The Santa Fe Opera Announces Six Cast & Creative Team Updates for 2021 Season
The Santa Fe Opera Announces Six Cast & Creative Team Updates for 2021 Season
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Santa Fe, NM — The Santa Fe Opera announces the following casting updates for the 2021 Season opening on July 10 and running through August 27: Laurie Feldman will direct The Marriage of Figaro after a concept by French Director Laurent Pelly, who is unable to travel to Santa Fe due to international travel restrictions and has therefore been following rehearsals and the progress of the production from France. Bass-baritone Nicholas Brownlee makes his company debut in the title role in The Marriage of Figaro and Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, replacing British baritone Ashley Riches who is unable to travel to Santa Fe due to international travel restrictions. Baritone Lucas Meachem and soprano Sara Jakubiak replace French-Canadian baritone Etienne Dupuis and Australian soprano Nicole Car in the roles of Eugene Onegin and Tatyana in Eugene Onegin. The real-life husband and wife are unable to travel to Santa Fe due to international travel restrictions. They write, “We are saddened by the situation and wish wholeheartedly we could have been allowed to perform these special roles in such a special place.” Lastly, lighting designer Rick Fisher replaces London-based lighting designer Matt Haskins in Eugene Onegin; Haskins is unable to travel to Santa Fe due to international travel restrictions.
The Santa Fe Opera had 13 foreign artists contracted for the 2021 Season. After exploring every available avenue for maintaining the originally scheduled artists, the opera regrets that current travel restrictions have impacted these five individuals. Says Chief Artistic Officer David Lomelí, “I believe in people and art, not their nationalities. At the end we are all one of the same. Singers, artists, humans. Italian kids want to sing at The Met and Mexican kids dream of La Scala. Art is universal. With no borders.” The company looks forward to future possibilities for welcoming each of the artists unable to travel to Santa Fe this season.
On June 2 the Santa Fe Opera announced numerous updates to the 2021 Season including the latest in ticketing, casting and protocols for a safe reopening, plus nightly on-site simulcasts as part of the company’s 64th summer festival season. Those updates can be read here.
About the Artists
Stage director, coach and teacher Laurie Feldman works regularly with The Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera and the Teatro Regio di Torino where she has acted as the Revival Director for numerous Laurent Pelly productions. Feldman also serves on the Faculty of the Atkins Young Artists Program of the Mariinsky Theater in Saint Petersburg. With the Santa Fe Opera she has served since 1989 as Assistant Director on various productions — most recently in 2013 for Pelly’s production of Verdi’s La Traviata.
Fast-rising bass-baritone Nicholas Brownlee is a former Santa Fe Opera Apprentice singer (2015) last seen on the Santa Fe Opera stage as the First Soldier in Daniel Slater‘s production of Salome and as Don Fernando in Stephen Wadsworth‘s production of Fidelio conducted by Santa Fe Opera Music director Harry Bicket. Nicholas is from Mobile, Alabama.
Grammy® Award-winning baritone Lucas Meachem has been seen and heard on stages across the globe, including at the Santa Fe Opera in Billy Budd in 2008 and Don Giovanni in 2009. Opera Pulse has dubbed Lucas “a rock star of opera.” This season Lucas also appears at Festival Napa Valley, Los Angeles Opera, Teatro Real and The Metropolitan Opera. He’s a native of Raleigh, North Carolina.
2020 Opus Klassik Award winner Sara Jakubiak is a former Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Singer (2007) whose career has now taken her around the world, having most recently triumphed in her Wiener Staatsoper debut as Elsa in “Lohengrin.” Writes Sara, “My time as an Apprentice at Santa Fe was incredibly important to my development as an artist. I’m extremely happy I was available to sing in this new production of Eugene Onegin. I love the role of Tatyana, which makes this all the more meaningful.” Sara hails from Bay City, Michigan.
Lighting designer Rick Fisher has served as the lighting designer for over twenty Santa Fe Opera productions including The Pearl Fishers (2019), Madame Butterfly (2018), The Daughter of the Regiment, Rigoletto and Salome (2015), and the world premiere of Theodore Morrison’s Oscar (2013). Other recent credits include Billy Elliott the musical in Tokyo, Man of La Mancha with the English National Opera, Benvenuto Cellini with the Monteverdi Soloists and West Side Story at the Edinburgh International Festival.
