Opera Debut: ‘The Stories We Tell’
The result of a collaboration between the Heard Museum, the Grand Canyon Music Festival and the Arizona Opera, The Stories We Tell will debut at the Heard. The Stories We Tell consists of “micro-operas” composed by five Native students during workshops at Arizona Opera. This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to experience Native culture in a way unlike any other, and to learn about the lives of young American Indians through the art of classic opera.
Navajo composers Raven Chacon and Michael Begay serve as instructors.
- Chacon’s works have been performed and exhibited across the U.S. as well as Europe, Canada and New Zealand. He is a member of the First Nations Composers Initiative, a collective of composers and musicians working to progress the education and works of young Native composers.
- Begay is a composer, guitarist, radio producer and writer; he worked at Navajo public radio station KGHR as a producer and writer for six years. In addition to teaching the students composing for The Stories We Tell, Chacon and Begay have been commissioned by Arizona Opera to create and present their own compositions for the program.
Arizona Opera artists will perform the operas, accompanied by strings and a pianist. Student composers will be in attendance to discuss their compositions and respond to questions after the performances. Following the opera’s Heard premiere, the micro-operas will be presented in Tucson and at the Grand Canyon, returning to Arizona Opera in Phoenix for the finale.
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