Santa Fe Opera

The Santa Fe Opera (SFO) is an American opera company, located 7 miles (11 km) north of Santa Fe in the U.S. state of New Mexico, headquartered on a former guest ranch of 199 acres (0.81 km²). John Crosby, a New York-based conductor, founded SFO in 1956, originally as the Opera Association of New Mexico. His goal was to give American singers the opportunity to learn and perform new roles while having ample time for rehearsal and preparation. Its first season began on 3 July 1957.

SFO is internationally known for introducing new and innovative operas as well as for its productions of works from the standard operatic repertoire. Since its inception, the Santa Fe Opera has staged over forty American premieres and has commissioned nine new operas.

Crosby remained as general director, with the longest such tenure in US opera history, until 2000. He subsequently died in December 2002. Since 2000, Richard Gaddes has been SFO's General Director. In August 2007, Gaddes stated that he wished SFO to begin a search for his successor, with him remaining in the position until the hiring of SFO's next General Director.¹² In November 2007, SFO named Charles MacKay the company's next general director to succeed Gaddes, effective 1 October 2008.³

In addition to being SFO's founding General Director, Crosby had simultaneously served as SFO's de facto first principal conductor. Alan Gilbert became the company's first music director from 2003 to 2006. In May 2007, Santa Fe Opera announced that Gilbert had officially concluded his tenure as its music director, and that Kenneth Montgomery had been named interim music director.⁴⁵ Montgomery's tenure as interim music director concluded after the 2007 season. He is scheduled to continue as a guest conductor for three operas over the years 2008 to 2011.⁶ In July 2007, the Santa Fe Opera named Edo de Waart their chief conductor, effective 1 October 2007.⁷ His initial contract was for 4 years. However, in November 2008, SFO announced that de Waart would vacate the position before the end of his contract, no earlier than the end of the 2009 season. de Waart cited health and family reasons for this decision.⁸

Crosby's programming and organizational philosophy

From the beginning, certain characteristics of what was to become a typical season emerged. It runs annually from late June or the beginning of July to the third week of August, with five operas presented in rotating repertory.

Generally, two popular operas opened the season, typically one by Mozart. An American (or world) premiere was generally in the program and these included works commissioned by the company. A lifelong lover of the operas of Richard Strauss, John Crosby regularly scheduled one and presented many American premieres of the composer’s work, an example being the 1964 U.S. premiere of the 1938 Daphne. Finally, the fifth opera was often a work which is rarely performed.

Recent programming

In May 2007, the 2008 season was announced: Verdi's Falstaff, Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, Kaija Saariaho's Adriana Mater (a U.S. premiere), Britten's Billy Budd (reflecting Gaddes' feeling that Britten has been under-represented), and Handel's Radamisto.⁹

The Apprentice Programs

In his first season, Crosby created the Apprentice Program whereby eight young people were to be given living expenses and paid per performance to be members of the chorus and to understudy major roles. Unusual for its time, in America in the 1950s, the Apprentice Program helped young singers to make the transition from academic to professional life. To date, over 1,500 aspiring opera singers have participated. As Crosby noted:

The Program has formal academic goals in addition to the "hands on" experience provided by the preparation for and participation in professional productions. Seminars and master classes are conducted; singers receive coaching in voice, music, body movement, career counseling, and diction. Technical apprentices are provided with instruction in stage operations, stage properties, costume and wig construction, scenic art, wigs and make up, music services, and stage lighting.

The Apprentice Program for Singers and Technicians continues at the Santa Fe Opera today. Typically, about 1,000 aspiring young singers and 600 technicians apply; in 2006, 43 singers and 61 technical apprentices worked at the opera.

The singers act as the chorus for each opera, as well as performing small roles. In addition, apprentices "cover" (understudy) some leading roles. The technical apprentices perform a variety of backstage functions (including costumes, props, and scenery making and painting) as well as being responsible for presenting the technical aspects (lighting, costumes, scenery, stage management, etc.) of two staged evenings of "Apprentice Scenes" performed by the singers.

Apprentices who have gone on to major singing careers

Many of the former apprentice singers have returned to perform major roles with the company, notably in recent years, Joyce DiDonato in the 2006 Cendrillon, Chris Merritt also in 2006 in The Tempest, and Carl Tanner in the 2005 production of Turandot.

Theaters and other facilities

There have been three theaters on the present site of the Santa Fe Opera. Each has been located on a mesa, with the audience facing West toward an ever-changing horizon of sunsets and thunderstorms, frequently visible throughout many productions when no backdrops are used. Over the years, due to the first and second theaters’ exposure to the elements, rainstorms drenched both audiences and orchestra members (and threatened their instruments), requiring occasional cancellations, postponements, or extended intermissions. This fact (plus several others, such as the desire to improve acoustics, to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, to improve patron facilities, and to provide more seating) led to the need to reconstruct the third theater.

Three key features of each of the theaters has been the fact that, unlike a conventional theater, there is no fly system to allow for scenery to be lowered from above, there is no proscenium arch (and thus no curtain nor means of projecting surtitles), the sides of the house are open, and the rear of the stage may be completely opened to provide westward views.

Performances begin close to sunset, so that the lighting of the productions is not compromised by the sides of the theatre being open to the outside environment. More social aspects of the performance starting time include giving opera-goers the opportunity to observe New Mexico sunsets against the surrounding landscape and the tradition of tailgate dining.¹²

Original theatre, 1957 to 1967

The totally open-air theater was designed to seat 480 and was built for $115,000 on a site carefully selected by Crosby and an acoustician friend, who fired off a series of rifle shots until they found the perfect natural location for an outdoor theatre. It was "the only outdoor theatre in America exclusively designed for opera".¹¹ Audience members sat on benches. The architectural design calculations for the theatre were performed by structural engineer, Sergio Acosta, an immigrant from Panama who graduated from the University of Texas and was a resident of Albuquerque, NM from 1948 until his death at age 78.

