Riders of the Purple Sage - 2017

Your hosts are Nancy and Jerry Monsman and Jeannette Segel. Nancy is not only a painter of note but also a cellist. Jerry is a professor in the English Department at U of A and quite the raconteur. You can enjoy some of Nancy’s art while dining in the Monsman home.

Arizona Opera’s first world-premiere will kick-off with a state-wide celebration of our Western heritage. Celebrate and the West through art, film, story, and song and explore the land that shapes our past, present, and future.

SOLD OUT! REGISTRATION IS CLOSED FOR THIS EVENT.

Arizona Opera’s first world-premiere will kick-off with a state-wide celebration of our Western heritage. Celebrate and the West through art, film, story, and song and explore the land that shapes our past, present, and future.

Arizona Opera’s first world-premiere will kick-off with a state-wide celebration of our Western heritage. Celebrate and the West through art, film, story, and song and explore the land that shapes our past, present, and future.

These hour long previews of Arizona Opera's upcoming production are available for all members of the ASU Osher lifelong learning institute. Please contact ASu Olli for more information and registration.

In addition to the new opera, Zane Grey’s “Riders of the Purple Sage” spawned no fewer than five film versions of the epic saga. In this program, Arizona’s Official Western Film Historian Charlie LeSueur explores the various incarnations of the film adaptations of the novel and the overall impact the book had on the western genre. 

The inspiration behind our world premiere! Riders of the Purple Sage tells the story of Jane Withersteen and her battle to overcome persecution with the help from a number of friends, including Bern Venters and Lassiter. This classic of Western pulp is certain to excite you as we prepare for the operatic adaptation of this thrilling novel.

The inspiration behind our world premiere! Riders of the Purple Sage tells the story of Jane Withersteen and her battle to overcome persecution with the help from a number of friends, including Bern Venters and Lassiter. This classic of Western pulp is certain to excite you as we prepare for the operatic adaptation of this thrilling novel.