New Mexico PBS and the Santa Fe Opera unveil a new documentary — An American Vision: The Santa Fe Opera
New Mexico PBS and the Santa Fe Opera unveil a new documentary — An American Vision: The Santa Fe Opera with a free public screening November 7 and premiere broadcast November 14
View or Print Press Release (PDF)
Santa Fe, NM – New Mexico PBS and the Santa Fe Opera are delighted to unveil the documentary An American Vision: The Santa Fe Opera, airing on New Mexico PBS on November 14 at 7 pm MT. The 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 broadcast will take place locally on NMPBS KNME, channel 5.1, available via over-the-air signal, cable and satellite, including YouTubeTV and Hulu Live. Viewers across the state and country can also stream the film at nmpbs.org and through the PBS app following the New Mexico broadcast premiere.
Prior to the premiere broadcast, on November 7 at 7 pm MT, NMPBS and the SFO will partner with The Lensic Performing Arts Center in downtown Santa Fe for a community screening. Tickets are free but required for entry and are available at https://lensic.org/events/an-american-vision.
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.
For Calendar Keepers
New Mexico PBS and the Santa Fe Opera present the premiere of An American Vision: The Santa Fe Opera. Featuring never-before-seen archival materials and performance footage, the documentary film captures the opera’s remarkable history and explores the visionary efforts that have made it one of the world’s most sought-after summer festivals.
What: An American Vision: The Santa Fe Opera documentary premiere screening presented by New Mexico PBS, the Santa Fe Opera and the Lensic Performing Arts Center
When: Thursday, November 7 at 7 pm MT
Where: The Lensic Performing Arts Center, 211 W San Francisco St, Santa Fe, NM 87501
Tickets: Tickets are free, but reservations are required. Please visit https://lensic.org/events/an-american-vision.
What: An American Vision: The Santa Fe Opera, documentary premiere broadcast
When: Thursday, November 14 at 7 pm MT
Where: NMPBS KNME, channel 5.1, available via over-the-air signal, cable and satellite, including YouTubeTV and Hulu Live. Viewers across the state and country can also stream the film at nmpbs.org and through the PBS app following the New Mexico broadcast premiere.
An American Vision: The Santa Fe Opera
A Co-Production of New Mexico PBS and The Santa Fe Opera
New Mexico PBS
Producer, Director, Editor, Photographer
Tara Walch
Executive Producer, Photographer, Additional Editing
Michael Kamins
Writers
Michael Kamins
Tara Walch
Director of Photography
Aaron Sena
Antony Lostetter
Production Specialists
Antony Lostetter
Kevin Maestas
Robert McDermott
Production Manager
Antony Lostetter
Narrator
Pilar Uribe
The Santa Fe Opera
Executive Producer
Emily Doyle Moore
Associate Producer
Mariah Bolla Olesen
Featuring
Harry Bicket; John O. Crosby; Johannes Debus; Chelsea Antrim Dennis; Michael Fabiano; David Henry Hwang; Carolyn Kuan; Robert K. Meya; Anne Midgette; Regina Sarfaty Rickless; Huang Ruo; Peter Sellars; George Shirley; Christian Waguespack
Funding provided in part by
Garcia Automotive Group Honoring Sheilah Garcia; Tourism Santa Fe; Raymond and Nancy Lutz; The Cooper Family in Memory of Dixie L. Burch – Kevin, Kelli, Casey, Corey & Dixie, & Tyler Burch; Martha Day; Richard and Nedra Matteucci; and Viewers like you. Thank you.
About The Santa Fe Opera
Recognized as “Festival of the Year” at 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.
About New Mexico PBS
Celebrating over 60 years of service, NMPBS (KNME & KNMD-TV) serving New Mexico and the Navajo Nation, broadcasts a wide array of nature, arts, history, current affairs, health, performance, children’s, educational and entertainment programs. NMPBS produces NEW MEXICO IN FOCUS, COLORES! and a variety of specials. NMPBS operates 5 digital KNME broadcast channels: 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, and 5.5, and streams most programs on the PBS app. The five KNMD Channels mirror KNME, and broadcast in ATSC 3.0, in the NextGen TV format. NMPBS is co-licensed to the University of New Mexico (UNM) and Albuquerque Public Schools (APS). Discover More: nmpbs.org.
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
Connect: Facebook | Instagram | Podcasts | TikTok | Twitter | YouTube