One of the greatest gifts you can offer a teen is confidence. The other? A process for refining that raw self-assurance into an impressive talent and invaluable life skill. But where to start? At the beginning, of course!  Join Key Change co-hosts Andrea Fellows Fineberg and Anna Garcia as they happily infiltrate Orientation Day for the Young Voices program, one of several prestigious youth-focused initiatives at Santa Fe Opera. Get to know this year’s cohort as they share their first-day impressions and program goals. Key Change favorites Amy Owens, director of the Young Voices program, and Charles Gamble, director of Community Engagement, also stop by to preview the program's curriculum and performance opportunities culminating in a much anticipated public recital.  "They're coming into a good environment for nurturing," beams Charles as he watches 17 of the 19 high schoolers begin to bond with one another and absorb the creative energy around them. After today, each student will participate in private voice lessons before reuniting for retreats and ensemble work. Young Voices is an intense program. "So, I've built in some things that make it a little bit easier for them,” Amy assures us. Does she have any advice for this year's cohort? "Whatever is meant to happen––whether you pursue a career in music or something else––that's gonna happen no matter where you go," she offers. "Taking a little bit of pressure off and letting them experience the joy of interacting with their process, with music, is what I hope this program can provide them within a season of stress." FEATURING Amy Owens, director of the Young Voices program, Santa Fe Opera Charles Gamble, director of Community Engagement, Santa Fe Opera Andrea Klunder, producer, Key Change Podcast Young Voices Of Santa Fe Opera 2024/25: Rylee Baca, Cianna (Gigi) Clay, Kadiah Dragone-Gutierrez, Landen Kessler, William Landahl, Gavin Lopez, Eleanor Lucas, Ava Mitchie, Alexander Nicolas Neas, Alexandra Raskin, Nicolas Taccetti Young Voices Studio: Petra Archuletta, Iris Butcher, Rose Gubelmann, Brooklyn Moeno, Elsa Dhonau-Egan, Seraphina Goldstein, Ida Shelton, Jade Zeno-Neal MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Opera Storytellers Summer Camp | Santa Fe Opera Opera Makes Sense | Santa Fe Opera Taos Opera Guild RELATED EPISODES Harmony In Process: The Young Voices Of Santa Fe Opera With Amy “Process” Owens Making Learning Sticky: Creative Compassion For Kids And Educators Through Opera With Charles Gamble *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and 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 Anne & Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit SantaFeOpera.org. And for more Key Change, visit SantaFeOpera.org/KeyChange.

To workshop a new opera in front of an audience is a little like agreeing to a trust fall: at some point, you’ve just got to surrender to the unknown and… trust. Andrea Fellows Fineberg and Anna Garcia return to the orchestral workshop for The Pigeon Keeper, a collaboration between Santa Fe Opera’s Opera For All Voices (OFAV) initiative and the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance (SMTD). Andrea and Anna introduce folks to Caitlin Lynch, Assistant Professor of Music at U-M, and Jayce Ogren, Director of Contemporary Directions Ensemble at U-M, the visionary duo responsible for bringing The Pigeon Keeper to the campus. Together they go behind the scenes of OperaLab, their new initiative to connect SMTD students with opportunities to workshop and perform contemporary music from living composers. They also explore how the themes of the opera connect to modern realities with student musicians; learn about community support for refugees, asylum seekers, and others seeking humanitarian protection with Freedom House Detroit; and find out what advice principal artists would give to future cast members.  The episode ends with audience reflections on loss, exclusion, and opera as a catalyst for hard conversation. “The arts,” said one workshop goer, “can facilitate tangible action, dialogue, and change that can come from this emotionally resonating work.” It’s insights like this that keep OFAV commissioning new works and collaborating in inventive ways.  Learn more about Freedom House Detroit at freedomhousedetroit.org. FEATURING: Rebecca Clark - Cover for Orsia Ava Hawkins - Ensemble Jamiyah Hudson - Ensemble  Tyrese Byrd - Cover for The Pigeon Keeper Caitlin Lynch - Assistant Professor of Music at U-M Jayce Ogren - Director of Contemporary Directions Ensemble at U-M David Hanlon - Composer, The Pigeon Keeper  Daniel Millan - Clarinet  Lulu Nester, Engagement Coordinator, Freedom House Detroit  David Siebert, volunteer, Freedom House Detroit Nathan Harah - Kosmo  Bernard Holcomb - The Pigeon Keeper, The Widow Grocer, The Schoolteacher And numerous students and audience members. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Arts Initiative at the University of Michigan University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance SMTD OperaLab Contemporary Directions Ensemble Butler Houston Grand Opera Studio Freedom House Detroit The House On Mango Street opera University Philharmonia Orchestra THE PIGEON KEEPER CREATIVE TEAM: David Hanlon, Composer Stephanie Fleischmann, Librettist Kelly Kuo, Music Director And Conductor RELATED EPISODES: Season 2 Episode 4 - Hope Is the Thing With Feathers: A first look at The Pigeon Keeper Season 4 Episode 4 - In a Room Making Music With People: The Pigeon Keeper with Stephanie Fleischmann and David Hanlon Season 4 Episode 9 - Competing Interest: How Do You Workshop a New Opera? Season 5 Episode 5 - Music Born Out of a Modern Experience: The Pigeon Keeper Orchestral Workshop *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and 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 Anne & Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit SantaFeOpera.org. And for more Key Change, visit SantaFeOpera.org/KeyChange.

It takes a village - and multiple revisions! - to mount a modern, original opera. Key Change co-hosts Andrea Fellows Fineberg and Anna Garcia journey to an orchestral workshop for The Pigeon Keeper, a first for Opera For All Voices (OFAV)!  Imagine a stage filled with an eight-member student orchestra, four principal singers, and a women's chorus. Drop in the composer, librettist, and members of the OFAV team. Truncate the rehearsal period and invite an audience for a live presentation plus a feedback session. Now, you understand the excitement and angst surrounding an orchestral workshop. Andrea reconnects with Stephanie Fleischmann, librettist, and David Hanlon, composer, the imaginative duo behind this poignant story of home and hospitality in a time of conflict and need, along with Kelly Kuo, music director & conductor. We also hear from the extended community of artists and students of the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, who are shepherding The Pigeon Keeper from page to stage–with Daniel Millan, clarinetist; Nathan Harah, Kosmo; Ava Hawkins, ensemble; Jamiyah Hudson, ensemble; and Rada Grin, mother of Nathan Harah. “As people who’ve been fully invested in this project, it's often very difficult to be objective about what’s actually being communicated [by the piece],” says Kelly, who notes that university collaborations, like this one with the U-M, provide the creative team with invaluable contextual information. Workshops also allow students to interact with professional companies. “The chorus is made up of undergraduates volunteering time outside their own classwork and their other choruses,” marvels Kelly. “It says a lot about their commitment to this project.” “It's speaking to their hearts,” observes Stephanie. “That makes me feel like the message of the piece is reaching all people.”  But how did the audience respond? You’ll have to wait until our next episode to find out. Thank you to Caitlin Lynch, Jayce Ogren, and the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance.  Interviews with David, Stephanie & Kelly and Nathan & Rada recorded by Dave Schall at DSA Villa Valentine Studio, outside Ann Arbor, MI. Additional voice recording by Ice Cream Sound Studios, Los Angeles, CA. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Arts Initiative at the University of Michigan University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance San Francisco Boys Chorus Contemporary Directions Ensemble Freedom House THE PIGEON KEEPER CREATIVE TEAM Stephanie Fleischmann, Librettist David Hanlon, Composer Kelly Kuo, Music Director And Conductor RELATED EPISODES Season 2 Episode 4 - Hope Is the Thing With Feathers: A first look at The Pigeon Keeper Season 4 Episode 4 - In a Room Making Music With People: The Pigeon Keeper with Stephanie Fleischmann and David Hanlon Season 4 Episode 9 - Competing Interest: How Do You Workshop a New Opera? *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and 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 Anne & Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit SantaFeOpera.org. And for more Key Change, visit SantaFeOpera.org/KeyChange.  

Cue the lights! It’s time to illuminate a vital yet often invisible component of life at Santa Fe Opera: volunteerism. Key Change co-hosts Andrea Fellows Fineberg and Anna Garcia chatted with Marissa Aurora, Santa Fe Opera’s volunteer liaison, on Marissa's first anniversary in the role. And what a year it’s been!  Marissa, a multi-discipline artist and radio DJ, has worked hard to revitalize relationships between the Opera and its volunteers. They've also introduced an exciting new performing arts production internship in collaboration with Northern New Mexico College.  So, how do you quantify the generous contributions of time and talent to organizational well-being? Maybe it’s better to ask why volunteer in the first place? “It's something that has really helped me find meaning and connection with the community, tap deeper into myself, and keep me ticking,” Marissa says. It’s safe to say that the 200+ folks who volunteer their time, talents, and energy to the Opera on an annual basis enjoy similar fulfillment. Marissa’s holistic approach captures the optimism and desire for accessibility that defines the post-pandemic era of volunteerism. “I view my job as building relationships,” Marissa says. The new internship further supports that goal on a deeply communal level. “There is recruitment (for the Opera’s prestigious apprenticeship programs) happening far from Santa Fe. Our idea was to take people that are local to the community, maybe coming from underserved places, and give them this opportunity to learn really valuable skills for their future careers directly from our staff.”  There are many ways to contribute your talents and time to the Santa Fe Opera. Why not fill out an application and see how you can get connected? MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Northern New Mexico College KMRD-LP 96.9 FM *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and 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 Anne & Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit SantaFeOpera.org. And for more Key Change, visit SantaFeOpera.org/KeyChange.  

