Arizona Opera Presents LOUD! Video Series

A new video series within Arizona Opera's Connection Lab program, LOUD!, which premiered on Thursday, January 28 at 6 PM MST, uses a digital magnifying glass to showcase the incredible diversity of arts and culture across the Southwest.

Spanning four vibrant locales over four separate episodes - each locale with its own distinct cultural heritage and history (Phoenix, Tucson, New Mexico and Las Vegas) - LOUD! will bring to life compelling stories and real-life examples of some of the unique forms of art that are flourishing within each destination, along with captivating stories of the people who create that art. On this journey, viewers will discover that music was - and is - a common thread that connects us through our diverse communities, and a link that connects our communities with the world of opera.

LOUD! (Living Opera, Understanding Diversity) is the brain child of Teniqua Broughton (founder and CEO of VerveSimone Consulting) and Luis "Weezy" Egurrola (Founder/Co-Artistic Director of Epik Dance Company and coach of the Hip Hop Squads of both the Phoenix Mercury and Phoenix Suns).

The program is designed to connect communities near and far through discussions and performances via a focus on diverse cross-sections - with a particular focus on the BIPOC community, showcasing arts and culture in the West, and highlighting stories that are focused on music and grounded in their sometimes-surprising connections to the world of opera.

Teniqua Broughton said, "I applaud Arizona Opera and its management team for not only embracing, but showcasing the importance of celebrating the diversity of BIPOC people through this new video series. Our goal is to shine a light on a number of robust BIPOC arts and cultural organizations, businesses, and people that truly give each of our 'cities of focus' their flavor, their spice, and their ultimate uniqueness."

"Weezy" Egurrola commented, "Music - including opera - is a great equalizer. It will be fascinating to discover and share how music and the arts overall enhance not only people's lives in general, but how they help to define specific communities throughout our country."

Joseph Specter, President and General Director of Arizona Opera, added, "Arizona Opera is committed not only to maximizing our artistic vibrancy on the stage, but also to growing our impact through new conversations and initiatives that will help us to become an organization that more fully reflects and celebrates the communities we serve."

He continued, "It is for this reason that we have brought to life such important works as Maria de Buenos Aires, Cruzar la Cara de la Luna, Charlie Parker's Yardbird, and Fellow Travelers in recent years, and why sharing LOUD! with our community this season is so vital. We are deeply grateful to Teniqua and Weezy for their vision and energy in making LOUD! a reality."

Cassie Robel, Arizona Opera's Director of Education and Community Engagement, commented, "LOUD! (Living Opera Understanding Diversity) is just the latest effort on behalf of Arizona Opera to showcase the richness of the culture, music and dance of the people with whom we share this planet. It is particularly fulfilling to be able to bring new awareness of these remarkable individuals and arts to life for others to enjoy and hopefully support in the future".

Each LOUD! episode will be available to access 24 hours a day on Arizona Opera's OnDemand channel, Arizona Opera OnDemand, following the premiere. In addition to LOUD!, a wide array of additional content - much of it at no cost to the viewer - may also be found on the channel.

This programming would not be possible without the support of our 2020/21 Reimagined Season Lead Digital Sponsors, Ron and Kay McDougall. Additional Connection Lab sponsorship is made possible, in part, by the Arizona Community Foundation and Manley Films.

Watch all episodes at https://ondemand.azopera.org.

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