A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT World Premiere to Open with Opera Montana

Norman Maclean's A River Runs Through It is a semi-autobiographical account of his relationship with his brother Paul and their upbringing in an early 20th century Montana family in which 'there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing.' Originally published in 1976, it is recognized as one of the definitive American stories of the twentieth century and a classic depiction of the American West. In September, in celebration of the book's 50th anniversary in 2026, Opera Montana will present the world premiere of a new operatic adaptation of Maclean's beloved story.

In advance of the world premiere, the Opera is hitting the road this summer, giving Montana residents the first opportunity to hear musical selections from the new opera. Five 'Page to Stage' previews of A River Runs Through It will be presented in Livingston, White Sulphur Springs, Big Sky, and Bozeman. Each event combines musical selections from the opera paired with some of the iconic literary passages that inspired it.

The preview tour begins on Tuesday, July 14, at 7:00 pm at Pine Creek Lodge in Livingston, MT. This event is sponsored by Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit that protects the lands where families make memories and traditions take root. The opera preview will be followed by live music from Rick Bass & the Black Ram Guitar, Stephanie Quayle, and Emma and the Ledge. Tickets are $15 in advance and $25 at the door.

The opera is then previewed on Wednesday, July 22, at 7:00 pm at Red Ants Pants Music Festival in White Sulphur Springs, followed by a visit to Big Sky on Sunday, July 26, at 7:00 pm, presented in partnership with the Warren Performing Arts Center. The preview is set at Riverhouse, a popular family barbecue restaurant on the banks of the Gallatin River, where parts of the 1992 movie adaptation were filmed.

Two previews will then be held in Bozeman, on Saturday, August 8 at 3:00 pm at the Sweet Pea Festival and in a free outdoor event at the Montana State University Duck Pond on Thursday, September 3, at 7:00 pm.

About A River Runs Though It

With music by award-winning composer Zach Redler and a libretto by Matt Foss and Kelley Rourke, based on Maclean's novella, A River Runs Through It premieres in September 2026 at the Ellen Theater in Bozeman, with additional October performances in Missoula, where some of the story is set. Opera Montana Artistic Director Michael Sakir conducts the world premiere, with stage direction by Foss, scenic and video design by Kristin Ellert, and lighting design by Stephen Sakowski.

'A River Runs Through It is a Montana story, but it's also a universal one, and I can't think of a more fitting inspiration for Opera Montana's first commissioned opera,' said General Director Susan Miller. 'Zach Redler, Matt Foss, and Kelley Rourke bring voice and emotional complexity to the story in new and profound ways. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of its publication, there couldn't be a better time to bring it to the stage.'

'Turning a well-known literary - and movie - classic like A River Runs Through It into an opera is a challenging undertaking,' said John N. Maclean, the son of Norman and himself the author of Home Waters, Fire on the Mountain, and other works. 'The reward is a fresh perspective from a talented cast and writers who explore themes of love, loss - and fly fishing, of course - to bring the familiar characters to new life. My father would have been delighted to see his story on stage and his words, often only a heartbeat away from poetry, turned to song.'

In the opera, as in the novella and in director Robert Redford's Academy Award-winning 1992 film adaptation starring Brad Pitt, Craig Sheffer, and Tom Skerritt, brothers Paul and Norman are adults who have grown apart. Paul, always a free spirit, is in more trouble than he cares to admit. Meanwhile, Jessie, Norman's wife, is worried about her own brother, Neal, who has left Montana for California and seems to have lost his way. She hopes a family fishing trip will have a salutary effect for all concerned. On the river, Paul and Norman bond over Neal's hopeless big-city ways, giving Norman an opening to try to help his brother, but Paul brushes his concerns aside. When Paul realizes his troubles are mounting, he suggests that he and Norman travel home to visit their parents and take their father fishing. That fishing trip-which will turn out to be their last-is a snapshot of where they have come from, how their roles have shifted, and their abiding love.

The opera will feature an instrumental ensemble of 24 musicians and a cast of seven principal singers in the story's central roles. Baritone Schyler Vargas stars as Norman, the recently married eldest brother; tenor Michael Kuhn is Paul, the youngest brother, a newspaperman, gambler, and an artist with a fly rod; soprano Christine Taylor Price is Jessie, Norman's fierce, funny, loving wife; tenor Ryan Bryce Johnson is Neal, Jessie's brother; mezzo-soprano Megan Marino is Heidi ('Rawhide'), a local woman who fancies Neal and believes in love; mezzo-soprano Phyllis Pancella is Clara, Norman and Paul's mother; and bass-baritone David Pittsinger is John, Norman and Paul's father, a Presbyterian minister.

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