What does an award-winning, multi-disciplinary artist, dynamic educator, and former Sweet Potato do for an encore? She brings that boundless energy and collaborative spirit to her new Santa Fe Opera role, fueled by a deep passion for opera and music education.  Co-hosts Andrea Fellows Fineberg and Anna Garcia roll out a virtual red carpet welcome for Amy Owens, Director of the Young Voices of the Santa Fe Opera Program. Get to know this exuberant, optimistic talent and learn more about the program under her stewardship. Andrea, Anna, and Amy also explore the profound community impact of two beloved SFO programs: Opera Makes Sense, a storytelling “playdate” with operatic roots for children ages 3 to 5, and Opera Storytellers Summer Camp, an engaging week-long summer jamboree for 3rd through 6th graders that culminates in the performance of an original 10-minute opera. But back to the aforementioned Sweet Potato. What does a tuber have to do with Amy’s plans for the next iteration of Young Voices? “Being a part of Sweet Potato Kicks The Sun (the very first commission of Opera For All Voices) reinforced for me the possibilities of our art form,” she says, reflecting on the role she originated. Sweet Potato’s complex, modern score reinforced for Amy the limitless possibilities embedded in opera’s creative process. She wants to expand on those opportunities by diversifying the art form’s artistic and audience outlook, thus ensuring opera’s future. “We can prioritize this kind of work with the values of inclusivity, integrity, and storytelling. [That] gives me much hope that I still carry with me.” MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Young Voices of the Santa Fe Opera Program Opera Makes Sense Opera Storytellers Sumer Camp Opera For All Voices New Mexico Philharmonic The Sullivan Foundation RELATED EPISODES Interpreting Ambiguity Sweet Potato Kicks The Sun A Closer Look At Our First Commision Sweet Potato Kicks The Sun *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and 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 Anne & Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit SantaFeOpera.org. And for more Key Change, visit SantaFeOpera.org/KeyChange.

We're taking an Opera For All Voices-adjacent excursion to the realm of wiggly kiddos, innovative teachers, and fresh vocabulary words, highlighting the power of playful arts integration.  Join Key Change co-hosts Andrea Fellows Fineberg and Anna Garcia with special guest Charles Gamble, Santa Fe Opera's Director Of School Programs, as they introduce two of Santa Fe Opera's most dynamic community engagement programs: ALTO: Active Learning Through Opera, a multi-session residency within the Santa Fe Public Schools that incorporates creative arts to make learning delightfully sticky; and NMArt Professional Learning Workshops For Educators, professional development workshops that elevate culturally responsive, student-centered teaching and learning via arts-integrated strategies.   We've all had that one teacher who coaxed us out of our comfort zone and into the world of possibility. That teacher was Miss Moretti of the third grade for a shy, socially awkward Charles. She gave him permission to engage with his artistic passions and live more fearlessly. "It was transformative," he explains. "Those experiences with remarkable teachers helped me find my place alongside the other theater and chorus kids."  We're grateful to that long line of encouraging adults. Without them, Charles may never have found a creative home at SFO. As Director of School Programs, Charles is tirelessly pursuing opportunities to make learning accessible and more operatic.  "Opera has it all. Poetry and dance, theater, media, arts, music. It's all there," he marvels. "There's an understanding that as human beings, we're naturally curious. By drawing the arts into the classroom, we're tapping into that natural curiosity and deepening the engagement that students––and their teachers!––have with whatever else they're learning in school." To Learn More About Becoming a Teaching Artist: https://www.santafeopera.org/alto-faqs/ For more information, please contact: Charles Gamble Director of School Programs [email protected] MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE ALTO: Active Learning Through Opera | Santa Fe Opera NMArt Professional Learning Workshops For Educators | Santa Fe Opera RELATED EPISODES Destination Santa Fe Opera: Life Skills, Music Making, and Billy Bad the Billionaire: Youth Opera Programs with Amy Owens and Charles Gamble Key Change: Telling Hard Truths *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and 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 Anne & Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit SantaFeOpera.org. And for more Key Change, visit SantaFeOpera.org/KeyChange.

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 S4E4 - Story With Purpose: The Origin Of The Pueblo Opera Cultural Council With Renee Royal And Claudene A. Martinez S3E4 - Singing A Call To Action, Is This America? S4E2 - Influence And Inclusion: The Impact Of Hometown To The World With Estevan, Ely, and Francesco Of The Youth Chorus S4E7 - Telling Hard Truths *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and 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 Anne & Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit SantaFeOpera.org. And for more Key Change, visit SantaFeOpera.org/KeyChange.

Seven years ago, Santa Fe Opera started a conversation that would reverberate throughout American Opera, shaping this celebrated art form into something more reflective of the world in which it's created. Today, Opera For All Voices (OFAV) commissions have surpassed even our wildest storytelling expectations.  Key Change co-hosts Andrea Fellows Fineberg and Anna Garcia tuck into the time machine for a season-ending trip around the OFAV universe, revisiting the initiative's greatest hits and offering fans a glimpse at what's to come––with Ruth Nott, consultant, Opera for All Voices; Brent Michael Davids, composer; and Mary Kathryn Nagle J.D., playwright, attorney, and member of Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. OFAV began with a simple premise. "We wanted to see what other voices were available and had interesting stories to tell," Ruth explains. So, how'd we do?  In the past 18 months alone, OFAV has produced two world premieres in Santa Fe, This Little Light Of Mine and Hometown To The World, a groundbreaking workshop in San Francisco for The Pigeon Keeper, and OFAV on Broadway featuring Hometown To The World. We've also strengthened our bond with the Pueblo Opera Cultural Council. While reminiscing is fun, the Key Change time machine is actually a forward-focused intergalactic vehicle. Brent and Mary Kathryn have plotted next season's creative journey from pueblo to cosmos. "It'll be one of the very first operas that centers a Native woman protagonist," hints Mary Kathryn. "We're asking questions that go far beyond Indian country or the history of the relationship between the United States and Native people. We're asking questions that pertain to all of humanity, and what is our relationship to the universe." Catch a ride for Season Five coming soon! FEATURING Brent Michael Davids - Composer, Member of the Stockbridge-Munsee Community Mary Kathryn Nagle J.D. - Attorney at Law/Playwright/Screenwriter and Member Of Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma Ruth Nott - Consultant, Opera for All Voices RELATED EPISODES KCP0404 - Story With Purpose: The Origin of the Pueblo Opera Cultural Council with Renee Roybal and Claudene A. Martinez KCP0405 - Spark of Imagination: Generations of the Pueblo Opera Program with Sonja & Seth Martine *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and 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 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 Anne & Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org.

Roadtrip! After many long months of necessary virtual collaboration, the creative team behind The Pigeon Keeper, a Santa Fe Opera Opera For All Voices (OFAV) commission, finally got to spread their wings for an emotional workshop in San Francisco.  Key Change co-hosts Andrea Fellows Fineberg and Anna Garcia discover what it was like to have everyone (well, almost everyone) in the same room for the very first time––featuring composer David Hanlon, librettist Stephanie Fleischmann, stage director Mary Birnbaum, music director Kelly Kuo, dramaturg Cori Ellison, Ruth Nott, consultant for OFAV, plus Elinore (Ellie) Pett-Ridge Hennessy, Azaria Stauffer-Barney, and Ruby Recht-Appel, all members of the San Francisco Girls Chorus (SFGC). "Stephanie and I really love working and responding in the moment," says David, excited to sit beside The Pigeon Keeper's librettist in real time and space.  For those unfamiliar with the process of developing new operatic works, workshops put the pieces and performers together for a rigorous, accelerated series of rehearsals, and what some may call a smash-through – the first time the piece is heard by the artists in person all the way through, without stopping (even if there are mistakes.) Then the piece is presented to an invited audience of folks who may be interested to produce or present the opera in the future.  “We're always trying things out, which is really exciting. But,” David admits, “there's a lot of flux to that.”  Workshops are, by their nature, intense. Witnessing The Pigeon Keeper live, with its fairytale-like exploration of chosen family and mass migration, profoundly impacted participants of this workshop, especially members of the San Francisco Girls Chorus (SFGC), whose voices add poignant commentary to the storytelling. "I'm not gonna lie to you. I read through the music, and I started tearing up," recalls Ellie. "It just feels like home." And it feels one step closer to realizing The Pigeon Keeper as a fully staged production. FEATURING David Hanlon - Composer, The Pigeon Keeper Stephanie Fleischmann - Librettist, The Pigeon Keeper Mary Birnbaum - Stage Director Kelly Kuo - Music Director Cori Ellison - Dramaturg Ruth Nott - Consultant, Opera for All Voices Elinore (Ellie) Pett-Ridge Hennessy, Azaria Stauffer-Barney, and Ruby Recht-Appel - Members, San Francisco Girls Chorus (SFGC) led by Artistic Director Valérie Sainte-Agathe RELATED EPISODES KCP0204: Hope Is the Thing With Feathers: A first look at The Pigeon Keeper KCP0404 - In a Room Making Music With People: The Pigeon Keeper with Stephanie Fleischmann and David Hanlon *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and 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 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 Anne & Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org.  

If a chorus of 12 teens can provide compelling commentary on immigration enforcement from the stage of a venerable performing arts center in Santa Fe, how might ten times that number of voices impact the debate? From a Broadway venue that has welcomed some of the twentieth century’s most influential social justice visionaries?  Key Change co-hosts Andrea Fellows-Fineberg and Anna Garcia pilot the time machine east to find out, setting a course for the 2022 premiere of Hometown to the World at New York’s storied Town Hall. Adding their insights to this aural postcard are Hometown’s composer Laura Kaminsky and librettist Kimberly Reed; Melay Araya, artistic director at The Town Hall; several chorus members from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts and Repertory Company High School for Theatre Arts, as well as the audience. Hometown––an original work commissioned by Santa Fe Opera for its Opera For All Voices (OFAV) initiative––follows the events of a 2008 raid by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of a kosher meatpacking plant in Postville, IA. The opera explores themes of religion, acceptance, and community, igniting a communal desire to create a more equitable world. “People that are already empathetic, they need fuel,” says Melay. “They need the refocusing that Laura and Kim provide in language and song to think larger and to address these issues, not just on the granular level, but as spiritual and ethical questions.” Hometown closes with a Hebrew call to action, delivered by that sprawling chorus of young, hopeful voices: Tikkun Olam! Repair the world! FEATURING Laura Kaminsky - Composer, Hometown to the World Kimberly Reed - Librettist, Hometown to the World Melay Araya - Artistic Director, The Town Hall A chorus comprised of 100+ public high school students from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts and Repertory Company High School for Theatre Arts RELATED EPISODES Season 1, Episode 6 “Hometown to the World” - Hometown’s Laura Kaminsky and Kimberly Reed on telling history and collaboration. Season 2, Episode 9 “America Is Impossible Without Us” - Revisiting Hometown’s story, structure, music, and what it means to be an American during the San Francisco workshop. Season 3, Episode 3 “Responding to the World” - with Stage Director Kristine McIntyre and Dramaturg Cori Ellison. Season 3, Episode 8 “Bridging Communities with Carmen Flórez-Mansi” - with Chorus Master Carmen Flórez-Mansi. Season 4, Episode 1 “This Doesn’t Happen Without Audience” - Andrea prepares for the world premiere in Santa Fe with core members of its artistic team, young performers, and the most influential collaborator: the audience. Season 4, Episode 2 “Influence and Inclusion: The Impact of Hometown to the World with Estevan, Ely, and Francesco of the Youth Chorus” - Post-show reactions from artists, creators, collaborators, and the audience buoyed by musical excerpts from Hometown’s premiere at the Lensic Performing Arts Center in Santa Fe. *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and 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 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 Anne & Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org.  

