Puccini powers the Santa Fe Opera season premiere
TOSCA
SANTA FE’S RAILYARD DISTRICT
The Destination for Contemporary Art
ArtintheMaking:GroupExhibition
MaxCole:BreakingDay EVOKECONTEMPORARY
ErinCurrier,Troubadours
ZANEBENNETTCONTEMPORARY ArmondLara
AlightfeaturingCoryFeder andDiegoMedina
ARTVAULT
JenniferWest:FilmTitlePoem (AnimationStill)
TanakaKyokusho
LEWALLENGALLERIES
JivanLee:Hondo
BrianRutenberg: BannersoftheCoast
PASATIEMPO
PASATIEMPO EDITOR
Carolyn Graham 505-986-3044 cgraham@sfnewmexican.com
ART DIRECTOR
Marcella Sandoval 505-395-9466 msandoval@sfnewmexican.com
ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR
Taura Costidis 505-986-1310 tcostidis@sfnewmexican.com
COPY EDITOR
Holly Weber hweber@sfnewmexican.com
CALENDAR EDITOR
Pamela Beach 505-986-3019 pambeach@sfnewmexican.com
STAFF WRITERS
Spencer Fordin 505-986-3048 sfordin@sfnewmexican.com
Brian Sandford 505-995-3862 bsandford@sfnewmexican.com
INTERN
Anthony Romero-Kleve aromero-kleve@sfnewmexican.com
CONTRIBUTORS
Heather Roan Robbins, Judy Gibbs Robinson, Mark Tiarks
P.O Box 2048, Santa Fe NM 87504
OWNER
Robin Martin
PUBLISHER Pat Dorsey
EDITOR Phill Casaus
ADVERTISING 505-995-3852
RETAIL ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
Wendy Ortega, 505-995-3852
ADVERTISING SALES/PASATIEMPO
Maria Lopez Garcia, 505-995-3825
Clara Holiday, 505-995-3892
Deb Meyers, 505-995-3861
Trina Thomas, 505-995-3840
Lisa Vakharia, 505-995-3830
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS
Rick Artiaga, Justin Bixler, Elspeth Hilbert
AD DEADLINE 5 PM FRIDAYS www.santafenewmexican.com
EDITOR’S NOTE
If you ’ re a classical musician living in northern New Mexico, you can get a lot of work
There are gigs with the Santa Fe Symphony, Santa Fe Pro Musica, the New Mexico Philharmonic, and Opera Southwest, as well as smaller ensembles like Chatter and the New Mexico Performing Arts Society You might play in the pit for some of the Broadway touring productions that come to Popejoy Auditorium You could also be hired during the summer by the Santa Fe Opera or the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival
It takes a lot of time as well as a lot of talent to do so, because playing the performances is just a fraction of what’s involved There’s the never-ending practice to keep your skill level high, plus practicing your individual part prior to and after the first rehearsal There are the rehearsals themselves, and depending on where you live, either driving from Albuquerque to Santa Fe for some of the rehearsals and performances or traveling the other direction if you live in Santa Fe Oh, and don’t forget, you have to arrive early to warm up before the rehearsals and performances, which also takes time
Yes, you can keep busy, play a lot, and drive a lot What you can’t do is earn much of a living this way An instrumentalist who performs as a section player with Pro Musica, the Santa Fe Symphony, and the New Mexico Philharmonic will earn less than $20,000 in a typical year
You’ve got to fund most of your healthcare yourself and try to build up some retirement savings on your own as well, since most of these gigs don’t offer a lot in the way of fringe benefits Your frequent trips up and down I-25 involve not only time but the costs of driving [The IRS says that 120-mile roundtrip you ’ re making for each rehearsal or performance costs $78 60]
If you ’ re a parent, there are childcare costs And then there are the expenses related to instrument maintenance and repair, which can add up quickly You may still be paying those college loans too, since you may well have a graduate degree in performance as well as an undergrad
Of course, any significant improvement in wages and benefits means a significant fiscal commitment from the organizations, many of which are still in a post-pandemic recovery mode for ticket sales
The short-term prognosis shows mixed signals The most encouraging aspect? Chatter is expanding its Santa Fe presence to weekly chamber music concerts, as opposed to monthly just a couple of years ago, thanks to audience growth It’s part of a unique collaboration in which the Albuquerque-based chamber music collective will assume programming responsibilities for the underutilized gallery space at Santa Fe’s Center for Contemporary Arts
On the flip side, at least for the time being, Pro Musica has reduced its signature orchestra series from nine performances last season to five in 2023-2024 Its visiting string quartet series continues with a strong program in the coming season, but it doesn’t employ local musicians The holiday offerings which do are down from 14 concerts in 2019 to four this year
Given the immense enjoyment that our classical musicians provide, especially in Santa Fe, their work in various education and outreach programs, and their importance to tourism, it would be in our best long-term interest to invest in them
Some of our groups are now starting to look at different national models for cooperation, collaboration, and combination, which is a promising development Creating a solution will also involve addressing support inequities between the groups It won’t be easy, but it can be done, and it’s the right thing to do
Future articles in Pasatiempo will explore these issues in more depth, while we continue coverage of the many compelling local events with feature stories and reviews
Mark Tiarks, Frequent Contributor mtiarks@sfnewmexican com
Community Event 2023 Program Schedule
Join us for these fun summer happenings. Sign-ups open to the public.
WALK WITH EASE
• Get more activity at your own pace with the support of a coach and team members
• Fridays: July 7, 14, 21, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
• Sign up with our Santa Fe Community Health Worker at (505) 389-8002 or at prescommhealthclasses.com.
THE SPROUTING KITCHEN COOKING CLASSES
• Learn how to eat more seasonally and sustainably while having fun
• Wednesdays: July 19, August 16, September 20, 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
• Sign up with our Santa Fe Community Health Worker at (505) 389-8002 or at prescommhealthclasses com
SANTA FE FARMERS’ MARKET DEL SUR
• Enjoy family-friendly activities, find locally grown fruits and vegetables, and meet farmers and artists
• Tuesdays: July 4 - September 26, 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• Sample farmers’ recipes with field-fresh ingredients at Farmer Favorites, July 18, 3:00 p m to 6:00 p m
• Additional farmers’ market events this season include Chef Showcase on August 15 and the Annual Santa Fe Public Schools Salsa Showcase on September 19
• The Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Del Sur is a partnership between Presbyterian Santa Fe Medical Center, Santa Fe Farmers’ Market and Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Institute.
4801 Beckner Rd, Santa Fe, NM 87507 phs org/santafe
OUT THERE
MARKET NEWS
Get ready for IFAM
The eyes of the folk art world will be on Santa Fe next week, when dozens of the world’s craftiest creators converge on Railyard Park for the International Folk Art Market July 5-9 The annual market, now in its 19th year, moved this year to its new home from its location on Museum Hill
The event includes a diverse slate of art and artists, with 168 craftspeople from 52 countries and territories expected to participate Everyone from woodworkers to textile artists and basket-weavers to metalworkers are in the lineup, as well as artists who make jewelry, ceramics, sculpture, and more
The event will kick off on the evening of Wednesday, July 5, at the Railyard Water Tower with a procession of artists that will introduce festivalgoers to the craftspeople participating in the market
The following day Thursday, July 6 is when the festival begins with a spin for VIPs through the market and an opening night party The next three days Friday through Sunday will offer concerts, lectures, artist demos, and ticketed entry times for general admission to the market
Vendors and festivalgoers enjoy the 2022 International Folk Art Market
The general admission market times will run from 11 a m to 6 p m on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday And for the second straight year, the fair will feature a late-night market on July 8
Friday’s events will include performances on the Market Stage by the New Mexican Marimba Band, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Folklorico, Sourena Sefati Trio, and Concepto Tambor Los Niños de Santa Fe, Sevda Choir, and Korvin Orkestar will hit the stage Saturday morning through the afternoon Delgrés, a Caribbean blues trio, will play Saturday at 7 p m prior to the night market
The IFAM Lecture Series will feature Mexican senator and singer Susanna Harp and textile artist Caleb Sayan on Friday, fashion designer Carla Fernandez, and author Ivy Ross on Saturday followed by two demonstrations knot-tying and Japanese fan-making on Sunday Artist demonstrations on bell-making, hat-making, sculpture, papier-mâché, ceramics, and rawhide braiding are scheduled over the course of the art market Lectures and workshops will be at SITE Santa Fe; lectures require a general admission market ticket
An all-access pass to IFAM is $500, and general admission tickets cost $25 on Friday, $20 on Saturday, and $15 on Sunday Tickets for the Delgrés show and the night market cost $25, but attendees 16 and younger can obtain a free ticket Spencer Fordin
Community celebration: 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 5; opening night party: 6 p m Thursday, July 6; market hours are 9 a m to 7 p m July 7, 10 a m to midnight July 8, 10 a m to 6 p m July 9
Tickets range from $15 to $500
505-992-7600; folkartmarket org
SHOP TALK
Pandemic pivot
Leroy Garcia had a dream The owner of Blue Rain Gallery wanted to help artists benefit from the copyrights they hold on their original work while also making their art more accessible to folks whose bank accounts might not allow for fine art purchases
That dream came true in 2020, when Garcia expanded his gallery at 544 Guadalupe Street to include the Blue Rain Print Shop, where customers can order some of the gallery’s originals printed on an expanding range of affordable personal and household items, including coffee tumblers and mugs, aprons, potholders, clipboards, luggage and much more (scarves are coming soon)
Garcia’s own metalwork tiles are among the designs that are now available as usable art For example, his tile designed titled Circumspect is printed on both a suitcase ($250) and a luggage tag ($20) The original tile? $5,500
“Birthing the print shop was kind of a long-term vision for him,” says Denise Phetteplace, the gallery’s executive director
Before the pandemic shut down nonessential businesses in early 2020, Garcia had already explored selling fine-art reproductions on the internet But he
WORTH THE DRIVE Arts and spacecrafts
If you ’ re unfamiliar with the 1947 Roswell incident, welcome to New Mexico, and we hope the unpacking goes smoothly
For everyone else, it’s time for the official Roswell UFO Festival, a celebration that has grown into a Fourth of July weekend tradition since its beginnings in the late 1990s For arid Roswell, it’s a chance to draw thousands to the city at a time of year when the temperature can reach triple digits
For visitors, it’s a chance to take part in a wide variety of arts, outdoors, and kid-friendly activities, nearly all hewing to an extraterrestrial theme
They include laser light shows synced to popular music, a performance by aerialists, fire dancers, a drone show, tours, and live music Brian Sandford
8:45 a m to 10 p m Friday, June 30; 5:30 a m to 10 p m Saturday, July 1; and 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday, July 2
Various locations around Roswell
Costs vary
575-624-6700; ufofestival com
was concerned the process of making giclee prints on a high-resolution scanner was damaging the original work, so he shut it down But the pandemic’s impact on his business amped up his motivation to help find revenue for his artists and led to a decision: Forget fine art prints; put the images on everyday objects
“It was the perfect thing at the right time,” Garcia says His Big Idea wasn’t putting art on products many artists are already doing that, he notes It was bringing it all together under one roof, from sales to production Visitors can see some samples at the gallery, but shopping and sales are all done online at bluerainprintshop com; products are delivered directly to customers
Garcia first opened the Blue Rain Gallery in his native Taos in 1993, then expanded to Santa Fe in 2003 (later closing the Taos location) Earlier this year, he opened a second gallery in Durango, Colorado
The gallery represents about 50 artists on a regular basis, and about half of them have opted in to print shop products a number that could grow if more artists decide to create more art from their art Judy Gibbs Robinson/For The New Mexican
544 S. Guadalupe Street
505-954-9902; blueraingallerycom, bluerainprintshop com
OUT THERE
Popejoy poobah: Fabianna Borghese
There’s a new voice in charge of operations at Popejoy Hall, the University of New Mexico’s performing arts theater
Fabianna Borghese, the theater’s new director, spent a year learning the ropes as interim director before taking the helm permanently on May 1 Borghese, an alumna of the University of New Mexico, has worked at the theater since 2016, and she most recently held the role of Popejoy’s associate director of business operations
She’s a performer in her free time, working with local companies in shows ranging from Shakespearian tragedies to musical comedies
The new director recently talked with Pasatiempo about her role
Q: You’re a UNM grad?
A: I went to Anderson [School of Management]; I got my masters of accounting and my MBA there, and then I actually went to the School of Law and did their masters of law program So I have several UNM grad degrees
Q: And you did all that while still being a performer?
A: The last show I did was in 2021 I did the New Mexico Shakespeare Festival We did a production of Twelfth Night that was bilingual It was Twelfth Night, O Lo Que Quieras, or half-Spanish and half in the traditional Shakespeare
Q: Have you stepped on the Popejoy stage yourself as an actor?
A: We don’t have any local rentals that do performances like that at Popejoy anymore That would definitely be the biggest stage I’ve ever stepped on
Q: What was your progression at Popejoy? You’ve been there a long time and risen through the ranks?
A: I was working at UNM before Popejoy; I’ve actually been working at UNM for 12 years Popejoy had an opening for an accountant, and I was already a subscriber I was very familiar with Popejoy and because of my love of the theater, I applied for the job thinking it would be pretty neat I started as the accountant, and then within about a year, I got moved up to the associate director of business operations That’s where I worked until I was named interim director I worked very closely with our old director Tom Tzach, and he kind of mentored me We had a bit of overlap while I was interim before he left I got a lot of guidance from him over the years
Q: He was there for a long time? Is that pressure to step into his shoes?
