“Each summer, the superbly inventive Santa Fe Opera, playing in a brilliant new theater by James Stewart Polshek on a hilltop north of town, draws visitors from all around the globe. The annual Chamber Music Festival and extensive dance and theater programs also help to make Santa Fe feel a bit like Salzburg with margaritas. There is sorcery in the air here.”
- The New York Times

David Daniels: “The best counter-tenor in the world today”
- The Guardian

“Teddy Tahu Rhodes’ attractive baritone and winning stage persona made Guglielmo an operatic dream come true.”
- Opera, Dec. ’07 review of ‘Così fan Tutte’

Santa Fe’s breathtaking open-air opera house has now been successfully covered without detracting from the beauty of the extraordinary setting. The major renovation finally eliminated the risk of wet nights, while the open sides have retained the scenic view of the dramatic Southwest valley. Most importantly, the expanded and upgraded seating has enabled us to secure our ticket locations in the TOP-PRICE category. Our repeat travelers will be delighted to discover this improvement in our Santa Fe Tour. The Santa Fe Opera’s 2008 season is the company’s 52nd and again combines an irresistible variety of proven and unfamiliar works. We will include all five major opera productions, with a performance – or a concert – every evening.

General Director Richard Gaddes has now been in charge of the triumphant seasons for seven years, and he has announced a sensational program for 2008. We will attend FIVE OPERATIC EVENINGS because there is none that we would want to miss, especially as all five will be staged in new productions. All of the operas will be titled in English, with the titles on a screen in front of your seat, similar to the optimum solution initiated by the MET.

We will also include a concert by the revered Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival in the St. Francis Auditorium, a tradition which has enriched our Tours for many years. The concert will feature the towering Goldberg Variations of Johann Sebastian Bach.

In chronological order, the ’08 repertoire will encompass Handel’s Baroque landmark, Radamisto; Mozart’s immortal lyric comedy, Le Nozze di Figaro; Verdi’s final operatic masterpiece, Falstaff; Benjamin Britten’s powerful music-drama, Billy Budd; and the American premiere of Adriana Mater by Kaija Saariaho, the contemporary Finnish composer whose ‘L’Amour de loin’ was the hit of Santa Fe’s 2002 season. Among the exciting artists who have been announced for the leading roles are Laura Claycomb, Claire Rutter, Susanna Phillips, Nancy Maultsby, Monica Groop and an unusual plethora of male stars including Michael Maniaci, David Daniels, William Burden, Mariusz Kwiecien, Anthony Michaels-Moore, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Richard Stilwell, and Peter Rose.

Opera enthusiasts will be eager to experience this exceptional season. For many reasons, we expect our Tour to be completely sold out to old and new friends.

Our carefully selected sightseeing excursions will introduce us to the sculpture gardens of Glenn Green Gallery/Tuscany Villa & Outdoor Sculpture Park in nearby Tesuque Village; and to the private studio and gallery of Roxanne Swentzell, the Native American Santa Clara potter, to the north of Santa Fe. Instead of the typical tours to such overcrowded sites as Taos and Los Alamos, our personal visits to artists’ studios have always been appreciated by our travelers in recent years.

Our accommodations for six nights will be at the renovated St. Francis Hotel in the heart of downtown Santa Fe. We have always been attracted to the hotel’s quiet atmosphere, with a relaxed outdoor breakfast patio and a spacious central lobby where afternoon tea is served to the tune of classical music. The location is ideal for easy walking to the city’s principal shops and restaurants, but it is sufficiently removed from the noisy crowds which congregate on the central Plaza. Of particular note is the hotel’s excellent and experienced concierge, who is happy to assist you with any independent sightseeing and dining reservations. Nearly all of our rooms are in the desirable Superior category, which combine authentic Southwest appointments with comfortable, updated furnishings. A Saturday night stay-over is included to assure optimum air fares.

Independent arrivals should be on Monday, August 4th. However, because there is a performance on the first evening, we are pleased to offer a limited number of rooms for the early optional night of Sunday, August 3rd, for those who wish to arrive a day before the Tour begins. You should notify us NOW if you wish the early night’s accommodation.