Key Change

" 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...

"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.   A nd 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, y ou can't tell anyone anything. But you CAN tell them a story." ~Peter Sellars A...

"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 d elicacy 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 un...

"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 commissio...

"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 conversa...

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....

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...

This season, it's time to dig a little deeper. Exploring the future of opera in America and telling new stories with Opera for All Voices. Season 2 drops April 10th, 2019. Subscribe now to be the first to listen!   *** 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 Fel...

7 American opera companies, 4 new commissions, 2 workshops... Opera for All Voices is back with Season 2 of Key Change! Andrea Fellows Walters and Brandon Neal take you on a journey behind the scenes of commissioning new opera, reaching new audiences and supporting emerging artists. This season, we're digging even deeper into the most compelling topics and questions that are shaping the future of...

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 f...

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'...

"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 scal...

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...

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...

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 Gram...

Opera for All Voices (OFAV) wasn't always "Opera for All Voices."  Amidst endless brainstorming sessions, redefining family programming, seeking edgier content, aligning with social justice themes, addressing significant doubts, and drawing solutions on dinner meeting napkins...  ...Is it even possible for 7 opera companies to reach some kind of consensus? Get an inside look at the origins, naming...

What do you think of when you think of opera? In January of 2016, opera companies from all over the United States started a conversation, trying to figure out how to create new works for smaller stages, alternative spaces, and major opera companies. Could we develop works that speak to a broader audience and how can we be the leaders in showing that diversity is a huge plus? What if we fail? What...

Starting June 29th, The Santa Fe Opera brings you Key Change, a series exploring the commission and creation of new operas and their connection to our industry, our communities, and our future. Will we fail? Will we succeed? What if we keep imagining? These and other questions guide us through the ups and downs of this new collaborative initiative called Opera for All Voices. Co-hosts Andrea Fello...