A: He was director for about 20 years There’s a lot of pressure from the staff because a lot of them have also been here close to that long, too And from the community, too; just trying to make sure we live up to what people expect from us and maintain that standard of excellence
Q: Are there new initiatives at Popejoy we should know about?
A: One of the things we might want to do in the future is have a family series We have a school-time series in which we bring school-age children to Popejoy as field trips and stuff like that The family series would be for parents to bring their younger kids to the theater It would be more shows geared for younger audiences that parents could bring them to in the evening
We just rolled this out during Hamilton, but we also have a Broadway for Teens program It’s a philanthropic outreach program in which we try to bring in high school students to see Broadway shows at Popejoy We brought 45 kids from Cuba Independent School District [83 miles north of Albuquerque] and 40 students from Albuquerque to see Hamilton We’re hoping to expand that and get more schools to come out and see Broadway shows at Popejoy S F
See“PopejoyPackages,”June16, Pasatiempo,forinformation aboutthe2023-2024season Visitpopejoypresents comorcall 505-277-9771
DRINK UP (Grape) smashing success
The Santa Fe Wine Festival is celebrating its 29th birthday for the first time, it swears Kidding aside, the festival includes food, arts and crafts, and dancing It’s the second of seven festivals being held this year at El Rancho de las Golondrinas, as well as the second-oldest of those events; only the Santa Fe Harvest Festival, in its 51st year, has been around longer These wineries are set to take part: Black Mesa, Black Range Vineyards, Black Smuggler, El Alamo, Gruet, Jaramillo Vineyards, Jarales Wines, La Esperanza Vineyards, Las Nueve Ninas, Lescombes, Luna Rossa, New Mexico Hard Cider, Noisy Water, Ponderosa, Shattuck, Sheehan, St Clair, and Vinos Unidos B S
Noon to 6 p m Saturday, July 1, and Sunday, July 2
El Rancho de las Golondrinas, 334 Los Pinos Road
$20 for adults, $8 for students and ages 13-17, and free for those 12 and younger in advance
($22 and $10 at the door)
505-471-2261; golondrinas.org/events, tickets holdmyticket com
Hats off to Hearne
Brian Sandford l Photos Luis Sánchez Saturno l The New Mexican
When country-Americana artist Bill Hearne’s wife became too ill to perform in 2004, the musician wondered if his high-profile run at La Fonda on the Plaza was over Bill and Bonnie Hearne had long been a team notable for their onstage chemistry, alliterative act name, and pairs of thick, distinctive glasses, the latter a result of serious vision impairment He played guitar; she played piano Both sang By the time Bonnie was forced to leave the stage, they’d been performing as a unit in New Mexico for 25 years and Santa Fe for 13
When Hearne expressed doubt about his future as a solo act, a manager at La Fonda reassured him, telling Hearne, “‘Bill, we expect you here next week, and we know what you do is going to be good ’”
Apparently, it was Nineteen years later, he’s still in the Santa Fe spotlight, performing twice per month at La Fonda and weekly at Cowgirl BBQ He’ll be under an especially bright one during a free concert July 18 at the Plaza, when he opens for Texas singer-songwriter James McMurtry as part of the Lensic 360’s Santa Fe Plaza concert series.
There, he’ll be seen by several hundred and while Hearne won’t be able to make out the faces in the audience, his world is far from dark He was born with congenital cataracts, a condition he describes as a film that develops on the eye’s lens.
“I was born in ’49,” he says “They discovered that I wasn’t responding to light very well So I had a number of surgeries in Dallas, where I grew up, and I lost the left eye In my right eye I have no lens, so what replaced the lens was very thick, fisheye-type glasses. My glasses are very strong, allowing me to see stuff nearby, which is what’s critical for me to see ”
“People seemed to love us [at La Fonda], so we were hired for six months, then a year, then kept signing contracts. That went on until Bonnie retired in 2004, and I thought ‘Oh, man. I’m done.’” Nineteen years later, he still performs twice a month at the hotel’s La Fiesta Lounge
Hearne doesn’t drive and gets around Santa Fe using paratransit He can, however, read and watch television He had his final eye operation in the early 1950s and says the medical treatments for his condition have come a long way
“Today, they would have removed the lens with a laser and replaced it with a synthetic lens,” allowing for nearly 20/20 vision, he says.
At 74, Hearne says that back and shoulder issues are more of a problem now than his vision, but he’s grateful to be in reasonably good health
Before moving to Santa Fe, the Hearnes spent 12 years living and performing in Red River, located just over 100 miles to the northeast
“We’d been playing in New Mexico a lot through the ’70s,” Hearne says. “We got connected to a musical group that was based in Red River ”
The Hearnes made the move from Austin, Texas, to Red River, serving as the resident entertainers at a restaurant-bar in town from 1979 until 1991 It was idyllic, but not ideal
“It was difficult for two people who are visually challenged,” he says. “Red River had no real amenities.”
As a result, they often had to get rides After the restaurant-bar was sold to new owners who weren’t interested in offering live music, the pair considered their options.
“In late 1991, we were approached by the people from the La Fonda Hotel, mainly a woman named Evelyn Martinez who had just taken over as food and beverage director there,” Hearne says. “She had heard us play and contacted us about being resident artists there two nights a week ”
The Hearnes played a couple of one-off shows at the hotel before beginning their weekly run on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
“People seemed to love us, so we were hired for six months, then a year, then kept signing contracts,” Hearne says “That went on until Bonnie retired in 2004, and I thought ‘Oh, man I’m done [La Fonda is] not going to want me by myself ’”
Bonnie Hearne had Turner syndrome, a condition that results from missing part or all of an X chromosome It only affects women She was taking medication to treat
it that increasingly affected her memory onstage, her husband says Bonnie Hearne died of sepsis in 2017 at age 71, which didn’t come as a surprise following a period of declining health, Bill Hearne says.
Hearne sings in a slightly lower register than during his youth, a common adjustment for longtime performers He doesn’t write music and aims to avoid covering songs that are too familiar His and Bonnie’s albums are available on his website, with such localspleasing titles as Live at the La Fonda Hotel and From Santa Fe to Las Cruces
The Hearnes’ lives and careers were immortalized in the 2018 documentary New Mexico Rain: The Story of Bill & Bonnie Hearne, created by Santa Fe University of Art and Design graduate Bunee Tomlinson It won awards at the 2019 Sunny Side Up Film Festival in Miami, Oklahoma, and the Bare Bones International Film & Music Festival in Muskogee, Oklahoma (the documentary is not available for viewing due to music rights issues)
Hearne doesn’t think the timing of the documentary was a coincidence
“That was a result of the New Mexico Music Commission Lifetime Achievement Award that Bonnie and I both received individually in ’17, like four months before she died,” he says, describing the prestigious ceremony held at the Lensic He adds that the award came as a surprise, in part because he was born in Michigan
But he embraces a signature New Mexico look, with his thick glasses and cowboy hat, and is easily recognized around town He doesn’t mind the celebrity for the most part
“I’ve gotten frustrated a time or two, just feeling a little bit pressed, but I do my best to give people my best when they come up and say hello,” he says. “But I’m very fortunate I have a buddy who rides me about this and says, ‘Bill, you got to take care of everybody People want to talk to you ’” ◀
Bill Hearne regularly appears at Ahmyo River Gallery (652 Canyon Road), Cowgirl BBQ (319 S Guadalupe Street), and La Fonda (100 E San Francisco Street)
He’s also scheduled to play at 8 p m Saturday, July 1, at the Second Street Brewery Rufina Taproom (2920 Rufina Street) Visit billhearne com
He takes the stage with Texas singer-songwriter James McMurtry for a free concert at 6 p m on July 18 at the Santa Fe Plaza Visit tickets lensic360 org for information
“SeeingToscawas arevelationforme becauseintheroleof Scarpiawasthegreat baritoneDonnieRay Albert.Ididn’tknow therewereAfrican Americanmenwho weremakingacareer inopera.Itjuststruck achordwithinme.”
REGINALD SMITH JR.A toast to
TOSCA
Two characters strike a fresh chord in a classic opera
INthe world of professional wrestling, it would be a no-holds-barred cage match with no time limit until a victor was crowned In the (slightly) more genteel world of professional opera, it’s the epic confrontation between the title character and the police chief Scarpia that drives Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca toward its inevitable conclusion
Two dynamic young singers who are building impressive careers soprano Leah Hawkins and baritone Reginald Smith Jr take on the iconic roles in the Santa Fe Opera production this summer Both have warm, expansive personalities and both were
able to find a few minutes between rehearsals to talk joyfully about their career paths and the challenges involved with their characters.
For years, Hawkins was convinced she’d never sing Tosca “I was a mezzo-soprano all the way through graduate school,” she explained “As I made the transition to soprano, I was thinking that my voice might not go that way and if it did, I probably wouldn’t sing it until I was much, much older It came up much
sooner than I thought it would [at Opera Memphis in January 2023], and I never dreamed I’d do it again so quickly”
As a baritone with his vocal and physical gifts, Smith Jr (who requested the “Jr ” stay with his last name) seems to have been born to play Scarpia, at least to everyone except his mother “‘Why are you always playing the bad guys?’ she said when I told her about it I said, ‘Maybe I just like being bad ’” [The laughter that followed this statement undercut the possibility ]
continued on Page 22
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There’s one difference with this role, however “It’s one of the few times that the bad guy finally gets what’s coming to him,” he points out Usually, the baritone is still alive when the opera ends, no matter how bad he’s been, but as Scarpia, Smith Jr finally gets the chance to perform a death scene, and a protracted one at that, at least compared to the fast demises of Tosca and Cavaradossi, her lover
Pushing Beyond the Stereotypes
Tosca and Scarpia are roles that come with specific adjectives forever welded to them “jealous” for the former and “sadistic” for the latter are two of the most common and with audience members who come into performances with very specific ideas about how they should be sung and acted
Both soloists are determined to push beyond the constraints these expectations can create “I think Tosca is different from the others for Scarpia; she’s more special,” says Smith Jr “Now that she’s in his private chambers, he really wants to milk the situation
“Her discomfort is arousing to him it’s that preyand-predator type of situation And I think that lends itself to more variations of color in terms of dramatic intent and also vocal intent He may be charming and appealing to someone, at least at first ”
In developing a multidimensional Tosca, one of Hawkins’ goals involves a word not often associated with the character: humor “I like the idea of giving her a sense of humor that comes through at times She’s not always being 100% serious,” she says “There’s a joking part of her as well I also like finding this more sensual, sexy side of her, especially when she’s with Cavaradossi
“Instead of being this grand diva who no one can talk to and no one can approach, I think she’s like most of us opera singers: a down-to-earth human being She’s someone you could approach and have real conversations with ”
Singing the Praises of Rehearsal
“This has been a really exciting work environment and a really productive one as well,” says Smith Jr “The conductor, John Fiore, and director, Keith Warner, are fantastic They give you room to explore and to work with your colleagues, but they also make sure you have good guidelines and parameters.”
Hawkins agrees, adding, “The atmosphere is just so supportive and honest Reginald stopped [in a rehearsal] today and asked me, ‘Is that OK, the way I touched you?’ and I said absolutely Everyone is just so open to each other’s ideas because it feels like we ’ re portraying real people I’m wide open to try anything because I feel so comfortable ”
Leah Hawkins on Discovering Opera
Hawkins says she knew practically from birth that she wanted to sing for a living What kind of music she would focus on was decided when she was in the sixth grade and saw her first opera, Carmen at Opera Philadelphia
“I didn’t like the opera itself, and I remember being very angry that she died But I went home and told my parents, ‘Whatever that thing was I just saw, I want to learn how to do that ’ So they said ‘OK, if you want to learn how to sing opera, you need a voice teacher ’ We found one by going to a restaurant where they had all these business cards tacked on a wall, and one was for a voice teacher I grabbed it, and they called her, and I started studying!”
And Reginald Smith Jr.
Smith attended an arts-focused high school in Atlanta and grew up wanting to become a choral music director His first opera experience was attending the final dress rehearsal of Tosca at the Atlanta Opera
“I thought, well, sure if I can get out of school for half of the day, why not? Seeing Tosca was a revelation for me because in the role of Scarpia was the great baritone Donnie Ray Albert I didn’t know there were African American men who were making a career in opera It just struck a chord within me, and I thought, ‘This is really interesting; it could be really fun to do this ’”
Cool Credits
For Hawkins: Desdemona in 7 Deaths of Maria Callas with the Paris Opera, Berlin Opera, Bavarian State Opera, and Munich Opera Festival; Musetta in La Bohème and Louise in X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X (upcoming) with the Metropolitan Opera; soprano soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No 9 with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Metropolitan Opera orchestra (upcoming)
For Smith Jr : Jim in Porgy and Bess with the Metropolitan Opera, baritone soloist in Beethoven Symphony No 9 with the San Francisco Orchestra, Uncle Paul in Fire Shut Up in My Bones, Amonasro in Aida with Lyric Opera of Chicago (upcoming), and the title role in Falstaff with Houston Grand Opera (upcoming)
What They’re Saying
“Leah Hawkins made a breakout hit [as] the Strawberry Woman in Porgy and Bess The character’s haunting arietta is only a few minutes long, but Hawkins stopped the show with her radiant good humor and audaciously sensuous phrasing ” Opera News
“Vocally and dramatically impressive was the young soprano Leah Hawkins, who pulled off two wildly contrasting characters [in Terence Blanchard’s Champion]: the vindictive Cousin Blanche, raising and punishing the child Emile Griffith, and Emile’s wife, Sadie ”
The Washington Post
“Baritone Reginald Smith, Jr [is] a passionate performer who showed his mettle in an aria from Verdi’s Falstaff and “Oh, Lawd Jesus, heah my prayer ” from Louis Gruenberg’s The Emperor Jones, an opera [from 1933] that incorporates jazz and spirituals ”
The New York Times
“[Smith has] one of the most exciting baritone sounds to come along in years thrillingly dramatic ” Opera News
The Finale
Since he dies before the tenor and the soprano in the opera, we’ll give the baritone the final word in print
“This is going to be a really exciting production,” he says “It has a lot of the traditional elements that most people expect, but there are also twists and turns that will keep them on their toes. It has a new face, a new kind of energy, with it being set around 100 years ago, instead of in the powdered-wig era ” ◀
Tosca
The Santa Fe Opera
8:30 p m Friday, June 30, Wednesday, July 5, also July 8, 14, and 21; 8 p m Aug 1, 7, 12, 19, 23, and 26
Santa Fe Opera, 301 Opera Drive
Tickets $50-$366, 505-986-5900, santafeopera org
“Theatmosphereis justsosupportiveand honest. Everyone isjustsoopentoeach other’sideasbecause itfeelslikewe’reportrayingrealpeople. I’mwideopentotry anythingbecauseI feelsocomfortable.”
