Santa Fe Opera

Feature Posts

The Power of the Mob

Susanne Sheston, 1 August 2019

Georges Bizet’s opulent opera The Pearl Fishers is a brilliant showpiece for the lead singers in any production. As is traditional in French grand opera, the chorus also plays a prominent part and is on stage for much of the performance. As the story grows in intensity, the chorus’s rousing ensembles fuel the heat of the score, leaving the more tender vocal exclamations to the principal characters. The villagers portrayed by the chorus create a fully composite character in its own right, playing against the other principals...

The Madness and Music of King Hjarne in "The Thirteenth Child"

David Leigh, 30 July 2019

I first saw the vocal score for this piece about fifteen months ago, when I was hoping that it would get me a coveted Santa Fe Opera debut. For young singers, new works are often an exciting way into a major debut at an important opera house, because in the more standard repertoire those houses often look to older singers who have sung the roles before. In a new piece, since nobody’s done the roles before, the playing field is leveled for younger singers...