Key Change

Fans of opera often say that a production either ends in cheers or tears; someone winds up wed or dead. But what about podcasts?  On this final episode of Key Change, co-hosts Anna Garcia and Olga Perez Flora fire up the trusty time machine to find out. And, they've got company: OG co-hosts Andrea Fellows Fineberg and Brandon Neal. Buckle in for one last trip around the Opera For All Voices universe before this epic six-year journey comes to an end. "Key Change has been so many things for so many people, and now it's over," says Andrea, reflecting on the legacy that this podcast leaves behind. Perhaps a bit dramatic! But the show has played a vital role within the larger context of Opera For All Voices, supporting new, diverse works for smaller spaces together with major opera companies. "The things that we do that have a lasting impact are the work of the community engagement department at Santa Fe Opera and the work of the Santa Fe Opera in the first place. It's changed the capital O art form forever," Andrea observes. "And, we've all been some part of that." Audience included. The Key Change team captured intimate moments of the creative process alongside the breathless joys of performance. They chronicled moments with legendary artists (oh, hey Peter Sellars!) and students alike, and revealed the importance of telling hard truths. "I think that speaks to the longevity of the thing," says Brandon. "Key Change will reverberate as long as that work needs to be done. I think we can be happy with that." Cue curtain. KEY CHANGE RECOMMENDED EPISODES Season 1, Episode 1 - Setting the Stage - wherein Andrea and Brandon start the journey and ask, "What if we fail? What if we succeed?" Season 1, Episode 2 - What's in a name? - wherein the back-of-the-napkin planning of OFAV is discussed Season 2, Episode 2 - A Seat at the Table - wherein Brandon engages in conversation with colleagues of color from across the industry Season 2, Episode 3 - Bring Your Folding Chair - wherein that conversation of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging continues Season 2, Episode 6 - The Universe is Made of Stories featuring Peter Sellars - wherein we all bask in the glow of stage director Peter Sellars Season 3, Episode 2 - Singing a Call to Action - wherein we learn about producing opera during a global pandemic Season 4, Episode 7 - Telling Hard Truths featuring Jacqueline "Cookie" Hamer Flakes - wherein we listen and take in the words of Fannie Lou Hamer's daughter Season 6, Episode 3 - Taking Care of the Art featuring Chandler Johnson - wherein we get a candid look at what it takes to build a career in opera Season 6, Episode 4 - Rise to the Occasion of Your Opera Career featuring Chandler Johnson - wherein the conversation continues with audition insights most young singers never get to hear FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE Olga Perez Flora - Co-Host of Key Change and Associate Professor of Voice, University of New Mexico Anna Garcia - Co-Host of Key Change and Arts Administrator Andrea Fellows Fineberg - Writer, Producer, and Former Director Of Community Engagement & Education, Santa Fe Opera, Co-Creator of Opera For All Voices, and Original Co-Host of Key Change Brandon Neal - Senior Producer of Creative Enterprise Programming, The Juilliard School; Co-Creator of Opera For All Voices and Original Co-Host of Key Change MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Opera For All Voices Santa Fe Opera Community Engagement Santa Fe Opera Young Technicians Program Santa Fe Opera Young Voices Program University Of New Mexico New Mexico Philharmonic Opera Omaha Opera on the Avalon Olga Perez Flora Car Talk *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera, Department of Community Engagement & Education. Share your favorite opera moments and questions with Community Engagement: agarcia@santafeopera.org Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosted by Anna Garcia & Olga Perez Flora Audio Engineering: Collin Ungerleider & 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 support of the Hankins Foundation, Principal Education Sponsor of the Santa Fe Opera. To learn more, visit SantaFeOpera.org/KeyChange.