LEAH HAWKINS
Below: The chilling moment at the end of Act III when Tosca discovers that
Right: Smith Jr is performing Scarpia for the first time in this production; Hawkins is working on bringing out new aspects of her characterization in the Santa Fe stagingTOSCA101
One-Sentence Description: Tosca thinks she’s saved the life of her lover Mario when she stabs the sadistic police chief Scarpia to death, but she would be wrong, very wrong
Tosca
Music drama in three acts
The Premiere
January 14, 1900, Teatro dell’Opera, Rome
The People
Floria Tosca, a famous opera singer, in love with Mario Cavaradossi, a painter Baron Scarpia, chief of police Cesare Angelotti, Cavaradossi’s friend
The Percentage of Main Characters Who Don’t Make It Out Alive: 100%
The Place
The action takes place in Rome on the evening of June 17, 1800, and the following morning Its three real-life settings still exist
The Plot
ACTI: InsidetheChurchofSant’AndreadellaValle Angelotti has just escaped from prison and runs into the church to hide in his family’s private chapel Cavaradossi is finishing a painting of Mary Magdalene, using a mysterious blond-haired woman seen at the church every day as a model Tosca is immediately jealous of the blond woman, but eventually calms down, after ordering Cavaradossi to paint her eyes black Cavaradossi offers to hide Angelotti at his villa that evening Scarpia orders a search of the church and tells Tosca that Cavaradossi has left with the woman depicted in the painting She rushes off to the villa, with one of Scarpia’s henchman following her, and the chief of police gloats over his plan to seduce Tosca and destroy Cavaradossi
ACTII:Scarpia’sapartmentinthePalazzoFarnese
Cavaradossi has been captured and brought to Scarpia’s apartment As Scarpia prepares to dine, Tosca arrives and hears Cavaradossi being tortured She reveals Angelotti’s hiding place and Cavaradossi is momentarily furious until Napoleon’s victory at Marengo is announced Cavaradossi’s exultant cries result in him being taken to prison Scarpia offers to
June 30-July 6, 2023
Opposite page (top to bottom): Rome’s Castel Sant’Angelo is the site of the opera’s final act The team of composer Giacomo Puccini (from left) and co-librettists Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica created La Bohème, Tosca, and Madame Butterfly
let him go free if Tosca will succumb to his romantic advances She agrees, as Scarpia explains that they will need to conduct a mock execution of Cavaradossi As he is writing a safe conduct for the lovers, Tosca stabs Scarpia with a table knife and taunts him as he dies
ACTIII:AtoptheCastelSant’Angelo,earlythenext morning
Cavaradossi awaits his execution as Tosca explains Scaria’s supposed ruse the soldiers will be firing blanks, so she coaches him on how to “die” convincingly The executioners’ rifle fire and Cavaradossi’s death scene are completely convincing, however, as it involved live ammunition Scarpia’s body is discovered, and the soldiers attempt to corner Tosca on the ramparts, but she hurls herself off the castle to her death below
Pushing to the Limits
Despite its expansive settings, the opera is a claustrophobic pressure cooker of dramatic intensity,
focused almost exclusively on the three main characters, with their vocal lines and the orchestra’s playing pushed to the limits of what was possible at the time It is also Puccini’s most Wagnerian score with its extensive use of leitmotifs, although they are not as developed or modified as Wagner and others did with them Tosca has always been more popular with audiences and with singers than it has been with critics, thanks to the vocal and dramatic opportunities it offers to its central trio
Victorien Sardou Playwright
The opera is based on La Tosca, an 1887 play by Victorien Sardou, the most influential proponent of the well-made play during the late 19th century
The genre’s characteristics included complex, tightly constructed plots driven by important but unlikely coincidences, two-dimensional characters, and a climactic scene that resolved the major plot issues. Sardou wrote La Tosca to showcase the famed French actor Sarah Bernhardt, who performed it throughout the world for many years, including on her four different farewell tours of the U S
Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa Librettists
Nevertheless, his best works demonstrate a sure grasp of theatrical effectiveness, memorable melodies, and an unparalleled ability to manipulate an audience’s emotional response While his competitors focused on the newly popular verismo genre, with its intense emotional cauldron of lower-class life struggles, Puccini created works that blended the earlier bel canto tradition with aspects of verismo
Historic Background
Led by Napoleon, Republican France fought two wars against Austria and the Holy Roman Empire between 1792 and 1802 In 1798, the French captured Rome and proclaimed it a republic; an Italian army recaptured the city 18 months later and restored papal authority In the opera, Angelotti had been the consul of Republican Rome and Cavaradossi an ardent supporter of it; both are still Republicans, while Scarpia is an agent of the Holy Roman Empire
The Battle of Marengo, which took place in northwest Italy on June 14, 1800, plays an important but shadowy role in the opera Initially the Austrians claimed victory but a surprise attack by Napoleon later that day reversed the outcome The reports of Napoleon’s victory were thus several hours later in reaching Rome than the erroneous earlier reports of his defeat, and the action in Act Two is directly related to this change in the news.
Funny Business
There’s not much in the opera itself A grumbling sacristan who appears in Act I is allegedly a comic character; evidence for this claim is slight, other than the role offering an opportunity for a late-career basso to ham it up
The team of Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa created Giacomo Puccini’s best librettos those for La Bohème, Tosca, and Madame Butterfly Illica’s primary responsibility was creating the dramatic structure and an initial prose text; Giacosa’s was versifying the text Collaborating with Puccini wasn’t an easy process, given the composer ’ s frequent selfdoubts, changes of opinion, and many demands for revisions
Giacosa was never convinced the play was a viable libretto source, and Illica was barely speaking to Puccini by the time the opera opened Despite their doubts and frustrations, Puccini, Illica, and Giacosa maintained enough mutual respect to collaborate again with great success on Madame Butterfly
Giacomo Puccini Composer
Giacomo Puccini was born in Lucca, Italy, in 1858, into a family lineage of church musicians. His first musical studies were with his father, who had studied with Donizetti, and an uncle He entered the Milan Conservatory in 1880 where composer-teacher Amilcare Ponchielli wisely steered him away from liturgical music in favor of the opera stage
Puccini could be imperious in his dealings with others, and often indulged his passions for sports cars, fishing, and hunting (women as well as wild game) to the detriment of his work schedule
One of the most enduring anecdotes about Tosca concerns the soprano who flung herself off the castle rampart at the finale, only to bounce back into view several times courtesy of the trampoline that had been placed below It happened at the Lyric Opera of Chicago Or maybe New York City Opera Or perhaps in Stuttgart, depending on which version of the story you read
The reasons vary, too, from stagehands who replaced the landing mattress with a trampoline to avenge themselves on a difficult diva to a safety-conscious crew member who tightened the trampoline’s slack springs, turning a gentle landing into a return flight In other words, it may well be an urban legend
A true story: I attended a Tosca performance in which the somewhat-long-in-the-tooth leading lady was unable to come to her feet after kneeling next to Scarpia’s body at the end of Act II The baritone gallantly returned to life for a few moments to help her, then re-died
To sum up: You’lllikeToscaifyoulike(see“Know the Score,” Pasatiempo, June 16):
• Unashamedly tuneful melodies that are turbocharged with Italianate emotion
• The concept of a Hallmark Hall of Fame tear-jerker as reinterpreted by Quentin Tarantino
• Intense drama with scenes of sadism, torture, and (warning!) attempted sexual assault ◀
Anniversary of Festival of Song
SUN, JUL 30
SAMANTHA HANKEY, mezzo-soprano
HUW MONTAGUE RENDALL, baritone
SUN, AUG 6
ROBERT TWETEN, piano
AILYN PÉREZ, soprano
ROBERT WATSON, tenor
Now in its 10th iteration, Festival of Song presents stars of the opera world in intimate recitals at the Scottish Rite Temple. All performances are followed by a reception in the Grand Ballroom where you are invited to meet the artists.
SUN, AUG 13
ROBERT TWETEN, piano
LAUREN SNOUFFER, soprano
ROLANDO VILLAZÓN, tenor
ROBERT TWETEN, piano
Festival of Song presented through the support of Bruce Donnell August 6 Festival of Song presented through the support of Yoko and Thomas Arthur Robert Tweten’s performance underwritten by Yoko and Thomas Arthur Samantha Hankey’s performance underwritten by Kathy and Robert Reidy 23–24 Season Sponsors: Ann Murphy Daily and William W. Daily, Gina Browning and Joe Illick, Robin Black, Leah Gordon
Veteran director and fast-rising singer tackle Wagner’s Dutchman for the first time
Three productions at the Santa Fe Opera this summer will feature water onstage Richard Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman isn’t one of them, despite its nautical nature
For veteran stage director David Alden, the key to unlocking the opera for a 21st-century audience isn’t just what the Dutchman is and does, but the impact of what he represents a demonic possession of the seas by industrial capitalism, which turns workers into economic slaves and degrades the environment
Alden is returning to Santa Fe after helming Leoš Janácek’s Jenºufa in 2019, a production about which The Sunday Times said, “Alden’s staging takes this coruscating music-drama a notch higher, turning the screw of the drama inexorably, shatteringly, ultimately movingly”
A Thoughtful Updating
Like Jenºufa, his Flying Dutchman will be set in a time period later than the opera ’ s composition in this case about a century but those who often find such concept stagings unappealing might want to reconsider their point of view Alden’s updates aren’t personal conceits slapped onto the stories in a superficial way; they come from a deep reading of the text and score, as well as extensive research into the social and theatrical milieu that spawned the opera
“One could take a sympathetic view towards him because he’s suffering and lonely,” Alden says, “ a kind of existential figure that, on some levels, everybody can relate to But if you go to the coast or on a ship, you see these monstrous ports and immense cargo ships just piled high with containers It’s like Amazon is running rampant over the seas. It’s a slow destruction of our world ”
Alden’s Dutchman has lots of baggage, physically as well as emotionally, with the women who’ve been unfaithful to him over the centuries and the businessmen who’ve succumbed to his form of capitalism forming an ever-increasing cargo load
Flying Dutchman, continued from Page 31
Midcentury Modern, with a Twist
The design concept is set roughly in the mid-20th century with a mythic, abstracted industrial sensibility that might suggest a sea-borne version of Fritz Lang’s urban-nightmare film Metropolis In act one of this Dutchman, the sailors suggest cogs in a machine, while the women who sing while spinning wool in Act Two become the nearly faceless work crew in a factory filled with wheels and gears.
