Founder John Crosby established the Apprentice Program for Singers in 1957—the Opera’s first season. It was the first program in America to offer promising young singers the experience and exposure needed to make the important transition from academic study to a professional career. A sister program for theater technicians began in 1965. The Apprentice Program for Technicians provides talented students of design, lighting, costuming, wig, and set construction the opportunity to work side by side with the Opera’s technical staff.

The Apprentice Singer Program has been the springboard from which countless American singers have launched their careers, including William Burden, Patrick Carfizzi, Michelle DeYoung, Joyce DiDonato, James Morris, Ashley Putnam, Samuel Ramey, Julien Robbins, Kurt Streit, and Neil Shicoff. The success of the Apprentice Program for Technicians can be gauged from the hundreds of participants who are now active as directors, designers, production managers, and administrators for opera, ballet, dance, television, and film companies around the world.

Today The Santa Fe Opera’s Apprentice Programs are internationally recognized for their quality. Both programs serve as influential national resources for mentoring subsequent generations of American singers and technicians.

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