The 2021 Season
The Santa Fe Opera’s 2021 Season, running July 10 through August 27, presents 30 performances of four operas, including the world premiere of The Lord of Cries by John Corigliano and Mark Adamo directed by James Darrah; the company premiere of Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream directed and designed by Netia Jones; Laurent Pelly’s stylish new production of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro; a new production of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin directed by Alessandro Talevi; a celebratory concert featuring soprano Angel Blue in her company debut with 2021 Season artists and The Santa Fe Opera Orchestra led by John Fiore; and two Apprentice Scenes performances. The 64th Season celebrates the inclusion of works new to the world stage alongside audience favorites by Mozart and Tchaikovsky, and features some of opera’s most exciting talent. A variety of time periods and languages are represented, with pieces and perspectives dating from 1786 to 2021, sung in English, Italian and Russian. The season is the second to be led by General Director Robert K. Meya, Artistic Director Alexander Neef and Music Director Harry Bicket, and perfectly fits the time-tested programming model pioneered by Santa Fe Opera founder John Crosby: a balanced and varied repertory of new, rarely performed and standard works portrayed in a new light. The Santa Fe Opera has been working to bring this incredible art form to audiences since 1957, and will continue this work to expand opera’s reach to new and diverse audiences through contemporary works, world premieres and its Opera for All Voices initiative. Says Meya, “The 2021 Season is a tribute to our unwavering optimism for the future of opera and the delight it can bring to viewers of all ages and backgrounds.”
THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO
Stand back and let love conquer.
What’s a bride to do to stop the unwanted advances of her employer? She teams up with his wife to teach him a lesson in fidelity.
The Santa Fe Opera commences its 64th Festival Season with a stylish new production of Mozart’s sparkling comedy The Marriage of Figaro, opening on July 10, 2021. Featuring a dozen well-known and indelible arias, the work is a wealth of musical riches. Further, the operas of Mozart have held a special place at the Santa Fe Opera since the company’s opening season in 1957, when the new company mounted Così fan tutte. This repertory tradition has held strong over the decades, with a Mozart opera having been produced in 55 of 63 prior seasons, none more so than The Marriage of Figaro, which has been performed in 17 prior seasons, more than any other single opera in the company’s repertory.
Laurie Feldman directs Laurent Pelly’s concept inspired by Jean Renoir’s La Règle du Jeu (The Rules of the Game) – itself partly inspired by The Marriage of Figaro. French director and costume designer Pelly has settled on stylings of the late 1930s, just prior to World War II, a time period closer to the present, but one that similarly was coming to an end. French set designer Chantal Thomas has chosen to build the set on a revolving turntable, alluding to the earth-shattering events that will take place not long after the close of the opera. The opera occurs within a 24-hour timeframe, with the action beginning and ending at the same hour; thus the turntable resembles a large clock, with rotating oversized brass gears to the sides of the stage. This motif slyly refers to Louis XVI’s fondness for watchmaking and building timepieces—a common avocation of the time— as well as to the idea that the countdown to revolution has begun. As the story progresses, the characters are swept away by centrifugal forces that build over the course of the opera and which are stronger than themselves. By Act IV, the clock’s mechanism lies shattered and strewn across the stage. Internationally recognized lighting designer Duane Schuler returns to Santa Fe to further illuminate this beautiful, stylish and timeless production. Associate costume designer Jean-Jacques Delmotte rounds out the creative team.
Santa Fe Opera Music Director Harry Bicket leads a bright young cast in ten performances that includes former Apprentice singer Nicholas Brownlee as Figaro; Colombian-American soprano Vanessa Vasquez in the role of the Countess; Chinese soprano Ying Fang in her company debut as Susanna; mezzo-soprano and former Apprentice singer Megan Marino in her first turn as Cherubino; and tenor Brenton Ryan as Basilio. Australian baritone Samuel Dale Johnson makes his exciting U.S. Debut as Count Almaviva. Mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer will return to the Santa Fe Opera stage as Marcellina; Apprentice singer Lindsay Kate Brown will sing Marcellina on August 24 and 27. Former Apprentice singer Patrick Carfizzi sings Dr. Bartolo and James Creswell makes his company debut as Antonio. Susanne Sheston is the Chorus Master.