“I feel that one of Senta’s subtexts and her wanting to save the Dutchman comes from her own alienation from the world around her,” Alden says Senta isn’t part of the anonymous work crew, he notes, and her long-standing obsession with the Dutchman isn’t explained “I’m trying to give the audience a backstory about her,” says the director, “starting with her as a child reading and dreaming about fairy tales ”
Monster Industrialists
Alden says he’s been thinking a lot about Elon Musk and his brand of unhinged capitalism over the last 18 months as he was developing the production Not surprisingly, he sees many parallels between Musk and the Dutchman “They’re monster industrialists
who bemoan who they are, ” he says, “and even though they might want to escape, the power and the money just keep building and they can’t stop ”
Six Decades with Wagner
A self-described Wagner maniac from his teenage years on, the 75-year-old Alden has directed all the operas written by Herr Richard after The Flying Dutchman, which gives him a unique perspective on this early work “It’s very different from the rest of the canon in many ways, but I think it’s a totally exciting, brilliant piece,” he says “It has inklings of everything that followed in it, but there are also these different qualities, it’s almost a folk-ballad opera in some ways And in the midst of it, you have this heavy personal psychology of Wagner ”
For Alden, that means the composer ’ s identification with the Dutchman’s struggles, his loneliness and alienation, fighting the elements in order to survive, and his search for a woman who can give herself up to him completely, all themes that recurred throughout his life and work
Nick Brownlee’s Unusual Path to the Title Role
Bass-baritone Nicholas Brownlee comes to the title
role here with a very unusual type of preparation he learned the part and started rehearsals for it in Frankfurt, Germany, three years ago, with the same soprano, Elza van den Heever, as Senta, only to have the production become a coronavirus victim
“As a singer, you hardly ever prepare a role and then not sing it,” he says. “What this doesn’t feel like is the ‘Oh [my God], I gotta get this learned, I start rehearsals on Monday’ feeling that comes with doing a big part the first time This has been really, really fun because it has the excitement of a role debut combined with three years of letting it stew in my brain ”
A Cast Colleague’s Valuable Advice
While The Flying Dutchman is one of Wagner’s shortest operas, it’s also one of the most challenging to sing, especially for the title character Another plus for Brownlee is that van den Heever came directly to Santa Fe from four critically acclaimed performances of Senta at the Metropolitan Opera
“I asked her, ‘Where are the vocal trouble spots for the Dutchman, and she said, ‘Oh, you gotta be careful here and here and here and here and in the finales.’ I never thought the places that she warned me about would be an issue, but they are, she was right That’s been really important in figuring out how to pace it ” Brownlee also has a musical parallel to Alden’s observation about the folk-like nature of the opera,
sensing aspects of Schubert’s lyricism in much of the vocal writing “What makes this piece so remarkable to me is the lightness of it, the real ‘sing-songiness’ of it,” he says. “If you can find that, you can find more vocal colors in it and the legato [a smooth, flowing quality] as well And then when you get to the finales and you just let it rip, it makes the finales so much more satisfying ”
Navigating a Circular Journey
Brownlee is very familiar with the concept of a journey that keeps returning to the same spot He grew up in southern Alabama, not far from the Mobile International Speedway, where he has engaged in truck racing It’s a lot like opera, he says, describing them both as visceral, athletic, loud, exciting, and accessible
Cool Credits
It’s been a year full of sturm und drang und leitmotifs for our Dutchman In between Brownlee’s Kurwenal in Tristan und Isolde here last year and his return this summer, he’s sung Hans Sachs in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and Wotan in Das Rheingold, four big Wagner roles, all for the first time Alden’s recent productions include not just one, but two Romantic-era rarities the French grand operas Les Huguenots by Giacomo Meyerbeer and La Juive by Fromental Halévy as well as Rossini’s seldom-seen, semi-serious opera The Thieving Magpie and Francesco Cavalli’s bawdy Baroque opera La Calisto
The Finale: A Glimmer of Hope
The Dutchman is certainly a dark, tortured character, but Brownlee and Alden are working together to find other aspects of his character “I cannot perform this piece without believing that he has a little bit of hope each time he comes ashore,” the bass-baritone says He cites the critical exchange between his character and that of Daland, the Norwegian captain, in the first act He asks Daland whether he has a daughter, and the reply is yes, a faithful one, exactly the quality the Dutchman has been searching for in vain for centuries
“Then I sing the most gorgeous line in all of the opera, ” Brownlee says [The text for it is “Ah, no wife, no child have I, nothing binds me to this Earth!”] “It’s so bel canto, it’s so beautiful It’s not rambunctious and it’s not too high in the voice
“And in our in our staging, instead of making him big and bombastic in this moment, we kind of make him small I think it does a really great job with giving him a sense of hope ” ◀
The Flying Dutchman
The Santa Fe Opera
8:30 p m Saturday, July 1, also July 7 and 12; 8 p m July 31 and Aug 5, 10, 15, and 25
Santa Fe Opera, 301 Opera Drive
Tickets $45-$371, 505-986-5900, santafeopera org
Why was the Dutchman Dutch?
The Flying Dutchman legend conjures romantic images of life on the high seas during the 17th and 18th centuries, only partially dispelled by his fate and the doom-laden tone of Richard Wagner’s opera The Dutchman was Dutch because he was an employee of the Dutch East India Company, the popular name for the United East India Company of the Netherlands
Its merchant fleet, which totaled more than 4,700 ships from 1602 to 1796, was larger than that of its four largest competitors combined Its primary operations were in the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia), but it also was active in Japan, China, Taiwan, and coastal India
The Dutch East India Company was, in fact, one of the first and most successful exploitative systems for extracting wealth from non-European lands and peoples ever created, and the reality of its operations was far from romantic
It functioned as both a trading monopoly and the government of a vast territory with no checks and balances on its power, paying an 18% annual dividend to its shareholders for almost 200 years, while also having the power to declare and conduct war, imprison and execute convicts, negotiate treaties, mint its own coins, and establish colonies Enslaved residents of the territories where it functioned furnished much of the labor to build and conduct its trading operations
In 1740, the company ’ s repressive practices in Batavia (present-day Jakarta) sparked violence between Chinese residents and the company ’ s soldiers As many as 10,000 Chinese were killed as the Dutch governor-general at first turned a blind eye toward the massacre It was fueled by the local government’s council, which offered a bounty of two ducats for every Chinese head turned over to its army Anti-Chinese violence continued in the Dutch East Indies for another two decades M T
THE FLYING DUTCHMAN 101
TheFlyingDutchman
Romantic opera in three acts
The Premiere January 2, 1843, Royal Court Theater, Dresden, Germany
The People
The Dutchman
Daland, the Norwegian captain of a merchant ship
Senta, his daughter
Erik, a huntsman in love with Senta
The Percentage of Main Characters Who Don’t
Make It Out Alive: 50%
The Place
The seacoast of southern Norway
The Plot
ACTI:Asteep,rockyshore
Daland’s ship takes refuge to wait out a storm, and it is suddenly joined by a ghostly ship with blood-red sails. Its captain steps ashore and laments his fate destined to sail forever unless he can find a loyal wife and he can go ashore to search just one day every seven years, as a punishment for his blasphemy The Dutchman, as he describes himself, offers Daland a vast treasure in exchange for one night of lodging and the hand of his daughter Senta in marriage Daland is overjoyed by the wealth he may soon acquire
ACTII:Daland’shomeintheportofSandwike
While the women of Sandwike spin wool, Senta sings of her obsession with a mysterious man in
a painting on the wall He is a sea captain known as the “Flying Dutchman,” and Senta vows to save him from his fate wandering the oceans. Erik enters and declares his devotion to Senta, then describes a nightmare in which he saw her sailing away with the Dutchman She reiterates her desire to rescue the accursed captain, and Erik rushes out The Dutchman and Daland enter; her father introduces the stranger and Senta promises eternal fidelity to him Daland celebrates his good fortune
ACTIII: TheharborinSandwike
The villagers invite those aboard the Dutchman’s vessel to join in celebrating their safe arrival with Daland’s crew, but their sinister appearance scares the townspeople away Erik pleads with Senta not to marry the Dutchman, who overhears their
conversation Convinced Senta is committed to Erik, the Dutchman sets sail, announcing that he is the legendary captain As the Dutchman’s ship sinks, Senta proclaims her eternal fidelity and throws herself into the sea She and the Dutchman are then seen ascending to heaven
The Legend
The ghost ship legend developed in the 17th century, involving the treacherous passage around the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa and a Dutch East India Company captain who swore to the devil that he would sail “until doomsday” if necessary to make it around the cape Its original name was the Cape of Storms; it was renamed in a public relations maneuver to encourage more ships to use the faster but more dangerous route near the cape to what is now Indonesia
The Background
In My Life, his enormous 1870 autobiography, Richard Wagner claimed composing The Flying Dutchman was immediately inspired by a stormy sea voyage he and his wife Minna took from Latvia to London in the summer of 1839 as they fled their creditors.
The voyage along the Norwegian coast was indeed stormy as well as protracted, lasting more than two weeks instead of the planned four days, but there’s no evidence for such an immediate connection Many years earlier Wagner credited his inspiration to reading Heinrich Heine’s From the Memoirs of Herr von Schnabelewopski, in which a chapter was devoted to the legend
Heinrich Heine
Heine, who lived from 1797 to 1856, was a German poet, author, and social critic best known outside Germany for his collection of bittersweet love poems, The Book of Songs, published in 1827 It and his later poetry served as the texts for an estimated 8,000 different musical settings by composers including Schumann, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Lizst, and Brahms during the 19th century
Heine’s verse juxtaposed the sound of earlier German lyric poetry with a distinct skepticism about the values of the Romantic era, giving them an ironic, edgy quality His most influential prose work was the four-volume Pictures of Travel (1826 to 1831), which wove together fact, invention, autobiography, social commentary, and literary criticism, and hugely influenced other writers who tried to master his style
From the Memoirs of Herr von Schnabelewopski, written circa 1831, combines elements of his travel writing with his interest in legends and folk tales, and his often-outlandish sense of humor (Heine’s fictional memoirist claimed to be born on April 1, 1795, and to have a footman named Prrschtzztwitsch “To pronounce this name properly one must sneeze at the same time,” he wrote )
While Wagner viewed the Dutchman legend as a tale of sacred love, Heine’s point of view was satirical Herr von S waxes nostalgic, recalling his grand-aunt’s recitation of the legend, goes to a staged version of
it in Amsterdam, and promptly misses most of the performance in favor of a quickie with “ a wondrous lovely Eve” of “fascinating amiability” from the upper balcony, notoriously a haunt of prostitutes He returns to his seat just in time for the final scene and from it draws the conclusion that women should not marry Flying Dutchmen and men should avoid marrying women of any kind
Heinrich Heine may have provided Wagner’s inspiration for The Flying Dutchman, as well as an important aspect of the plot for his 1845 music-drama
Tannhäuser, but that didn’t prevent the composer from reviling Heine in print
Wagner claimed that he published his violently antisemitic essay Jewishness in Music, “to explain to ourselves the involuntary repellence possessed for us by the nature and personality of the Jews.” It was published anonymously in 1850 and again in a much-enlarged version, this time under Wagner’s name, in 1869
continued on Page 38
In it, he wrote, “The Jews have never produced a true poet [Heinrich Heine] reached the point where he duped himself into a poet, and was rewarded by his versified lies being set to music by our own composers He was the conscience of Judaism, just as Judaism is the evil conscience of our modern civilization ”
Richard Wagner Librettist-composer
The Wagners’ stay in London was brief; they soon headed to Paris where Wagner was convinced fame and fortune awaited him composing for the Paris Opera, the artistically conservative bastion of the French grand opera tradition It was not to be Instead, he had to eke out a living writing music criticism and making insipid arrangements of highlights from other composers ’ operas The only money Wagner ever got paid by the Parisian company was for his Flying Dutchman scenario, written early in 1841 (He originally planned Dutchman as a one-act curtain raiser prior to a longer ballet, then a popular combination at the Paris Opera, but the company rejected the idea, buying just the scenario instead )
Wagner then wrote the full text for The Flying Dutchman, as he did for all his completed operas, preferring to call it the poem rather than the libretto It was finished in May 1841 and his draft score for the piece was completed in November (In typical fashion, he ignored the awkward fact that he’d sold its scenario )
Tribunes was accepted for production by Dresden’s Royal Court Theater, despite its six-hour length (It and The Flying Dutchman were composed roughly contemporaneously; Rienzi was closely modeled on the grand operas of Giacomo Meyerbeer, which were incredibly popular in Paris.)
Meanwhile, The Flying Dutchman was taken up by Dresden’s brand-new Royal Saxon Court Theater, and the two operas premiered just 10 weeks apart, in late 1842 and early 1843
One was an immediate success and received hundreds of productions in Europe and U S over the next few decades The other was a failure, taken out of the repertory after just four performances It was The Flying Dutchman, which gained popularity as the century progressed, especially after Wagner revised it in 1860
Even though the piece is short by Wagner’s standards, audiences are treated to three iterations of the Dutchman’s story
The first is the celebrated overture, which limns the essential conflict through a series of musical motifs It was intended, the composer later wrote, to “lead the central idea at the heart of the drama to a conclusion which would correspond, with a sense of presentiment, to the resolution of the action on stage ”
In her Act Two ballad, Senta recounts the Dutchman legend, which has obsessed her for years And of course, the plot’s third iteration is the opera itself
Wagner’s score is very much a transitional creation, a hybrid of a traditional “numbers opera ” with many identifiable arias, duets, and choruses having clear beginnings and endings, with some more flexibly developed scenes that point toward his future style
To sum up: You’ll like TheFlyingDutchman if you like (see “Know the Score,” Pasatiempo, June 16):
• The idea of attending a Richard Wagner opera but haven’t actually done so many operagoers find it his most immediately accessible piece
The Wagners moved back to Germany in 1842, and Wagner’s career prospects improved almost immediately His immense Rienzi, the Last of the
Occasionally the two styles overlap, as in the beginning of the third act, when the conventional-sounding chorus of Norwegian sailors battles musically with the ghostly demons from the Dutchman’s ship and are eventually overwhelmed by it
• Believing that a woman might actually commit suicide out of her love for you, narcissist that you are
• Relatively short operas about two hours, 45 minutes including one intermission, according to the SFO website ◀ Flying
Newly transformed, this updated 25-acre compound in the Tesuque foothills has been reimagined to include a custom-developed equestrian facility, a separate and secure dog park, a bocce court overlooking the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and much more, making this a unique offering where one can experience private living and ranch amenities just 15 minutes from historic downtown Santa Fe Gated and at the end of the road, the property is nestled against National Forest, and features unobstructed 360 views and access to an expansive trail system The beautifully appointed 3,278 square foot main house boasts timeless details and finishes to accent artful living inside and out The warmth of thick adobe walls, hand-honed custom cabinetry, and hardware resonates with old-world charm Cascading rock gardens, a romantic rose garden, and portals lead to a wine cellar and an inviting 838-square-foot guest house The new equestrian features include a custom MD Barnmaster stable with four stalls with heated waterers and geothermal radiant heat, a wash stall, and a 288 square foot tack room lounge with bathroom and wet bar, including mini-split systems The electricity is powered by solar with a propane generator backup system Connected to the barn is a beautiful open-air arena with sweeping views surrounded by a private hand-dug trail system adding to the expansiveness of the property Additionally, the newly extended water and electrical infrastructure allows one to customize the facility further Other features near the main house include 5-car garages an office/personal gym beautiful courtyards and vista views throughout the property a private gated entry and a security system in the main house as well as the original three-stall barn with turnouts a tack room and access to Santa Fe National Forest So whether you are interested in a custom luxury equestrian compound or creating a private retreat, the infrastructure is ready for you and your imagination 66 Camino De Milagro, Offered at $4,100,000, mls 202201944
MOVING IMAGES I REVIEW
Surreal nostalgia from an offbeat auteur
ASTEROID CITY
Michael O’Sullivan l The Washington Post Trailer youtu be/9FXCSXuGTF4
To explain Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City, an ambitious yet mystifyingly dysfunctional meta-movie, in terms of both form and content, it may be helpful to walk a prospective viewer backward, outward from the center of this most puzzling and, most puzzlingly, ponderous of puzzle boxes.
