about this event

Billie Jo & Judd Herberger invite you to the premiere of Riders of the Purple Sage: The Making of a Western Opera, a new film about the artistry behind Arizona Opera’s electrifying opera, Riders of the Purple Sage, based on the Zane Grey novel. The event is hosted by Scottsdale’s Museum of the West with partners Quantum Leap Productions and Arizona Opera. Sponsors include Castle Hot Springs, Arizona’s first resort.

The film marks an unprecedented collaboration between the work of author Zane Grey (1872-1939), American composer Craig Bohmler and librettist Steven Mark Kohn, and Arizona’s “visual poet laureate,” painter Ed Mell. In 2012 Bohmler discovered Grey’s most famous novel when he ducked into the Zane Grey Cabin Museum in Payson, Arizona to escape a thunderstorm. Five years later, the musical adaptation of Grey’s beloved Western celebrated its world premiere at Arizona Opera as a fully staged grand opera with a state-of-the-art set designed by one of America’s preeminent landscape painters.

Western Spirit, Scottsdale’s Museum of the West is delighted to present the documentary during Western Week 2020. Michael J. Fox, Director and CEO of Western Spirit says, “Our mission is to immerse people in the unique story of the West. The Riders documentary captures a powerful chapter in our regional history and the lasting impact of artists who have expanded the narrative from Old West to the New West.”

Directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and Arizona local, Kristin Atwell Ford. Produced by Quantum Leap Productions in collaboration with Arizona Opera.

Join us for a celebration of Arizona’s arts, culture, and community.

Q&A with Artistic Team to follow the screening.

Learn more.

Follow on social media at @ridersopera

This event is a facility rental, and is not a part of the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts performance season.