3/4/26 • 42:10

Join Key Change for one last spin around the season six universe. Co-hosts Anna Garcia and Olga Perez Flora recall their favorite moments, including reflections on the exciting collaboration between Santa Fe Opera and the University of New Mexico.  Then, the Key Change team transports us to the first-ever libretto reading workshop for NOVA. Meet the cast of this intergalactic opera and discover how they're interpreting familiar sci-fi tropes, such as colonization, survival, and belonging, through a uniquely Indigenous lens—featuring Robert Mesa (Navajo Nation and the Soboba Band of Mission Indians), ShanDien LaRance (Hopi, Tewa, Navajo and Assiniboine), and Ehren Kee Natay (Diné/Kewa Pueblo). NOVA combines Indigenous futurism and humor with a choose-your-own-adventure ending to examine existential questions of personal responsibility and integrity. "That's very much how many Indigenous tribes are bringing up their children," explains Ehren, a multi-disciplinary artist who plays KID. "Not by telling them what to do or how to be, but to tell them these old stories that provide a moral compass of how your decisions will affect an outcome." Robert, an accomplished film and TV actor who plays Doc, a member of the NOVA crew, welcomes this era of Indigenous collaboration in opera. "It's only within the past six or seven years that there has been a big burst of Native stories finally being put in the mainstream media," he observes. "We're breaking glass ceilings so generations behind us can flourish." "To be a young Indigenous woman living in these times, I think a lot about our history, our traditions," adds ShanDien, a Native hoop dancer and instructor who plays NOVA. "But, I also carry with us that modernism and the way into the future and how we can sustain both." KEY CHANGE RECOMMENDED EPISODES NOVA: Opera After the End of the World Taking Care of the Art with Chandler Johnson, Director of the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program for Singers Rise to the Occasion of Your Opera Career with Chandler Johnson, Director of the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program for Singers True Magic from Classroom to Stage with the Santa Fe Opera Young Voices and University of New Mexico Students An Opportunity To Encounter Excellence (And Big News!) Connections Across Time and Space: Opera in the Cosmos FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE Robert Mesa - Doc ShanDien LaRance - NOVA Ehren Kee Natay - Kid MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Hopi Nation Navajo Nation Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo Santa Fe Opera Community Engagement University Of New Mexico Grey's Anatomy Accused Dark Winds The Men Who Built America: Frontiersmen Appian Way Productions Reservation Dogs Flash Gordon Star Trek Star Wars Alcina at Santa Fe Opera 2017 Jenůfa at Santa Fe Opera 2019 No Greater Act: Pueblo Resistance Circles: Honoring Indigenous Santa Fe Little Globe Liz Lehrman Critical Response Method *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera, Department of Community Engagement & Education. Share your favorite opera moments and questions with Community Engagement: agarcia@santafeopera.org Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosted by Anna Garcia & Olga Perez Flora Audio Engineering: Collin Ungerleider & 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 support of the Hankins Foundation, Principal Education Sponsor of the Santa Fe Opera. To learn more, visit SantaFeOpera.org/KeyChange.  

10/8/25 • 41:17

A sneak peak behind the scenes of our first reading of the libretto for NOVA, our latest new works commission at the Santa Fe Opera! *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera, Department of Community Engagement & Education. Share your favorite opera moments and questions with Community Engagement: agarcia@santafeopera.org Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosted by Anna Garcia & Olga Perez Flora Audio Engineering: Collin Ungerleider & 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 support of the Hankins Foundation, Principal Education Sponsor of the Santa Fe Opera. To learn more, visit SantaFeOpera.org/KeyChange.  

10/1/25 • 00:55

Ready for a choose-your-own cosmic adventure? On this episode of Key Change, co-hosts Anna Garcia and Olga Perez Flora make way for old friends and new. Andrea Fellows Feinberg returns as guest host to introduce the creative team behind the intergalactic opera NOVA, a subversive meditation on responsibility and personal choice set against the end of the world––featuring Composer Brent Michael Davids, Librettist Marcie Rendon, and Music Director Sara Jobin. "We're gonna mess with the traditional opera genre of tragedies and comedies, do something interesting with it, and make two different endings," confides Brent. He also messes with ideas around conventional sci-fi protagonists and cultural stereotypes. NOVA, for instance, is a brilliant Native American astrophysicist and head of NASA, the Native American Space Agency. Accompanying NOVA are her chief medical officer, Doc, and KID, a bionically modified mischief-maker. Brent hopes these narrative elements will inspire and empower Native youth. If the premise for NOVA sounds vaguely familiar, we teased its development in 2023. Back then, this Opera For All Voices commission was known as Interplanetary Opera. A lot has changed since then, notably the addition of Marcie and Sara, plus Andrea as the production's dramaturg. What hasn't changed is the show's existential ruminations or its humor. "I think that's something I love about this piece and that people might not expect," notes Sara. "There's a lot of humor in it." "It's Native humor," Marcie clarifies. "I wasn't sure that anybody would get it." A recent run-through alleviated her fears. "People did," she says, "and that was great!" KEY CHANGE RECOMMENDED EPISODE Connections Across Time and Space: Opera in the Cosmos FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE Brent Michael Davids - Composer Marcie Rendon - Librettist Sara Jobin - Music Director Andrea Fellows Fineberg - Dramaturg and Key Change Guest Host  MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Hidden Figures Minnesota Children's Museum Red Eye Theater Clue  Christopher Hitchens Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera, Department of Community Engagement & Education. Share your favorite opera moments and questions with Community Engagement: agarcia@santafeopera.org Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosted by Anna Garcia & Olga Perez Flora Audio Engineering: Collin Ungerleider & 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 support of the Hankins Foundation, Principal Education Sponsor of the Santa Fe Opera. To learn more, visit SantaFeOpera.org/KeyChange.