What do you know about the life and legacy of Fannie Lou Hamer? Chances are, not much. That's about to change.  Co-hosts Andrea Fellows Fineberg and Anna Garcia dust off the Key Change time machine for a trip back through time and place to the real-life inspiration for This Little Light of Mine (TLLoM), the modern operatic masterpiece commissioned by Santa Fe Opera's Opera For All Voices initiative. Good thing this ride is roomy because joining them are two women who can claim a direct connection to Mrs. Hamer: Jacqueline "Cookie" Hamer Flakes, Mrs. Hamer's last surviving daughter, and LaToya Ratlieff, Mrs. Hamer's grand-niece.  Mrs. Hamer was born to sharecroppers early in the last century when life for an undereducated Black woman was difficult at best. She endured unimaginable cruelty at the hands of white people who sought to block voting access for folks who looked like her. While those encounters battered her body, her powerful, passionate voice never broke. And yet, many are still unaware of Mrs. Hamer’s contributions to the Civil Rights movement or the rousing, emotional speech she delivered at the 1964 Democratic National Convention. Cookie shares painful, visceral details of Mrs. Hamer’s life and poignant memories of her spirit in celebration of a life committed to community––and as a reminder that the fight for civil rights is still ours today.  This transformative voyage also features familiar voices from the TLLoM creative team: composer Chandler Carter, librettist Diana Solomon-Glover, music director Jeri Lynne Johnson, stage director Beth Greenberg, and stage manager Laurel McIntyre. Charles Gamble, SFO's director of school programs, Devin DeVargas, Pojoaque Valley High School choir teacher, and members of the Pojoaque Valley Choir complete this episode’s passenger roster. This episode is dedicated in memoriam to Jacqueline "Cookie" Hamer Flakes (September 22, 1966 - March 27, 2023). FEATURING Jacqueline "Cookie" Hamer Flakes LaToya Ratlieff Diana Solomon-Glover – Librettist Chandler Carter – Composer Jeri Lynne Johnson – Conductor & Music Director Beth Greenberg – Stage Director Laurel McIntyre – Stage Manager Charles Gamble – SFO Director of School Programs Devin DeVargas – Pojoaque Valley High School Choir Teacher Members of the Pojoaque Valley High School Choir  MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Fannie Lou Hamer: Stand Up THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE PLAYLIST A Day In The Life Before A World Premiere Mother of a Movement: This Little Light of Mine BONUS: Is This America?  Singing A Call to Action: Is This America?  Making a Choice With Conviction: A conversation with Jeri Lynne Johnson Lighting a Fire: The Legacy of Fannie Lou Hamer *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and 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 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 Anne & Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org.

It’s October 28, 2022. As a brisk, still night settles over Santa Fe, things are heating up inside The Lensic Performing Arts Center. Longtime opera patrons mingle alongside never opera goers. Soon, the curtain will rise on This Little Light of Mine (TLLoM), a modern operatic masterpiece composed by Chandler Carter with libretto by Diana Solomon-Glover.  The one-act production is an unflinching yet uplifting dramatization of the life of Fannie Lou Hamer, a Black woman born on the very lowest rung of the American caste system. A Black woman who nonetheless rose to speak at the 1964 Democratic National Convention and became an exemplar of the Civil Rights movement. A Black woman who knew her worth despite a world that told her otherwise.  But hold on! A lot has happened between the time Opera For All Voices (OFAV) of The Santa Fe Opera first commissioned TLLoM and this triumphant evening. Key Change co-hosts (yep, a lot has happened) Andrea Fellows Fineberg and Anna Garcia check in with members of the production’s creative team in the hours leading up to the world premiere. What do they want folks to understand about Mrs. Hamer’s life and legacy? How has the piece expanded discussions around whose stories get told onstage? And what’s the connection between self-care and a tiny table?  If OFAV’s goal to foster community beyond opera’s traditional audience is central to this conversation, then TLLoM acts as the initiative’s standard bearer. It’s a fitting tribute to Mrs. Hamer’s innate ability to speak truth to power and galvanize individuals under one unifying voice.    FEATURING Chandler Carter – Composer Diana Solomon-Glover – Librettist Jeri Lynne Johnson – Conductor & Music Director Beth Greenberg – Stage Director Laurel McIntyre – Stage Manager   MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE The Lensic Performing Arts Center Kentucky Opera REPS ON SET New Mexico Black Leadership Council   THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE PLAYLIST  Mother of a Movement: This Little Light of Mine BONUS: Is This America?  Singing A Call to Action: Is This America?  Making a Choice With Conviction: A conversation with Jeri Lynne Johnson Lighting a Fire: The Legacy of Fannie Lou Hamer   *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and 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 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 Anne & Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org.  

If you’re unfamiliar with Santa Fe Opera’s Pueblo Opera Program (POP), take a quick journey back in time for part one of this conversation. Go ahead; we’ll wait. In it, you’ll meet Renee Roybal and Claudene A. Martinez, both members of Pueblo of San Ildefonso. The pair recall the early days of POP and the formation of the Pueblo Opera Cultural Council (POCC). Now that you’re sufficiently caught up, join Andrea Fellows Fineberg as her time machine co-pilot Kyle Gray, SFO’s Manager of Community Relations & Government Affairs, wraps up the conversation (for now.)  Renee and Claudene return to share recollections of their early collaborative interactions with legendary director Peter Sellars in conjunction with the 2018 world premiere of Doctor Atomic. Then Sonja and Seth Martinez, Renee’s daughter and grandson, share memories of the SFO visits that shaped their affinity for opera. The discussion concludes with a roundtable wishlist of future POP-lead initiatives. “I definitely remember paying attention to the weather,” Sonja laughs, recalling stormy visits to the outdoor opera house before its much-anticipated roof upgrade. The unexpected theatrics only added to the excitement of attending world-class opera in her own backyard. What could compare to opera amid wild thunderstorms? The thrill of watching family and friends perform on that same majestic stage. “It was very exciting!” says Seth of the corn dance that POCC created as part of Doctor Atomic. He hopes SFO continues to integrate Indigenous traditions into its future seasons (along with more comedy, operas about space, and significant historical events). Meanwhile, his mother envisions expanded opportunities for Indigenous children to explore performance- and stagecraft-based endeavors. POP and POCC ensure that that future is within reach. FEATURING Andrea Fellows Fineberg - Host, Key Change Kyle Gray, Santa Fe Opera Manager of Community Relations & Government Affairs Renee Roybal, Pueblo of San Ildefonso Claudene A. Martinez, Pueblo of San Ildefonso Sonja Martinez Seth Martinez MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Doctor Atomic - Santa Fe Opera, 2018 RELATED EPISODES Season 4, Episode 4: Story With Purpose: The Origin of the Pueblo Opera Cultural Council with Renee Roybal and Claudene A. Martinez Season 2, Episode 6: The Universe is Made of Stories: A conversation with Peter Sellars  *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosted by Andrea Fellows Fineberg Audio Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe Show Notes: 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 Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org.

All aboard the Key Change time machine for a two-part trip! On this half of the journey, we toggle back to the origins of a beloved community-based program and then forward to celebrate its exciting expansion. 2023 will mark the 50th anniversary of the Pueblo Opera Program, lovingly known around the Santa Fe Opera as POP.  Key Change commemorates this momentous event by passing the mic to colleague Kyle Gray, SFO’s Manager of Community Relations & Government Affairs. Kyle and his guests discuss the POP legacy and Pueblo Opera Cultural Council (POCC), which blossomed out of an artistic collaboration between legendary director Peter Sellars and SFO’s Indigenous neighbors during the 2018 production of Doctor Atomic — with guests Renee Roybal, Pueblo of San Ildefonso, and Claudene A. Martinez, Pueblo of San Ildefonso. “I’m 63 years old, and I’ve been going to and enjoying opera since I was a teenager,” Renee says. For nearly 50 years, POP has introduced thousands of Native American children to the grand adventure of opera. Both women have fond memories of inspiring behind-the-scenes tours, inventive performances, and rides on plush buses to the most anticipated social event of the summer.  With POP’s legacy secure, the women have focused on POCC, which features members of the San Ildefonso Pueblo, Santa Clara Pueblo, and Tesuque Pueblo. POCC seeks to foster the Indigenous tradition of cross-cultural hospitality. Claudene says the Doctor Atomic experience was a meaningful beginning for the advisory. “I think that’s how POCC [will] continue to work with the opera, on other future moments that we could get involved in and educate.” FEATURING Andrea Fellows Fineberg - Host, Key Change Kyle Gray, Santa Fe Opera Manager of Community Relations & Government Affairs Renee Roybal, Pueblo of San Ildefonso Claudene A. Martinez, Pueblo of San Ildefonso MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Doctor Atomic - Santa Fe Opera, 2018 RELATED EPISODES DSFO0201: More Voices at the Table: Community Engagement and Opera with Kyle Gray *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosted by Andrea Fellows Fineberg Audio Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe Show Notes: 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 Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org.

