Santa Fe Opera
From Free net encyclopedia
The Santa Fe Opera is an opera company located 7 miles north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is internationlly known for introducing new and innovative operas as well as for its productions of works from the standard operatic repertoire. Since its inception, the Santa Fe Opera has staged over forty American premieres and has commissioned nine new operas.
The Santa Fe Opera was founded in 1957 by John Crosby, a New York-based conductor whose goal was to give American singers the opportunity to learn and perform new roles while having ample time for rehearsal and preparation. Crosby also established a program to assist young singers in making the transition from academic to professional life; to date, over 1,500 aspiring opera singers have participated.
The original 480-seat open-air theater made its debut in July 1957 with a performance of Madame Butterfly. That summer, Igor Stravinsky visited to oversee the production of The Rake's Progress. In July 1967, a fire demolished the theater; a new open-air theater seating 1,889 was dedicated the following June. The theater is situated on a mesa, with the audience facing west toward an ever-changing horizon of sunsets and thunderstorms. Over the years, rainstorms have drenched audiences (and orchestra members), requiring occasional cancellations, postponements, or extended intermissions. During an extensive reconstruction of the theater between the 1997 and 1998 seasons, a controversial roof structure was added offering better protection (with sides remaining open to the elements), and resulting in fewer storm-related problems, but with more limited views of the sky and landscape. The theater now seats 2,128 and was renamed in John Crosby's honor after his death in 2002.
Since 2001, the company has been under the direction of Richard Gaddes, who took over from John Crosby. Alan Gilbert was named the company's first music director in 2003.
The company's season runs annually from the beginning of July to the end of August, with five operas presented in rotating repertory.
External link
Further reading
- Huscher, Phillip, The Santa Fe Opera: An American Pioneer, Santa Fe Opera: to be published in July 2006.
- Scott, Eleanor, The First Twenty Years of the Santa Fe Opera, The Sunstone Press, Santa Fe, 1976.
- The Santa Fe Opera - Miracle in the Desert, Santa Fe Opera Shop, 2003.