9/24/25 • 35:51

Set for a choose-your-own cosmic adventure? Get ready to meet the creative team behind the intergalactic opera, NOVA, on the next episode of Key Change.  *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera, Department of Community Engagement & Education. Share your favorite opera moments and questions with Community Engagement: agarcia@santafeopera.org Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosted by Anna Garcia & Olga Perez Flora Audio Engineering: Collin Ungerleider & 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 support of the Hankins Foundation, Principal Education Sponsor of the Santa Fe Opera. To learn more, visit SantaFeOpera.org/KeyChange.

9/17/25 • 00:54

Fire up the Key Change time machine! We're charting our course for the collaborative partnership between Santa Fe Opera and the University of New Mexico (UNM).  Never experienced time-machine travel before? No problem! Key Change co-hosts Olga Perez Flora and Anna Garcia are experienced pilots. They introduce us to students participating in the Young Voices residency and steer our audience through an exciting day of master classes and workshops on the UNM campus. And don't worry if you're new to this bold, creative initiative. Olga and Anna provide episode recommendations to help you navigate the journey.  "It's such a wonderful opportunity," says Jamie Flora, esteemed tenor and professor at UNM, of the university's collaboration with Santa Fe Opera. The dynamic program includes master classes on technique, audition logistics, performance critique, and resumé building, all designed to bridge the academic and professional opera worlds.  "We're planting seeds in their minds that this is possible!" explains Kristin Ditlow, Associate Professor of Vocal Coaching at UNM and Music Director of its Opera Theater. "We have pathways and relationships that get you from school to being a working singer." Quiara Cortez followed one of those pathways to UNM, where she is now studying. She credits the collaboration with Santa Fe Opera for nurturing her artistic development. "Being able to talk with the best of the best and seeing what our next steps as people who are already in college might be. And having something big and professional to look forward to is wonderful." KEY CHANGE RECOMMENDED PLAYLIST Where Talent Meets Opportunity: Career Trajectories in Opera with Kristin Ditlow & Jamie Flora What's Opera to a Bunch of High School Students? Young Voices, "The New Crop" Taking Care of the Art with Chandler Johnson, Director of the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program for Singers Rise to the Occasion of Your Opera Career with Chandler Johnson, Director of the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program for Singers Safe Space for Creative Risks with Community Engagement and Education Hometown to the World: Discovering "Postville" with Laura Kaminsky and Kimberly Reed Making Learning Sticky: Creative Compassion for Kids & Educators Through Opera with Charles Gamble Harmony in Process: The Young Voices of the Santa Fe Opera with Amy "Process" Owens An Opportunity to Encounter Excellence (and Big News!) FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE Kristin Ditlow - Associate Professor of Vocal Coaching, University of New Mexico; Music Director, University of New Mexico Opera Theater James Flora - Lecturer II in Voice and Opera, University of New Mexico Opera Theater Michael Hix - Chair, Department of Music University of New Mexico; Professor of Voice, University of New Mexico Andrea Klunder - Producer, Key Change Podcast Amy Owens - Director of the Young Voices of Santa Fe Opera Santa Fe Opera Young Voices participants – Rylee Baca, Elsa Dhonau-Egan, Landen Kessler, Eleanor Lucas, Ava Mitchie, Alexander Nicholas Neas University Of New Mexico participants - Maria Bollinger, Quiara Cortez, Alexandra King, Ryan Lopez, Taylor Stanley MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE La Traviata | Santa Fe Opera Hometown to the World | Santa Fe Opera Eugene Onegin | Santa Fe Opera University Of New Mexico - Department Of Music Apprentice Program for Singers | Santa Fe Opera Opera Storytellers Summer Camp | Santa Fe Opera Opera Makes Sense | Santa Fe Opera The Philadelphia Orchestra The Inner Voice: The Making Of A Singer Classical Singer Music Awards Paula Corbin Swallin *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera, Department of Community Engagement & Education. Share your favorite opera moments and questions with Community Engagement: agarcia@santafeopera.org Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosted by Anna Garcia & Olga Perez Flora Audio Engineering: Collin Ungerleider & 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 support of the Hankins Foundation, Principal Education Sponsor of the Santa Fe Opera. To learn more, visit SantaFeOpera.org/KeyChange  

5/21/25 • 37:21

What have our favorite high school aged singers been up to? Hear from the Young Voices of the Santa Fe Opera themselves on the next episode of Key Change... coming soon! *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera, Department of Community Engagement & Education. Share your favorite opera moments and questions with Community Engagement: agarcia@santafeopera.org Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosted by Anna Garcia & Olga Perez Flora Audio Engineering: Collin Ungerleider & 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 support of the Hankins Foundation, Principal Education Sponsor of the Santa Fe Opera. To learn more, visit SantaFeOpera.org/KeyChange. 