Hurry up and wait. When your world premier is stopped in its tracks by forces beyond your control, “momentum” is measured a bit differently. Andrea Fellows Fineberg chats with composer David Hanlon and librettist Stephanie Fleischmann, the creative duo behind The Pigeon Keeper, about maintaining artistic progress during the pandemic, the limits of virtual collaboration, and finally (finally!) preparing for live performances.  All aboard the Opera For All Voices time machine for a quick review! The Pigeon Keeper was initially scheduled for a workshop in 2020 and its world premier in 2021. Best laid plans, right? But one thing opera and a pandemic have in common is the power to stretch time. Or maybe freeze it. However defined, those protracted months presented David and Stephanie with additional opportunities to tinker, aided by technology and unexpected (if limited) solitude.  “One of the joys of working with Stephanie is it's a very collaborative back-and-forth thing,” David says. Still, he admits that some discoveries can only happen in real life. Now that conditions have improved (fingers crossed), The Pigeon Keeper is set to soar. Accompanied by a stirring chorus of young voices provided by the San Francisco Girls Chorus, this OFAV commission follows a father and daughter as they navigate unimaginable loss.  The story couldn't be more immediate in light of so many concurrent global tragedies, says Stephanie. “Now, with Ukraine, the question of refugees and children leaving their homes, making huge journeys to other places and losing everything that they know, the resonance and relevance of this piece have only grown in the time we've been waiting to bring it into the world.” FEATURING David Hanlon, Composer Stephanie Fleischmann, Librettist Audio Sample from the San Francisco Girls Chorus from The Pigeon Keeper Audio Sample of “We’ve Been Getting By” from The Pigeon Keeper featuring bass-baritone Michael Sumuel and pianist Kseniia Polstiankina Barrad. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE San Francisco Girls Chorus Opera America - New Works Exploration Grant RELATED EPISODES Season 2, Episode 4 “Hope Is The Thing With Feathers” - A first look at The Pigeon Keeper  *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosted by Andrea Fellows Fineberg Audio Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe Show Notes: 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 Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org.

You’ve heard of main character energy? Well, get ready for youth chorus energy! Andrea Fellows-Fineberg connects with an optimistic, pragmatic, and empathetic mindset courtesy of the youth chorus members who participated in the December 2021 world premiere of Opera For All Voices’ Hometown To The World. Their insights and post-performance emotion speak to art's ability to foster community––with Ely Aguilar, Francesco Aimale, and Estevan Flórez-Mansi. We also hear post-show reactions from artists, creators, collaborators, and the audience buoyed by musical excerpts from the premiere at the Lensic Performing Arts Center in Santa Fe.  So much has changed in the decade since the events of Hometown took place in Postville, IA. And yet. “At the end of the opera, I was thinking to myself this opera is beautiful but, like, there's no resolution. And that kind of hurt me,” Estevan says of the myriad issues that still complicate our national discourse on immigration.  The youth chorus took on an increasingly significant role during the evolution of Composer Laura Kaminsky and Librettist Kimberly Reed’s intimate yet expansive one-act opera, questioning character motivations and responding to individual struggles for acceptance. That experience helped Ely deepen his awareness of human interdependence onstage and off. “This is a world premiere. I feel like this is going to be really touching for a lot of people. And I feel like it's going to bring more people together. But, like, everyone has to put in their own part so we could all do this together.” Francesco combines Ely’s idealism with a practical call to action. “I don't think twelve kids and three kind-of famous actors are gonna get a ton of messages across. More people in power need to start spreading these issues about how it's wrong to just hate people for being themselves.” Don’t worry about the chorus. These kids are alright. FEATURING Ely Aguilar - Youth Chorus Member, Hometown To The World Francesco Aimale - Youth Chorus Member, Hometown To The World Estevan Flórez-Mansi - Youth Chorus Member, Hometown To The World Laura Kaminsky - Composer, Hometown To The World Kimberly Reed - Librettist, Hometown To The World Blythe Gaissert - Linda Larsen, Hometown To The World Michael Kelly - Abraham Fleischman, Hometown To The World Many audience members, collaborators, and friends of Hometown To The World. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE The New Colossus - by Emma Lazarus RELATED EPISODES Season 1, Episode 6 “Hometown to the World” Season 2, Episode 9 “America Is Impossible Without Us”  Season 3, Episode 3 “Responding to the World”  Season 3, Episode 8 “Bridging Communities with Carmen Flórez-Mansi”  Season 4, Episode 1 “This Doesn’t Happen Without Audience”  *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosted by Andrea Fellows Fineberg Audio Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe Show Notes: 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 Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org.

When an initiative is called Opera For All Voices, who’s the “all”? Key Change Season Four examines OFAV’s burgeoning legacy of co-creating new operatic works through a community-centric lens, beginning with an OG favorite, Hometown To The World. Host Andrea Fellows-Fineberg revisits the production with core members of its artistic team, young performers, and the most influential collaborator: the audience––featuring Ruth Nott, Composer Laura Kaminsky, Librettist Kimberly Reed, and a behind-the-scenes segment with Estevan Flórez-Mansi, youth chorus member. There’s perhaps no better modern operatic representation of community than Hometown To The World, a story of family, solidarity, and immigration set amidst the turmoil of a 2008 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid on a meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa. The timing of Hometown’s world premiere in December 2021 only intensified its message.  As the world grappled with the anxiety of a global pandemic, OFAV’s talented group of artists dedicated themselves to addressing complex contemporary issues via a centuries-old art form––even as they had to remain socially distanced to engage the audience with this profound work. “I think that's part of what I love so much about live performance,” says Andrea. “You can sing all you want and sing as beautifully all you want, but if no one's there to appreciate it, to experience it, that's just singing.”  Kimberly agrees, noting that when opera amplifies previously overlooked stories, the audience begins to see itself and each other in profound new ways. “That constant dialogue and constant reshaping of our world around us, that's just what life is about.” FEATURING Andrea Klunder - Key Change Producer Ruth Nott - Managing Director, Opera Parallèle Laura Kaminsky - Composer, Hometown To The World Kimberly Reed - Librettist, Hometown To The World Estevan Flórez-Mansi - Youth Chorus Member, Hometown To The World And many HTTW artists, collaborators and audience members MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Hawai’i Opera Theater - Digital Premier, Hometown To The World As One RELATED EPISODES Season 1, Episode 6 “Hometown to the World” - Hometown’s Laura Kaminsky and Kimberly Reed on telling history and collaboration Season 2, Episode 9 “America Is Impossible Without Us” - Revisiting Hometown’s story, structure, music, and what it means to be an American with Laura Kaminsky and Kimberly Reed during the San Francisco workshop. Season 3, Episode 3 "Responding to the World" -  Stage Director Kristine McIntyre shares her own connection to the story, as the granddaughter of Italian immigrants.  Dramaturg Cori Ellison points out that both sides of the operatic equation - new work and standard repertory pieces - can thrive alongside each other. Season 3, Episode 8 “Bridging Communities with Carmen Flórez-Mansi" - Chorus Master Carmen Flórez-Mansi discusses the joys of working with Hometown’s talented young adults and reflects on her deeply personal responses to this urgent and ultimately uplifting contemporary opera. *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Hosted by Andrea Fellows Fineberg Featuring Cori Ellison, Ruth Nott, Composer: Laura Kaminsky, Librettist: Kimberly Reed, Stage Stage Director: Kristine McIntyre  Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Audio Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe Theme music by Rene Orth with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello. Cover art by Dylan Crouch Show notes by Lisa Widder This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera for All Voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org.

At its heart, Hometown To The World is a simple story of hope set amongst the emotionally complicated aftermath of a 2008 Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid in Postville, IA––the largest ever in US history. It’s fitting, then, that host Andrea Fellows-Fineberg and her guest Chorus Master Carmen Flórez-Mansi close out this season of Key Change charting a buoyant, optimistic course towards the future. In addition to her roles as founder and director of the Choral Arts Society at St. Michael’s High School in Santa Fe, she’s also music director for the Cathedral Basilica where OFAV usually holds its summer concerts, pandemics not withstanding. Carmen is an artist in her own right, a musician, singer, mother, and community activist––identities that coalesce in her work with Hometown To The World. As the production prepares for its world premiere at the Lensic Performing Arts Center in December 2021, Andrea and Carmen discuss the joys of working with the talented young adults of the chorus and reflect on their deeply personal responses to Composer Laura Kaminsky’s and Librettist Kimberly Reed’s urgent, ultimately uplifting contemporary opera.  Carmen is no stranger to OFAV’s commitment to developing new operatic works, having held the baton, or magic wand as we like to say, for 2019’s premiere of Sweet Potato Kicks the Sun, the initiative’s first-ever commission. “This was such an honor for me to be asked to be a part of this really important project. Sweet Potato…, the themes in that were about beauty and inclusion and love, and it carries over to what Hometown... is speaking about, but in a much more serious nature,” she says.  For Hometown To The World, Carmen brought together twelve singers ranging in age from 13 to 17 years of age. “I know that they're musically able to hold this together,” she says, her voice swelling with pride as she acknowledges the teens’ willingness to so freely explore raw and powerful emotions, some of which are intensely personal, about immigration that the piece so beautifully confronts. “I think that the music is very challenging. So this will challenge them and also open whole new worlds.”  Hometown To The World challenges audiences to redefine the future, offering hope through family and, of course, opera.    RELATED EPISODES Hometown to the World: Discovering "Postville" with Laura Kaminsky and Kimberly Reed America Is Impossible Without Us: Revisiting Hometown to the World Responding to the World, Hometown to the World *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Hosted by Andrea Fellows Fineberg Featuring Carmen Flórez-Mansi - Chorus Master, Hometown To The World Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Audio Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe Theme music by Rene Orth with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello. Cover art by Dylan Crouch   MUSIC IN THIS EPISODE This music in this episode is NOT from Hometown To The World... you'll have to catch the stage premiere in Santa Fe or stream the digital premiere from Hawaii Opera Theater to hear more. Hawaii Opera Theater The Lensic Performing Arts Center *** This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org