Set in 1955, against a robin’s-egg-blue sky that looks like it has been juiced up with an Instagram filter, and featuring the filmmaker’s signature fabulous yet fussy production design, the main action takes place in the titular mid-20th-century Western American town: a desolate desert outpost with not much more than a cluster of motel cabins and an auto body shop, so named because it is the site of an asteroid fall years earlier The preserved, volleyball-size rock itself is hardly something to instill awe, but it somehow attracts an annual gathering of young space enthusiasts and their families for a few days of science-camp fun
And yet this yellowing vintage postcard from the past is presented, in the context of the screenplay Anderson has devised from a story dreamed up with longtime collaborator Roman Coppola, not as a movie, although it clearly looks like one, but as a “play” The action is framed within the context of a black-and-white television show that is being narrated by a Rod Serling-like host, played by Bryan Cranston At one point, as if to remind you that you are watching a piece of staged artifice as if that were necessary
in any Wes Anderson movie Cranston’s character shows up on the set of the Asteroid City drama, in color, having accidentally wandered in from the wings of the TV show
To makes matters even more meta, that TV show which plays more like a play than the teleplay it purports to be staging centers on the act of creation itself, as we watch a writer, Ed Norton’s Conrad Earp, perhaps a stand-in for Anderson himself, compose the action of Asteroid City on what looks like a stage set When one character attending the Asteroid City gathering, Scarlett Johansson’s movie star Midge Campbell, asks another, Jason Schwartzman’s war photographer Augie Steenbeck, why he has just burned his hand on a griddle he was using to cook a grilled cheese sandwich, he replies that it’s in the script
Speaking of script, the characters in this latest outing by Anderson, ever the aficionado of kooky names, are especially distracting here Dr Hickenlooper, Schubert Green, Lucretia Shaver, Linus Mao, Walter Geronimo as if they had been culled from the Toontown phone book
The main story concerns the relationship if that’s even the right word, in a tale in which everyone seems to be merely going through the motions between Augie and Midge, who are chaperoning their respective kids (Jake Ryan and Grace Edwards) at the space camp That’s set against the backdrop of a quarantine that the government has imposed on Asteroid City after an alien spaceship arrives and its pilot looking like E T , courtesy of stopmotion animator Henry Selick steals the asteroid
A subplot involves the disposal of the cremains of Augie’s late wife, which he is carrying around in a Tupperware container When Augie’s father-in-law (Tom Hanks) shows up to help wrangle Augie’s three young daughters, Andromeda, Pandora, and
Cassiopeia, played by triplets Ella, Gracie, and Willan Faris, their grandfather helps them bury their mother’s ashes temporarily pointing out that they may not have the legal rights to use the space encampment as a burial plot “I would question whether it even is a plot,” says Augie, in a line that sounds suspiciously like Anderson acknowledging his own film’s flaws
Asteroid City does have its moments, but they are few: Jeff Goldblum in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo as the human actor portraying the alien (who opines that, in his interpretation, the alien is actually a metaphor) and several cast members of Asteroid City spontaneously breaking into song with “Dear Alien (Who Art in Heaven),” a delightfully daffy ditty written by Anderson with Jarvis Cocker and performed by a band that includes Brazilian musician and The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou veteran Seu Jorge It’s the only spontaneous, joy-inducing thing about Asteroid City
Maybe the whole endeavor is some kind of selfportrait of an artist who doesn’t know what he wants to say anymore, or how to even say, “I don’t know how to say what I want to say anymore ” Toward the end of the film, during an acting exercise being conducted by an acting teacher named Saltzburg Keitel (Willem Dafoe), the chant, “You can’t wake up if you don’t fall asleep” is repeated, over and over, as if it meant something
Some of the dialogue does resonate, I’ll admit When Matt Dillon’s auto mechanic turns to Augie to tell him that he still can’t get Augie’s car to start, he puts it in a way that once more sounds like Anderson critiquing his own elaborate but inert material: “Everything’s connected, but nothing’s working ” ◀
Comedy/romance, rated PG-13, 104 minutes, Violet Crown, 2 chiles
A lyrical love triangle
PAST LIVES
Ann Hornaday I The Washington Post Trailer youtu be/kA244xewjcI
Celine Song makes a quietly spectacular writing-directing debut with Past Lives, a lyrical slow burn of a film that expertly holds back wellsprings of emotion, until it unleashes a deluge The premise is deceptively simple: Nora and Hae Sung are childhood sweethearts in South Korea when her parents move the family to Canada Twelve years later, the two reconnect online, with Nora trying to make it as a writer in New York
This could be the start of a meet-cute-take-two, but Song is not interested in rom-com confections here Following Nora as she follows her dreams, played with self-possession and dry wit by a revelatory Greta Lee, Song tells a new but achingly familiar kind of love story She also traces the contradictory contours of female ambition as it changes over time
When Nora is 12 (Moon Seung-ah), she wants to win the Nobel Prize for literature, then it changes to the Pulitzer, and finally to a Tony That is what passes for a running gag in Past Lives, which Song structures episodically, in carefully observed scenes that move the plot forward with an unforced but tautly suspenseful sense of inevitability A triangle emerges: While rusticating a perfectly rendered writer’s retreat, Nora meets a nice guy named Arthur (John Magaro) The narrative tension pivots on whether Nora will stay with Arthur or return to her roots with somber, socially awkward Hae Sung (Teo Yoo)
“Who do you think they are to each other?” That is the first line of Past Lives, delivered by an unseen character who is observing Nora, Hae Sung, and Arthur from across a bar late at night A good question, but perhaps the least urgent one raised by this delicate, wisely judged drama as it toggles between Nora’s life in the States and Hae Sung’s far lonelier existence in Korea How do our pasts condition our present? When is change growth, and when is it hiding our true selves? Song and her cast explore these conundrums with admirable grace and equanimity, as Nora considers the role contingency, regret, mistakes, and missed chances have played in forming her own most precious desires.
There are moments when viewers might wonder what Nora is really thinking: Her calm, collected facade is so persuasive it feels virtually impenetrable, especially with the push-and-pull of her own cultural history But if Nora seems to be a cipher in much of Past Lives, she does not remain one, as the masterful final scene proves with shattering power That moment is not just the perfect ending to a story that embraces ambiguity in all its messy glory, it is the work of a supremely confident filmmaker of exhilarating artistic promise ◀
COMIDAS Y MAS
Tenderloin to tacos
Fordin l The New Mexican
THEorchestra is tuning their instruments The singers are warming up their pipes.
And you ’ re in the parking lot, enjoying a fine repast
People who love going to the Santa Fe Opera often also have a taste for the longstanding tradition of tailgating that, at least in Santa Fe, has transcended burgers and beer in the parking lot before football games.
If you ’ re attending an opera at some point this summer, you might be looking for some flavorful (and easy) ways to pull together a picnic to kick off an evening at one of our nation’s most beautiful opera houses, where even the parking lot offers a view of the Sangre de Cristos Following is a Pasatiempo sampling of options to fill you up and start your opera evening off on a high note
Santa Fe Opera Tailgate Picnics
505-986-5900; santafeopera org/whats-on/tailgate-picnics
This might be the smoothest path to effortless tailgating, in that everything is prepared for you and ready for pickup at the opera when you arrive
BOTTLE TALK
Wines to pair with performances this opera season
Carolyn Graham l The New Mexican
Buckle up, tailgaters: This year ’ s operatic lineup leaves little room for light chards and cheery rosés But that also means that the wines that match this year ’ s operatic selections will offer the chance to make some power-forward, juicy, and yes, sassy selections from the wine rack Pasatiempo paid a visit to Jim Stephens, certified sommelier and wine buyer for Susan’s Fine Wine and Spirits, who provided pairings designed to enhance each opera ’ s theme and spirit (See “Know the Score,” June 16, Pasatiempo, for a guide to this year ’ s Santa Fe Opera season )
TOSCA
You need a fiery wine to match this opera ’ s intense, emotional highs and lows For that, Stephens took us to Sicily’s Mount Etna an active volcanic mountain that is home to ages-old vineyards
Try: Calcaneus Nireddu Etna Rosso ($23) The native grape here is nerello mascalese (“It s like if a Barbaresco and a red burgundy had a love child on a volcano,” Stephens says ) The Mount Etna volcanic wines have a hip following, and, Stephens says can reflect that in price the higher you go up the mountain, the more specific the terroir is to certain lava outcroppings But in general, these are versatile wines that pair well with whatever is on your tailgate
Also try: Passopisciaro Contrada S ($87) Made by an artisan producer whose wines are exceptional at all levels, this bottle is “perfect for a tempestuous opera based on fire,” Stephens says
THE FLYING DUTCHMAN
Rather than going Dutch, the focus here is on the “flying” part of this Wagner-composed opera name For that, Stephen opts for something a little closer to Deutsch: Austria’s Domäne Wachau federspiels Translated as “feather play,” federspiels are a classification of wine: “It sounds a little kinky but really it’s about alcohol content,” Stephens says of these wines that clock in with no more than 12 5% alcohol content This region is also known for its falconry and its grüner veltliner grapes, which Stephens calls “the Swiss army knife of white wines” as they pair well with everything
Try: Domäne Wachau Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen ($24) Stephens swears it’ll even pair with asparagus and other side dishes
Also try: Prager Hinter Der Burg Grüner Veltliner Federspiel ($45) “These wines have depth and richness and more layers of complexity” Stephens says
PELLÉAS ET MÉLISANDE
This French-language opera is a slam dunk for a French wine Stephens suggests the Savoie region on the eastern border between France and Switzerland, where magical things happen between the wines and the cheeses Those Swiss western Alps produce a Camembert cheese that the French, snooty though they may be, offer their high approval of it
Try: Blard & Fils Micraster Savoie Blanc ($22) The grape here is the alpine white jacquère, which this producer ferments in stainless barrels to preserve the freshness “I call jacquère the ultimate party wine,” Stephens says “It’s not expensive, it’s delicious, and it’s great by itself ”
Also try: Domaine Nicolas Gonin Persan ($31) Persan is an ancient varietal, which only existed in the Isère and Savoie regions
Winemaker Gonin’s mission is to save this French red grape, which presents with tart fruits, like red currant and cranberry Stephens adds, “It’s very Burgundian ”
RUSALKA
For a country that produces more than 20,000 types of wines in more than a dozen wine regions in a swath roughly the size of the state of
Texas, France is the queen of options when it comes to pairing with just about any opera So we’ll stay here but travel to the Burgundy Wine Region, considered to be the benchmark when it comes to toasting a fairy tale story that has a bit of a twisted backstory
Stephens notes that, like a capricious and sassy adolescent mermaid, you never know what kind of mood you ’ re going to encounter with a burgundy “Good producers always make good wines, but the style can change every year, just like how an opera at one house is different when it’s performed at another house,” he says “It’s based on what Mother Earth gives them ”
Try: Maranges La Fussière Thierry et Pascale 1er Cru, 2017 ($47)
The label has a lot to unpack, but loosely translated, this wine is made from grapes from the village of Maranges, which Stephens says is one of the most undervalued areas among the burgundies
The “fussière” or “vineyard,” is 1er cru, a designation that, again loosely translated, is “the best of the village ” So it’s good very good Stephens says you’ll pick up cherry and dried currant notes (and it’s snappy and refreshing, just like a teenaged water nymph) Its chalky undertone is a reflection of the limestone soil that produces it
Also try: Louis Latour Morey-St Denis 2015 ($95) If you want something more brooding and less Alan Menken, train your corkscrew on this “village-level” blend (meaning it’s from a blend of parcels in the village) from Morey-St Denis It comes from a famous family house of winemakers who are known for their wines with clean lines and soft transitions on the palate “It s a poem ” Stephens says with a far-away look in his eye “It’s power through grace ” You’ll like it, too
ORFEO
The Greek legend of Orpheus and his descent into the underworld to retrieve his dead bride practically screams for a heavyweight Italian red “Italy is such a playland ” Stephens says He hones in on the Campania region, located in what he describes as the boot-shaped country’s anklebone The grape he suggests for this operatic pairing is the aglianico, a black grape that is native to southern Italy
Try: Terredora Dipaolo Aglianico ($18) This wine has its roots in the multigenerational wine-making Mastroberardino family that Stephens says, put the Campania region on the map and made the wines accessible to American wine drinkers However, the two sons of recent generations couldn t agree on the approach, so the patriarch gave one son the family name and the other the vineyard The latter got the better deal, Stephens says, and the resulting wines are approachable and good at all levels
Also try: Feudi San Gregorio Taurasi Piano Montevergine Riserva 2014 ($51) This is a single vineyard wine from Taurasi in Campania that manages to hold its own in an area that is known for legendary wines “In a place dominated by monstrous wines this one has such an element of complexity,” Stevens says “The finish goes on for days ” ◀
Susan s Fine Wines and Spirits, 632 Agua Fria St 505-984-1582; sfwineandspirits com
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The menus, prepared by the opera ’ s vendor, Masterpiece Cuisine, include appetizers such as charcuterie boards ($30) and shrimp cocktail ($30), as well as entrées like chicken yakitori ($36) or chilled beef tenderloin ($36) All orders through the opera must be made by 3 p m at least two days in advance
Bishop’s Lodge Luxury Tailgate Experience aubergeresorts com/bishopslodge/experiences/opera-picnic
This tailgate package is unique in that it includes the actual tailgate: A private car service delivers you to and from the opera and provides a gourmet dinner for two with wine service once you arrive
The hitch? Reservations are required two weeks in advance Call for pricing
Walter Burke Catering Platters and Takeout
505-473-9600; walterburkecatering.com
Do you need to feed an army of operaites? This catering company offers everything from boxed lunches (sandwiches must be ordered in groups of five or more) to classic takeout platters that can feed as few as 10 or up to 60 diners.
