Explore Arts & Culture: Opera
Whether your cultural interests are high brow or pop or somewhere in between, Santa Fe’s reputation for celebrating the human spirit encompasses renowned opera, theater, literature, film, painting and sculpture, folk art, and a dozen festivals and markets that draw locals and visitors from around the world. Read more about Opera...
Ever wondered what the original source of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly was?
Reading by Desirée Mays - Collected Works Bookstore - June 21st
Hear more about the Opera Mondays on KSFR, 8:10 AM to 9:00 AM
by Editor • SantaFe.com
Jun 2, 2010
Come to a reading by Desirée Mays of John Luther Long's story, Madame Butterfly, at Collected Works, 202 Galisteo St., on Monday, 21 June at 6pm to find out. This free event is sponsored by Collected Works Bookstore and The Santa Fe Opera Guild.
The 2010 Opera Season Schedule
by Editor • SantaFe.com
Jun 2, 2010
The Santa Fe Opera's 2010 Season includes three "top-ten" operas-celebrated classics by Puccini, Mozart and Offenbach-along with a major world premiere and a charming comedy by Benjamin Britten.
Lustrous Music Saves 'Alceste'
by Craig Smith • The Santa Fe New Mexican
Aug 2, 2009
It's easy to say you'd die for someone you love, but would you really? (Think twice before you answer.) That's the question behind Cristoph Willibald Gluck's Alceste, which received its first-ever Santa Fe Opera mounting Saturday.
Consummate Ensemble Enlivens Santa Fe Opera's 'Don Giovanni' Revival
by Craig Smith • The Santa Fe New Mexican
Jul 19, 2009
The Santa Fe Opera's revival of its 2004 production of Mozart's Don Giovanni, which opened Saturday evening, reminded me that even operas named after specific characters bear the best fruit under ideal ensemble circumstances. Fortunately, that's something SFO always tries to foster, and usually with success.
Backstage at the Opera
by Gail Snyder • localflavor magazine
Jul 1, 2009
Visiting the Santa Fe Opera grounds in the final few weeks before Opening Night feels like a forbidden pleasure, somehow, almost like getting to sneak a peek into the closet where your Christmas presents are hidden when your parents aren’t home. Unlike the scene we’re usually met with — it’s night, the orchestra is tuning up, ushers mingle with exotically dressed audience members — in mid-June, all the action happens in the place ordinarily off-limits to the audience — backstage.
'La Traviata' opens SFO season with power, passion
by Craig Smith • The Santa Fe New Mexican
Jul 4, 2009
After the Santa Fe Opera's house lights went down following the national anthem on Friday evening, conductor Frédéric Chaslin raised his baton and drew gentle, minor-key chords from the orchestra. Misty yet carrying, they were succeeded by a sadly soaring melody that seemed to be filled with regrets for time past and love ended.
Opera in Santa Fe, NM
Santa Fe is a small town, but large in its embrace of the arts, and its many cultural attractions. Perhaps best known as a center for visual art, Santa Fe offers a huge variety of performing arts as well. Music, dance and theater all play a vital role in the life of Santa Fe. In addition, many of the country’s most creative writers call Santa Fe their primary home.
The Santa Fe Opera is a unique venue that attracts both an international audience and international performers. This year’s season, which runs from July 2nd through August 28th includes performances of Madame Butterfly, The Magic Flute, Life is a Dream, The Tales of Hoffman, and Albert Herring. Located just north of the city, the Santa Fe Opera is an open air celebration, and tickets usually sell out well in advance of performances. The “tailgate” parties that are held in the parking areas of the Opera complex prior to performances are not to be missed.
The Lensic Performing Arts Center in downtown Santa Fe produces theatrical, dance and musical events, as well as performances of the spoken word. When the Santa Fe Opera is not in season, the Lensic provides large screen digital projection and sound from the Metropolitan Opera. This incredible facility was built in 1931 and attracted performers such as Rita Hayworth, Roy Rogers, Judy Garland and Yehudi Menuhin. A completely remodeled and updated Lensic opened in April 2001 with state of the art audio and video systems, while still preserving the historic nature of one of Santa Fe’s most important facilities.
The annual Santa Fe Film Festival is held in December and attracts new works from directors and producers all over the world. Smaller venues for the performing arts abound in Santa Fe, ranging from large halls to coffee shops and bistros. In the performing arts, there’s always something new happening in Santa Fe.
