Tsianina Redfeather Blackstone, a Muscogee/Cherokee singer who had performed with Cadman on tour. She provided much of the plot for the libretto of The Robin Woman (Shanewis), based on contemporary Native American issues. The opera was produced by the Metropolitan Opera of New York in 1918, and, unusually, was performed for two concurrent seasons. It was very popular in the 1920s, performed also in Denver and Los Angeles. Redfeather made her opera debut in the lead role in a 1924 performance in Denver, and also sang it in Los Angeles in 1926. Some scholars believe that Cadman's involvement with the so-called Indianist movement in American music resulted in some critics failing to judge his works on their own merits. While his and similar works were popular in the early 20th century, they have since fallen out of favor. Move to Los Angeles In the 1920s, Cadman moved to Los Angeles, California. He helped to found the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and often performed there as a solo pianist. His opera Shanewis was performed there in 1926. He became involved with the film studios, writing the scores for several films. These included The Sky Hawk (1929), Captain of the Guard (1930), a musical set during the French Revolution; Women Everywhere, and Harmony at Home, all Pre-code films. Along with Russian-American Dmitri Tiomkin, Cadman was considered one of Hollywood's top film composers of the period. But Cadman first and foremost was a serious composer who wrote for nearly every genre. His chamber music works are generally considered among his best. He introduced elements of ragtime music into the classical music format, anticipating Gershwin, Stravinsky, and Milhaud, among others. His Piano Trio, Op. 56, composed in 1913, drew the critics' attention and praise for his innovations. His opera The Sunset Trail (1922) was part of the touring repertoire of Vladimir Rosing's American Opera Company. The Pageant of Colorado, a historical pageant with music composed by Cadman to a libretto by Lillian White Spencer, was produced in Denver, Colorado in May 1927. Dramatist and playwright Percy Jewett Burrell, a fraternity colleague of Cadman, directed the production. Selected works Operas and operettas The Land of the Misty Waters or Da O Ma (1912) Shanewis or The Robin Woman (1918) The Sunset Trail (1922) The Garden of Mystery (1925, after Rappaccini's Daughter) The Ghost of Lollypop Bay (1926) Lelawala (1926) A Witch of Salem (1926) The Belle