Options include platters of steak, ham, chicken, salmon, or turkey, and there are plenty of vegetarian choices, too Feeding crudité or a fruit platter to 10 to 20 guests costs $110, and more than $300 for 40 people
Just need something for munching? The Southwestern Fiesta Platter, which includes tortilla chips, peppers, housemade guacamole, and salsa, starts at $120 for 10 to 20 people
Kaune’s Picnics to Go
505-982-2629; kaunes com/picnic html
Santa Fe’s popular downtown market is a good way to go if you want to save on the food so you can splurge on the wines. Call Kaune’s a day in advance to order a picnic platter, which ranges from $14 to $20 Kaune’s also offers a charcuterie board ($17) and a classic French cheese plate ($20), which you can supplement with roasted chicken ($14, includes potato salad and berries)
Cowgirl Santa Fe Off-Site Buffets
505-982-2565; cowgirlsantafe com/catering
Order bulk specialties to go for a smaller party, or if you have 20 hungry people, Cowgirl offers a variety of options, ranging from a soft taco bar ($19 25 per person) to Texas Style BBQ ($20-$23 per person), which comes with brisket, pork, and chicken If you don’t want to sauce up your outfit, Cowgirl also offers fajitas ($18 per person), a harvest salad ($19 25 per person), and a Frito Pie bar ($14 per person)
Ranch House BBQ Packs
505-424-8900; theranchhousesantafe.com
The Ranch House offers brisket ($17) and pulled pork ($14) by the pound as well as packages that feed family-sized parties The value pack which includes one pound of meat or two half-chickens plus two pints of sides costs $29 The family pack ($50) comes with two pounds of meat that will feed about five people The Big House Pack ($170) serves eight pounds of meat and five quarts of sides.
Baja Tacos
505-471-8762; bajatacossantafe com
Did you blow your budget on season tickets and are looking to scale back? No one is judging especially if you roll up to the Santa Fe Opera with a batch of tacos. Baja Tacos’s location at 2621 Cerrillos Road has a drive-through, so you don’t even have to plan ahead Just cruise up in your tux and proudly place your order for tacos made with chicken ($2 25), beef ($2 25), or, if you ’ re feeling fancy, carne adovada ($2 95) Order 10 of those bad boys, and you ’ re still below $30 and you have a heck of an opera party pack ◀
Nathanael Gray
Meet the artist: Saturday, July 1
Nathanael Gray will be painting in our garden from 1-3pm
MOVING IMAGES
CHILE PAGES
compiled by Holly WeberOpening
EVERY BODY
Trailer youtu be/SoNvk5N-MKo
Every Body tells the stories of three intersex individuals who have moved from childhoods marked by shame, secrecy, and nonconsensual surgeries to thriving adulthoods after each decided to set aside medical advice to keep their bodies a secret and instead came out as their authentic selves Actor and screenwriter River Gallo (they/them), political consultant Alicia Roth Weigel (she/they), and doctoral student Sean Saifa Wall (he/him) are now leaders in a fast-growing global movement advocating for greater understanding of the intersex community and an end to unnecessary surgeries Woven into the story is a stranger-than-fiction case of medical abuse, featuring exclusive footage from the NBC News archives, which helps explain the modern-day treatment of intersex people “Every Body is a must-watch for anyone from a marginalized community or anyone looking at the current political landscape we ’ re in ” (TheWrap) Documentary, rated R, 92 minutes, Violet Crown
INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY
Trailer youtu be/eQfMbSe7F2g
Daredevil archaeologist Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) races against time to retrieve a legendary dial that can change the course of history Accompanied by his goddaughter (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), he soon finds himself squaring off against Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen), a former Nazi who
works for NASA “James Mangold is at the helm and if it isn’t cinematic sacrilege to say so, his solidly entertaining if not inspired installment feels truer to the franchise’s swashbuckling spirit than the latest Spielbergian contribution ” (Slate) Action/adventure, rated PG-13, 142 minutes, Regal Santa Fe Place 6, Violet Crown
PAST LIVES
Trailer youtu be/kA244xewjcI
Celine Song makes a spectacular leap from playwriting to film directing with Past Lives, a heartrending modern romance and one of the big hits of the Sundance Film Festival Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are torn apart after Nora’s family emigrated from South Korea Two decades later, they are reunited in New York for one fateful week as they confront notions of destiny, love, and the choices that make a life “Celine Song makes a quietly spectacular writing-directing debut with Past Lives, a lyrical slow burn of a film that expertly holds back wellsprings of emotion, until it unleashes a deluge ” (Ann Hornaday/The Washington Post) Drama/romance, rated PG-13, 106 minutes, CCAC, Violet Crown. Review Page 42
RISE
Trailer youtu be/nYuukZndeAU
Elise thought she had the perfect life: an ideal boyfriend and a promising career as a ballet dancer It all falls apart the day she catches him cheating on her with her stage backup; and after she suffers an injury on stage, it seems
like she might not be able to dance ever again The path to physical and emotional recovery will lead her away from Paris to a picturesque location in Brittany, where her friends, a new love, and the freedom of contemporary dance will help her reconnect with her father and, most importantly, herself “Breezy, charming love letter to the art form of dance, its tight-knit communities, and what nourishes the impulse to find healing expression in movement ” (Robert Abele/ LA Times) Comedy/drama, not rated, 117 minutes, CCAC
RUBY GILLMAN, TEENAGE KRAKEN
Trailer youtu be/u4uyD8FFUIw
Ruby Gillman (voiced by Lana Condor of the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before franchise) is a sweet and awkward high school student who discovers she’s a direct descendant of the warrior kraken queens The kraken are sworn to protect the oceans of the world against the vain, power-hungry mermaids Destined to inherit the throne from her commanding grandmother (Jane Fonda), Ruby must use her newfound powers to protect those she loves most “A cute, frequently funny and very likable film ” (Screen International) Animated adventure, rated PG, 90 minutes, Regal Santa Fe Place 6, Violet Crown
Special screenings
YELLING FIRE IN AN EMPTY THEATER
Screens Saturday, July 1, and Sunday, July 2
Trailer youtu.be/Hbu0o163-H4
Made for less than the rent of the Brooklyn apartment that it was filmed in, Yelling Fire in an Empty Theater is an affectionate tribute to the young masses who continue to flock to the greatest city on Earth Fresh off the plane, a recent college grad moves in with an eccentric couple and soon becomes entangled in their strange and crumbling relationship Shot over the course of a few days, and featuring a cast of some of Brooklyn’s brightest up-and-comers, this debut film acts as a loving ode to youthful naivete and skyscraper-sized expectations Comedy, not rated, 72 minutes, Jean Cocteau Cinema
Continuing
ASTEROID CITY
Trailer youtu be/9FXCSXuGTF4
World-changing events spectacularly disrupt the itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention in an American desert town circa 1955 “Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City [is] an ambitious yet mystifyingly dysfunctional meta-movie, in terms of both form and content ” (Michael O’Sullivan/The Washington Post) Comedy/romance, rated PG-13, 104 minutes, Violet Crown Review Page 40
ELEMENTAL
Trailer youtu be/hXzcyx9V0xw
In a city where fire, water, land, and air residents live together, a fiery young woman and a go-with-theflow guy discover something elemental: how much they actually have in common “Elemental is a metaphorically loosey-goosey fairy tale about tolerance, cultural pride, and assimilation, set in a stick-to-your-own-kind world that
Box office
Center for Contemporary Arts Cinema, 1050 Old Pecos Trail, 505-982-1338, ext105, ccasantafe org
Jean Cocteau Cinema, 418 Montezuma Ave , 505-466-5528, jeancocteaucinema com
No Name Cinema, 2013 Piñon St , nonamecinema org
Regal Santa Fe Place 6, 4250 Cerrillos Road, 505-424-6109, sfnm co/3o2Cesk
Violet Crown, 106 Alcaldesa St , 505-216-5678, santafe violetcrown com
makes the relationship between the star-crossed lovers in West Side Story look like a walk in the park Cute, kind of clever and oh, so topical But also problematic ” (Michael O’Sullivan/ The Washington Post) Animation/adventure, rated PG, 102 minutes, Regal Santa Fe Place 6, Violet Crown
THE FLASH
Trailer youtu.be/hebWYacbdvc
Worlds collide when the Flash (Ezra Miller) uses his superpowers to travel back in time to change the events of the past However, when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, he becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation With no other superheroes to turn to, the Flash looks to coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian albeit not the one he’s looking
for “[Miller] brings to their character (or, rather, characters) an intriguing sense of duality a split personality that offers the film’s most accessible and intriguing interpretation of the multiverse: a man at war with himself” (Michael O’Sullivan/ The Washington Post) Action/adventure, rated PG-13, 144 minutes, Violet Crown
NO HARD FEELINGS
Trailer youtu.be/P15S6ND8kbQ
On the brink of losing her childhood home, Maddie (Jennifer Lawrence) discovers an intriguing job listing: wealthy helicopter parents looking for someone to “date” their introverted 19-year-old son, Percy, before he leaves for college To her surprise, Maddie soon discovers the awkward Percy is no sure thing “No Hard Feelings is a nice comedy, courting taboo here and there but largely rounded out with sweetness ” (Vanity Fair) Comedy, rated R, 103 minutes, Regal Santa Fe Place 6, Violet Crown
SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE
Trailer youtu be/shW9i6k8cB0
After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s fulltime, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of SpiderPeople charged with protecting its very existence However, when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders He must soon redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most “Across The Spider-Verse is a frenetic, world-hopping carnival ride of a film, its word-happy dialogue and constantly expanding cast of characters leaving garden-variety viewers in the dust of dazed confusion ” (Ann Hornaday/The Washington Post) Animated action/ adventure, rated PG. 140 minutes, Regal Santa Fe Place 6, Violet Crown
SOURCES: Google, IMDb com, RottenTomatoes com, Vimeo com, YouTube com
in
FIREWORKS COULD BE LOVELY THIS WEEK with Venus and Mars in Leo and both square Uranus Hopefully most of the fireworks will be in the sky and not between people This holiday weekend can bring a much-needed break in routine
Friday starts with a burst of efficiency as Mercury and the sun trine Saturn and encourage competence, good boundaries, and pleasant decisions but offer zero objectivity The Sagittarius moon beckons us outdoors for the holiday weekend
Over the weekend, keep an eye on the weather or misbehaving substances and any confusion around plans as foggy Neptune turns retrograde Notice a paradoxical effect as this Neptune confuses what was clear while clearing up some confusions Hidden objects could surface, while long-standing misunderstandings can vanish in the mist.
A full moon in Capricorn on Monday brings up some major control issues and could provoke challenging strategic moves on the big screen. We ponder who controls our world and how they affect us But by midday on July 4 a communal Aquarius moon can bring us back out to the picnic and our cultural celebrations
Midweek it can be like herding cats to get people in agreement; they may enjoy each other’s company and still have trouble cooperating
FRIDAY, JUNE 30: A shift in decisions or identity cooks overnight while Mercury trines Saturn A fresh sense of humor can offer a different take for something that is felt so heavy as the moon enters Sagittarius The lost can be found and the found lost as Neptune stations retrograde Be careful around liquid, weather, odd foods, and intoxicants
SATURDAY, JULY 1: Important healing arises from radical acceptance as the moon trines Venus and Mars Expand the heart and grow our world by loving a bit more Casual rudeness won’t be forgiven as Mercury semisquares Mars; be honest but think before speaking
SUNDAY, JULY 2: Look for opportunity in the glitches, and form new connections while being helpful If familiar people irritate, take a break rather than walk out Watch the desire to control others and the feeling that everything would be fun if they would just follow our script Traditions further and support parades and picnics under a waxing Capricorn moon
MONDAY, JULY 3: It’s a day to move armies or large family groupings with a full moon in Capricorn early on; just make sure everybody is with you Don’t get grim about having fun nor apply your big plans to resistant minds By evening we ’ re more flexible as the moon trines changeable Uranus Laugh together about an earlier problem
TUESDAY, JULY 4: Morning can bring a moody sense of what we ’ ve lost, left behind, or long for in a more perfect country as the moon conjuncts Pluto in Capricorn But by midday, the moon enters collective Aquarius making it easier to be around crowds; share that picnic or go to the rodeo Avoid political discussions; rigorous thinking is out the window
WEDNESDAY, JULY 5: It’s an indecisive, philosophical day when we wonder why we ’ re doing what we ’ re doing as Mercury squares Chiron To explore possibilities without getting lost in the abstract, think of the minor shifts which will improve the situation
THURSDAY, JULY 6: If our feelings catch up with us, let’s ask for what we need directly rather than whimpering as the sensitive Pisces moon conjuncts Saturn Encourage everyone to take care of themselves Storms, both emotional and atmospheric, can quickly arise and as quickly pass over Tonight, open the heart and share with humor as Venus enters Sagittarius
Contact astrologer Heather Roan Robbins at roanrobbins com
FRIDAY 6/30
Gallery and Museum Openings
Blue Rain Gallery
544 S. Guadalupe Street, 505-954-9902
Troubadours: Musica y Mágica, paintings by Erin Currier; through July 15; reception 5-7 p.m.