5/14/25 • 00:42

We often say that the road to a successful opera career can be a winding one—and we've got the receipts to prove it! Join Key Change co-hosts Anna Garcia and Olga Perez Flora as they discuss career trajectories, academic journeys, and artistic life with two legendary performers and educators: Kristin Ditlow, Associate Professor of Vocal Coaching and Opera Conductor at the University Of New Mexico, and James Flora*, acclaimed American tenor and Lecturer in Voice and Opera, also at UNM. Our conversation sets the stage for an exciting collaboration between Santa Fe Opera and UNM. "The position that I have (at UNM) has evolved with me," says Kristin, who has worked around the world as a conductor and a pianist. "That's a testament to a healthy place that's willing to grow along with its faculty and allow them to grow in a position." It's also a verdant artistic environment where raw talent is refined, and practice leads to proficiency.   Jamie hopes that the next generation of opera professionals will bring the art form's epic storytelling and staging to a broader audience. "I'd love for opera to step away a little bit from exclusivity," he says, reflecting on how the perceived cliquishness couldn't be farther from the true experience of a live opera. "A lot of people who grew up in small towns like I did didn't understand the opera was for them," he says, adding, "Opera's for everyone!" *That surname is no coincidence. Jamie also holds the title of spouse to our very own Olga. KEY CHANGE RECOMMENDED PLAYLISTS Catch up on the full story of Hometown To The World: Season 1, Ep 6: Hometown to the World: Discovering Postville Season 2, Ep 9: America Is Impossible Without Us Season 3, Ep 3: Responding to the World Season 3, Ep 8: Bridging Communities with Carmen Flórez-Mansi Season 4, Ep 1: This Doesn't Happen Without Audience; The Hometown to the World Premiere Season 4, Ep 2: Influence and Inclusion: The Impact of Hometown to the World with Youth Chorus Season 4, Ep 8: Hometown to the World Debuts on Broadway Hear the evolution of This Little Light of Mine: Season 2, Ep 7: Mother of a Movement: This Little Light of Mine BONUS: Is This America?  Season 3, Ep 4: Singing A Call to Action: Is This America?  Season 3, Ep 5: Making a Choice With Conviction: A conversation with Jeri Lynne Johnson Season 3, Ep 6: Building a Better Society with Florida International University Music Students Season 3, Ep 7: Lighting a Fire: The Legacy of Fannie Lou Hamer Season 4, Ep 6: A Day in the Life Before a World Premiere Season 4, Ep 7: Telling Hard Truths FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE Kristin Ditlow James Flora MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE IMSLP - Petrucci Music Library for scores in public domain Apprentice Program for Singers | Santa Fe Opera Cold Mountain | Santa Fe Opera The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs | Santa Fe Opera Hometown to the World | Santa Fe Opera This Little Light Of Mine | Santa Fe Opera Der Rosenkavalier | Santa Fe Opera The Turn Of The Screw | Santa Fe Opera Die Walküre | Santa Fe Opera La bohème | Santa Fe Opera Rigoletto | Santa Fe Opera A Midsummer Night's Dream | Santa Fe Opera Little Women | UNM Opera Oberlin Conservatory of Music Westminster Choir College Boston Symphony Opera BSO | Tanglewood San Francisco Opera | Merola Opera Program Arizona Opera The Glimmerglass Festival Pittsburgh Opera Central City Opera Kentucky Opera Metropolitan Opera This is Spinal Tap New Jersey Opera Theater Opera Steamboat The Three Feathers Benjamin Britten Star Wars Psycho Opera Company of Middlebury *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera, Department of Community Engagement & Education. Share your favorite opera moments and questions with Community Engagement: agarcia@santafeopera.org Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosted by Anna Garcia & Olga Perez Flora Audio Engineering: Collin Ungerleider & 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 support of the Hankins Foundation, Principal Education Sponsor of the Santa Fe Opera. To learn more, visit SantaFeOpera.org/KeyChange.  