THE LORD OF CRIES
You have been asked once.
He lands tonight, on his ship of ghosts, under the scudding skies. His high, thin voice – ecstasy and ruin! Dracul, Dracula: the Lord of Cries! Deny him not his place.
The Santa Fe Opera’s 17th world premiere will be The Lord of Cries by composer John Corigliano and librettist Mark Adamo, based on the intriguing points of intersection between two classics of Western literature, The Bacchae by Euripides and Dracula by Bram Stoker.
Separated by 24 centuries, The Bacchae and Dracula tell virtually the same timeless story, with the same subversive message: We must honor our animal nature lest it turn monstrous and destroy us. The Lord of Cries begins with a strange, androgynous god returning to earth to offer a mortal three chances to “ask for what you want” or risk the consequences. He materializes in Victorian England in the guise of the eponymous “Lord of Cries,” none other than the irresistible antihero of Dracula.
Corigliano creates powerfully contrasting sound worlds to contrast the tidy world of the Victorians with the savage grandeur of the immortals, forging musical drama from the tension and the gravitational pull between the two worlds. Says the composer, “One important point of The Lord of Cries is that this conflict between who we want to be and who we actually are goes on and on; it tormented the ancient Greeks, and it torments us still. So that torment is the score’s real subject.”
The Lord of Cries is only the second opera by John Corigliano, following his acclaimed The Ghosts of Versailles (1991), the Metropolitan Opera’s first commission in three decades. Corigliano’s one-hundred-plus compositions have won him the Pulitzer Prize, four Grammy Awards and an Oscar, and have been performed and recorded by many of the world’s greatest soloists, conductors and orchestras.
Librettist Mark Adamo, an accomplished composer in his own right, has authored the libretti for his four full-length operas, Little Women (1998), Lysistrata (2005), The Gospel of Mary Magdalene (2013) and Becoming Santa Claus (2015). The Lord of Cries marks the first operatic collaboration between Corigliano and Adamo, longtime partners in life.
Johannes Debus returns to the Santa Fe Opera podium to conduct this world premiere production. James Darrah directs, with sets by Adam Rigg, costumes by former technical apprentice Chrisi Karvonides-Dushenko, lighting design by Pablo Santiago, projection design by Adam Larsen and sound design by Mark Grey.
The title role of The Lord of Cries is written for superstar countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, who makes his Santa Fe Opera debut as Dionysus. Soprano and former Apprentice singer Susanna Phillips returns to the Santa Fe Opera stage in the role of Lucy Harker. She is joined by tenor David Portillo as Jonathan Harker in his company debut, baritone and former Apprentice singer Jarrett Ott as John Seward, bass Matt Boehler in his company debut as Van Helsing and bass Kevin Burdette as the Correspondent. Susanne Sheston is the Chorus Master.
The Lord of Cries receives its world premiere on July 17, 2021 and runs for six performances.
EUGENE ONEGIN
Buried desires and dreams corroded with rust.
Potent emotion and sweeping drama take the stage as Tatyana’s confession of love is rejected by Onegin who, a little too late, realizes his mistake.
Not seen on the Santa Fe Opera stage since 2002, the company presents a new reimagining of Eugene Onegin, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s sumptuous lyrical drama based on Pushkin’s famous novel, directed by European Opera-directing Prize winner Alessandro Talevi in his company debut. Scenic and costume designer Gary McCann, lighting designer Rick Fisher and fight director Rick Sordelet round out the creative team. Eugene Onegin premiered in Moscow in 1897 and though at first it was regarded only as a Russian curiosity, it has since become a standard fixture in the operatic repertoire. Tchaikovsky himself attributed its success to Mahler for having conducted a performance in Hamburg and whom he described as “not some average sort, but simply a genius burning with a desire to conduct.”
The production is led by Australian conductor Nicholas Carter in his return to the Santa Fe Opera podium. The all-star cast includes baritone Lucas Meachem in the title role and former Santa Fe Opera Apprentice singer Sara Jakubiak as Tatyana in her company debut. The production also includes contralto Avery Amereau in her company debut as Olga, mezzo-soprano Deborah Nansteel in the role of
Filippyevna, Katharine Goeldner as Larina, German-Turkmen tenor Dovlet Nurgeldiyev in his U.S. debut as Lensky and bass James Creswell as Prince Gremin. Tenor Matthew DiBattista sings Triquet and Zaretsky will be performed by bass and Santa Fe Opera Apprentice singer Allen Michael Jones. Susanne Sheston serves as Chorus Master.
