Join Us at Quest for the Best
Documentary on AZ Opera’s Riders on Screen in Tucson February 22
Arizona Opera Company’s hit Riders of the Purple Sage, which premiered in 2017 to sold-out houses, returns this season. With it comes a new full-length film documenting the creation and production of this instant classic. (Learn more about the film and AZ Opera’s upcoming performances.)
Kristin Atwell Ford of Quantum Leap Productions, Emery Award winning film maker, co-produced this documentary focusing on the collaborative process. The film travels from the untamed frontier that inspired Zane Grey’s iconic novel over a century ago to the intimate workings of the modern artistic process behind this new American opera.
You can see Riders of the Purple Sage: The Making of a Western Opera on Saturday, February 22, at noon in The Screening Room, 127 E. Congress St., presented by the Arizona Opera League of Tucson. The cost is $15. Get your tickets by writing to Fran Loubet, 6153 N. Pascola Circle, Tucson, AZ 85718, enclosing a check made out to the AZ Opera League of Tucson.
And remember to attend the Opera Guild‘s free previews of the opera on February 28 in Tucson or March 2 in Oro Valley. Yes, there are two distinct organizations promoting opera in Tucson, with similar names. Both are worthy of your support.
Quest for the Best 2020 Honors Frank and Susan Finkenberg
The Opera Guild’s Board of Directors will honor Frank and Susan Finkenberg at Quest for the Best on March 28, 2020, for their service to the Guild. This dynamic duo has been active in OGSA for many years as board members, event organizers, and enthusiastic supporters in numerous other ways. We can thank Frank for editing the Guild Voice newsletter and our website, as well as overseeing the finances and investments of the organization. He also chaired Quest for five years, over which time the event grew into the format and venue we now enjoy.
Susan, as longtime hospitality chair, expertly arranges the goodies at the Brown Bag Opera previews and is in charge of the delicious hors d’oeuvres reception at Quest for the Best. If you would like to recognize the Finkenbergs for their years of service, you can make a donation to OGSA and express your appreciation in the program book for Quest for the Best 2020. And come to Quest on March 28 and thank them in person.
Photos from Quest for the Best 2019
If you missed 2019’s Quest, get some of the visual flavor with these photos by Howard Weiss. For the full experience, watch videos of all the graduate and undergraduate arias.
See and Hear the Arias from 2019’s Quest for the Best!
Congratulations to all the singers who helped make this year’s Quest for the Best an outstanding success. Thanks to the generosity of donors and attendees we awarded over $8,000 in prizes, with all singers receiving prize money. The top award winners are noted below; click on their names to go directly to videos of their arias. Or view (and download) all the graduate and undergraduate arias.
Graduate Singers and Top Awards
Left to right: Shainy Manuel, Crystal Kachevas, Erika Burkhart, Frannie Barrows, Chunghee Lee, Diana Peralta, Yuchen Luo, Kristen Lucas. (photo: Howard Weiss)
| Rank | Amount | Donor | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| First (tie) | $1250 | OGSA in honor of Patrick and Patricia Schifano | Chunghee Lee |
| First (tie) | $1250 | OGSA in memory of Stokes Tolbert | Diana Peralta |
| Third | $750 | Mary Casady in memory of Richard L Casady | Yuchen Luo |
Undergraduate Singers and Top Awards
Left to right: Simon Faddoul, Lylah Field, David Ingram, Bridget Marlowe, Jinzhou Jia, Kelsie Grimsley, Ezra Zurita, Emma Petersen. (Photo: Howard Weiss)
| Rank | Amount | Donor | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | $800 | Anonymous | Emma Petersen |
| Second | $600 | Carolyn & Russ Russo | Ezra Zurita |
| Third | $500 | Patrick and Patricia Schifano | Kelsie Grimsley |