Small Town News

Met opera broadcasts to the desert

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Sedona residents will have a chance to experience the Metropolitan Opera broadcast live in their own backyard, thanks to technology.

"I'm proud to announce The Met: Live in HD to this performance hall," Chamber Music Sedona Executive Director Bert Harclerode said as he opened a press conference Tuesday, July 6, at The Red Rock Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Sedona Red Rock High School. "This is a demonstration of a community effort of the right people at the right time."

Beginning Saturday, March 19, the matinee performances at the Metropolitan Opera will be broadcast live at the center starting with Gaetano Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor" at 10 a.m. it will be followed by four other operas through Saturday, May 14.

The Met: Live in HD is presented in cooperation with Chamber Music Sedona, the Sedona-Oak Creek School District, Northern League of Arizona Opera and KNAU radio in Flagstaff.

CMS Board President Ed Ingraham said the performance hall, with its state-of-the-art technology, has made the broadcasts possible.

"Two years ago when we understood this building would be available we expanded our mission to performance in general, not just chamber music," Ingraham said. "The Met: Live In HD is one of the major art movements in the world. We hope it is our first expansion and hope to bring other types of performances. I'm beside myself with pleasure."

The Met: Live in HD began in December 2006 as part of the opera company's effort to build revenue and attract new audiences. This is the award-winning series' fifth season of live high-definition performance transmission to movie theaters and auditoriums around the world. The Red Rock Center for the Performing Arts Is the newest venue for the program.

The performance hall was a big factor in obtaining the Metropolitan Opera series. Project Manager Dave Young said the hall should be finished by the end of September, which is a 750-seat auditorium with surround sound.

"We've known about the broadcast for about one month, but we've thought about it for a year. The Met has been responsive and very helpful. These are live, not delayed broadcasts," Ingraham said.

SOCSD Governing Board President Bobbie Surber said the school's grounds are here for the community and should be at the service of the community.

"This is a dream come true, starting with the partnerships and the community at large who passed this bond to make the performance hall possible," Surber said.

Thinking about the students at the high school, Principal Dave Lykins said the hall, along with many other upgrades, are going to create a more positive education experience.

"To qualify is a rigorous process, but I'm sure we can meet [the requirements]," Young said.

Dale Lake, president of the Northern League of Arizona Opera, said the league is deeply appreciative of the chance to be a part of the performance hall and bringing the Metropolitan Opera to Sedona.

"When I told our board about The Met, it was hard to contain their excitement. This is a wonderful opportunity for Sedona -- maybe the best," Lake said.

The general manager for KNAU in Flagstaff, John Stark, promised the station would actively promote The Met: Live in HD) to its listeners across Northern Arizona.

Sedona Vice Mayor Cliff Hamilton said walking through the performance hall complex made him want to go back to high school, almost.

"Wow. What a marvelous complement to education in Sedona. The potential of this performance hall is incredible," Hamilton said.

Harclerode said the performance hall Is a living, growing project and there are many opportunities that will present such as surrendering his animals, which he decided to do. The two Catahoulas were euthanized.

The owner of the first dog killed June 10 said she and her husband were walking their two Shih Tzus on leashes when one of the attacking dogs charged at her dogs with no provocation.

According to the police report, she said she had to kick the Catahoula to stop the attack, but not before her dog was bleeding profusely.

As she tended to her dog's wounds, the Catahoula charged again, and her husband kicked the dog to make it go away.

She rushed her injured dog to a veterinary clinic where a broken spine, punctured lung, broken ribs and severe tissue damage were discovered. Due to the severity of the injuries, the dog was euthanized.

When Richards-Ochoa interviewed the owner of the Catahoulas about the June 10 dog attack, he said he felt bad, saying his two dogs greeted him in the garage when he came home.

He closed the garage door, thinking both dogs were still inside and then heard the commotion. He opened the garage to see his dog coming back toward him and the victim carrying her dog.

The Catahoula owner told Richards-Ochoa his dogs do not like other animals.

The man was cited for dog at large and the Catahoula was impounded at the Verde Valley Humane Society. The required quarantine of the dog ended June 18.

About three weeks later, the second dog attack occurred.

In this incident, the owner of the attacked dog said she found out her two dogs were loose and one of them was injured.

She said her dogs escaped after she left the garage door open. One of her dogs was uninjured, and her other dog was found in a ditch with injuries to the neck and abdomen.

A witness to the dog attack said he heard some yelping and saw the woman's cocker spaniel being held by the neck and abdomen by the two Catahoulas.

The witness reported the two Catahoulas had a death grip on the dog, and said he punched one of them in the head in an attempt to make it release its grip. He added other neighbors helped get the situation under control.

Another witness said when she saw what was happening with the two Catahoulas, she turned the dogs she was walking around and went in a different direction. She said she knew the Catahoulas were aggressive.

The owner of the Catahoulas said he was walking his two dogs on leash July 1 when two dogs at large approached him resulting in the animals fighting.

He said the cocker spaniel began biting the heels of one of his dogs, and this started the fight.

As the dogs fought, the man said he let go of the leash, so he could come to the aid of the cocker spaniel.

Richards-Ochoa advised the man although his dogs were being walked on leashes, the admittance he could not control them was compounded by the previous incident.

Richards-Ochoa said this was an immediate concern on the dogs' behavior and the community's safety. He also informed the owner of the Catahoulas the dogs seemed to have a propensity to injure other animals.

After the Catahoulas were euthanized, Richards-Ochoa informed the two other dog owners whose pets died of what transpired.

Michael Maresh can be reached at 282-7795, ext. 125, or e-mail mmaresh@larsonnewspapers.com



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© 2011 Sedona Red Rock News Sedona, Arizona. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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