Santa Fe Opera 2022 | Visitor Activities and Updates

With great anticipation for the 2022 Season opening on July 1, the Santa Fe Opera is pleased to announce casting updates, name its 47 Apprentice Singers, and confirm the return of popular visitor activities including Prelude Talks, Preview Dinners, Shuttles, Opera House & Ranch Tours, and Family Nights and discounted day-of tickets for seniors, students, and military personnel. The opera continues to offer first-time New Mexico ticket buyers 40 percent off.

The 2022 Season celebrates a world premiere and offers fresh twists on beloved classics by Bizet, Rossini, Verdi, and Wagner. Some of today’s most exciting talent is featured singing in four languages — English, French, German and Italian — instantly translated into English and Spanish on the seat-back title system.Says General Director Robert K. Meya, “I hold great hope for a return to normalcy this summer. There will be humor, tragedy, boundless tales of love, and something entirely new. There’s truly a show for everyone.”

The Santa Fe Opera continues in its commitment to protecting the health and safety of its staff, artists, and audiences. Meya adds, “All audience members are encouraged to wear a mask and to check the opera’s dedicated Health and Safety webpage for the latest protocols before visiting.” The company is monitoring the current wildfire situation and air quality at the theater. Should smoke levels in the air become unhealthy or unsafe, rehearsal and performance plans will be adjusted to protect the well-being of patrons, artists, and staff. If wildfires or wildfire smoke reach a level of severity that will impact visitor activities to the Santa Fe Opera, the Box Office will contact those affected as soon as possible to discuss ticket options. For more information on fires in New Mexico, please visit NM Fire Info.

Tickets and subscriptions for the 2022 Season are on sale now. To purchase tickets or learn more, visit santafeopera.org or call the Box Office at 505-986-5900 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. MDT Monday through Saturday. Beginning July 1, in-person purchases will be available on all performance evenings through the first intermission. Performance start times are as follows: July 1 — July 30, 8:30 p.m.; August 1 — August 27, 8 p.m. All performances of Tristan und Isolde begin at 8 p.m. Parking lots open three hours before each performance.

For details about the performances this season, click here.

CASTING UPDATES

Carmen: Apprentice singer Luke Sutliff will sing Dancaïre; Apprentice singer Anthony León will sing Remendado; Apprentice singer Darren Lekeith Drone will sing Moralès; Apprentice singer Magdalena Kuźma will sing Frasquita; Apprentice singer Kathleen Felty will sing Mercédès; Omen Thomas Sade will sing Lillas Pastia; father and son team Rick Sordelet and Christian Kelly-Sordelet will serve as Fight and Intimacy Directors.

The Barber of Seville: Apprentice singer Nicholas Newton will sing Don Basilio July 2-13 and August 26; Apprentice singer Murrella Parton will sing Berta; Apprentice singer Kyle Miller will sing Fiorello; Apprentice singer Allen Michael Jones will sing the Officer; Rick Sordelet and Christian Kelly-Sordelet will serve as Fight and Intimacy Directors.

Falstaff: Tenor Brian Frutiger will sing Doctor Caius; second-year apprentice singer Thomas Cilluffo will sing Bardolfo; Rick Sordelet and Christian Kelly-Sordelet will serve as Fight and Intimacy Directors.

Tristan und Isolde: Apprentice singer Dylan M. Davis will sing the Shepherd; Apprentice singer Jonah Hoskins will sing the Sailor; Apprentice singer Eric Taylor will sing Melot; Apprentice singer Erik Grendahl will sing the Steersman; Rick Sordelet and Christian Kelly-Sordelet will serve as Fight and Intimacy Directors. 

M. Butterfly 蝴蝶君: Apprentice singer Lucy Evans will sing the role of Agent 1; Apprentice singer Andrew Turner will sing the role of Agent 2; Rick Sordelet and Christian Kelly-Sordelet will serve as Intimacy Directors.

47 APPRENTICE SINGERS FEATURED IN THE 2022 SEASON

A record-setting forty-seven singers from across the United States, Canada, China, Haiti, Japan, Korea and Venezuela have been selected this season from a pool of over 800 exciting young talents. Says Program Director Gayletha Nichols, “A big, exciting season awaits! Due to its significant programming, we have more performance opportunities than ever before for young singers. Our focus remains on balancing these opportunities with individualized training, which has long been a core value of the program. I look forward to hearing how beautifully the class of 2022 takes to the vocal riches of Bizet, Wagner, Verdi and more.”

Established at the time of the Santa Fe Opera’s 1957 founding, the Apprentice Program for Singers has since provided training, performance opportunities and international exposure to young singers transitioning from academic to professional life. The first of its kind in America, more than 1,500 aspiring singers have since participated in the internationally recognized program. Former singing apprentices have continued on to successful careers as professional performers and include Joyce DiDonato, Michael Fabiano, John Holiday and many more; others are now teachers, coaches and administrators at major opera companies and universities.

Each year, the Apprentice Scenes showcase the remarkable talent of Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Singers and Technicians on two consecutive Sunday evenings — this season on August 14 and 21, 2022 at 8 p.m. One of the best entertainment values of the summer at $15 for adults and $5 for youth (ages 6 – 22), purchases can be made at santafeopera.org or by calling the Box Office at 505-986-5900 (toll-free at 800-280-4654) between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. MDT Monday through Saturday.

2022 Apprentice Singer Class

SOPRANO
​​Caitlin Aloia Doylestown, PA; Avery Boettcher Appleton, WI; Caroline Corrales St. Louis, MO;
Vanessa Croome Nanaimo, BC, Canada; Magdalena Kuźma New York, NY; Amanda Olea San Diego, CA;
Murrella Parton Seymour, TN; Teresa Perrotta* Orlando, FL; Ardeen Pierre* Port-au-Prince, Haiti;
Emily Richter Arlington, VA; Emilie Kealani Suarez San Francisco, CA

MEZZO-SOPRANO
Amanda Lynn Bottoms* Buffalo, NY; Ashlyn Brown Palm Springs, CA; Maire Therese Carmack Bainbridge Island, WA;
Lucy Evans Bellingham, WA; Kathleen Felty* Lubbock, TX; Gretchen Krupp Woodbridge, VA; Sophia Maekawa Kyoto, Japan;
Gloria Palermo Cocoa, FL;  Sarah Saturnino* Grass Valley, CA

CONTRALTO
Lauren Decker Milwaukee, WI; Megan Esther Grey Cedar Falls, IA

TENOR
Thomas Cilluffo* Traverse City, MI; Dylan M. Davis Marion, OH; Jonah Hoskins* Saratoga Springs, UT;
Anthony León* Riverside, CA; Philippe L’Esperance Grafton, MA; Kameron Lopreore New Orleans, LA;
Jordan Loyd Cincinnati, OH; Daniel O’Hearn* Chicago, IL; Kevin Punnackal* Houston, TX;
Eric Taylor* St. George, UT; Andrew Turner Tacoma, WA; Tianchi Zhang Huainan, China

BARITONE & BASS
Peter Barber Crozet, VA; Ben Brady Denver, CO; Justin Burgess South Lyon, IN;
Darren Lekeith Drone* Sherwood, AR; Erik Grendahl Boydton, VA; Jongwon Han Seoul, Korea;
Allen Michael Jones* Atlanta, GA; Kyle Miller San Francisco, CA; Nicholas Newton San Diego, CA;
Sejin Park Seoul, Korea; Joseph Parrish Baltimore, MD; Luke Sutliff* Denver, CO;
Griffen Hogan Tracy Golden, CO

*Second-year Apprentice singer