Santa Fe Opera Announces 82 Exceptional Apprentice Technicians For The 2024 Season
- Submitted by Carol A. Clark
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Eighty two members of the 2024 Apprentice Program for Theater Technicians backstage at the Santa Fe Opera. Photo by Kristin Hullihan for the Santa Fe Opera
The Santa Fe Opera News:
SANTA FE — The Santa Fe Opera has announced the 82 members of its 2024 Apprentice Program for Theater Technicians.
Selected from a pool of more than 1,000 national and international applications, the class of 2024 brings fresh creativity and technical expertise to the Santa Fe Opera and performing arts industry.
Each season, SFO’s technical apprentices perform essential backstage functions within one of eight distinct crews:
- Audio/Visual;
- Costumes;
- Electrics;
- Production/Music Services;
- Properties;
- Scenic Art;
- Stage Operations; and
- Wigs and Makeup.
The crews carry out daily changeovers to maintain the season’s repertory schedule and fill positions crucial to the live-running of productions.
Santa Fe Opera Production and Recruiting Coordinator Tracy Armagost facilitates the program, including recruitment, hiring and programming numerous masterclasses, director/designer presentations and an annual portfolio fair. Says Tracy, “We are honored to welcome the class of 2024 technical apprentices to the Santa Fe Opera! I am so inspired by these talented artists and technicians who are willing to learn, work hard and create artistry on our stage.
Following the challenges of the last few years, it’s heartening to see their vibrant sparks of creativity support our artistic endeavors. It will be a joy to collaborate with them and watch them grow into their production team roles here and beyond.”
In addition to their involvement in mainstage opera presentations, the technical and singing apprentices will produce two evenings of Apprentice Scenes at 8 p.m., Aug. 11 and 18, 2024, where they showcase their artistry to the public. Each technical apprentice also has the opportunity to work with the company’s production staff of experienced designers, technicians and skilled craftspeople from theaters, opera companies and universities across the globe.
2024 Technical Apprentices
*Denotes second-year apprentice
Audio/Visual
Anjelica Jones, Chicago, Illinois
Meara Kronsperger, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Joshua Moore, Highlands Ranch, Colorado
Brooke Sauerwein, Houston, Texas
Costumes
Morgan Bailie, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Jordan Billiot, New Orleans, Louisiana
Emily Cosma, Richmond, Virginia
Claire Elise, Anderson, South Carolina
Gabrielle Farnsworth, Lubbock, Texas
Travis Gawason, New Hope, Pennsylvania
Ava Greer, Ocean Springs, Mississippi
Emma Rose Harrison*, Dixon, New Mexico
Caifeng Hong, Dalian, China
Robin Klemaszewski, Tempe, Arizona
Lilli Lemberger, Houston, Texas
Grigorii Malakhov*, Poland
Ashley Morgan, Madison, Wisconsin
Lily Ochoa, San Antonio, Texas
Eden Resnik, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Alex Rockey*, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Sophie Shahan, Norwood, North Carolina
Tyler Swartz, Mountain View, California
Emma Van Horn, Phoenix, Arizona
Macey Veeder-Shave, Hyde Park, New York
Annie Wang, Azusa, California
Mila Livoni Zidel, Chicago, Illinois
Electrics
Frida Capitán Parra, Austin, Texas
Julian Cordova, Clermont, Florida
Micah Dominguez-Schatz*, Toronto, Ontario Canada
Rubysella M. Erickson*, Houston, Texas
Emily Jones, Wichita, Kansas
Mathilda Kleinhans, McFarland, Wisconsin
Leo Levine, Bethesda, Maryland
Eli McEwan, Libertyville, Illinois
India Silverman, Redmond, Washington
E. Lieu Wolhardt, Hong Kong, China
Production/Music Services Crew
Katie Barnes, Macedon, New York
Trista Cae Davidson, Durant, Oklahoma
Julia Griffith, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Oscar Hough, Houston, Texas
Elijah Hughes, Woodstock, Georgia
Properties
Natalia Baez Ortiz, Ponce, Puerto Rico
Vance Cook*, Gilbert, Arizona
Kayla Cotter, Springfield, Missouri
Liliana Cudly, Fremont, Nebraska
Noah Davidson, Lockport, Illinois
Dallas Fadul, San Diego, California
Annabelle Gauthier, Dexter, Michigan
Hunter Hubler, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Saige Kanik, Weston, Connecticut
Lydia Konings*, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Ivy Lariviere, Stillwater, Minnesota
Erin McNeley-Phelps*, Lenexa, Kansas
Zoe Steenwyk, Mebane, North Carolina
Kira Weaver, Cleveland, Ohio
Scenic Art
Angel Cortez, Santa Maria, California
Rylan Marincovich, Shawnee, Kansas
Adrian Merson, Charlotte, North Carolina
Stage Crew
Anthony Arzate, Santa Ana, California
Kay Burley, Sterling Heights, Michigan
Matt Carroll, Aldie, Virginia
Mike Cooprider*, Hutchinson, Kansas
Mike Hanlon, Washington, D.C.
