Arizona Opera

Arizona Opera is an opera company which operates in both Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona.

Arizona Opera was established in 1971 as the Tucson Opera Company, under founding general director James P. Sullivan, and presented its first production, of Rossini's "The Barber of Seville", in 1972. By 1975 the company had expanded to include performances in both Tucson and Phoenix. Arizona Opera maintains offices in both cities, and a facility for production (set construction, wardrobe, and properties) and rehearsal in Tucson. The company has a subscriber base of over 10,000 drawn from the two metropolitan areas, and an annual budget of $5.5 million.

The appointment of Glynn Ross as general director in 1983 initiated a period of growth during which the company expanded its season from three to five productions. In 1996 and 1998 the company gained notice by staging Wagner's Ring Cycle as a summer festival in Flagstaff, Arizona. Ross retired in 1998 and was succeeded by David Speers, who enhanced the quality of the company's productions by focusing on improvement in the quality of staged productions, increasing spending on rehearsals, chorus, and orchestra. Under Speers' leadership subscriptions and single-ticket sales increased. In addition to the company's regular productions, Speers brought noted singers Samuel Ramey, Kiri Te Kanawa, Denyce Graves, and Jerry Hadley to Arizona for recital performances.

The Arizona Opera Chorus is composed of professional singers from both Phoenix and Tucson. Choristers have been affiliated with the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) since 1995. Union representation has resulted in significant improvements in chorus compensation and working conditions, and a concomitant improvement in the quality of new chorister candidates. The chorus master is Julian Reed.

During the 2000-2001 season, the company appointed its first Principal Conductor, Cal Stewart Kellogg. Kellogg remained in that position through 2004, and is now director of the Symphony of the Southwest (formerly the Mesa Symphony), as well as occasionally serving as an Arizona Opera guest conductor.

The Arizona Opera Orchestra is comprised of music professionals from one of three major cities in Arizona - Flagstaff, Phoenix or Tucson - and is affiliated with the American Federation of Musicians (AFM). LIke the chorus, union representation resulted in significant improvements including a Collective Bargaining Agreement. In 2000 orchestra members formed the Arizona Opera Orchestra Musicians Association (AZOOMA) to support the musicians and the company.

David Speers left the company in 2003 and was succeeded by Joel Revzen, a Juilliard-trained musician and conductor and experienced music-organization administrator. Revzen is continuing Speers' practice of mixing standard repertory with productions of less-often-performed works, e.g., Menotti's "The Consul", Brecht and Weill's "The Threepenny Opera", and Handel's "Semele."

Arizona Opera offers six performances of each of its five productions per season, with four at Phoenix Symphony Hall (2,387 seats and the recipient of $18.5 million in renovations during 2004-05) and two at the Tucson Convention Center Music Hall (2,277 seats).

In recent years the company has sought to cut costs in the face of falling ticket sales by trimming its schedule from seven to six performances per production, dropping one Tucson show. In the 2006-07 season a production of Grétry's "Zémire et Azor", designed by Opera Theatre of St. Louis and billed as "Beauty and the Beast," was popular with parents. Also in the 2006-07 season the company co-produced an original setting of Verdi's "Macbeth" with Seattle Opera. [http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/149720]

General directors

*James P. Sullivan (1971-1983)
*Glynn Ross (1983-1998)
*David Speers (1998-2003)
*Joel Revzen (2003-2008) (note: Remains as Artistic Director and Resident Conductor)
*Debra Harrison (2008- ) (note: General Manager since 2006; now Executive Director)

External links

* [http://www.azopera.com Arizona Opera]
* [http://www.azooma.org Arizona Opera Orchestra]
* [http://www.ci.phoenix.az.us/STAGES/symphall.html Phoenix Symphony Hall]
* [http://www.tucsonaz.gov/tcc/facilities/musichall/index.html Tucson Music Hall]
* [http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/149720 Arizona Daily Star article: 'Macbeth' Ambitious]