The Santa Fe Opera’s new production of Eugene Onegin opens July 24, 2021 and runs for six performances.
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
Out of this wood do not desire to go.
Mismatched lovers, a group of actors, fairies and their King and Queen are in the forest. Paths cross, so do lovers and, in the end, all’s well that ends well.
The Santa Fe Opera is thrilled to round out its 2021 Season with the company premiere of Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a new co-production with Garsington Opera directed by powerhouse Netia Jones, who also serves as the scenic, costume and projections designer. The Observer describes Jones as “the most imaginative director of opera working in Britain today.”
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is considered Britten’s most beguiling and enchanting opera. The orchestral music weaves a spellbinding atmosphere that immediately places one in a dreamlike realm. Britten wrote, “Operatically, it is especially exciting because there are three quite separate groups – the Lovers, the Rustics, and the Fairies – which nevertheless interact. Thus in writing the opera I have used a different kind of texture and orchestral colour for each section.”
A piece long-intended but never before performed on the Santa Fe Opera stage, this new production will be led by Harry Bicket and features soprano Erin Morley as Tytania, British countertenor Iestyn Davies in the role of Oberon, tenor Brenton Ryan as Flute, tenor Matthew Grills as Snout, bass and former Apprentice singer Patrick Carfizzi as Starveling, bass-baritone Nicholas Brownlee as Bottom and bass Kevin Burdette in the role of Quince. The four lovers are performed by Santa Fe Opera Apprentice singers Teresa Perrotta as Helena, Adanya Dunn as Hermia, Duke Kim as Lysander and Michael J. Hawk as Demetrius. Australian dancer Reed Luplau performs as Puck and serves as choreographer. Rounding out the creative team is D.M. Wood, recipient of the United Kingdom’s 2012 Knight of Illumination Award, to serve as lighting designer in her Santa Fe Opera debut, and fight director Rick Sordelet. Susanne Sheston is the Chorus Master.
This long-awaited company premiere opens July 31, 2021 and runs for five performances.
Apprentice Scenes
Partially staged scenes from the operatic repertory showcasing the remarkable talent of Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Singers and Technicians will be presented on two consecutive Sunday evenings, August 15 and 22, 2021. One of the best entertainment values of the summer at $15 for Adults and $5 for youth (ages 6-22). Learn more at santafeopera.org or by calling the Box Office at 505-986-5900 (toll-free at 800-280-4654). Walk up orders will be taken by the Box Office on performance evenings only.
PRINCIPAL REOPENING SPONSOR
The Brown Foundation Inc., of Houston
REOPENING CONSORTIUM
Susan & Philip Marineau
Jacqueline B. Mars
Debra Turner
SIMULCAST SPONSORS
Brooke Suzanne Gray
James V. & Dana Pope Manning
Gene & Jean Stark
REOPENING PARTNERS
AXCES Research & Health
CHRISTUS St. Vincent Regional Medical Center
Production Safe Zone
2021 SEASON INFORMATION
Performance Start Times
July 10 — July 31, 8:30 PM | August 3 — August 27, 8:00 PM
A Safe Reopening Season
The Santa Fe Opera’s reopening protocols have been developed in collaboration with public health officials, experts in epidemiology and sanitization and local hospital partner CHRISTUS St. Vincent. The company has engaged leading COVID-safety consultants and added a full-time COVID Compliance & Safety Manager to its staff. The company’s preparations for the coming season have been exhaustive and ensure that it can put opera back on stage in the safest possible manner.
The company will not be offering Preview Dinners, Backstage Tours, or any donor events on campus this season. To best support the safety and artistry of the 2021 Season, each of the company’s COVID-19 protocols have been documented in its 99-page Reopening Handbook. Company-wide standards and practices include masking, social-distancing, increased cleaning, electrostatic disinfection of high-traffic areas, and enhanced ventilation and air purification in elevators and restrooms. All artists, musicians and staff will continue to be tested for COVID-19 one to three times per week. To minimize points of contact, the opera has implemented the digital ticketing entry system N-Scan and installed touch-free fixtures in all restrooms. Patrons can also expect to see acrylic shields in public facing locations, campus-wide hand sanitizing stations and safety signage throughout. The opera will not be accepting cash and has adopted cashless technology for all transactions including those in the Opera Shop, Box Office and Concessions. While the company will not be requiring proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test for entry, it is asking all patrons, prior to arrival, to conduct a “self screening” and stay home if not feeling well.
