The Key Change Time Machine: Reflecting the Times, Speaking to the Human Condition
The Key Change Time Machine: Reflecting the Times, Speaking to the Human Condition
It’s all systems go for season five of Key Change! But before we commence with the anniversary celebrations, co-hosts Andrea Fellows Fineberg and Anna Garcia dust off the time machine for a whirlwind tour of seasons past. Think of this episode as part process evaluation––an appraisal of Opera For All Voices (OFAV), the Santa Fe Opera initiative committed to co-commissioning and co-producing new, diverse operatic works––and part indispensable playlist for repeat audiences and newcomers alike, covering the essential artistic and emotional moments that have made Key Change an award-winning podcast.
Since 2015, OFAV has sought to answer the question: How does one of the oldest art forms remain relevant in an increasingly perilous landscape of aging audiences, funding shortages, budget cuts, and political polarization?
One answer is to produce works that reflect our modern conversations around race, social justice, accountability, and understanding. Key Change offers a complimentary option: Amplify the diverse stories of those involved in the commissions, be they artists, production assistants, or folks with firsthand knowledge of events reimagined for the stage.
So, how are we doing? “I think it’s kind of amazing how, little by little through the seasons, we’ve touched on the creation of stories being told by people finding their voice,” Anna says, noting that those voices speak truth to power in wildly bold and creative ways.
Key Change has cataloged four seasons of redemptive journeys and harrowing real-life stories while envisioning a future of genuinely collaborative artistic endeavors. We invite you to stay tuned for what’s next.
RELATED EPISODES
S1E2 – What’s in a Name? The Origin Story of Opera For All Voices
S2E2 – A Seat at the Table: Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Opera – Part I
S2E3 – Bring Your Folding Chair: Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Opera – Part II
S2E6 – The Universe is Made of Stories: A Conversation With Peter Sellars
S3E4 – Singing a Call to Action, Is This America?
QUOTES
Andrea Fellows Fineberg
“I pretty much go back to the ‘all voices’ part of it, that the intent was to create work that was more representative of the world around us in terms of what voices were involved in creating the work, who was presenting the work, and what stories were being told, whose stories were being told––our stories, stories of our time––and thereby who came to see the work, who was in the audience.”
Andrea Klunder
“There was a lot of laughter and a lot of tears, and there was a shift in season two. Season one was sort of like, what is this project laying the groundwork for? It felt more about that academic sort of process evaluation, and season two opened up something completely different.”
Peter Sellars
“Opera is an art form that’s complicated enough to demonstrate that we can hold complicated truths together.”
Nicole Joy Mitchell
“An artist’s job is to reflect the times, it is to reflect what’s going on, it’s to comment, give voice to those who don’t normally have a voice who are not normally represented. And, for myself, I’ll use these words: it’s a holy thing. It always speaks to the human condition.”
Estevan Florez-Mansi
“Everything comes from influence. So if one person sees something they’re influenced by, they’re gonna go out and do something about it and it’s just gonna keep happening. So eventually, hopefully, we can get to a point where all of us are included. And all of us are equally represented.”
Jeri Lynne Johnson
“I don’t know that the role of art in a performance is primarily for comfort. I think if you want comfort, just buy the recording and comfort yourself with that. But I think our role as artists is not always to comfort people. Our role as artists and I think especially right now, we’ve talked about this before, is to tell hard truths in a beautiful and engaging way.”
CREDITS
Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices.
Produced & Edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios
Hosted by Andrea Fellows Fineberg & Anna Garcia
Audio Engineer Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe
Technical Director Edwin R. Ruiz
Production Support from Alex Riegler
Show Notes by Lisa Widder
Theme Music by Rene Orth with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello
Cover Art by Dylan Crouch
This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Hankins Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.