To appreciate the life and legacy of civil rights icon Fannie Lou Hamer is to speak truth to power and unite in song. In June of 2021, Opera For All Voices did just that, hosting an online workshop of This Little Light Of Mine, the one-act opera commissioned by Santa Fe Opera, composed by Chandler Carter with a libretto by Diana Solomon-Glover, in collaboration with Kentucky Opera led by Barbara Lynne Jamison. No one’s better suited to take the mic than for this exploration Ms. Hamer’s lasting impact than Diana. She delivers three riveting segments beginning with Ann and Chester Grundy, community activists from Lexington, KY,  who had encounters with Fannie Lou Hamer.  When Ann Grundy offered to escort Ms. Hamer around Berea College campus for a week-long speaking engagement in 1964, little did she know the ripple effect that Ms. Hamer’s presence in her life would have.  One year later and 40 miles away, Mrs. Grundy’s soon-to-be husband Chester met Ms. Hamer at the University of Kentucky. “She asked us what are we doing?” At 18, he was unable to interpret the profound nature of that question. While he wishes he could go back in time to give a more substantive answer, Mr. Grundy knows one thing for sure. “[Fannie Lou Hamer] was a kind of, I would say, a transitional person, someone you never forget, somebody who did something that changed the kind of orbit of your life.” In the second segment, Diana speaks with Dr. Aldon Morris, the Leon Forrest Professor of Sociology and African American Studies at Northwestern University, and Reverend Dr. James Forbes Jr, Senior Minister Emeritus of Riverside Church in NYC. After reading an article he wrote for Northwestern Magazine, Diana was inspired to engage Dr. Morris in conversation about the power of art, music specifically, to affect long-held mindsets about sociological issues.  “Music has just been a central component of our long struggle to be free,” he says, a galvanizing force for centuries. The act of singing itself gave Ms. Hamer the courage to defy intimidation and brutality, to be the light in times of darkness.   Rev. Forbes agrees. Music has always played a central role to worship in Black churches. Ms. Hamer instinctively understood that perseverance and truth were woven into the lyrics she sang. “You just sing about it,” Rev. Forbes says, “[and] you may be able to get away with a political critique.” The final segment features Diana, Barbara Lynne, and Andrea reflecting on the role of art and artists in a world afraid to confront the truth. Beyond portraying key events in the life of voting rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer, This Little Light Of Mine introduces audiences to truths that may be new to them and, in the process, energize them to transform the future. “The music gave so much power to the movement and, it's very hard to describe in words, but the thing that music does to us is totally experiential,” Diana and her guests remind us. “It kind of defies language.” RELATED EPISODES: Season 2, episode 7: Mother of a Movement - introduction to the commission of This Little Light of Mine with composer Chandler Carter and librettist Diana Solomon-Glover Season 3, bonus episode: Is This America? - interview with voting and civil rights activist, LaToya Ratlieff, Fannie Lou Hamer’s grand-niece; and Diana Solomon-Glover Season 3, episode 4: Singing a Call to Action - featuring the interpretative artists and community partners of Is This America? Season 3, episode 6: Building a Better Society - featuring guest host Javier Mendoza and Florida International University students who performed a live stream of Is This America? *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Hosted by Andrea Fellows Fineberg Guest Host Diana Solomon-Glover Featuring: Ann & Chester Grundy - Community activists Diana Solomon-Glover - Librettist, This Little Light Of Mine, and Key Change guest host Reverend Dr. James Forbes, Jr. - Senior Minister Emeritus of The Riverside Church, NYC Dr. Aldon Morris - The Leon Forrest Professor of Sociology and African American Studies at Northwestern University  Barbara Lynne Jamison - General Director, Kentucky Opera Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Audio Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe Theme music by Rene Orth with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello. NEW! Cover art by Dylan Crouch Episode Recording Engineer: Andrew Kung Photography Special thanks to Kentucky Opera   MUSIC IN THIS EPISODE This episode contains excerpts from the This Little Light of Mine workshop in collaboration with Kentucky Opera, featuring Nicole Joy Mitchell as Fannie Lou Hamer. Credits:  Composer: Chandler Carter  Librettist: Diana Solomon-Glover  Director: Beth Greenberg  Chorus master: Everett McCorvey  Music Director: Jeri Lynne Johnson  Fannie Lou Hamer: Nicole Joy Mitchell  Dorothy Jean Hamer: Aundi Marie Moore  June Johnson/SNCC Worker: Heather Hill    MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE The Reckoning Is Here - Dr. Aldon Morris, Northwestern Magazine *** This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org

When you name an initiative Opera For All Voices (OFAV), it better have the “all voices” to back that claim up!  In the first of a series of guest-hosted episodes, Andrea passes the mic to the remarkable young talents making Is This America? their own. But before she does, Andrea reminds listeners of what OFAV is all about: telling stories for our time and extending that conversation outward––to all voices. Javier Jose Mendoza, Director of Orchestral Studies at Florida International University School of Music, Miami, is joined in conversation by FIU students Angeline Fontaine, Elisha Martin, and Pedja Kovacevic, all of whom participated in the university’s full orchestral workshop of Is This America? which is based on selections from This Little Light of Mine by composer Chandler Carter and librettist Diana Solomon-Glover. One of OFAV’s earliest commissions, it’s a celebration of American civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer’s legacy.  Although new to the work and, in some cases, Ms. Hamer herself, the opera holds special meaning for these three students. Is This America? provides the soundtrack as they contemplate future roles as citizens, artists, and activists, its words and music of the past reverberating through their 21st-century lives. It’s impossible to listen as Angeline, Elisha, or Pedja discuss bringing Ms. Hamer’s story to life or the broader effect her commitment has had without being awed by their insight. It’s as Javier says, “I don't know if a person that sits through this work if they leave thinking the same way.” That’s the promise of Is This America? and the endowment of OFAV. RELATED EPISODES: Season 2, episode 7: Mother of a Movement - introduction to the commission of This Little Light of Mine with composer Chandler Carter and librettist Diana Solomon-Glover Season 3, bonus episode: Is This America? - interview with voting and civil rights activist, LaToya Ratlieff, Fannie Lou Hamer’s grand-niece; and Diana Solomon-Glover Season 3, episode 4: Singing a Call to Action - featuring the interpretative artists and community partners of Is This America? *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Hosted by Andrea Fellows Fineberg Guest Host Javier José Mendoza Featuring: Angeline Fontaine, Pedja Kovacevic, Elisha Martin Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Audio Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe Theme music by Rene Orth with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello. NEW! Cover art by Dylan Crouch Special thanks to Florida International University School of Music. This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org  

"When people talk about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, that's art." ~Jeri Lynne Johnson Near the end of last year’s contentious presidential campaign, opera and activism joined forces on the deck of a moored oil tanker to ask audiences how does democracy function and for whom does it function? In the wake of that election, artists’ responsibility to speak up and out is even more vital. In this episode of Key Change, host Andrea Fellows Fineberg and Is This America? music director Jeri Lynne Johnson explore the role artists play in activism. They’ll also share memories of the whirlwind logistical maneuvers that ultimately brought the life and work of Fannie Lou Hamer to life. Jeri is no stranger to art as a means of everyday activism. As a Black woman, every time she steps up to the podium is an act of activism. She’s also an incredibly skilled and passionate interpreter of new music, qualities that made her an excellent candidate to deliver on OFAV’s mission to tell stories of our time in a bold way.  For her part, Jeri had given up on the possibility of collaborating on a live performance until at least 2021. When the opportunity arose for Is This America? she didn’t hesitate, gravitating toward an insistency to make art in any way possible. “I mean, it was almost this mandate, I think, for us to make this piece at this time,” she says.  And, what a time. The production, which juxtaposed the uncertainty of October 2020 with the emotional, often brutal events of the civil rights era, turned out to be more prescient than originally imagined. Is this America? reinforced democratic ideals through collaboration. Whether they were consciously aware of it or not, the artists on stage, the community organizing partners, and the audience formed an activist ecosystem that evening dedicated to fostering more equitable, inclusive spaces in the future.  Jeri agrees. “Art, and the ability to engage in who we are in whatever capacity that is, we are now going to be the rebuilders of society in whatever way that looks like, and I think that we, as artists, are uniquely qualified to do this.” VIEW THE FULL WORKSHOP:Is This America? ALSO MENTIONED IN EPISODE: Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination - by Robin D.G. Kelley RELATED EPISODES: Season 2, episode 7: Mother of a Movement - introduction to the commission of This Little Light of Mine with composer Chandler Carter and  librettist Diana Solomon-Glover Season 3, bonus episode: Is This America? - interview with voting and civil rights activist, LaToya Ratlieff, Fannie Lou Hamer’s grand-niece; and Diana Solomon-Glover Season 3, episode 4: Singing a Call to Action - featuring the interpretative artists and community partners of Is This America? *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Hosted by Andrea Fellows Fineberg Featuring: Jeri Lynne Johnson - Music Director, Is This America? Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Audio Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe Theme music by Rene Orth with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello. Cover art by David Tousley Special thanks to PortSide NewYork and Carolina Salguero. Is This America? was sponsored by Lynn  J. Loacker. This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org

How do artists lend their talents in support of social change when they’re literally and figuratively stifled by a global pandemic? They do as voting rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer did in 1964: they find a way to make their voices heard.  Andrea Fellows Fineberg takes listeners on a short trip with maximum impact. Travel back to the autumn of 2020, to the final weeks of a contentious presidential campaign, to the deck of a historic oil tanker docked in New York Harbor, to the timely world premiere of Is This America? a one-of-a-kind opera event that addressed this country’s history of voter suppression while at the same time celebrating the legacy of Fannie Lou Hamer and those who stood with her. A three-scene workshop of This Little Light Of Mine, a new one-act opera by composer Chandler Carter and librettist Diana Solomon-Glover, Is This America? portrays pivotal moments in the life of Ms. Hamer dovetailed with scenes related to the Black Lives Matter protests that took place last summer. The piece is a catalyst for advancing these crucial conversations. It is the antithesis of the division that voter disenfranchisement seeks to further.  Is This America? swiftly became the imperfectly perfect OFAV storytelling vehicle with which to reinforce artistic and democratic ideals. The Mary A. Whalen - that previously mentioned 613-ton oil tanker  - with its contemplative views of the Statue Of Liberty and Freedom Tower proved the imperfectly perfect outdoor stage. This episode features conversations with the interpretive artists whose Herculean efforts took Is This America? from stoop-front inspiration to online rehearsals to a pandemic-approved performance space. Beth Greenberg, the stage director associated with both works, shares creative insights. Carolina Salguero, founder and director of PortSide NewYork, the community partner and venue provider, offers commentary on the production’s unique locale. Music director Jeri Lynne Johnson provides social context. And the emotional recollections of singers Nicole Joy Mitchell, Briana Elyse Hunter, and Heather Hill speak to an artist’s role in these tumultuous but hopeful times.  VIEW THE FULL WORKSHOP:Is This America? ALSO MENTIONED IN EPISODE: PortSide NewYork - nonprofit organization helmed by Carolina Salguero, home of the Mary A. Whalen, our performance venue for Is This America?  Winston’s Smoke BBQ in Centennial, CO  - Heather Hill’s family’s restaurant RELATED EPISODES: Season 2, episode 7: Mother of a Movement. - introduction to the commission of This Little Light of Mine with composer Chandler Carter and  librettist Diana Solomon-Glover Season 3, Bonus Episode: Is This America? - interview with voting and civil rights activist, LaToya Ratlieff, Fannie Lou Hamer’s grand-niece; and Diana Solomon-Glover *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Hosted by Andrea Fellows Fineberg Featuring: Beth Greenberg - Stage Director Carolina Salguero - Founder & Director, PortSide NewYork (community partner, venue provider) Jeri Lynne Johnson - Music Director Nicole Joy Mitchell - Fannie Lou Hamer Briana Elyse Hunter - Tanya, and other characters Heather Hill - June Johnson/SNCC Worker Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Audio Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe Theme music by Rene Orth with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello. Cover art by David Tousley This episode contains excerpts from the Is This America? workshop.  Other artists include: Michelle Cann, Pianist; Carol Szwei, Jacqueline Gregg, Jacob Terrell, Roosevelt Credit. Special thanks to PortSide NewYork and Carolina Salguero. Is This America? was sponsored by Lynn  J. Loacker. This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera for all voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org