Charlotte Jackson Fine Art
554 S. Guadalupe Street, 505-989-8688
Max Cole: Breaking Day, paintings; through July 22; reception 5-7 p.m.
CONTAINER
1226 Flagman Way, 505-995-0012
Nadya Tolokonnikova: Putin’s Ashes, mixed media; through July 7.
El Zaguán
545 Canyon Road, 505-983-2567
Broom Room, handmade brooms and brushes by Julia Tait Dickenson; reception 5-7 p.m.
Evoke Contemporary
550 S. Guadalupe Street, 505-995-9902
Art in the Making, group show of multidisciplinary works; through Aug 19; reception and book launch 5-7 p.m.
Form & Concept
435 S. Guadalupe Street, 505-780-8312
Armond Lara, marionettes and works on paper by Lara; through Aug 20; reception 5-7 p.m.
Gerald Peters Gallery
1005 Paseo de Peralta, 505-954-5700
Michael Cassidy: Cowboy Stories, paintings; through September; Leon Loughridge: Sacred Ground, landscapes; through Sept 2; reception 5-7 p.m.
LewAllen Galleries
1613 Paseo de Peralta, 505-988-3250
Hondo, paintings by Jivan Lee; through July 15; Continued Dominions, paintings and mixed-media work on paper by Woody Gwyn; through Aug 20; reception 5-7 p.m.
Nüart Gallery
670 Canyon Road, 505-988-3888
Traces, paintings by Shar Coulson; through July 16; reception 5-7 p.m.
Susan Eddings Pérez Gallery
717 Canyon Road, 505-477-4278
Sunshine, ceramic sculpture by Brandon Reese; through July 17; reception 5-8 p m.
TAI Modern
1601 Paseo de Peralta, 505-984-1387
Bamboo art by Tanaka Kyokusho; through Aug 12; reception 5-7 p.m.
Santa Fe Opera
Tosca
301 Opera Drive, 505-986-5900
Season opener: Keith Warner’s new production of Puccini’s tragic tale of love, lust, betrayal, and murder, with soprano Leah Hawkins and baritone Reginald Smith Jr in the lead roles; 8:30 p.m.; $37$341; santafeopera.org/tickets (See story, Page 20)
In
Concert
ABBAquerque
Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery, 2791 Agua Fria Street, 505-393-5135
Albuquerque-based tribute band; funk-rock band
Katy P & the Business opens; 8 p.m.; $15 cover
Summer Scene
Santa Fe Railyard Plaza, 1612 Alcaldesa Street Free series; L.A -based dance band Ozomatli; cumbia-salsa band Frontera Bugalú opens; 7 p m ; lensic360 org TGIF recital
First Presbyterian Church, 208 Grant Avenue, 505-982-8544
Music of Ned Rorem and Broadway tunes; baritone Travis Bregier and pianist David Beatty; 5:30 p.m., doors 5:15 p.m.; donations accepted
Theater/Dance
EntreFlamenco
El Flamenco de Santa Fe, 135 W Palace Avenue, 505-209-1302
Featuring Antonio Granjero and Estefania Ramirez; 6:15 p m Fridays and Saturdays, through Sept 3; $25-$45; entreflamenco com/ tickets
A Steady Rain Teatro Paraguas, 3205-B Calle Marie, 505-424-1601
M&Z Productions presents Keith Huff’s play about two Chicago police officers struggling with profound consequences; played by Lewis Pullman and Shaun Sipos; 7 p.m today and Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday; $30, students $25; 0e1d06 myshopify.com.
Books/Talks
On Wagner
SITE Santa Fe, 1606 Paseo de Peralta, 505-989-1199
A conversation with maestro Thomas Guggeis and musicologist Jennifer Rhodes, in conjunction with the Santa Fe Opera’s mounting of The Flying Dutchman; 10:30 a m ; no charge; santafeopera org/ whats-on/site-santa-fe-events
Events
Tosca: To Live for Art & Love
Santa Fe Opera Dapples Pavilion, 301 Opera Drive
Fundraiser for the Guilds of the Santa Fe Opera; 5:30 p m ; $125, includes buffet dinner and an overview of Puccini’s opera with speaker Desirée Mays; guildsofsfo org
Nightlife
Chat Noir Cabaret
Los Magueyes, 31 Burro Alley, 505-992-0304
Pianist-vocalist Charles Tichenor; 6 p.m.; no cover
Little Leroy and His Pack of Lies
Cowgirl BBQ, 319 S Guadalupe Street, 505-982-2565
Rock‘n’roll band; 8 p.m.-close; no cover
Nacha Mendez
Amaya at Hotel Santa Fe, 1501 Paseo de Peralta, 505-955-7805
Local singer-songwriter; 7-9 p.m.; no cover
Robert Fox Trio
Club Legato 125 E Palace Avenue, 505-988-9232
Jazz pianist, with percussionist John Trentacosta and bassist Cyrus Campbell; 6-9 p.m Fridays and Saturdays; no cover
Tom Williams Band
La Fiesta Lounge at La Fonda, 100 E San Francisco Street, 505-982-5511
Country/rock/blues; 7 p m -close today and Saturday; no cover
SATURDAY 7/1
Gallery and Museum Openings
Artes de Cuba
1700-A Lena Street, 505-303-3138
Open studio 3-6 p.m
Tierra Mar Gallery
225 Canyon Road, Suite 16, 505-372-7087
Inspired Dimensions, works by ceramicist
Andrea Pichaida and painter Stephanie Paige; reception 4-7 p.m
Santa Fe Opera
The Flying Dutchman
301 Opera Drive, 505-986-5900
Opening night of David Alden’s production of Wagner’s drama, a story of a cursed sailor seeking redemption through true love; conducted by Thomas Guggeis; $37-$341; santafeopera.org/tickets. (See story, Page 30)
Books/Talks
Nancy DeYoung
Travel Bug, 839 Paseo de Peralta, 505-992-0418
The author discusses and signs copies of The Girl in the Tent: Memoir from the Road; 5 p.m.
Events
29th Annual Santa Fe Wine Festival
El Rancho de las Golondrinas, 334 Los Pinos Road 505-471-2261
Samples of local wines, food vendors, arts & crafts booths, and live dance music; noon-6 p.m. today and Sunday; $22, ages 13-18 and students $10; golondrinas.org
Outdoors
Bird Walks
Randall Davey Audubon Center 1800 Upper Canyon Road, 505-983-4609
Guided by experienced birders; 8:30 a.m Saturdays; no charge; randalldavey audubon.org
Nightlife
Bill Hearne
Second Street Brewery RufinaTaproom, 2920 Rufina Sreet, 505-954-1068
Americana singer-songwriter; 8 p m.; no cover
(See story, Page 16)
Drastic Andrew and Joe West
Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery, 2791 Agua Fria Street, 505-393-5135
Prog-rock band and singer-songwriter; 6 p.m.; $10 cover
Lindsey Conover
Paxton’sTaproom, 109 N. Guadalupe Street, 505-982-1290
Folk singer-songwriter; 7-9 p m ; no cover
Myrrhine & the Big Suitcase
Cowgirl BBQ, 319 S. Guadalupe Street, 505-982-2565 Blues and rock; 8 p.m.-close; no cover
Robert Fox Trio
Club Legato 125 E Palace Avenue, 505-988-9232
Jazz pianist, with percussionist John Trentacosta and bassist Cyrus Campbell; 6-9 p m.; no cover
SUNDAY 7/2
Books/Talks
Tommy Archuleta
Book Mountain, 1302 Osage Avenue, 505-471-2625
The poet reads from Fieldnotes; 4 p m.
Events
New Mexico Museum of Art
Family Art Making
107 W. Palace Avenue, 505-476-5072
Monthly sessions; 10 a.m.-noon, the first Sunday of the month. No charge for New Mexico residents 29th Annual Santa Fe Wine Festival El Rancho de las Golondrinas, 334 Los Pinos Road, 505-471-2261
Local wines, food vendors, arts & crafts booths, and live dance music; noon-6 p m.; $22, ages 13-18 and students $10; golondrinas.org
Nightlife
Doug Montgomery
Rio Chama, 414 Old Santa FeTrail, 505-955-0765
Pianist-vocalist; Great American Songbook; 6-9 p.m. Sundays and Mondays; no cover
MONDAY 7/3
Outdoors
Hiking trails
Alltrails com/us/new-mexico/santa-fe
City limits: Dale Ball, Frenchy’s Field/Santa Fe River; Santa Fe National Forest: Atalaya Mountain, Chamisa, Deception Peak, Lower Río en Medio, Nambé Lake, Picacho Peak, Santa Fe Baldy, Tesuque Peak via Aspen Vista.
Randall Davey Audubon Center & Sanctuary
1800 Upper Canyon Road, 505-983-4609
Trails through habitats and plant zones ranging from meadows to Ponderosa Pine forests; 8 a.m -4 p m. Mondays-Saturdays; randalldavey .audubon.org
INDEPENDENCE DAY 7/4
Events
46th Pancakes on the Plaza Fourth of July celebration
Breakfast served 7 a.m.-noon, Santa Fe Vintage Car Club show 7 a.m.-1 p.m., arts & crafts booths
7 a.m.-4 p.m., childrens’activities 8 a.m.-noon; $12 in advance, family four-pack $40; pancakesontheplaza.com/event-info
Arts Alive!
Santa Fe Botanical Garden, 715 Camino Lejo, Museum Hill, 505-471-9103
All-ages, outdoor class celebrating plants; 10 a.m -2 p m.; no charge; santafebotanicalgarden .org/events
Santa Fe Farmers’ Del Sur Market
Presbyterian Santa Fe Medical Center, 4801 Beckner Road
Season kick off, with free Frito pies, sweets, giveaways, and Los Niños de Santa Fe dancers; 3-6 p m Tuesdays through September; 505-983-4098, santafefarmersmarket com
WEDNESDAY
7/5
Santa Fe Opera
Tosca
301 Opera Drive, 505-986-5900
Soprano Leah Hawkins and baritone Reginald Smith Jr in the lead roles of Puccini’s tragic tale of love, lust, betrayal, and murder; 8:30 p.m.; $37-$341; santafeopera.org/tickets (See story, Page 20)
In Concert
Sandbox Music Series
Jean Cocteau Cinema, 418 Montezuma Avenue, 505-466-5528
Composer-pianist Thollem and guitarist-vocalist
Michael Begay; joined by visual artists ACVilla in second set; 7 p m ; $18 and $22; sandboxmusic org
Theater/Dance
La Emi Flamenco
Benítez Cabaret atThe Lodge at Santa Fe
750 N. St Francis Drive, 505-992-5800
Opening night: guest performers include Eloy Aguilar, Daniel Azcarate, Eloy Cito Gonzales, and Vicente Griego; 8 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays, through Oct 8; $25-$55, group discounts available; hhandr.com/entertainment
Events
International Folk Art Market Community Celebration and Artists’ Procession
Santa Fe Railyard Plaza, 1612 Alcaldesa Street
Welcoming hundreds of artists from 52 countries; music by Latin band Super Verza; 7 p m ; 505-992-7600, folkartmarket org; free admission
New Mexico Museum of Art
Family Art Making 107 W Palace Avenue, 505-476-5072
Summer series; 10 a.m.-noon Wednesdays, in the courtyard; no charge; museum admission not included
Santa Fe Opera Backstage Tours
301 Opera Drive, 505-986-5900
A look behind-the-scenes; 9-9:30 a.m.
Mondays-Saturdays through August; $10; ages 6-22 no charge; santafeopera.org/ whats-on/backstage-tours
Nightlife
Instrumental jazz jam
Club Legato, 125 E Palace Avenue, 505-988-9232
Robert Fox Trio hosts; 6-9 p.m.; no cover
THURSDAY 7/6
In Concert
Summer Scene
Downtown Plaza Roots-rock band Cracker; rock band Volores opens; 6 p.m.; lensic360.org
Books/Talks
In Conversation: Eveli Sabatie Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian Library, 704 Camino Lejo, Museum Hill, 505-982-4636 Kiowa jeweler Keri Ataumbi interviews the former apprentice of Hopi jeweler Charles Loloma; 2-3:30 p m ; $15; wheelwright org/ events
Nightlife
David Geist
The Cabaret Upstairs at Osteria D’Assisi, 58 S. Federal Place, 505-986-5858
Pianist/vocalist; 7-10 p.m.; $5 cover; phone reservations only Sean Johnson Quartet
Club Legato, 125 E Palace Avenue, 505-988-9232 Jazz saxophonist, with John Trentacosta, Cyrus Campbell, and Robert Fox; 6-9 p.m.; no cover.
