The Santa Fe Opera

The Santa Fe Opera is one of the oldest and most respected arts institutions in New Mexico. The passionately held belief that opera can be a living, dynamic art form is the driving force behind The Opera’s artistic profile.

Since its founding in 1957, The Santa Fe Opera has successfully produced 53 seasons of outstanding world-class opera each year, including 43 American premieres and ten world premieres to date, earning it a reputation as one of the most significant summer opera festivals in the United States.

Also established in 1957, the Opera’s Apprentice Program for Singers was one of the first programs in America devoted to giving promising young opera singers the experience and exposure needed to make the important transition from academic study to a professional career.

The Program was created to combat the lack of professional training and working opportunities in America. Encouraged by the overwhelming success of this program, The Opera created a sister program for Theater Technicians in 1965, which has since proven to be another great success.

In addition to producing world-class opera, The Santa Fe Opera also has a long-standing tradition of being a responsible, responsive and inspiring part of the New Mexico community by offering an outstanding array of twelve different education and community outreach programs designed to instill a life-long appreciation of music and the arts in the youth and adults of the New Mexico community.