Arizona Opera Podcast

After its sold out world premiere production in 2017, Riders of the Purple Sage is back on the Arizona Opera season by popular demand. In this episode, we hear from composer Craig Bohmler and librettist Steven Mark Kohn about their inspiration and process for bringing this epic western to the opera stage.

With Arizona Opera's performances of La Boheme right around the corner, we discuss the music and characters within Puccini's hit opera that make it one of the most beloved audience favorites of all time.

Ahead of upcoming performances of Fellow Travelers, we talk with some of the artists responsible for creating and performing this brilliant work which depicts a forbidden love story amidst the 1950s Lavender Scare.

The opera Shining Brow follows a tumultuous period in the life of famed architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, which included a public affair and even murder. This episode features an interview with Shining Brow's composer, Daron Hagen, who gives us behind the scenes details on the opera and how it came to life.

Our season finale features members of the Marion Roose Pullin Arizona Opera Studio talking about their upcoming performances of Mozart's Così fan tutte. We hear about the intricacies of bringing Mozart's characters and music to life, as well as what it's like to be a member of the Arizona Opera Studio.

A look inside Arizona Opera's upcoming performances of The Marriage of Figaro, this episode features musicologist and Mozart fanatic, Naomi Barrettara, in addition to Arizona Opera Head of Music, Christopher Cano.

The Great War rages. It is 1914 and Europe has descended into darkness. On Christmas Eve, British, French, and German soldiers agree to a truce across the trenches. Based on inspiring true events and adapted from the film Joyeux Noel (2005), this Pulitzer Prize-winning opera explores the human cost of war, and the ultimate price of peace. In this podcast episode we hear from the creators of the opera, in addition to the artists that bring it to life.