On Saturday, October 10, 2009, I attended the world-premiere of O Pioneers!, a new opera, based on Willa Cather's novel of tragedy, transformation and redemption. The opera made its debut at the Touhill and I was lucky to go for free because my friend Becky Swett got me a comp ticket! She played clarinet in the orchestra. The orchestra with 32 musicians! Composer Barbara Harbach, Dimensions Dance Center, the St. Louis Women's Chorale and the College of Fine Arts and Communication assembled a nationally recognized group of opera professionals to stage O Pioneers!, complete with arias, dance, chorus, and an unmistakably American story. During my undergraduate studies I read several of Willa Cather's novels and one of those was O Pioneers! When I heard that the book had been made into an opera and was premiering in St. Louis I was very excited. Then I found out that my friend Becky was playing clarinet in the show and I was even more excited!
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