Santa Fe Opera 2008 Season Announced
The 2008 season for the Santa Fe Opera will include an important American premiere, two operas receiving their first performances by the company, and new productions of two popular classics. Kaija Saariaho’s Adriana Mater, which received its world premiere in Paris in April 2006, will be given its first American staging. Benjamin Britten’s Billy Budd and Handel’s Radamisto are both Santa Fe Opera premieres. Verdi’s Falstaff and Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro complete the season. The 2008 repertory was released by Santa Fe Opera General Director Richard Gaddes, as follows:
Verdi, Falstaff. New Production (Starts June 27, 2008)
Mozart, The Marriage of Figaro. New Production (Starts June 28, 2008)
Britten, Billy Budd. New Production. First Performance by The Santa Fe Opera (Starts July 12, 2008
Handel, Radamisto. New Production. First Performance by The Santa Fe Opera (Starts July 19, 2008)
Saariaho, Adriana Mater. New Production. American Premiere (Starts July 26, 2008)
The eight-week, 38-performance season ends Saturday, August 23.
“2008 is a wonderfully varied season that spans four centuries, from the 1720 Radamisto to the 2006 Adriana Mater,” says Gaddes. “Our choices this season are in a long-standing tradition of presenting a mix of popular favorites, some rarities, and 
something brand new. We have learned that our audiences are eager to hear operas they might not have heard before, and they seem to be willing to put faith in our choices. Certainly that proved to be the case last year when all the performances sold out.”
Two conductors will make their American debuts during the Santa Fe Opera 2008 season: Italian-born Paolo Arrivabeni in Falstaff; and Barcelona native Ernest Martinez Izquierdo in Adriana Mater. Singers debuting with the company include Claire Rutter and Laura Giordano in Falstaff; Elizabeth Watts, Isabel Leonard, Aaron Pegram and Luca Pisaroni in The Marriage of Figaro; Teddy Tahu Rhodes and Peter Rose in Billy Budd; Laura Claycomb and David Daniels in Radamisto; Pia Freund and Joseph Kaiser in Adriana Mater. Santa Fe Opera production team debuts include scenic and costume designer Gideon Davey for Radamisto.
Singers returning to The Santa Fe Opera include: Laurent Naouri and Anthony Michaels-Moore, who will share the title role in Falstaff; Nancy Maultsby, Norman Reinhardt and Keith Jameson, also appearing in Falstaff; Susanna Phillips and Mariusz Kwiecien in The Marriage of Figaro; William Burden, Keith Jameson, Richard Stilwell and John Stephens in Billy Budd; and Monica Groop in Adriana Mater.
Conductor Kenneth Montgomery, director Jonathan Kent and scenic and costume designer Paul Brown return for The Marriage of Figaro; conductor Edo de Waart, director Paul Curran and scenic and costume designer Robert Innes Hopkins for Billy Budd; conductor Harry Bicket and director David Alden for Radamisto; director Peter Sellars and scenic designer George Tsypin for Adriana Mater.
Tickets for the 2008 season will be available at the box office and by telephone beginning June 29: 505 986 5900, toll free 800 280 4654. Reservations for non-subscribers will be filled in the order in which they are received beginning January 1, 2008.
The Santa Fe Opera receives funding from the City of Santa Fe Arts Commission and the 1% Lodgers’ Tax; New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs; New Mexico Department of Tourism; and the National Endowment for the Arts. Opening night performances are sponsored by Las Campanas Santa Fe.
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