mark Kohn
Conductor Joseph Mechavich
Stage Director Fenlon Lamb
Scenic Design Ed Mell
Projection Design Jake Pinholster
Costume Design Kathleen Trott
Lighting Design Gregory Allen Hirsch
Co-Producer Kristin Atwell Ford
Executive Producers Billie Jo & Judd Herberger
Sponsored by Dr. Rex and Arlyn Brewster and Frieda Elizabeth Reish
WORLD PREMIERE CAST
Lassiter: baritones Morgan Smith / Joshua Jeremiah
Jane Withersteen: sopranos Karin Wolverton / Laura Wilde
Bern Venters: tenor Joshua Dennis
Bess: soprano Amanda Opuszynski
Bishop Dyer: bass-baritone Kristopher Irmiter
Elder Tull: baritone Keith Phares
For more information on Arizona Opera's RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE visit azopera.org/riders and ridersopera.com.
For more on "RIDERS of the PURPLE SAGE: THE MAKING OF A WESTERN OPERA" visit: ridersoperafilm.com
For more on the radio broadcast visit: azopera.org/blog/riders-purple-sage-goes-international
Production and Post provided by Quantum Leap Productions: qlpnow.com
