The Santa Fe Opera receives Emmy Nomination for AN AMERICAN VISION: THE SANTA FE OPERA
Santa Fe, NM — As an opera company, we don’t often find ourselves in the position of being Emmy nominees – until now, that is. The envelope, please… we are ecstatic to announce that our film, An American Vision: The Santa Fe Opera, has been nominated for an Emmy Award (Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter), television’s most important honor, in the category of Best Historical Documentary
BRAVI and gratitude to Producers Tara Walch and Michael Kamins of New Mexico PBS, our wonderful PBS affiliate, and to our very own Media & PR Department, Emily Doyle Moore and Mariah Bolla Olesen, who served as Executive and Associate Producer, respectively.
Don’t miss this film, which celebrates the vision of the Company’s founder, John O’Hea Crosby, who set out to create an outdoor operatic experience like no other, and succeeded in creating one of the world’s most renowned and enduring summer festivals. Celebrate our first-ever Emmy nomination by streaming the film for free at pbs.org or on the PBS App.
About An American Vision: The Santa Fe Opera
This new, one-hour film traces the extraordinary history of the Santa Fe Opera, from its ambitious founding by John O’Hea Crosby in 1957 to its status today as one of the world’s most sought-after summer festivals. Through a captivating mix of contemporary opera performances and rare, historical footage, An American Vision not only celebrates the company’s rich past but also looks to its future as a leader of artistic innovation and evolution.
The film examines key moments in the opera’s history and features never-before-seen archival materials as well as interviews with leading creative figures including Pulitzer Prize-winning librettist David Henry Hwang, composer Huang Ruo, writer and critic Anne Midgette, renowned tenor and National Medal of Arts awardee George Shirley, opera director Peter Sellars, Santa Fe Opera Music Director Harry Bicket, General Director Robert K. Meya and more. Says Meya, ”We are buzzing with excitement to share this new film that transports viewers through a compelling journey of creative risk-taking, the early years with Igor Stravinsky and the enduring legacy of John Crosby’s vision. Exploring how the Santa Fe Opera has evolved over the last 67 years from humble beginnings in the high desert to a globally renowned destination for audiences and artists is fascinating territory. We hope you will join us!”
“It was an uphill battle, all the way,” remarks Crosby in a rare archival interview featured in the film. “Two tough years prior to 1957. And frankly, when we opened on Wednesday evening, July 3, 1957, with a production of Madame Butterfly, I could sense, I could smell that that audience was coming up that hill to the theater in their automobiles looking for blood! And they were going to see and pounce on and dance around the folly of John Crosby.” Reflects Franz Joachim, NMPBS CEO and General Director, “From the unlikeliest of beginnings, a devastating fire, and real-life drama rivaling the stage, the Santa Fe Opera’s history is one of travails and triumphs. It’s an intriguing story we wanted to explore and share with a new generation of New Mexicans. The NMPBS team and I are thrilled to partner with the opera in the creation of this film that honors the opera’s past and looks to a future bright with possibilities.”
An American Vision: The Santa Fe Opera is dedicated to the memory of Richard Gaddes (1942 – 2023) who succeeded John Crosby in 2000 to be the opera’s second General Director, a position he held with aplomb through the 2008 Season.