The Santa Fe Opera Names 45 Apprentice Singers for the 2026 Season
18 will make Santa Fe Opera Debuts, and 26 will perform Named Roles in Mainstage Performances running July 3 – August 29, 2026
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Santa Fe, NM — The Santa Fe Opera is pleased to announce the 45 members of the 2026 Apprentice Program for Singers. The roster features promising international vocalists from the USA, Belarus, China, South Korea and Wales, highlighting the global relevance of the program. The class of 2026 was selected from a pool of more than 1,000 applicants by Program Director Chandler Johnson, Chief Artistic Advisor David Lomelí and Chorus Director Susanne Sheston through a competitive pre-screening and audition process. Says Mr. Johnson, “Each summer, it’s a thrill to see our campus come alive with new and returning artists. We are so pleased to offer the class of 2026 exceptional performance opportunities and look forward to witnessing their artistry deepen and flourish over 13 inspiring weeks here in Santa Fe.”
Each season, the Apprentice Singers comprise the chorus in mainstage productions, sing featured roles and stand ready as covers for principal artists. This year, 18 Apprentice Singers will make Santa Fe Opera debuts, and 26 will sing named roles in four of the five productions. In addition, two special Sunday evening performances will feature the singing and technical apprentices: the popular Apprentice Scenes on August 16, 2026, honors the longtime tradition of staged scenes from the repertoire. The second performance on August 23, 2026, features the singers in Concert alongside the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra, with lighting and technical support by the Apprentice Technicians. During their time at the Santa Fe Opera, each Apprentice Singer also has the opportunity to work with renowned guest faculty, participate in masterclasses with notable artists and audition for industry leaders from major companies both domestically and internationally.
Members of the 2026 Apprentice Program for Singers
SOPRANOS
Shreya Bhadriraju, Sugar Land, TX
Kerrigan Bigelow, North Andover, MA
Malone Blaich^, Kansas City, MO
Lauryn Davis^, Atlanta, GA
Alissa Goretsky^, Los Angeles, CA
Scarlett Jones, Ruthin, North Wales
Maggie Kinabrew, West Hartford, CT
Sabrina Langlois, Port St. Lucie, FL
Jazmine Saunders^, Rochester, NY
Alexis Seminario^, Levittown, NY
Jasmin Ward^, Richmond, VA
Dani Jingdan Zhang, Hong Kong, China
MEZZO-SOPRANOS
Sophia Baete, Louisville, KY
Natalie Corrigan, Detroit, MI
Maya Davis, South Bend, IN
Deanna Ray Eberhart^, Kansas City, MO
Julia Holoman, Raleigh, NC
Anna Kelly^, Decatur, GA
Lindsay Martin, San Diego, CA
Darya Narymanava, Borisov, Belarus
Lauren Randolph^, Chicago, IL
Naomi Steele^, Bronx, NY
Audrey Welsh, Houston, TX
TENORS
Simon Brea, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY
Matthew Goodheart^, Binghamton, NY
Maximillian Jansen, Cincinnati, OH
Sergio Mandujano, Norwalk, CT
Aaron McKone^, Rock Hill, SC
Hongrui Ren, Changchun, Jilin, China
Dominic Salvati, Riverside, CA
Tristan Tournaud, Nashville, TN
Ángel Vargas^, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Suowei Wu, Wenzhou, China
BARITONES
Matthew Juhlin, Saint Louis, MO
Joshua Klein^, Flower Mound, TX
Yihe Wang, Heilongjiang, China
Kyle White^, Berkley, MI
Ryan Wolfe^, Arlington Heights, IL
Yeongtaek Yang^, Pohang, South Korea
BASS-BARITONES
Tzvi Bat Asherah^, Albuquerque, NM
Evan Lazdowski^, Moultonborough, NH
BASSES
Sunghoon Han, Seoul, South Korea
Son Jin Kim, Busan, South Korea
Will Ryan^, Brentwood, TN
Christian Simmons^, Washington, DC
^Denotes second-year Apprentice Singer
Explore 2026 Apprentice Singer Biographies
Apprentice Singer Role Assignments for 2026 Season
Madama Butterfly
Yamadori Yeongtaek Yang^*
Imperial Commissioner Matthew Juhlin*
Kate Pinkerton Alissa Goretsky^*
Official Registrar Evan Lazdowski^
Yakuside Kyle White^*
Cousin Lauryn Davis^*
Mother Darya Narymanava*
Aunt Sophia Baete*
The Magic Flute
First Lady Jasmin Ward^
Second Lady Deanna Ray Eberhart^
Third Lady Lauren Randolph^
Papagena Jazmine Saunders^
First Priest Dominic Salvati*
Second Priest Will Ryan^
First Boy Dani Jingdan Zhang*
Second Boy Sabrina Langlois*
Third Boy Natalie Corrigan*
First Armored Man Matthew Goodheart^
Second Armored Man Sunghoon Han*
Eugene Onegin
Zaretsky Tzvi Bat Asherah^
Captain Will Ryan^
Peasant Dominic Salvati
Lili Elbe
Dagmar Deanna Ray Eberhart^
Matron Alexis Seminario^*
Hélène Allatini Anna Kelly^*
Orpheus/Anna Larssen Lindsay Martin*
