Opera Houses

For two days in May, some of Sedona's most stylish homes welcome guests of Northern Arizona Opera's Art and Architecture Tour. Organizers tell us how the event benefits music education in the region; the beauty of the setting speaks for itself.

"I would argue that perhaps what's going on in opera are some of the most real and deep experiences out there," singer-songwriter of the moment Rufus Wainwright recently told the British rock-music magazine Mojo, "especially now, with American Idol and everything."

Sedona got the message early. Four times a year, the Arizona Opera League of Northern Arizona, a nonprofit volunteer group formed in 2000 and now a couple of octaves shy of the 175-member range, has been gathering in private homes to hear world-class singers put forth memorable arias in an intimate setting. Perhaps more important, the group has taken an active role in nurturing both the next generation of opera professionals - by financing scholarships at the highly respected opera program at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff - and fans, by paying the way for local students to see fully staged opera performances at Arizona Opera in Phoenix, and spearheading a program that brings the education director of the Arizona Opera, Mary Jane McCloskey, into four area schools, presenting 1,200 students with an interactive program to spark curiosity and explore the pleasures of the arts.

To fund these programs, the Opera League annually sponsors its Art and Architecture Home Tour, to be held this year on May 21-22 at eight showcase living spaces in Sedona. For the $25 admission/donation, the visitor receives a map and a schedule of events that sets them off on a self-directed tour of discovery. Within each home, participating art galleries will underline architects' creativity by filling interiors with tasteful exhibitions of their artists' finest works, not to mention tasting menus by celebrated chefs. The accents are provided by Tiffany table settings, opera performances in selected homes, interior design tips, including a Feng Shui expert, and more. On Saturday night, May 21, attendees gather for a Black-Tie Gala (at the Indian Creek Ranch home of Georgia Frontiere, owner of the NFL's St. Louis Rams), which for the first time will have a western theme, a casino, and, naturally, additional opera performances.

The portraits on the surrounding pages introduce you to some of the people who breathe life into this weekend - the students, singers, organizers, artists and architects - in some of Sedona's stellar surroundings.

The tour is the brainchild of Hal Lang, who brought the idea to Sedona after success with fund-raising in previous communities where he'd lived, including organizing galas for the benefit of the Houston Opera. The Northern Arizona Opera League has been the beneficiary of the Sedona Home Tour for the past five years.

It might surprise some to realize how well positioned Sedona is as an opera hub. The NAU program, led by director Nando Schellen, is to the north in Flagstaff; the Arizona Opera in Phoenix is reaching new heights under artistic and general director Joel Revzen. Albert DiLorenzi, president of the Opera League since August 2004, argues that a thriving audience for arias bodes well for development in other areas.

"States where there is a high concentration of art, whether it's opera or symphony or ballet or galleries or museums, tend to be the locations of choice for talent that's going to drive the economy," he contends. "Workers today are mobile; they're looking for the best place, where they want to be. At the company I worked for [telecom firm Nortel Networks, for 32 years] it was a major issue, choosing desirable locations to attract talent. Arizona has a ways to go in that regard compared to some other states. But I think support behind that concept is starting to emerge."

But what about those who would dismiss opera as stuffy and boring, endorsements like Rufus Wainwright's notwithstanding? DiLorenzi insists that impression, in line with so much of the League's mission, is a matter of education. "There is a misconception about opera," he says. "Opera combines music, drama, staging and scenery. What has become very significant lately is the improvement in drama. If you watch an opera today, you'll see performers who are very talented actors as well as very talented singers. That brings in another dimension that wasn't necessarily emphasized in the past, when the focus was maybe on the singing and music, and acting was secondary. That's not the case today."

Why go through the nerve-racking exercise of letting gallery decorators, and then hundreds of strangers, into your home for a few days? DiLorenzi has seen Art and Architecture from both sides; his experience with the organization began when he and his wife volunteered their home as a gallery on the Tour.

"Of course, we were concerned about having all those people coming through our house," he recalls. "But we did want to show our home, we were very proud of our home. And our concerns disappeared almost immediately. We found people were very respectful. We met a lot of people who we subsequently got to know better. It was very positive."

