San Francisco Opera's Production of THE GERSHWINS' PORGY AND BESS Premieres Tonight on PBS

George and Ira Gershwin's masterpiece opera Porgy and Bess, based on the play by Dubose and Dorothy Heyward, premieres on PBS this fall with the critically acclaimed production from San Francisco Opera. THE GERSHWINS'® PORGY AND BESS airs tonight, October 17, 2014, at 9:00 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings) as part of the PBS Arts Fall Festival, which highlights artists and performances from around the country and invites every American to have a front-row seat and a backstage pass for the country's best arts performances.

THE GERSHWINS'® PORGY AND BESS debuted at San Francisco Opera in 2009 with bass-baritone Eric Owens as Porgy and soprano Laquita Mitchell as Bess. Both singers made their role debuts in this production, which tells the turbulent story of a disabled man, the headstrong woman he loves and the rural African-American community in coastal South Carolina that sustains them both. Porgy and Bess is based on the play by Dubose and Dorothy Heyward, with music by George Gershwin including the celebrated standards "Summertime," "It Ain't Necessarily So," "Bess You Is My Woman Now" and many more. The production is directed by Francesca Zambello; John DeMain conducts the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus.

An American musical theater staple in addition to an opera, Porgy and Bess first opened on Broadway in 1935 with a fully African-American cast - highly unusual for the time period. The piece has become a classic in the theater canon and seen several significant revivals, including a recent 2012 Tony Award-winning production starring Audra McDonald and Norm Lewis.

"The story and legendary music of Porgy and Bess continue to resonate with audiences, and it is a great privilege to bring San Francisco Opera's production to PBS audiences," said Donald Thoms, PBS Vice President of General Audience Programming and arts festival curator. "I've been wanting to present this gorgeous production on PBS for quite a while. Through its arts festivals, PBS strives to expose viewers to a wide range of the performing arts genres. Porgy and Bess straddles musical theater and opera in a way that very few other artworks do."

San Francisco Opera's THE GERSHWINS'® PORGY AND BESSSM was recorded live in high definition in June 2009 utilizing the facilities of the Koret-Taube Media Suite at San Francisco's War Memorial Opera House, where the run received widespread critical acclaim.

Like all 2014 PBS ARTS FALL FESTIVAL programs, THE GERSHWINS'® PORGY AND BESSSM will be hosted by Tony and Emmy Award-winning star Kristin Chenoweth.

THE GERSHWINS'® PORGY AND BESSSM is part of the 2014 PBS Arts Fall Festival, an 11-week series hosted by Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress and accomplished singer Kristin Chenoweth. This year's Festival also includes: LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER's 40th anniversary season featuring "'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street' In Concert With the New York Philharmonic," starring Bryn Terfel and Emma Thompson, and "The Nance Starring Nathan Lane"; AUSTIN CITY LIMITSCELEBRATES 40 YEARS; GREAT PERFORMANCES "Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga: Cheek To Cheek LIVE!" and "Cats"; HITMAKERS, an up-close look at the music industry's resilience in the digital age; KRISTIN CHENOWETH: COMING HOME, featuring the star performing in her hometown of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma; and A TRIBUTE TO BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, with music's biggest names performing Springsteen's biggest hits. The PBS Arts Festival underscores PBS' commitment to America'sbest performing arts and gives millions of viewers a front-row seat and a backstage pass to great cultural programs. For more, please visit http://pressroom.pbs.org/Programs/PBS-Arts-Fall-Festival-2014.aspx.

National funding for the PBS ARTS FALL FESTIVAL is provided by a generous grant from Anne Ray Charitable Trust.

THE GERSHWINS'® PORGY AND BESSSM was made possible by Company Sponsors John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn. Additional major support has been provided by the Ira and Leonore Gershwin Trusts Philanthropic Fund.

About San Francisco Opera

SAN FRANCISCO OPERA is one of the world's leading producers for the lyric stage, heralded for its roster of international opera stars, innovative and bold productions, and critically acclaimed resident orchestra and chorus. Founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola, the company presents annual fall and summer seasons at the historic San Francisco War Memorial Opera House, ranging from classic to world premiere repertoire, in addition to numerous concerts, recitals and free state-of-the-art community engagement events. Since 1955, the company has been an industry leader in the training and launching of young professional singers by way of the Merola Opera Program and the San Francisco Opera Center Adler Fellowship program. In 2008, San Francisco Opera created a new education division to expand upon the popular education and community partnership programs of the San Francisco Opera Guild. Together, these activities annually bring music education offerings to more than 65,000 students throughout Northern California, in addition to providing meaningful ongoing education opportunities for all ages. The company's performances are further enjoyed throughout the nation and abroad via radio broadcasts, high-definition cinema screenings and on public television. David Gockley became San Francisco Opera's sixth general director in January 2006, and celebrated Italian conductor Nicola Luisotti became the company's music director in September 2009. Visit sfopera.com for more information.

About PBS

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Photo Credit: Laquita Mitchell as Bess in THE GERSHWINS'® PORGY AND BESSSM. Courtesy of ©Terrence McCarthy/San Francisco Opera.

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