The Santa Fe Opera wishes to acknowledge its principal reopening sponsor, The Brown Foundation of Houston, whose support has made a safe reopening possible. The opera also extends thanks to its reopening partners AXCES Research & Health, CHRISTUS St. Vincent and Production Safe Zone.
2021 Tickets & Subscriptions
Tickets for theater seating and nightly on-site simulcasts are on sale now. The opera will seat every row while still maintaining social distancing between groups. Maximum group size remains limited to six patrons, and mask-wearing will be required at all times in the theater complex and Box Office. Tickets will be emailed no later than ten days prior to performance evenings. Learn more at santafeopera.org. Walk-up orders will be taken by the Box Office on performance evenings only.
Other useful information for Patrons:
- CASHLESS: The opera will not be accepting cash and has adopted cashless technology for all transactions including those in the Opera Shop, Box Office and Concessions.
- CONCESSIONS: Theater bars will be open and serving alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages. A selection of snack items will be available. Patrons will be assigned to specific terraces to enjoy their snacks and drinks.
- OPERA SHOP: To better serve patrons, the Santa Fe Opera is pleased to announce its new online Opera Shop. The opera’s physical Opera Shop will open at 5 pm on July 10 and be open on all performance nights.
- SAFETY: Company-wide standards and practices include masking, social-distancing, increased cleaning, electrostatic disinfection of high-traffic areas, and enhanced ventilation and air purification in elevators and restrooms. All artists, musicians and staff are being and will continue to be tested for COVID-19 one to three times per week. Patrons can also expect to see acrylic shields in public facing locations, campus-wide hand sanitizing stations and safety signage throughout.
- SEATING: Due to evolving public health guidelines, the company is unable to provide exact seat locations at the time of purchase. Tickets will be emailed no later than ten days prior to performance evenings.
- SELF-CHECK: While the opera will not be requiring proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test for entry, it is asking all patrons, prior to arrival, to self-screen using the CDC’s Coronavirus Self-Checker. The opera encourages anyone who is feeling unwell not to attend a performance. If you have any COVID-19 symptoms, please call the Box Office prior to your performance to discuss your ticket options.
- TAILGATE AMENITIES: Boxed “Tailgate” appetizers and entrees will be available for pre-order through the opera’s hotel partner the Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado. Prices range from $22 to $34 not including tax. Orders can be placed online and must be received no later than 48 hours in advance and can be picked up at the Vladem Kisok on Twomey Terrace behind the Box Office.
- TICKETS: Tickets for theater seating and nightly, on-site simulcasts are on sale now. Ticket orders will be accepted via phone or online. Walk-up orders will be taken by the Box Office on performance evenings only. Tickets will be delivered as print-at-home or mobile tickets no later than ten days prior to performance evenings. For those planning to show mobile tickets, please have tickets ready for scanning before arriving at the entrance. WiFi will be available at the opera; however, taking a screenshot of your bar code before arrival is recommended.
- ZONES: To allow for social distancing, patrons will be assigned one of seven zones within the theater from which to enjoy terrace views and access restrooms.
