‘˜Arizona Bold’
Arizona Opera initiative presents works highlighting state’s diversity
The Magic Flute, 2014-2015 season The Daughter of the Regiment, 2014-2015 season
Arizona Opera has announced the public phase of Arizona Bold, an artistic initiative to build a stronger statewide community by presenting works that focus on Arizona’s history and wealth of natural, cultural and economic diversity.
In September 2014, Arizona Opera announced the initiative, along with a corresponding four-year capital campaign to raise $5 million, specifically designated for community-based works. Of the $5 million campaign, $3.1 million has already been raised in the first 10 months since the campaign was internally launched.
The company hopes to raise the remaining $1.9 million over the next three seasons.
Arizona Opera’s first Arizona Bold presentation, Cruzar la Cara de la Luna, featuring the world-renowned Mariachi Vargas, opened the company’s 2014-15 season. The company became the first opera company to present the opera as part of its subscriptions season. Ticket sales for Cruzar broke nationwide records, with Phoenix and Tucson attendance achieving higher levels of sales than any other market that had presented the piece.
In Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona Opera will host free community festivals in advance of its two Arizona Bold presentations, Emmerich Kálmán’s Arizona Lady and Daniel Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas. The festivals will include public lectures, films, events and perforamcnes designed to explore the themes of the works.
“The fabric of Arizona is so rich, comprised of many different cultures and backgrounds. Arizona Bold seeks to expand the perception of our art form by presenting stories worth singing that are of particular interest to our diverse communities. Though we are all individuals with our own histories, we are unified as we sit in that darkened theater, sharing the same human
experience,” says Ryan Taylor, general director, Arizona Opera.
PHOTOS COURTESY ARIZONA OPERA