Eric Allatini Kyle White^
Marius Wegener Ryan Wolfe^
Major Fernando Porta Joshua Klein^*
Danish Countess Lauryn Davis^
Eurydice/Young Woman Audrey Welsh*
Christian X Son Jin Kim*
Art Critic Evan Lazdowski^
^Denotes second-year Apprentice Singer, *Denotes Santa Fe Opera debut
Apprentice Scenes
August 16
Sung in various languages with opera titles in English and Spanish
Tickets from $5 to $25
Featuring:
The Apprentice Program for Singers
The Apprentice Program for Theater Technicians
Apprentices in Concert with the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra
August 23
Sung in various languages with opera titles in English and Spanish
Tickets from $5 to $25
Featuring:
The Apprentice Program for Singers
The Apprentice Program for Theater Technicians
The Santa Fe Opera Orchestra
About the Apprentice Program for Singers — For nearly 70 years, the Apprentice Program for Singers has provided training, performance opportunities and international exposure to young singers transitioning from academic to professional life. The first of its kind in America, more than 1,500 aspiring singers have participated in the internationally recognized program. Former singing apprentices have gone on to careers as professional performers and include Joyce DiDonato, John Holiday, Michael Fabiano, Rachel Willis-Sørensen, Sylvia D’Eramo, Jonah Hoskins, Will Liverman, Brandon Jovanovich, Kate Lindsey, Zachary Nelson, Anthony León, Meridian Prall, Caitlin Gotimer, Joshua Blue, Amber Monroe, Nicholas Newton, Kyle Miller and Darren Drone, and 2025 Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition winners Alissa Goretsky, Emma Marhefka, Michelle Mariposa and Luke Sutliff, as well as numerous past Operalia winners. Others are now teachers, coaches and administrators at major opera companies and universities.
The 2026 Season — Scheduled in the Santa Fe Opera’s 69th Festival Season are 38 performances of five operas and two special evenings highlighting the work of the Santa Fe Opera apprentices. The company holds to its mission and time-tested programming model: a balanced and varied repertory of new, lesser-performed and standard works. Opening July 3 is a revival of Lee Blakeley’s acclaimed production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, directed by Melanie Bacaling. Next, on July 4, is a new co-production with Garsington Opera of Mozart’s The Magic Flute directed by Christopher Luscombe. On July 18, the revival of Alessandro Talevi’s production of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, originally presented during the opera’s 2021 season, returns. Opening July 25 is Handel’s Rodelinda, offered for the first time at the Santa Fe Opera, directed by R.B. Schlather. Rounding out the festival from August 1 is the American premiere of Lili Elbe, an opera in two acts by Grammy-winning composer Tobias Picker and librettist Aryeh Lev Stollman. Individual tickets and subscriptions are on sale at santafeopera.org, with the best pricing available now.
About The Santa Fe Opera — Named “Festival of the Year” in 2022 by the International Opera Awards, the Santa Fe Opera annually draws 85,000 people from New Mexico and around the globe. Nestled atop a mountain vista in northern New Mexico, the company’s iconic Crosby Theatre is open on three sides, allowing visitors to enjoy performances complemented by the elements. Since 1957, the company has presented over 2,000 performances of 180 operas by 92 composers spanning five centuries of opera, creating a legacy of 45 American premieres and 19 world premieres.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility at the Santa Fe Opera — Opera has the power to speak truth, broaden perspectives and invite empathy. The Santa Fe Opera is committed to the continuous work of becoming an antiracist and anti-oppressive organization and incorporating the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility. Our goal is to create a joyful and engaging environment in which a diverse community of artists, staff, volunteers and audiences alike belong.
The mission of the Santa Fe Opera is to advance the operatic art form by presenting ensemble performances of the highest quality in a unique setting with a varied repertory of new, rarely performed, and standard works; to ensure the excellence of opera’s future through Apprentice programs for singers, technicians and arts administrators; and to foster an understanding and appreciation of opera among a diverse public.
Discover More: santafeopera.org
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