5/7/25 • 46:48

Coming up on the next episode of Key Change... the trajectory of an opera career from academia to the main stage with musicians & opera educators Jamie Flora and Kirstin Ditlow. *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera, Department of Community Engagement & Education. Share your favorite opera moments and questions with Community Engagement: agarcia@santafeopera.org Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosted by Anna Garcia & Olga Perez Flora Audio Engineering: Collin Ungerleider & 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 support of the Hankins Foundation, Principal Education Sponsor of the Santa Fe Opera. To learn more, visit SantaFeOpera.org/KeyChange.  

4/30/25 • 01:00

We love an encore! And this one's got it all: audition trends, futurecasting, and pragmatic advice for young opera talent. Key Change co-hosts Anna Garcia and Olga Perez Flora also serve up plenty of musical memories, behind-the-scenes intel, and a little love for the Santa Fe Opera as a venue as they continue their visit with Chandler Johnson. When we last met Chandler, he had introduced us to career paths less traveled. "There's more to this business than just singing," he continues. Chandler knows this truth better than most. After discovering opera in his early teens, he pivoted from singing to arts administration. Chandler credits his years spent auditioning and performing for exposing him to career opportunities beyond the stage.  "Singing was my path to get to this place," he confides, before launching into an impressive list of creative, collaborative opportunities within the opera ecosystem. "You can go into development, marketing and PR, media and AV. You can go into costuming and set design," he says, adding, "Having the experience of being a singer informs where you pivot in your life and in this art form." As for the art form in question, Chandler is not one to tinker with what works. "I wouldn't change anything about opera. I truly love the glitz, the glamor, the opulence, the stories, the chaos. I love it all!" he muses before offering one final piece of advice. "We just have to keep doing good art––keep doing good opera!––and the people will come."  KEY CHANGE RECOMMENDED PLAYLIST Taking Care of the Art with Chandler Johnson What's Opera to a Bunch of High School Students? Young Voices, "The New Crop" Harmony in Process: The Young Voices of the Santa Fe Opera with Amy "Process" Owens FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE Chandler Johnson, Director, Apprentice Program For Singers | Santa Fe Opera MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Apprentice Program For Singers | Santa Fe Opera Preview Dinners | Santa Fe Opera University Of New Mexico Opera Theatre | UNM Music Department Cincinnati Opera The Maryland State Boychoir Atlanta Public Schools Choir The Baltimore County Honor Choir Leontyne Price  Messa di requiem | Giuseppe Verdi The Defiant Requiem Foundation Fach System Rigoletto Lohengrin Verdi's Macbeth  Berlin State Opera Bavarian State Opera *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera, Department of Community Engagement & Education. Share your favorite opera moments and questions with Community Engagement: agarcia@santafeopera.org Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosted by Anna Garcia & Olga Perez Flora Audio Engineering: Collin Ungerleider & 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 support of the Hankins Foundation, Principal Education Sponsor of the Santa Fe Opera. To learn more, visit SantaFeOpera.org/KeyChange.

4/23/25 • 40:23

Pop quiz: Name an opera training initiative that creates space for self-discovery, serious fun, and a bit of Broadway adoration. Spoiler alert: there's only one answer. On this episode of Key Change, co-hosts Anna Garcia and Olga Perez Flora get to know Chandler Johnson, Director of Santa Fe Opera's Apprentice Program for Singers, and uncover what early-career singers selected for this internationally acclaimed program can expect from their 13 weeks in the desert.  "It's a pressure cooker!" exclaims Chandler of the four-month-long apprenticeship, initially developed by John Crosby, founder of the Santa Fe Opera. How prestigious is the program, you might ask? We did the math. Out of a thousand applicants, less than 5% have a chance of making it in. That's 36-46 participants annually. And once those folks are accepted? They're met with a 360º view of the industry including an intense rehearsal regime, mainstage experience, individual scene recitals, donor events, and off-campus performances. Chandler's circuitous route to Apprentice Program director includes five different administrative titles at Santa Fe Opera alone, proving that the stage isn't the only avenue to an illustrious career (although he's got some amazing performance credits to his name). "I still sing for fun," he says. "My roots were church music, musical theater, R & B, that kind of stuff. And, I'm always singing along to my favorite pop girlies."  Now, he's happy to guide the next generation of talent, offering honest assessment and encouragement in equal measure. "I've had some singers come back and be, like, that one thing you said to me, that really changed the trajectory." KEY CHANGE RECOMMENDED PLAYLIST Season 2, Episode 8: Gender is Not Genre: Women in Opera - featuring Susanne Sheston, Santa Fe Opera Chorus Master FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE Chandler Johnson, Director, Apprentice Program For Singers | Santa Fe Opera MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Apprentice Program For Singers | Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program For Technicians | Santa Fe Opera Young Artists Program | Chautauqua Opera The Glimmerglass Festival Opera Santa Barbara Jessica Vosk Kathryn Henry Lina González-Granados | LA Opera Duke Kim *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera, Department of Community Engagement & Education. Share your favorite opera moments and questions with Community Engagement: agarcia@santafeopera.org Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosted by Anna Garcia & Olga Perez Flora Audio Engineering: Collin Ungerleider & 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 support of the Hankins Foundation, Principal Education Sponsor of the Santa Fe Opera. To learn more, visit SantaFeOpera.org/KeyChange.    

