The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Famed Santa Fe Opera serves up series of virtual performances
ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO — Peter Batty has been making the trip to New Mexico’s high desert almost every summer since 1996 to get his opera fix at one of the most famous venues in the United States.
Not this year.
Instead of tailgating outside the Santa Fe Opera, he and his wife celebrated their anniversary and the opera’s opening night on their balcony in downtown Denver. The hors d’oeuvres were out and the champagne poured as the performance unfolded online.
The famed opera is offering a series of virtual performances after being forced to cancel the season due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Saturday night events are meant to celebrate the five originally scheduled operas that would have been performed this summer, including the world premiere of “M. Butterfly.”
Robert Meya, the opera’s general director, says the message is simple: Dress up, pop the cork and join in from home.
He hopes the digital initiative can bring some joy to the community in what has been a very trying time. He said the project also affords everyone around the world a front-row seat to some of the talent that would have taken the stage at the open-air venue.
About 20,000 people tuned in via various social media platforms for the first episode on July 3, when acclaimed mezzo-soprano and New Mexico native Susan Graham played host as
Joshua Hopkins brought to life “The Barber of Seville.”
“We are celebrating all that is still possible and still beautiful here at the Santa Fe Opera,” Graham told those watching from their living rooms and patios.
Without a regular season, the opera is facing a $10 million loss in revenue, leaving officials to stretch federal relief money and donations as far as they can go.
The opera had sold about $5 million in tickets before the pandemic began and has had to refund about half of that. Some patrons are holding on to their tickets for future years, while others have donated their tickets back to the opera to help compensate seasonal staff. Sponsors have helped to match those donations.
The opera is among businesses across the U.S. that received loans under the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program.
The Santa Fe Opera received a $2 million loan that has helped to retain several dozen full-time staff and provide some compensation to nearly half of the 700 employees who make up the seasonal staff, Meya said.
“It’s going to be a real struggle to get through it, but I know that we will,” Meya told The Associated Press.
The Santa Fe Opera received a $2 million loan that has helped to retain several dozen full-time staff and provide some compensation to nearly half of the 700 employees who make up the seasonal staff.