2021 SEASON CASTING
Debuts
Avery Amereau (Contralto); Angel Blue (Soprano); Matt Boehler (Bass); Nicholas Brownlee+ (Bass-Baritone); Anthony Roth Costanzo (Countertenor); James Creswell (Bass); James Darrah (Stage Director); Iestyn Davies (Countertenor); Ying Fang (Soprano); Laurie Feldman (Stage Director); Matthew Grills (Tenor); Sara Jakubiak+ (Soprano); Netia Jones (Stage Director); Samuel Dale Johnson^ (Baritone); Chrisi Karvonides-Dushenko+ (Costume Design); Adam Larsen (Projection Design); Dovlet Nurgeldiyev^ (Tenor); David Portillo (Tenor); Adam Rigg (Scenic Design); Pablo Santiago (Lighting Design); Alessandro Talevi (Stage Director); D.M. Wood (Lighting Design)
+Former Santa Fe Opera Apprentice, ^U.S. Debut
Returning Artists
With most recent Santa Fe Opera appearance
Singers
Kevin Burdette (Candide, Ariadne auf Naxos, 2018); Patrick Carfizzi+ (The Italian Girl in Algiers, 2018); Katherine Goeldner (Così fan tutte, 207); Megan Marino+ (Madame Butterfly, 2018); Erin Morley (The Impresario, Le Rossignol, 2014); Jarrett Ott+ (Candide, Ariadne auf Naxos, 2018); Lucas Meachem (Don Giovanni, 2009); Susanne Mentzer (Jenůfa, 2019); Deborah Nansteel (Roméo et Juliette, 2016); Susanna Phillips+ (La Finta Giardiniera, 2015); Brenton Ryan (Ariadne auf Naxos, 2018); Vanessa Vasquez (La bohème, 2019)
Actors/Dancers
Reed Luplau (The Impresario, 2014)
Conductors
Harry Bicket (Così fan tutte, 2019); Nicholas Carter (Die Fledermaus, 2017)
Johannes Debus (Jenůfa, 2019); John Fiore (Madame Butterfly, 2018)
Directors (concept)
Laurent Pelly (Candide, 2018)
Designers
Jean-Jacques Delmotte (Candide, 2018); Rick Fisher (The Pearl Fishers, 2019)
Mark Grey (Doctor Atomic, 2018) ; Gary McCann (The Golden Cockerel, 2017)
Duane Schuler (Jenůfa, 2019); Chantal Thomas (Candide, 2018)
Choreographers & Fight Directors
Reed Luplau (The Impresario, 2014); Rick Sordelet (Roméo et Juliette, 2016)
Chorus Master
Susanne Sheston (2019 Season)
+Former Santa Fe Opera Apprentice
THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte
Premiered May 1, 1786 at the Burgtheater, Vienna
10 Performances — July 10, 14, 23; August 3, 10, 14, 18, 21, 24 & 27, 2021
Sung in Italian with opera titles in English and Spanish
A New Santa Fe Opera Production
Last performed by The Santa Fe Opera in 2013
Production support generously provided by James R. Seitz, Jr.
Creative Team
Conductor: Harry Bicket
Stage Director: Laurie Feldman, after a concept by Laurent Pelly
Scenic Design: Chantal Thomas
Costume Design: Laurent Pelly, Jean-Jacques Delmotte
Lighting Design: Duane Schuler
Chorus Master: Susanne Sheston
Cast
Countess Almaviva: Vanessa Vasquez
Susanna: Ying Fang*
Cherubino: Megan Marino+
Marcellina: Susanne Mentzer
Marcellina: Lindsay Kate Brown~, August 24 and 27
Basilio: Brenton Ryan
Figaro: Nicholas Brownlee
Count Almaviva: Samuel Dale Johnson*^
Doctor Bartolo: Patrick Carfizzi+
Antonio: James Creswell*
Don Curzio: Thomas Cilluffo~
Barbarina: Cheyanne Coss~
Bridesmaid: Alaysha Fox~
Bridesmaid: Ruby Dibble~
The Santa Fe Opera Orchestra and Chorus
*Santa Fe Opera debut, ~Santa Fe Opera Apprentice, +Former Santa Fe Opera Apprentice, ^U.S. Debut
THE LORD OF CRIES
Music by John Corigliano
Libretto by Mark Adamo
World Premiere July 17, 2021 at the Santa Fe Opera
6 Performances — July 17, 21, 30; August 5, 11 & 17, 2021
Sung in English with opera titles in English and Spanish
Production support generously provided by:
The Wyncote Foundation as recommended by Frederick R. Haas & Rafael Gomez
David A. Kaplan & Glenn A. Ostergaard, Brautigam-Kaplan Foundation
Robert L. Turner
Two Anonymous Donors
Additional artistic support provided by:
Drs. Susan & Dennis Carlyle
Agnes Hsu-Tang & Oscar Tang – Tang Fund in honor of Anthony Roth Costanzo
The Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation
The National Endowment for the Arts
