It’s not often art lovers get to see a work in progress let alone contribute to it, but Arizona Opera gives fans the opportunity to do just that this weekend when they present the first reading of “Riders of the Purple Sage” — an original opera based on Zane Grey’s western novel, set on the Arizona-Utah border.

Ballet Arizona celebrates the influence of famed choreographer George Balanchine by performing his works “Serenade,” “Monumentum pro Gesualdo,” “Movements for Piano and Orchestra,” and “The Four Temperaments.” The Phoenix Symphony accompanies them.

Ahwatukee Music Maker Workshops has summer camps for all levels to get kids rocking, moving and mastering music.

Harmony Korine seems to want it both ways, all day, with "Spring Breakers," his super-stylized descent into a sunbaked hell where bikini-clad, gun-toting college babes serve as our guides.

They brought folk back to mainstream radio long before The Lumineers and Of Monsters And Men hit it big, with blissful, down-home tunes popping up in jaunty car commercials and adorable father-daughter YouTube covers. This weekend, you can find the 10-piece Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros at the McDowell Mountain Music Festival in Phoenix, where they’ll be rubbing shoulders with the likes of The Shins, Dr. Dog and The Roots.

As staff at the Mesa Arts Center began preparation for its second “Festival of Creativity,” MAC executive director Cindy Ornstein said the group was looking for something to pique their interests — a spark, of sorts.

Stephanie Ann Kuells went to be with our angels on Wednesday, Feb. 20. She was born on Aug. 3, 1988, to Jennifer and Keith Kuells at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. This happened to be her father’s 30th birthday. What a beautiful gift! Stephanie had many challenges in her short life, but she tackled each one with determination, beauty and grace.

The genders have been reversed but the supernatural, star-crossed teen angst remains firmly intact in "Beautiful Creatures," which clearly aims to pick up where the "Twilight" franchise left off.

Mandy Patinkin in Concert: Dress Casual - The long-time Broadway, film and television performer, made famous by his role as Inigo Montoya in “The Princess Bride,” sings the music of Stephen Sondheim, Randy Newman, Harry Chapin and Rodgers and Hammerstein. Paul Ford accompanies him on piano.

Dance Studio 111

Dustin Hoffman’s directing bow at 75 finds a perfect match in the well-heeled subject of “Quartet,” a charming tale of aging musicians whose passion for life continues undiminished in a stately English manor filled with humor, caring and of course great music. This optimistic fairy tale about aging and the continuing possibilities it offers for emotional satisfaction should strike the fancy of older audiences who turned the British indie “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” into a breakout hit released around the world. Leading a cast of real-life musical veterans, Maggie Smith and Tom Courtenay put the stamp of quality on a lush-looking production, albeit one that adheres to genre rules with an iron grip.

I love Christmas music — all kinds of Christmas music, traditional, piano, pop, rock — if it is spreading holiday cheer, I listen to it. Christmas music is played in our house from the day after Thanksgiving to New Year’s. It puts me in the mood to decorate the house, bake cookies and wrap presents. Yes, Christmas music puts a smile on my face.

A local singer-songwriter, pianist and regular performer at Ruffino’s in Ahwatukee Foothills is taking the next big step in her career and heading to Nashville to record an album at the RCA Studio A.

Here are The Associated Press’ reviews of selected holiday albums:

It’s a sad goodbye from “The Twilight Saga,” which sees its last installment, “Breaking Dawn — Part 2,” hit the big screen this week. The soundtrack reflects a chocked up melancholia that lingers over the sound like dust over old boxes of family photos.

‘Wreck-It Ralph’

The Mountain Pointe Theater Company is performing its last showing of “The Nerd” tomorrow in the school’s auditorium.

Members of The Entertainers at the Ahwatukee Recreation Center celebrated local musician Russell Hanna last week with a tribute party.

A changing music industry has given Ahwatukee Foothills musician Pete Gitlin exposure he never thought was possible before.

‘The Possession’

Weaving together a passion for music education and restoring old instruments, a nearby nonprofit organization launches a project that aims to get instruments in students’ hands.

For most people, the life of a music superstar is a far-off dream, but for 14-year-old local Denium Elle it could soon be a reality. Last year, Tate Music Group signed the local teen after she attended the Actors, Models and Talent for Christ (AMTC) convention in Florida, and she has since released her first album.

A 2010 Desert Vista High School graduate and Northern Arizona University junior, Katharine Boelter, sings, dances and acts in a Broadway-style production at the new Grand Canyon Dinner Theater (GCDT).

It is clear that Deborah Busby, Ahwatukee resident and author, likes hand-written mementos.