In the five years since the Home Tour and the Opera League teamed up, the event has raised $75,000 to stage its salons - also open to non-members - and finance its educational programs. Last year, three NAU students in the advanced program received $1,000 scholarships.

"This year, we launched one salon to give the scholarship students we have supported the opportunity to perform," DiLorenzi reports. "In February, we had a salon that featured three of our scholarship students performing in an afternoon tea setting in a private home. The students need the experience of performing before an audience, and the guests that attended really enjoyed it - the students were phenomenal."

But the League wants to do more. "We would like to engage some of the businesses here in Sedona and in Flagstaff directly in co-sponsoring our scholarships. We'd like not so much to increase the number of scholarships, but the amount per scholarship. Substantial opera training is very expensive. We think, with support from selected businesses - and it would not even take a lot of them - where we could offer a joint scholarship, we can increase the level of what we can give."

That would be a nice encore, but now, all it takes to help is spending time looking at nice art in beautiful homes. Who wouldn't say, Bravo!?

The Northern Arizona Opera League's Art and Architecture Tour takes place on May 21 and May 22. For information on purchasing tickets, call 928-204-6401 or 928-282-4740, or send e-mail to azopera@esedona.net.

THE MAURER HOUSE Clear anodized aluminum window frames and roof facias recall mid-century modernist architecture. The native flagstone creates a grounding vertical element to the seamless flow of interior and exterior spaces through the large panes of floor-to-ceiling glass. The swimming pool is a simple rectilinear shape to reinforce the perspective of this international-school modernist design. Architects: Max Licher and Mike Bower, Design Group Architects

INSIDE THE MAURER HOUSE WITH NAU OPERA STUDENTS (L. to r.) Stephanie Ball, soprano, senior, vocal performance; Sarah Kim, soprano, recent grad with a bachelor's degree in vocal performance; Michael McNeil, countertenor, second year Master's student in vocal performance; Tatyana Tskhai-Ruthenberg, soprano, second year Master's student in vocal performance. Ball and McNeil will perform at Black-Tie Gala. Coconut chair by George Nelson, produced by Herman Miller in 1958. Coffee table is American black walnut by George Nakashima. Navajo weaving dates from the '50s, sourced from Garland's Navajo Rug Shop. The color scheme is in a natural palette of greens and earth tones, coinciding with the strong in-to-out feature of the home. Interior Designer: Jennifer Aderhold, Design Group Architects

INSIDE THE BURNS HOUSE WITH ISOLA JONES Coffee Pot Rock provides stunning scenery through the window of this tour house, which sits at the highest point in the neighborhood in Jordan Park Ridge. The world-renowned mezzo soprano will grace the Art and Architecture Tour's Black-Tie Gala with her performance. Architect: Charles VanBlock Builder: Rick Morris

INSIDE THE KIRSCH HOUSE WITH AL DELORENZI It's no wonder the Opera League president looks at home here; the wine racks are multiple terra cotta chimney pipes in concrete; the arched niche was designed specifically for this piece - Chuck "Winterheart" Reddick's "Buffalo Moon War Shirt" - from Turquoise Tortoise; rug from Azadi; chandelier from Home Elements Designer: Sheri Mleynek

INSIDE "LUNA ROSA" WITH JOELLA JEAN MAHONEY AND ALDO ANDREOLI Mahoney, represented locally by Arte-Misia, stands before her painting "Flash Flood" (oil on canvas, 48"X48"), on display in the house designed by Andreoli. Tile: Flooring- black slate 16"x16"; Baseboard, vanity wall and bath platform: Trend brilliant mosaic tile; Bathtub: Starck free-standing duravit; Faucets: bath and vanity faucets: all Kohler Stillness collection; Vanities: Catalano, Zero 75 Domino series - Italy; Mirrors: Valli and Valli - Italy, distributed by Valli and Valli USA Inc. in Ontario, Canada; Light Fixtures: Phillip Starck design "Babe," FLOS lighting company; Bathroom accessories: Inda-Italy, www.inda.net Builder: Natura Homes, Scott A. Graham

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