4/16/25 • 33:26

Audition trends, career pivots, and pragmatic advice for young opera talent... It's all coming up in our 2-part series of Key Change with Chandler Johnson, Director of the world renknowned Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program for Singers. *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera, Department of Community Engagement & Education. Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosted by Anna Garcia & Olga Perez Flora Audio Engineering: Collin Ungerleider & 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 support of the Hankins Foundation, Principal Education Sponsor of the Santa Fe Opera. To learn more, visit SantaFeOpera.org/KeyChange.

4/9/25 • 00:44

Bet you didn't know that nurturing the next generation of opera performers, technicians, and enthusiasts begins in classrooms. Join Key Change co-hosts Anna Garcia and Olga Perez Flora on an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the Santa Fe Opera Department of Community Engagement and Education, featuring guest appearances by Season 5 favorites Charles Gamble, Director of Community Engagement, and Marissa Aurora, Community Engagement Liaison, plus new friend Olivia Dorrell, Administrative Coordinator.  "We're all moved by the extraordinary pageantry, music, and movement of opera," says Charles. "I'll be honest with you, though; the thing that most excites me is the process of being able to engage in that process with young humans and watching them do the heavy lifting of being artists."  Santa Fe Opera's myriad school programs and summer camps introduce children as young as three to the collaborative spirit of opera, while professional development workshops help teachers use opera to facilitate learning. Internships provide an essential point of entry for college-aged talent. "It's been really rewarding to see and hear from the students how it's opening their world to a lot of career paths that they didn't think were possible in New Mexico," says Marissa. Other initiatives like volunteer opportunities, the Pueblo Opera Cultura Council, and the Pueblo Opera Program ensure that Santa Fe continues to be a welcoming environment for all. Oliva agrees. "It's always lovely to welcome so many patrons to the preview dinners, some seasoned opera-goers and some attending the opera for the first time." FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE Charles Gamble, Director Of Community Engagement  Marissa Aurora, Community Engagement Liaison Olivia Dorrell, Administrative Coordinator MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Opera Storytellers Summer Camp | Santa Fe Opera Pueblo Opera Program | Santa Fe Opera Pueblo Opera Cultural Council | Santa Fe Opera ALTO: Arts Integration | Santa Fe Opera Guilds Of Santa Fe Opera, Inc Opera Theatre | University Of New Mexico Albuquerque Academy Northern New Mexico College The Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts Lucio Silla 2005 | Santa Fe Opera Der Rosenkavalier | Santa Fe Opera The Turn of the Screw | Santa Fe Opera Die Walküre | Santa Fe Opera La bohème | Santa Fe Opera KEY CHANGE RECOMMENDED PLAYLIST An Opportunity to Encounter Excellence (and Big News!) Making Learning Sticky: Creative Compassion for Kids & Educators Through Opera with Charles Gamble Harmony in Process: The Young Voices of the Santa Fe Opera with Amy "Process" Owens What's Opera to a Bunch of High School Students? Young Voices, "The New Crop" Story With Purpose: The Origin of the Pueblo Opera Cultural Council with Renee Roybal and Claudene A. Martinez Spark of Imagination: Generations of the Pueblo Opera Program with Sonja & Seth Martinez From Gardening to Greeting Guests, Volunteers Run the World! with Marissa Aurora, Artist & Volunteer Liaison *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera, Department of Community Engagement & Education. Share your favorite opera moments and questions with Community Engagement: agarcia@santafeopera.org Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosted by Anna Garcia & Olga Perez Flora Audio Engineering: Collin Ungerleider & 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 support of the Hankins Foundation, Principal Education Sponsor of the Santa Fe Opera. To learn more, visit SantaFeOpera.org/KeyChange.

3/26/25 • 36:36

What is the minimum age you have to be to start training at the Santa Fe Opera? What are 3 ways you can volunteer at the Santa Fe Opera? What secret do we reveal on Season 6, Episode 2 about our new Director of Community Engagement, Charles Gamble? *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera, Department of Community Engagement & Education. Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosted by Anna Garcia & Olga Perez Flora Audio Engineering: Collin Ungerleider & 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 support of the Hankins Foundation, Principal Education Sponsor of the Santa Fe Opera. To learn more, visit SantaFeOpera.org/KeyChange.