Turner Laxson, Fort Worth, Texas
Brenda Mendez-Maria, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Josie Mueller, Orlando, Florida
Amelia Routhier, San Antonio, Texas
Anna Ryabova, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Reid Stadelman, Beloit, Wisconsin
Mitchel Statler, Fresno, California
Nicholas Thomas, Emporia, Kansas
Andrea Tuthill*, Amherst, Massachusetts
Dameon Vasquez, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Ellora Venkat, Calabasas, California
Eli Wallow*, San Carlos, California
Robert Webb, Thomson, Georgia
Desmond Wood, Clemmons, North Carolina
Nathaniel York, Aurora, Colorado
Wigs and Makeup
Sarah Burstock, Leesburg, Virginia
Sophie Lin*, Taipei, Taiwan/New York
Tzu-Hsuan (Celine) Lin, Taiwan
Joshua Wisham*, Colorado Springs, Colorado
About The Santa Fe Opera’s Apprentice Program for Theater Technicians
Established in 1965, the Apprentice Program for Theater Technicians has provided intermediate and advanced instruction and practical experience to young technicians in elements of stage operations. Among the first of its kind in America, more than 3,500 aspiring technicians have participated in the internationally recognized program. Former Technical Apprentices have progressed to careers as professional technicians and designers for stage and film work; others work in production at opera, theater and ballet companies worldwide. This year, Tracy traveled over 14,000 miles on 23 planes and drove over 1,400 miles to meet applicants at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festivals (KCACTF), the United States Institute of Theater Technology (USITT) conference and numerous other regional festivals. Joined by year-round production staff members Andi Bishofberger, Mike Ortiz, Eileen Garcia and Jessica Gilliard, thousands of resumes were reviewed and carefully considered.
The 2024 Season
The 67th Festival Season features 38 performances of four new productions plus a beloved revival, each in harmony with the company’s time-tested programming model of a balanced and varied repertory of new, lesser-performed and standard works. Opening Weekend June 28 and 29 centers on new productions of Verdi’s La traviata directed by Louisa Muller and Mozart’s Don Giovanni directed by Stephen Barlow. Next, July 13, the company will present its 19th world premiere, The Righteous, by composer Gregory Spears and US Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize-winner Tracy K. Smith in a 1980s-era production by Kevin Newbury. Rounding out the season’s offerings are an international co-production and the remount of a beloved SFO production. July 20, Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier opens in a highly-acclaimed staging by Bruno Ravella seen at Garsington Opera and Irish National Opera. Beginning July 27, Stephen Lawless’s production of Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love is remounted in a charming revival originating from 2009. The Apprentice Scenes featuring SFO’s singing and technical apprentices in staged scenes from the operatic repertoire take center stage August 11 and 18. Says General Director Robert K. Meya, “From iconic masterpieces to groundbreaking premieres to showcasing the most thrilling talent of today and tomorrow, our aim is to create experiences that resonate with audiences and celebrate the transformative power of the operatic art form.” First-time visitors and long-time patrons can also look forward to offerings evocative of the Santa Fe Opera experience including tailgating, Preview Dinners, Tours, free Prelude Talks and much more. Individual tickets and subscriptions are on sale now at santafeopera.org.
About The Santa Fe Opera
Named “Festival of the Year” by the International Opera Awards, the Santa Fe Opera annually draws 85,000 people from New Mexico and around the globe. Nestled atop a mountain vista in northern New Mexico, the company’s iconic Crosby Theatre is open on three sides, allowing visitors to enjoy performances complemented by the elements. Since 1957, the company has presented over 2,000 performances of 179 operas by 91 composers spanning five centuries of opera, creating a legacy of 45 American premieres and 18 world premieres.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility at the Santa Fe Opera
Opera has the power to speak truth, broaden perspectives and invite empathy. The Santa Fe Opera is committed to the continuous work of becoming an antiracist and anti-oppressive organization and incorporating the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility. Our goal is to create a joyful and engaging environment in which a diverse community of artists, staff, volunteers and audiences alike belong.