The performances of Anthony Roth Costanzo are supported by Gene & Jean Stark
The performances of David Portillo are supported by The MacKay Fund for Debut Artists
Creative Team
Conductor: Johannes Debus
Stage Director: James Darrah*
Scenic Design: Adam Rigg*
Costume Design: Chrisi Karvonides-Dushenko*+
Lighting Design: Pablo Santiago*
Sound Design: Mark Grey
Projection Design: Adam Larsen*
Chorus Master: Susanne Sheston
Cast
Lucy Harker: Susanna Phillips+
Dionysus: Anthony Roth Costanzo*
Jonathan Harker: David Portillo*
John Seward: Jarrett Ott+
Van Helsing: Matt Boehler*
Correspondent: Kevin Burdette
Agave: Leah Brzyski~
Autonoe: Rachel Blaustein~
Ino: Megan Moore~
Captain: Robert Stahley~
The Santa Fe Opera Orchestra and Chorus
*Santa Fe Opera debut, +Former Santa Fe Opera Apprentice
EUGENE ONEGIN
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Libretto by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky based on the novel by Alexander Pushkin
Premiered March 29, 1879 at the Maly Theatre, Moscow
6 Performances — July 24, 28; August 6, 12, 20 & 26, 2021
Sung in Russian with opera titles in English and Spanish
A New Santa Fe Opera Production
Last performed at the Santa Fe Opera in 2002
Production support generously provided by:
Jane Stieren Lacy in honor of Brad Woolbright
Robert & Ellen Vladem
Additional artistic support provided by:
The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation
Creative Team
Conductor: Nicholas Carter
Stage Director: Alessandro Talevi*
Scenic & Costume Design: Gary McCann
Lighting Design: Rick Fisher
Fight Director: Rick Sordelet
Chorus Master: Susanne Sheston
Cast
Tatyana: Sara Jakubiak+
Olga: Avery Amereau*
Larina: Katharine Goeldner
Filippyevna: Deborah Nansteel
Lensky: Dovlet Nurgeldiyev*^
Triquet: Matthew DiBattista
Eugene Onegin: Lucas Meachem
Prince Gremin: James Creswell
Zaretsky: Allen Michael Jones~
Peasant: Joseph Tancredi~
Captain: Ethan Vincent~
The Santa Fe Opera Orchestra and Chorus
*Santa Fe Opera debut, ~Santa Fe Opera Apprentice, +Former Santa Fe Opera Apprentice, ^U.S. Debut
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
Music by Benjamin Britten
Libretto by Peter Pears based on William Shakespeare’s play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Premiered June 11, 1960 at the Aldeburgh Festival, England
5 Performances — July 31; August 4, 13, 19 & 25, 2021
Sung in English with opera titles in English and Spanish
A Company Premiere
Co-production with Garsington Opera
Production support generously provided by Avenir Foundation, Inc.
Sarah Billinghurst Solomon & Howard Solomon
The engagement of Harry Bicket is supported by Joseph M. Bryan Jr.
The engagement of Netia Jones is supported by The Marineau Family Foundation
The performances of Erin Morley are supported by the Peter B. Frank Principal Artist Fund
The performances of Iestyn Davies are supported by The MacKay Fund for Debut Artists
Creative Team
Conductor: Harry Bicket
Stage Director, Scenic, Costume and Projections Design: Netia Jones*
Lighting Design: D.M. Wood*
Choreographer: Reed Luplau
Fight Director: Rick Sordelet
Chorus Master: Susanne Sheston
Cast
Tytania: Erin Morley
Oberon: Iestyn Davies*
Flute: Brenton Ryan
Puck: Reed Luplau
Snout: Matthew Grills*
Starveling: Patrick Carfizzi+
Bottom: Nicholas Brownlee+
Quince: Kevin Burdette
Hermia: Adanya Dunn~
Helena: Teresa Perrotta~
Lysander: Duke Kim~
Demetrius: Michael J. Hawk~
The Santa Fe Opera Orchestra and Chorus
*Santa Fe Opera debut, ~Santa Fe Opera Apprentice, +Former Santa Fe Opera Apprentice, ^U.S. Debut
About The Santa Fe Opera –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 175 operas by 89 composers spanning five centuries of opera, creating a legacy of 45 American premieres and 16 world premieres.
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.