Immigration. Racism. Religion. Some themes are ever present in our society. In this episode, Key Change host Andrea Fellows Fineberg puts the time machine through its paces, capturing the artistic evolution that brought one of the first Opera for All Voices commissions to the stage...sort of. With wrenching plot twists worthy of La Traviata and more false endings than a Beethoven symphony, this is the story of Hometown to the World created by composer Laura Kaminsky and librettist Kimberly Reed. By extension, it is a story of our time.  The opera’s artistic journey, which began in 2016, encompasses years of rewrites, workshops, name changes, and character demises - and that doesn’t even factor in the open-ended setbacks of COVID-19. But to truly understand Hometown to the World, listeners must travel back in time even further to 2008. That year, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers raided a kosher meat processing plant in the small but thriving multicultural farming community of Postville, Iowa, deporting approximately 25% of the town’s residents.  This is not your grandmother’s canonical opera plot. And yet…Hometown to the World reverberates with the same tension and drama, terror and beauty. At its heart, Hometown… is a story about people learning to live together despite their differences. “People really do, for the most part, want to understand across difference and make a better world for all,” Laura says. “I have to believe that.” Immigration stories are American stories, as rich and varied as the human experience itself. Stage Director Kristine McIntyre shares her own connection, as the granddaughter of Italian immigrants. “I believe really firmly that my job, as an opera director, is to direct the music in the sense of finding what the story is inherent in what we are hearing as an audience member.”  Dramaturg Cori Ellison points out that both sides of the operatic equation - new work and standard repertory pieces - can thrive alongside each other, expanding perceptions of what art is and how we interact with each other.  Andrea steers the episode full-circle, returning listeners to 2021 and our current immigration, racism, and religion issues. Where does an opera about a decade-old ICE raid written at the onset of the most contentious political era in US history go after a global pandemic? Stay tuned. RELATED EPISODES Season 1, Episode 6 “Hometown to the World: Discovering Postville” - Interview with Laura Kaminsky and Kimberly Reed Season 2, Episode 9 “America is Impossible Without Us” - Revisiting the work during the San Francisco Opera workshop SPECIAL OFFER Thank you to Bright Shiny Things for permission to share "Carne barata" from Hometown to the World, performed by Blythe Gaissert, in this episode. Key Change listeners receive 21% off the forthcoming release of Blythe's debut album “Home” with promo code: SFOPERA21 (all caps!) Preorder here: https://www.brightshiny.ninja/home *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Hosted by Andrea Fellows Fineberg Featuring Cori Ellison, Ruth Nott, Composer: Laura Kaminsky, Librettist: Kimberly Reed, Stage Stage Director: Kristine McIntyre  Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Audio Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe Theme music by Rene Orth with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello. Cover art by David Tousley This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera for All Voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org.

A hummingbird, a beatboxer, and a sweet potato walk into a theatre…  We should probably mention the bees, the dog, the squirrel, the baby pigeons, and a few woodpeckers, too. These are some of the creatures that inhabit the magical garden community of Sweet Potato Kicks the Sun, and in 2019, they lit up the stage performing opera in Santa Fe, New Mexico. But a menagerie as complex and unpredictable as this one didn’t just arrive fully formed, ready for its world premiere. Instead, Opera for All Voices’ first-ever premiere required years of lead time, months of prep work, and several changes to its artistic team.  Key Change host Andrea Fellows Fineberg fires up the time machine once again to travel behind the scenes with members of the Sweet Potato... creative crew. Andrea asks them about the artistic challenges inherent to wrangling myriad talents and viewpoints into a cohesive staged performance. Their answers reveal a shared vision that binds these creative individuals to the OFAV mission, the production, and each other. Librettist Leslie Dunton Downer discusses the risk and ultimate reward of relinquishing control to the interpretive artists on stage. Dramaturg Cori Ellison and collaborator Ruth Nott recall decisions that helped shape the show’s production team. Director John de los Santos and costume designer Ashley Soliman trade thoughts on the role ambiguity played in their designs, while offering glimpses into their working relationship.  And it’s composer Augusta Read Thomas who offers an observation that best captures Sweet Potato Kicks the Sun’s collaborative and connective genius. In an age of so much uncertainty, the production is a reminder that anything is still possible. “It’s a joyful piece. I think everybody feels it, every single character, and it jumps off the stage.” RELATED EPISODES Season 1, Episode 3 “Beatboxing and Opera: a love story” - interview with Nicole Paris and Augusta Read Thomas Season 2, Episode 1 “Press Play” - Sweet Potato’s Augusta Read Thomas and Leslie Dunton Downer on story and score development on the eve of the Chicago workshop *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Hosted by Andrea Fellows Fineberg Featuring Cori Ellison, Ruth Nott, Stage Director: John de los Santos, Costume Designer: Ashley Soliman, Librettist: Leslie Dunton Downer, Composer: Augusta Read Thomas  Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Audio Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe Theme music by Rene Orth with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello. Cover art by David Tousley Additional music in this episode composed and provided by Augusta Read Thomas, with permission from Nimbus Records. This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera for All Voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org

Key Change is back for Season 3!  Hold on… Some things have changed around here; some things have changed everywhere. What happens when a global pandemic upends your well-crafted plans? How does art respond within the confines of social distancing? Where’s Brandon?! Don’t worry, all will be revealed. To better understand where Opera for All Voices (OFAV) is headed this year, it’s helpful to reflect on where it’s been, to acknowledge achievements, and hear from the people whose talents shaped the initiative’s history. For a trip like that, we’ll need a time machine. Luckily, Andrea knows how to drive one.  In 2019, the curtain rose on the world premiere of OFAV’s first-ever commission Sweet Potato Kicks the Sun by Augusta Read Thomas and Leslie Dunton-Downer. That energetic beatboxing-infused opera amazed audience members and energized performers. Bracketed by a sampling of those excited voices, Andrea revisits OFAV’s origin story, trading insights with collaborator Ruth Nott and Cori Ellison, the production’s dramaturg. If Sweet Potato Kicks the Sun played a crucial foundational role in OFAV’s inaugural season, Hometown to the World, composed by Laura Kaminsky, libretto by Kimberly Reed, was poised to reinforce that vision the following year. 2020 messed with everyone’s momentum, but OFAV maintained belief in its mission, to tell the stories of our time and make opera for all voices. The impetus to develop relevant content and foster rich collaborations has never been more necessary. Safely socially distanced, of course. What began several years ago as the desire to introduce new audiences to the art form has since grown into a rich resource, brimming with possibility. Andrea explores that journey and this podcast’s evolution before steering the time machine triumphantly toward the future. “If this grand experiment that is OFAV has taught us anything,” she says, “it is how to move forward, even when everything goes sideways, and how to keep dreaming.” And, yes, she fills everyone in on Brandon’s exciting new endeavor.  RELATED EPISODES Season 1, Episode 2 “What’s in a name?” - the origin story of Opera for All Voices Season 1, Episode 3 “Beatboxing and Opera” - Sweet Potato’s Augusta Read Thomas and Nicole Paris on the origin story of their collaboration Season 2, Episode 1 “Press Play” - Sweet Potato’s Augusta Read Thomas and Leslie Dunton Downer on story and score development on the eve of the Chicago workshop Season 1, Episode 6 “Hometown to the World” - Hometown’s Laura Kaminsky and Kimberly Reed on telling history and collaboration Season 2, Episode 9 “America is Impossible Without Us” - Revisiting Hometown’s story, structure, music, and what it means to be an American with Laura Kaminsky and Kimberly Read during the San Francisco workshop *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Hosted by Andrea Fellows Fineberg Featuring Brandon Neal, Cori Ellison, Ruth Nott, and post-show feedback from Nicole Paris, Rachel de la Torre, Dawn Lura, chorus members, and audience members. Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Audio Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe Theme music by Rene Orth with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello. Cover art by David Tousley This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera for All Voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org

