Jun. 22—The Santa Fe Opera's 2023 season features a bouquet of new productions of classic operas spiced with a 2024 world premiere.

Puccini's "Tosca" and Wagner's "The Flying Dutchman" will open the opera's 66th festival season, followed by Debussy's "Pelléas et Mélisande," Dvorák's "Rusalka" and Monteverdi's "Orfeo," with a world premiere orchestration by American composer Nico Muhly.

For 2024, the company has commissioned a new opera by two of America's most exciting talents, composer Gregory Spears and former U.S. Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize-winner Tracy K. Smith titled "The Righteous," exploring the intersection between religious faith and political power through the biblical story of David. The piece marks the second operatic collaboration between Spears and Smith, whose "Castor and Patience" will receive its world premiere at Cincinnati Opera this July.

SFO executive director Robert K. Meya announced the lineup in a video message from the opera's Stieren Orchestra Hall on Wednesday.

"Tosca" will open the 66th season on June 30, 2023, in a new production directed by Keith Warner, with "The Flying Dutchman" on July 1.

Sopranos Angel Blue and Leah Hawkins will star in the title role of "Tosca." Tenors Joshua Guerrero and Freddie De Tommaso in his American debut will share the role of Cavaradossi.

Sign up for our free Thursday Entertainment newsletter!

Your email is safe with us, we don't spam. Cancel anytime.

Sign Up

"The Flying Dutchman" has not been produced on the Santa Fe stage in more than 30 years. The new production is set during the Industrial Revolution. Former SFO apprentice singer Nicholas Brownlee will portray the Dutchman with Elza van den Heever as Senta.

"Pelléas et Mélisande" opens on July 15, 2023, in a site-specific production by Netia Jones, who presented last season's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Baritone Huw Montague Rendell and mezzo-soprano Samantha Hankey star.

Opening on July 22, 2023, Sir David Pountney's new production of "Rusalka" meets Dvorák's turn-of-the-century masterpiece at an intersection of fairy tale and psychological drama. Soprano Ailyn Pérez will sing the title role. Tenor Robert Watson sings the role of the Prince and soprano Mary Elizabeth Williams is the Foreign Princess, both in their company debuts.

Opening July 29, 2023, "Orfeo" is one of opera's earliest written, regularly performed works. Superstar tenor Rolando Villazón wil make his company debut, as will soprano Lauren Snouffer.

The 2023 season also will mark the 50th anniversary of the company's Pueblo Opera Program. Since 1973, children and families from New Mexico's 19 pueblos and three reservations have come to Santa Fe to take part in a music program founded the shared value and respect for the power of story telling. An advisory council including past participants and tribal elders guide the program. For the anniversary, the council has hired filmmaker Beverly Singer of Santa Clara Pueblo to create a documentary.