Opera Montana has announced a slew of preview events for this summer ahead of its fall world premiere of “A River Runs Through It.”

The preview performances are scheduled in Livingston on July 14, White Sulphur Springs on July 22, Big Sky on July 26, and Bozeman on August 8 and September 3, the last of which will feature the premiere cast.

The new opera, based on Norman Maclean’s beloved 1976 novella, features music by Zach Redler and a libretto by Matt Foss and Kelley Rourke. The world premiere kicks off on Sept. 18-20 and 24-27 at the Ellen Theatre in Bozeman, with additional performances on Oct. 3 and 4 at the University of Montana’s Dennison Theatre in Missoula, in collaboration with the Missoula Symphony Orchestra.

Opera Montana Artistic Director Michael Sakir conducts the world premiere, with stage direction by Foss. Baritone Schyler Vargas stars as Norman; tenor Michael Kuhn is Paul; soprano Christine Taylor Price is Jessie; tenor Ryan Bryce Johnson is Neal; mezzo-soprano Megan Marino is Heidi; mezzo-soprano Phyllis Pancella is Clara; and bass-baritone David Pittsinger is John.

“A River Runs Through It is a Montana story, but it’s also a universal one, and I can’t think of a more fitting inspiration for Opera Montana’s first commissioned opera,” said General Director Susan Miller, per an official press release. “Zach Redler, Matt Foss, and Kelley Rourke bring voice and emotional complexity to the story in new and profound ways.”

The production received funding from OPERA America’s Opera Fund.

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