This was the location of the inaugural performance on opening night, 3 July 1957. Madama Butterfly played to a sold-out crowd. By the end of the eight-week season, the 12,000 people who attended accounted for sales at 90% of capacity.

A mezzanine was added in 1965 but, on 27 July 1967, four weeks into the season, a fire demolished the theater, causing the company to move to a local high school for the remainder of the season. From the Sweeney Gymnasium, they created the "Sweeney Opera House", and completed the season, albeit without most of the original costumes or sets. A huge fund-raising operation took place, backed by Igor Stravinsky, and $2.4 million was raised to rebuild the theatre in time for the following season.

Rebuilt theatre, 1968 to 1997

The second theatre, a new open-air house seating 1,889, was ready for the start of the new season on 26 June 1968. Just like the company's opening night in 1957, it presented Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.

The new theatre was designed by the Santa Fe firm of McHugh and Kidder. One of its principal features was the partial opening of the roof towards the middle of the orchestra section, provided by the curving, audience-facing slope of the stage roof and the thrust of the mezzanine and rear orchestra roof forward. Also, the auditorium’s sides were open, as was the rear of the stage (although sliding doors could be closed). It provided for spectacular Westward views - as well as giving some centrally-located audience members a view of the night sky.

Most of the new theatre's backstage facilities, including scenery construction and storage and costume and props production, were actually constructed below the stage level in order to preserve the open views to the West. A huge elevator, located immediately behind the stage, provides the means whereby scenery can be moved up from the construction shop one level below or down to the storage area, three levels below.

Present theatre, since 1998

Renamed “The Crosby Theater” (following the founder's death in 2002 and reflecting the contributions of both of his parents in supporting the opera festival¹³), the present theatre was designed by the architectural firm headed by James Polshek of New York. It was built during extensive reconstruction, which followed the tearing down of the 1968 theatre right at the end of the opera season in late August 1997. The new theatre was completed in ten months for an early July 1998 opening of new season. Like the previous opening nights of 1957 and 1968, it featured a performance of Madama Butterfly.

With fewer storm-related problems (and, with a higher stage roof providing a better view of the Westward landscape), the theater now seats 2,128 plus 106 standees, although it has a strikingly intimate feel. It added a wider and more complete roof structure, with the new front and rear portions supported by cables and joined together with a clerestory window. This offers protection from the sky, but with the sides remaining open to the elements. The presence of wind baffles and Stieren Hall has helped improve exposure on the southern, windward side of the auditorium.

In 1999, as an alternative to translations by use of supertitles or surtitles, an electronic titles system was installed in the Crosby Theatre. Invented by Figaro Systems of Santa Fe, and only the second one after the Metropolitan opera's MetTitles installed in 1995, the system provides individual screens in front of each patron's seat, showing a translation of the sung text in either English or Spanish with the possibility of handling up to six other languages.

Stieren Orchestra Hall

Completed for the 2001 season under the patronage of Arthur and Jane Stieren, the hall fulfills the long-standing need for an orchestra rehearsal hall. Constructed on three levels with a total of 12,650 square feet (1,175 m²), the building is also used for lectures, recitals, and social events. Its main level features a space which is the replica of the main stage and offstage wings, and is thus used for stage rehearsals. Large sliding doors provide access from the scenery deck level for fully-staged rehearsals.

Future expansion plans

Construction of the new cantina has been completed. It features an elegant arching roof that nicely matches the sweeping architecture of the main hall. The cantina supplies season-long food and drink for the staff and artists, as well as functioning as the location for pre-performance buffet dinners for the general public.

A $30 million capital campaign is currently underway for increasing the endowment fund ($20 million) and for improvements to and expansion of existing structures, many of which were part of the original 1950s ranch buildings on the company's 100-acre (0.40 km²) grounds. In addition, new rehearsal studios are planned, adding to the smaller existing facilities and more closely matching the size of the stage.

References

^ Craig Smith (9 August 2007). "SFO to hunt for director’s successor", The New Mexican. Retrieved on 10 August 2007.
^ Matthew Westphal (9 August 2007). "Santa Fe Opera General Director Submits (Eventual) Resignation", Playbill Arts. Retrieved on 10 August 2007.
^ Matthew Westphal (9 November 2007). "Santa Fe Opera Appoints New General Director", Playbill Arts. Retrieved on 9 November 2007.
^ Matthew Westphal, "Alan Gilbert Steps Down as Music Director of Santa Fe Opera". Playbill Arts, 8 May 2007.
^ Anne Constable, "Santa Fe Opera music director steps down". The Santa Fe New Mexican, 9 May 2007.
^ Matthew Westphal (24 July 2007). "Santa Fe Opera Names Edo de Waart Chief Conductor", Playbill Arts. Retrieved on 25 July 2007.
^ Craig Smith (24 July 2007). "Dutch maestro takes over as chief conductor", The New Mexican. Retrieved on 25 July 2007.
^ Craig Smith (2008-11-07). "De Waart out as Santa Fe Opera's chief conductor", The New Mexican. Retrieved on 9 November 2008.
^ Anne Constable, "SFO lineup includes U.S. debut, favorites", The Santa Fe New Mexican, 10 May 2007.
^ Santa Fe Opera press release with details of the 2009 season
^ ^a ^b Scott, Eleanor, The First Twenty Years of the Santa Fe Opera, Santa Fe, New Mexico: Sunstone Press, 1976.
^ Opening Night 2007 at The Santa Fe Opera on YouTube
^ Dedication plaque on the house exterior names all three Crosbys

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