3/19/25 • 00:59

What do disco naps, pantsuits, and chili preferences have to do with life at the opera? If you're new to the art form in general and Key Change specifically, welcome! And don't worry, all will be revealed. To our returning fans, a hearty welcome back! We're excited to share another season and a fresh focus with you. Back to that opening inquiry... "I was thinking it would be really great if we did a lightning round together where we got to know a little bit more about each other and about what's coming up this season," explains Olga, making her official debut as Key Change co-host, alongside three-season veteran Anna Garcia. Their answers reveal a lesser-known fact about opera: it's more approachable and playful than newcomers might think.  This season, we're pulling back the curtain further on accessibility via Santa Fe Opera's brand new partnership with the University of New Mexico Department of Music. But we haven't abandoned new works or the original mission of Opera For All Voices (the initiative that launched this podcast). Instead, Key Change is momentarily adjusting its spotlight to focus on the development and evolution of new voices. "I've loved learning about the process of the artists, teams, our community members, our teaching artists, and administrative staff," says Anna of this season. "Everybody has their origin story, and I think our audience really wants to hear that aspect. It's kind of like the backstage of opera." Change is key, as we like to say. We're glad you're along for the ride.  "CATCHING UP ON KEY CHANGE" RECOMMENDED PLAYLIST Season 1 Episode 1: Setting the Stage: New beginnings, heightened expectations, the heart of opera, and the Santa Fe of it Episode 5: Other Duties As Assigned: The role of education & community outreach in opera companies  Season 4 Episode 6: A Day in the Life Before a World Premiere Episode 7: Telling Hard Truths Episode 8: Hometown to the World Debuts on Broadway Season 5 Episode 3: Harmony in Process: The Young Voices of the Santa Fe Opera with Amy "Process" Owens  Episode 8: An Opportunity to Encounter Excellence (and Big News!)  *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera, Department of Community Engagement & Education. Share your favorite opera moments and questions with Community Engagement: agarcia@santafeopera.org Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosted by Anna Garcia & Olga Perez Flora Audio Engineering: Collin Ungerleider & 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 support of the Hankins Foundation, Principal Education Sponsor of the Santa Fe Opera. To learn more, visit SantaFeOpera.org/KeyChange.

3/12/25 • 47:07

Coming up on Season 6, Episode 1 of Key Change... *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera, Department of Community Engagement & Education. Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosted by Anna Garcia & Olga Perez Flora Audio Engineering: Collin Ungerleider & 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 support of the Hankins Foundation, Principal Education Sponsor of the Santa Fe Opera. To learn more, visit SantaFeOpera.org/KeyChange.  

3/5/25 • 00:51

What does it take to build a rewarding and sustainable career in opera? What happens when you realize you don't really have the drive to BE an opera singer? How do you find the courage to take more creative risks in your own work and life? The answers to these questions and more on Key Change Season 6 from the Santa Fe Opera Department of Community Engagement and Education, with the returning co-host you know and love, Anna Garcia, and the new co-host you're going to love, Olga Perez Flora! If you're new here, catch up on seasons 1-5 with this recommended playlist: Season 1 Episode 1: Setting the Stage (June 29, 2018) Episode 5: Other Duties as Assigned (July 25, 2018) Season 2 Episode 2: A Seat at the Table (April 17, 2019) Episode 8: Gender is Not Genre (May 29, 2019) Season 3 Episode 6: Building a Better Society with Florida International University Music Students (August 25, 2021) Season 4 Episode 2: Influence and Inclusion (June 22, 2022) Episode 4: Story With Purpose: The Origin of the Pueblo Opera Cultural Council (July 13, 2022) Season 5 The whole season! But if we have to choose… Episode 2: Making Learning Sticky (April 17, 2024) Episode 7: What's Opera to a Bunch of High School Students? (November 13, 2024) Episode 8: An Opportunity to Encounter Excellence (December 4, 2024) *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera, Department of Community Engagement & Education. Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosted by Anna Garcia & Olga Perez Flora Audio Engineering: Collin Ungerleider & 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 support of the Hankins Foundation, Principal Education Sponsor of the Santa Fe Opera. To learn more, visit SantaFeOpera.org/KeyChange.  