For opera to remain vibrant, its stories must reflect a multitude of experiences, and its productions must adapt to unconventional spaces. Both characteristics were in full effect on October 10, 2020, when OFAV (Opera for All Voices), in association with PortSide New York, staged a performance of Is This America? on the deck of an oil tanker docked in Brooklyn.  This workshop of an adaptation of This Little Light of Mine, by composer Chandler Carter and librettist Diana Solomon-Glover, is a celebration of American voting and civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer’s inspiring legacy.  In this episode, Andrea speaks with LaToya Ratlieff, Ms. Hamer’s grand-niece who is a voting and civil rights activist, and Diana, who transformed Hamer’s voice into this transcendent work of art. It’s a piece that connects history to current events, ancestor to descendent. In 1964, police boarded a bus in an attempt to intimidate Black citizens on their way to register to vote. In the midst of an uncomfortable silence, a lone voice broke into song. Fannie Lou Hamer’s courage bolstered the resolve of her fellow passengers that day, and strengthened a movement for generations to come. Today, LaToya shares her story of injury by police during a well-intentioned demonstration for George Floyd, but more importantly how strangers risked their own safety to come to her aid in a time of need. “I want people to understand that they stand on her head and shoulders; that before Breonna Taylor, before Sandra Bland, there was Fannie Lou Hamer. She was Black Lives Matter, and I want people to know that.” -Diana Solomon-Glover “For me, she’s a constant inspiration in a day and or that, anything can be achieved. And that we as humans, specifically us in America, that we have the ability to change lives for, not only ourselves, but for those around us.” -LaToya Ratlieff “Nobody’s free until everybody’s free.” -Fannie Lou Hamer *This episode contains two musical excerpts from Is This America? Additional music licensing by PodcastMusic.com.   VIEW THE FULL WORKSHOP:Is This America?   ALSO MENTIONED IN EPISODE:The Singing Neanderthals by Steven Mithen ***  If you are new to Key Change, go back and listen to season 2, episode 7: Mother of a Movement. It's an introduction to the commission of This Little Light of Mine with Diana and composer Chandler Carter. *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosted by Andrea Fellows Fineberg Audio Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe Theme music by Rene Orth with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello. Cover art by David Tousley Special thanks to PortSide NewYork and Carolina Salguero. This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera for all voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org

"There's a multi-layered contract from creator to interpreter to audience, and everybody has to actively participate to make a work come to life." ~Laura Kaminsky, composer of Hometown to the World One of the hallmarks of the Opera for All Voices commissioning process is workshopping the new operas with a team of dedicated artists and a live audience to see what's working and and what needs work.  In this stage of the development of Hometown to the World (previously known in season 1, episode 6 as Postville), Andrea traveled to San Francisco Opera for a workshop with composer Laura Kaminsky and librettist Kimberly Reed.  OFAV partners Kip Cranna and Ruth Nott joined the conversation with insights into story, structure, music, and what it means to be American, regardless of where you're from. Hometown to the World will premiere in San Francisco, CA in the fall of 2020. ***  If you are new to Key Change, season 1, episode 6 is a first introduction to Hometown to the World. *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosts: Andrea Fellows Walters and Brandon Neal Audio Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe Theme music by Rene Orth with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello. Cover art by David Tousley Special music licensing from PodcastMusic.com, curated by Brandon Neal. Special thanks to Uwe Willenbacher, sound engineer at San Francisco Opera for recording this interview session. OFAV Consortium Members:  Lyric Opera for Kansas City, Minnesota Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, San Francisco Opera, Sarasota Opera and Seattle Opera. This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera for all voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org

"Relationships are infrastructure." ~Andrea Fellows Walters Of the 100 busiest conductors in classical music only for are female. A list of the 150 composers whose work is most often performed includes only one woman, and women comprise approximately 35% of soloists in opera. Of the 10 productions on the list of the most performed operas in 2017-2018, three are comedies and of the seven dramas, six end with a dead female protagonist. Women's bodies underwrite a staggering proportion of the action in the operatic canon. These numbers are taken from a recent panel called Times Up Opera, hosted by the Santa Fe Opera. In this episode, Andrea and Brandon explore the issues of representation, intersectionality, and content as relates to women in opera. They look at the importance of finding mentors, forming alliances with peers, and paying it forward.   Special thanks to our guests: Chelsea Dennis, production stage manager Anh Le, Opera Theatre of St. Louis Madalyn Mentor, Opera Theatre of St. Louis Susanne Sheston, conductor & chorus master Nicole Weigelt, artistic services manager Mo Zhou, stage director   And the Times Up Opera panelists: Julia Bullock, singer Chelsea Dennis Jennifer Rhodes, seminar presenter Mo Zhou   *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosts: Andrea Fellows Walters and Brandon Neal Audio Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe Theme music by Rene Orth with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello Cover art by David Tousley Special music licensing from PodcastMusic.com, curated by Brandon Neal OFAV Consortium Members:  Lyric Opera for Kansas City, Minnesota Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, San Francisco Opera, Sarasota Opera and Seattle Opera. This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. To learn more about Opera for all voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org    

"There is no distinction between art and life. Art is the way we express life and life is the way we express art. " ~Diana Solomon-Glover, librettist Fannie Lou Hamer rose from humble beginnings in the Mississippi Delta to become one of the most important, passionate and powerful voices of the civil and voting rights movement. She became a leader in the efforts for greater economic opportunities for African-Americans. Brandon talks with composer Chandler Carter and librettist Diana Solomon-Glover about translating the truth of Fannie Lou Hamer's life into opera.  "If we can attach ourselves to her story, hear her voice, and kind of vicariously feel what she was feeling, I think we make a connection -- or at least of the possibility of a connection." ~Chandler Carter, composer This Little Light of Mine is slated to premiere in Fall of 2021. Special music in this episode provided with permission by Chandler Carter. *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosts: Andrea Fellows Walters and Brandon Neal Audio Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe Theme music by Rene Orth with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello. Cover art by David Tousley Music curated by Brandon Neal with licensing from PodcastMusic.com Special thanks to The Relic Room for recording this session in New York. OFAV Consortium Members:  Lyric Opera for Kansas City, Minnesota Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, San Francisco Opera, Sarasota Opera and Seattle Opera. This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera for all voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org

"Every single thing in the world is made of stories, and the story creates the moral energy of the universe where the question of right and wrong you learned from a story.  And in this period, particularly when we're living in a world so polarized and people are so extreme and so vicious in their reaction to stuff, you can't tell anyone anything. But you CAN tell them a story." ~Peter Sellars Andrea and Brandon had a rare opportunity to sit with stage director, librettist, professor Peter Sellars when he was in Santa Fe for the 2018 production of Doctor Atomic. This conversation looks deeply at the responsibility and opportunity of operatic storytelling to bring diverse communities with opposing points of view together, to talk publicly about things that cannot easily be discussed, and to shed light on the beauty of things we often miss. *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosts: Andrea Fellows Walters and Brandon Neal Audio Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe Theme music by Rene Orth with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello Cover art by David Tousley Special music licensing from PodcastMusic.com, curated by Brandon Neal OFAV Consortium Members:  Lyric Opera for Kansas City, Minnesota Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, San Francisco Opera, Sarasota Opera and Seattle Opera. This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. To learn more about Opera for all voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org

"The more we get to know one another through our stories, the closer we come together as a community, as a nation, as a world... and as you start to dissect many operas, you're really telling the story of the delicacy and strength of the human condition." ~Dr. Estevan Rael-Gálvez We invited some of our favorite storytellers to talk to us about the role of story in opera. They each share their unique perspectives on the big question: Why are we even bothering to tell stories? Not only that, but also how do we choose the stories we tell; what challenges do we face with diversifying the storytelling landscape; how do we better represent, attract, and reflect broader audiences; and what are the risks of creating new works in opera of creating new works? In this episode, we are honored to feature interviews with:   Dr. Estevan Rael-Gálvez, Storyteller, Historian, CEO and President at Creative Strategies 360° Paige Hernandez, Performer, Director, Choreographer, Playwright, and Teaching Artist Carolyn Kuan, Conductor, Music Director of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra Jim Robinson, Artistic Director, Opera Theatre of St. Louis Cori Ellison, Dramaturg for the Santa Fe Opera and Opera for All Voices Judy Chicago, Visual Artist, Author, Educator Donald Woodman, Photographer *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosts: Andrea Fellows Walters and Brandon Neal Audio Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe Theme music by Rene Orth with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello Cover art by David Tousley Special thanks to Shannon Harris for recording our sessions in Chicago Special music licensing from PodcastMusic.com, curated by Brandon Neal OFAV Consortium Members:  Lyric Opera for Kansas City, Minnesota Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, San Francisco Opera, Sarasota Opera and Seattle Opera. This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. To learn more about Opera for all voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org

"Opera is like one of the transporting art forms... transporting you to these hidden secrets places like in yourself that are otherwise inaccessible." ~David Hanlon, composer Andrea takes a deep dive into the creative process behind creating a new opera with composer David Hanlon and librettist Stephanie Fleischmann. Fresh from the New York libretto reading for their Opera for All Voices commission, The Pigeon Keeper, they were ready to talk fables, families, and refugees.  A libretto reading is a rare opportunity early in the process of a new work to focus in on the story being told and see how it, according to Stephanie, "breathes and moves" in order to provide the structure of the music. Their hope is to create an opera that is truly transporting for a contemporary audience, that will still resonate 50+ years from now. The Pigeon Keeper is slated to premiere in Spring of 2021. *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosts: Andrea Fellows Walters and Brandon Neal Audio Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe Theme music by Rene Orth with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello. Cover art by David Tousley Music curated by Brandon Neal with licensing from PodcastMusic.com Special thanks to Sheri Barclay for recording this session in New York. OFAV Consortium Members:  Lyric Opera for Kansas City, Minnesota Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, San Francisco Opera, Sarasota Opera and Seattle Opera. This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera for all voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org

"If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” ~Shirley Chisholm We take a moment to dream with members of the opera community across departments about what a more equitable, diverse and inclusive opera industry will look, feel, and sound like. Beyond that, we take a practical look at things that are working and things that perhaps still slow to change, and why. This conversation is at the heart of Opera for All Voices. This episode is part 2 of a 2-part exploration. If you haven't already go back one episode to 202: A Seat at the Table to meet the amazing members of our opera community who are part of this candid and intimate conversation: Cayenne Harris, Vice President, Lyric Unlimited Ben Taylor, Baritone Terrence Chin-Loy, Tenor Monique Gaffney, Wig & Makeup Artist Melanie Bacaling, Stage Manager Jason Lynch, Lighting Designer Michael Ortiz, Assistant Technical Dir. at Santa Fe Opera Madalyn Mentor, Artistic Coordinator at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Anh Le, Acting Director of Marketing & Public Relations at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis June Kim, Development Associate at Santa Fe Opera Thank you all for your openness, generosity, and everything you contribute to our industry. *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosts: Andrea Fellows Walters and Brandon Neal Audio Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe Theme music by Rene Orth with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello Cover art by David Tousley Special thanks to Shannon Harris for recording our interview in Chicago Special music licensing from PodcastMusic.com, curated by Brandon Neal OFAV Consortium Members:  Lyric Opera for Kansas City, Minnesota Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, San Francisco Opera, Sarasota Opera and Seattle Opera This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. To learn more about Opera for all voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org