2/19/25 • 00:54

What does it take to build a rewarding and sustainable career in opera? What happens when you realize you don't really have the drive to BE an opera singer? How do you find the courage to take more creative risks in your own work and life? The answers to these questions and more on Key Change Season 6 from the Santa Fe Opera Department of Community Engagement and Education, with the returning co-host you know and love, Anna Garcia, and the new co-host you're going to love, Olga Perez Flora! If you're new here, catch up on seasons 1-5 with this recommended playlist: Season 1 Episode 1: Setting the Stage (June 29, 2018) Episode 5: Other Duties as Assigned (July 25, 2018) Season 2 Episode 2: A Seat at the Table (April 17, 2019) Episode 8: Gender is Not Genre (May 29, 2019) Season 3 Episode 6: Building a Better Society with Florida International University Music Students (August 25, 2021) Season 4 Episode 2: Influence and Inclusion (June 22, 2022) Episode 4: Story With Purpose: The Origin of the Pueblo Opera Cultural Council (July 13, 2022) Season 5 The whole season! But if we have to choose… Episode 2: Making Learning Sticky (April 17, 2024) Episode 7: What's Opera to a Bunch of High School Students? (November 13, 2024) Episode 8: An Opportunity to Encounter Excellence (December 4, 2024) *** Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera, Department of Community Engagement & Education. Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios Hosted by Anna Garcia & Olga Perez Flora Audio Engineering: Collin Ungerleider & 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 support of the Hankins Foundation, Principal Education Sponsor of the Santa Fe Opera. To learn more, visit SantaFeOpera.org/KeyChange.

2/19/25 • 01:08

We've arrived at the end, or the beginning, depending on how you mark time. Key Change co-hosts Andrea Fellows Fineberg and Anna Garcia close out this podcast season with an epic career coda and an equally impressive introduction. Join us as we say farewell (but not goodbye) to Andrea and welcome Olga Perez Flora, DMA, Associate Professor of Voice, University of New Mexico (UNM), who will assume Key Change co-hosting duties next season. And what would our final episode of the year be without a trip in the trusty Key Change Time Machine? Cue the tears and cheers as we set a course for legacy-defining moments and forward-focused collaborations.  "I have big dreams," says Olga, the visionary educator and performer excited to "pay it forward" with a collaboration between UNM and Santa Fe Opera. This partnership offers students multiple pathways into performance and other careers in opera. "My dream is for us to build on what has already been happening and give students at UNM just a little bit more room to learn what the professional side of opera is like," Olga explains. "We're gonna work locally toward global impact," affirms Andrea, who exits Santa Fe Opera after 33 years of championing broader student access to and community engagement with the art form. She leaves behind an enduring legacy that includes Opera For All Voices and this podcast, but not before previewing her exciting new synergies with Santa Fe Opera.  And that's the curtain call for season five! FEATURING Olga Perez Flora, Mezzo-soprano, Voice Area Head, Associate Professor of Voice, University of New Mexico Charles Gamble, Director Of Community Outreach, Santa Fe Opera Andrea Klunder, producer, Key Change Podcast MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Opera For All Voices Young Voices Program | Santa Fe Opera Opera Storytellers Summer Camp | Santa Fe Opera Shoes For The Santo Niño The University Of New Mexico School Of Music Florida International University School of Music & Performing Arts Ernesto Lecuona Leo Brouwer José María Vitier Nathan Salazar Marcy Rendon Brent Michael Davids Del Sol Quartet University Of Michigan School Of Music, Theatre, & Dance  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 Music Born Out of a Modern Experience: The Pigeon Keeper Orchestral Workshop Building a Better Society with Florida International University Music Students The View From 20,000 Feet: An Interview with General Director Charles MacKayConnections Across Time and Space: Opera in the Cosmo Hometown to the World: Discovering "Postville" with Laura Kaminsky and Kimberly Reed *** 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  

12/4/24 • 42:35

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.

11/13/24 • 37:53

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.

6/26/24 • 41:05

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.  

6/12/24 • 37:26

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.  

5/15/24 • 25:49

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.

5/1/24 • 40:53

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 cgamble@santafeopera.org 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.

4/17/24 • 31:36

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.

2/28/24 • 48:14

It's season 5! This season, we're inviting you, our favorite listeners, on a journey through time and space -- traveling back in time to the origins of Key Change and Opera For All Voices and forward into the future of boundless possibilities. This spring, Andrea Fellows Feinberg and Anna Garcia take you through through the community engagement portal to hear from the voices transforming the future of opera.  And in the fall, they'll offer a backstage pass to latest Opera For All Voices commissions as we continue to shift the conversation about what opera is and what it can be. New episodes of Key Change are coming to your favorite podcast app this spring and summer 2024.  *** 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 Prouction Support: 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 us at SantaFeOpera.org.  

2/22/24 • 01:07

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.

4/26/23 • 43:56

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.  

4/12/23 • 48:44

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.  

3/29/23 • 41:23