Equity, diversity, and inclusion: it's a phrase that's at the forefront of many industries at the moment, and opera is no different. What do those words really mean and how do they relate to the forward momentum of our art form? This conversation is at the heart of what Opera for All Voices is about and we're going deep into the struggles, the uphill battles, and the opportunities that lie ahead. This episode is part 1 of a 2-part exploration featuring stories from a series of candid interviews we had with the following members of our opera community: Ben Taylor, Baritone Terrence Chin-Loy, Tenor Monique Gaffney, Wig & Makeup Artist Melanie Bacaling, Stage Manager Jason Lynch, Lighting Designer Michael Ortiz, Assistant Technical Dir. at Santa Fe Opera Madalyn Mentor, Artistic Coordinator at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Anh Le, Acting Director of Marketing & Public Relations at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis June Kim, Development Associate at Santa Fe Opera Thank you all for your openness, generosity, and everything you contribute to our industry. *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosts: Andrea Fellows Walters and Brandon Neal Audio Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe Theme music by Rene Orth with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello Cover art by David Tousley Special music licensing from PodcastMusic.com, curated by Brandon Neal OFAV Consortium Members:  Lyric Opera for Kansas City, Minnesota Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, San Francisco Opera, Sarasota Opera and Seattle Opera. This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. To learn more about Opera for all voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org

Andrea Fellows Walters and Brandon Neal are back with Season 2! Sweet Potato Kicks the Sun, our first commission for Opera for All Voices, gets a closer listen with a live audience. Hopping back in our OFAV time machine, we travel to September 2018 Chicago. Sweet Potato had a live workshop with invited audience and we had a rare opportunity to find out both what audience members were anticipating before the workshop, and what they thought afterward. Andrea and our dramaturg Cori Ellison sat down with composer Augusta Read Thomas and librettist Leslie Dunton Downer to learn more about their alchemical process of working together on a new opera, influences and nuances of story, and what happens next with this new opera. Sweet Potato Kicks the Sun will premiere in Santa Fe, NM in October 2019. ***  If you are new to Key Change, we recommend going back to listen to the first 8 episodes of Season 1 for even more OFAV context. Episode 3 is a first introduction to Sweet Potato Kicks the Sun with composer Augusta Read Thomas and beatbox artist Nicole Paris. If you can’t right this minute, don’t worry! We’ll catch you up. *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosts: Andrea Fellows Walters and Brandon Neal Audio Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe Theme music by Rene Orth with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello. Cover art by David Tousley Special music licensing from PodcastMusic.com Special thanks to the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts at the University of Chicago, Reba Cafarelli, Cori Ellison, Andrea Klunder and Aliyah Rich for recording our audience reactions and Shannon Harris for recording our interviews in Chicago. OFAV Consortium Members:  Lyric Opera for Kansas City, Minnesota Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, San Francisco Opera, Sarasota Opera and Seattle Opera. This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera for all voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org

Where you begin and where you end up are often two very different things.  While this final episode of the season is definitely NOT the end, we thought it was a good time to pause, check in with our consortium members and commissioned artists, and speculate on what lies ahead for Opera For All Voices. And for that matter, we hear some interesting thoughts from our community about what lies ahead for opera -- the art form and the industry. If you're new to Key Change, we recommend going back and listening to the beginning of the season (at the very least, episodes 1 and 2) before you jump into this one.   *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosts: Andrea Fellows Walters and Brandon Neal Audio Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe Theme music by Rene Orth with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello. Cover art by David Tousley Special thanks to: The Relic Room in New York, Bad Animals in Seattle, and Halfway to Hell Studios in Albuquerque.  OFAV Consortium Members:  Lyric Opera for Kansas City, Minnesota Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, San Francisco Opera, Sarasota Opera and Seattle Opera. This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera for All Voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org

All the way back in episode 01, we began this season in New York City, celebrating the career of Charles MacKay, who has been the General Director of the Santa Fe Opera since 2008. Charles is a known visionary in the opera industry who has given opportunities to countless new artists, musicians, and administrators during his 50-year tenure. His artistic leadership has furthered The Santa Fe Opera’s tradition of bold and innovative repertory with the commission of five mainstage world premieres – including Jennifer Higdon’s Cold Mountain in 2015 and Mason Bates’ The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs in 2017.   In this episode, Brandon has an exclusive and thoughtful conversation with Charles as they explore the state of the industry and the future of the art form through the unique lens of opera company leadership. *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera For All Voices. Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosts: Andrea Fellows Walters and Brandon Neal Audio Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe Theme music by Rene Orth with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello. Cover art by David Tousley OFAV Consortium Members:  Lyric Opera for Kansas City, Minnesota Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, San Francisco Opera, Sarasota Opera and Seattle Opera. This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera for all voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org

"Postville: Hometown to the World" almost didn't happen -- at least not as part of Opera for All Voices.  The true  and timely story of immigrant workers in a Kosher slaughterhouse and meat packing plant that was raided by ICE in 2008 in the town of Postville, Iowa felt too large in scope for the OFAV framework -- 3 singers, small pit orchestra, 90-minutes or less with no intermission, to be scaleable for different sized opera companies and venues... But, composer Laura Kaminsky's passionate personal connection to the story and librettist Kimberly Reed's track record as an adept documentarian and filmmaker inspired the OFAV team to defy the odds and take a chance. The second Opera for All Voices (OFAV) commission, "Postville: Hometown to the World", is scheduled to premiere in the Fall of 2020 at the San Francisco Opera.  *** Special music in this episode used with permission by Laura Kaminsky. Wave Hill – III. Arbores Venerabiles. Ensemble Pi, Idith Meshulam, piano Wappinger Creek, Hudson River Valley, from Horizon Lines, for oboe, bassoon and piano. Live performance from Seattle Chamber Music Festival. Duo for Flute and Piano: Mvt. I. – Tara Helen O'Connor, flute, Margaret Kampmeier, piano To know, from As One, multi-media chamber opera. Taylor Raven, mezzo soprano and Brian Vu, baritone. Live performance from Pittsburgh Opera. *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera For All Voices. Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosts: Andrea Fellows Walters and Brandon Neal Audio Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe Theme music by Rene Orth with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello. Cover art by David Tousley Special thanks to The Relic Room, NYC. OFAV Consortium Members:  Lyric Opera for Kansas City, Minnesota Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, San Francisco Opera, Sarasota Opera and Seattle Opera. This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera for all voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org

Andrea always says, "our best education program is what happens on the main stage," and it's true, but how do we get new audience members TO the main stage? Education, outreach, programs and partnerships... these departments are not just about programming for children and schools, but even more so about building relationships on and off stage an sparking interest through storytelling that connects with new and diverse audiences. In this episode, Andrea takes a deep dive with Barbara Lynne Jamison, who at the time of recording was Director of Programs and Partnerships at Seattle Opera, and at the time of release has been named the new General Director of Kentucky Opera, as we explore the expanding role of education departments as the lifeblood of opera companies in the United States.  *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera For All Voices. Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosts: Andrea Fellows Walters and Brandon Neal Audio Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe Theme music by Rene Orth with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello. Cover art by David Tousley Special thanks to Bad Animals in Seattle. OFAV Consortium Members:  Lyric Opera for Kansas City, Minnesota Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, San Francisco Opera, Sarasota Opera and Seattle Opera. This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera for all voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org

For such an ambitious undertaking as Opera for All Voices (OFAV) -- balancing the needs of multiple companies, production budgets planned years in advance, the commission of new works with very little to go on up front, hiring musicians and singers, the changing landscapes of main stage vs workshop premieres, leaps of faith from funders, administrators, artists and collaborators alike all with the hope of JUST BREAKING EVEN… how does this all work financially? And what is it worth? Are there other ways to measure success besides financial returns? In this episode, Brandon talks candidly with Heather Kemp, Director of Finance & Accounting at The Santa Fe Opera. We also hear from General Director Charles MacKay, Barbara Lynne Jamison from Seattle Opera, Ben Jewell-Plocher from Sarasota Opera, and Jamie Andrews from Minnesota Opera about fiscal responsibility, creative problem solving, and defining return on investment. *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera For All Voices. Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosts: Andrea Fellows Walters and Brandon Neal Audio Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe Theme music by Rene Orth with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello. Cover art by David Tousley OFAV Consortium Members:  Lyric Opera for Kansas City, Minnesota Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, San Francisco Opera, Sarasota Opera and Seattle Opera. This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera for all voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org

What happens when the composer that you've commissioned to write a new opera says to you, "Sit down -- I have something to tell you," and that something is that she's fallen in love... with a beatbox artist? The first Opera for All Voices (OFAV) commission, Sweet Potato Kicks the Sun, is scheduled to premiere in the Fall of 2019 and this episode is a very early look at the creative process of Grammy Award winning composer, Augusta Read Thomas. We get a deep dive into how she "sculpts sound" to create magic, and how collaboration is such a crucial element in the way she composes new work. The collaboration gets even livelier as we meet renowned beat-box artist, founder of Drop The Beats, and actor Nicole Paris, who plays an integral role in the original soundscaping of this new opera. Listen in and fall in love for yourself. *** Special music in this episode used with permission by Augusta Read Thomas. Helix Spirals for String Quartet: Mvt. I. Loci, memory palace. Performed by the Spektral Quartet. Of Being is a Bird: Mvt. II. The most triumphant Bird I ever knew or met. Claire Booth, soprano, Aurora Orchestra, Nicholas Collon conductor. Love Twitters for solo piano. Nicola Melville, piano. *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with Opera For All Voices. Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosts: Andrea Fellows Walters and Brandon Neal Audio Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe Theme music by Rene Orth with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello. Cover art by David Tousley Special thanks to Halfway to Hell Studios in Albuquerque and C.W. Media in Chicago OFAV Consortium Members:  Lyric Opera for Kansas City, Minnesota Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, San Francisco Opera, Sarasota Opera and Seattle Opera. This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.   To learn more about Opera for all voices, visit us at SantaFeOpera.org