OUT OF TOWN
Albuquerque
27th Annual Summer Thursday Jazz Nights
Outpost Performance Space, 210Yale Boulevard SE, 505-268-0044
Christine Fawson’s Old School Jazz Quintet pays tribute to Hank Mobley; 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 6; $20 and $25; outpostspace.org
Los Alamos
Summer Concert Series
Ashley Pond Park, 2200Trinity Drive
Country band Ryan Chrys & the Rough Cuts; 8 p m Friday, June 30; 6 p m , no charge; facebook com/secretcitysummerconcertseries
Taos
Colcha Embroidery
La Hacienda de los Martinez, 708 Hacienda Way
Traditional and contemporary examples; Sunday, July 1, opening; through July; housed in a Northern New Mexico-style, Spanish colonial “great house”; taoshistoricmuseums org
Ozomatli
Kit Carson Park, 211 Paseo del Pueblo Norte
Reggae/funk/rock band; gates 4 p.m. Tuesday, July 4; opening act,Latin-funk orchestra Grupo Fantasma; no charge
White Rock
2023 Fourth of July Spectacular
Overlook Park 700 Overlook Road
Los Alamos Community Winds ensemble 4 p.m., US 44th Army Band follows; headliner: tribute band Bohemian Queen; 7 p.m.; opening act, Katy P and The Business; 5:30 p.m.; fireworks display 9 p.m.; food trucks and merchandise vendors on site; info@sancreproductions.com.
PEOPLE WHO NEED PEOPLE
Artists
Arte de Descartes XXIII
Artists working in recycled materials sought for the Taos-based art show held Aug 26-Sept 4. Download prospectus at whollyrags.org; 5 p.m. Aug 1 deadline Call Melissa for more information, 575-751-9862
Emerging Artists Membership Program
Open call for submissions to join the nonprofit Strata Gallery; submission fee for 10-15 images $35; July 30 deadline; stratagallerysantafe.com.
Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival Application process open for 24th market held Nov 10-12; Sept 30 submission deadline; recyclesantafe.org/art-market-application. ◀
A guide to performances & events for the weeks ahead
Music
Chatter North
Center for Contemporary Arts, 1050 Old PecosTrail, 505-982-1338
Brahms Sonata in E-flat Major and Marinů’s Madrigals, 10:30 a.m. July 8; $5-$16.50, chatterabq.org/boxoffice
Michael Morreale
Club Legato, 125 E. Palace Avenue, 505-988-9232
Jazz trumpeter, with Robert Fox on piano, Terry Burns on bass, and John Trentacosta on drums; 6 p.m. July 8; $30 and $35; santafemusiccollective org
Delgres
Fusion 708, 708 First Street NW, Albuquerque, 505-766-9412
French power-blues trio; 7:30 p m July 9; $20; tickets ampconcerts org
Los Lonely Boys
Kit Carson Park, 211 Paseo del Pueblo Norte,Taos
Texican rock ‘n’ roll band; opening acts: Levi Platero and Smooth; 6 p m July 9; $40 and $55; tickets lensic360 org/tickets/413374
Santa Fe Botanical Garden Sunset Concert Series 715 Camino Lejo, Museum Hill, 505-471-9103
Held in the amphitheater; July 12: Americana singer-songwriter
Dana Cooper, Aug 2: Latin quartet Alma, Aug 23: Latin band Nosotros; 6-8 p m ; $10 and $12; picnics encouraged; santafebotanicalgarden org
Stephen Marley
The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing Company, 37 Fire Place, 505-557-6182
Babylon by Bus tour; 6 p m July 15; $36; tickets lensic360 org/ tickets/413966
John Rangel Quintet
Dave’s Jazz Bistro, Santa Fe Cooking School 125 N. Guadalupe Street, 800-982-4688
Trumpeter Robert Beasly, saxophonist Sean Johnson, bassist Cyrus Campbell, and percussionist Malachi Roberts join the pianist; 6:30 p m July 15; $175; santafeschoolofcooking com/daves-jazz-bistro
Jeanne Jolly Dance Station, 947-B W. Alameda Street, Solana Shopping Center North Carolina-based singer-songwriter; 8 p.m. July 15; $20; sundancehouseconcerts org
Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival
St Francis Auditorium and the Lensic Performing Arts Center
The 50th-anniversary season opens July 16 and runs through Aug 21. Opening night: Violinist Cho-Liang Lin and violist Yura Lee join pianist Inon Barnatan, violinist William Hagen, and cellist Mark Kosower in Mozart’s Divertimento in D-flat Major and Schumann’s Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, ticket prices vary; 505-982-1890; santafechambermusic com
Santa Fe Desert Chorale 41st season
Cathedral Basilica of St Francis of Assisi, 131 Cathedral Place 2023 Summer Festival: July 16, 28, Aug 3: The Tudors and the Medici; July 23, 29, Aug 4: The American Immigrant Experience; July 27, 30, Aug 5: The Ecstasies Above; Aug 2: Artist Spotlight Recital; $20-$100; 505-988-2282, ext 0; desertchorale org
Taos School of Music Chamber Music Festival
Taos Community Auditorium 133 Paseo del Pueblo Norte
July 16: Shanghai Quartet The chamber ensemble performs music of Haydn, Tan Dun, and Grieg; July 30: Brentano String Quartet, with pianist Thomas Sauer; music of Haydn, Brahms, and Beethoven; $10-$35; taosschoolofmusic.com/tickets
Del Sol Quartet
SITE Santa Fe, 1606 Paseo de Peralta, 505-989-1199
Free performance by violinists Benjamin Kreith and Hyeyung
Sol Yoon, violist Charlton Lee, cellist Kathryn Bates, and tenor Joshua Dennis; music of Nico Muhly, Charlton Lee, and Stefano Scodanibbio; 4 p m. July 18; santafeopera org/whats-on/site-santa-fe-events
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Lensic Performing Arts Center, 211 W San Francisco Street, 505-988-1234 Country-rock veterans; 7:30 p.m. July 21; $45-$65; lensic.org/events
Ian Moore
Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery, 2791 Agua Fria Street, 505-393-5135
Rock guitarist-songwriter; 8 p m July 21; $15; holdmyticket com/ tickets/415382
George Thorogood & The Destroyers
Hilton Santa Fe BuffaloThunder 20 BuffaloThunderTrail, 505-455-5555
Bad All Over The World – 50 Years of Rock tour; 8 p.m. July 22; $79-$99; holdmyticket.com/tickets/407812.
Robert Cray Band
Lensic Performing Arts Center, 211 W San Francisco Street, 505-988-1234
Blues Hall of Fame inductee on tour; 7:30 p.m. July 23; $40 and $50; lensic.org/events
Red Wanting Blue
Tumbleroot Distillery and Brewery, 2791 Agua Fría Street, 505-393-5135 Indie-rock band; 7:30 p.m. July 28; $20; tickets.lensic360.org/ tickets/410752.
The Lil Smokies
Taos Mesa Brewing Mothership Stage, 20 ABC Mesa Road, 575-758-1900
Fusion of folk music, pop medley, and bluegrass; 7:30 p.m. July 30; $25; tickets.lensic360.org/tickets/415708.
Performance Santa Fe Festival of Song
Lensic Performing Arts Center, 211 W San Francisco Street, 505-988-1234
Santa Fe Opera’s Pelléas et Mélisande leads, mezzo-soprano
Samantha Hankey and baritone Huw Montague Rendall, open the series, accompanied by pianist Robert Tweten; 4 p.m. July 30; $45-$95; secure.performancesantafe.org/8779/8905.
Rob Scheps
Club Legato, 125 E Palace Avenue, 505-988-9232
Jazz saxophonist/composer, with Robert Fox on piano, Cyrus Campbell on bass, and John Trentacosta on drums; 6 p.m. Aug 11; $30 and $35; santafemusiccollective.org
Los Lobos
The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing Company, 37 Fire Place, 505-557-6182
The rock band performs in support of United Way of North Central New Mexico; 7:30 p.m. Aug 12; $39-$200; tickets.lensic360.org/ tickets/417275.
The Wailers
Taos Mesa Brewing Amphitheater, 20 ABC Mesa Road, 575-758-1900
U.S. tour; 5 p.m Aug 20; $30, kids 12 and under $8; tickets.ampconcerts.org
Santa Fe TradFest
Camp Stoney, 7855 Old Santa FeTrail, 505-820-3166
Including Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet, Kathy Kallick Band, Bruce Molsky, and Lone Piñon; plus, jam sessions and workshops; Aug 25-27; $20-$60, ages 12 and under no charge, full weekend pass $70 (early bird), $80 on Aug 1; santafetradfest org
Blossoms & Bones Ghost Ranch Music Fest
280 Private Drive, 1708 US 84, Abiquiú
Lineup includes Ocie Elliott, Rising Appalachia, The Beths, and Japanese Breakfast; gates 9 p.m Aug 25; two-day pass $235; holdmyticket.com/tickets/414336.
Meredith Monk
Lensic Performing Arts Center, 211 W. San Francisco Street 505-988-1234
Avant-garde composer/performer, with Katie Geissinger and Allison Sniffin; 7:30 p.m Aug 26; $29-$49; lensic.org/events
An Evening with Judy Collins
KiMoTheatre, 423 Central Avenue NW, Albuquerque On tour; 7:30 p.m Aug 30; $45-$75; holdmyticket.com/ tickets/416334.
Lyle Lovett and the Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra
Santa Fe Opera, 301 Opera Drive, 505-986-5900
Benefit for the Cancer Foundation for New Mexico; 7:30 p.m Sept 3; tickets start at $40; tickets.lensic360 org/tickets/416148.
New Mexico Jazz Festival
Lensic Performing Arts Center, 211 W San Francisco Street 505-988-1234
Vibraphonist Stefon Harris and his ensemble Blackout; 7:30 p.m Sept 15; $29-$55; lensic.org/events
Jimmie Vaughan & the Tilt-A-Whirl Band
Lensic Performing Arts Center, 211 W. San Francisco Street 505-988-1234 On the road again; 7:30 p.m Sept 18; $35-$55; lensic.org/events
Mariachi Herencia de México
Lensic Performing Arts Center, 211 W. San Francisco Street 505-988-1234
Chicago-based group, with vocalist La Marisoul; 7:30 p.m Sept 28 $39 and $69; lensic.org/events
Brent Cobb
Tumbleroot Distillery and Brewery, 2791 Agua Fría Street, 505-393-5135
The singer-songwriter on his Southern Star tour; 7:30 p.m Oct 1; $20; tickets.lensic360 org/tickets/417186.
Wilco
Kiva Auditorium, Albuquerque Convention Center, 401 Second Street NW Alternative-rock band; 7:30 p.m Oct 1; tickets start at $77; tickets.lensic360 org/416554
Josh Ritter & the Royal City Band
Lensic Performing Arts Center, 211 W San Francisco Street 505-988-1234
Spectral Lines tour; 7:30 p.m Oct 2; $30-$45; lensic.org/events
Arturo Sandoval
Lensic Performing Arts Center, 211 W San Francisco Street, 505-988-1234
Jazz trumpeter, touring in support of Rhythm and Soul; 7:30 p m Oct 3; $35-$115; secure.performancesantafe.org/8823/8861.
The Zombies
Lensic Performing Arts Center, 211 W San Francisco Street, 505-988-1234
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees on tour in support of Different Game; 7:30 p.m. Oct 9; $44-$144; lensic.org/events
Tommy Castro & the Painkillers
Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery 2791 Agua Fria St., 505-393-5135
Blues rockers; 7:30 p m Oct 10; $25; tickets lensic360 org/tickets/414470
R. Carlos Nakai Trio
Lensic Performing Arts Center, 211 W San Francisco Street, 505-988-1234
Native flutist, joined by guitarist William Eaton and percussionist Will Clipman; 7:30 p.m. Oct 12; $29-$45; lensic.org/events
Pat Metheny
KiMoTheatre, 423 Central Avenue NW, Albuquerque
Solo tour in support of Dream Box; 7:30 p m Oct 14; $55-$80; holdmyticket.com/tickets/414805.
Anoushka Shankar
Lensic Performing Arts Center, 211 W San Francisco Street, 505-988-1234
Sitar virtuoso; 7:30 p.m. Oct 20; $49-$79; lensic.org/events
On Stage
Tensegrity
Teatro Paraguas, 3205-B Calle Marie
Underland Dance company’s improvisational performance; 7 p.m. July 7 and 8; $20; 505-424-1601, teatroparaguasnm.org/tensegrity
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder
Santa Fe Playhouse 142 E De Vargas Street, 505-988-4262
Rebecca Aparicio directs the musical based on Roy Horniman’s 1907 novel; July 13-Aug. 12; $15-$75; santafeplayhouse.org.
Maestros
Tumbleroot Distillery and Brewery, 2791 Agua Fría Street, 505-393-5135
Spanish flamenco artists Alejandro Granados, Carmen Ledesma, Valeria“La Chispa”Montes, Sebastian Sanchez, and Juani de la Isla; 7:30 p.m. July 19; $35; tickets ampconcerts.org/tickets/417248.
Shakespeare in the Garden
Santa Fe Botanical Garden, 715 Camino Lejo, Museum Hill, 505-471-9103
Santa Fe Classic Theater presents Much Ado About Nothing; July 27-Aug 20; $40 and $60; santafeclassictheaterorg
Stars of American Ballet
Lensic Performing Arts Center, 211 W. San Francisco Street, 505-988-1234
Principals and soloists, directed by choreographer Daniel Ulbricht; $40-$125; program I, 7:30 p m July 28, secure performancesantafe org/8688/8689; program II, 7:30 p m July 29, secure performancesantafe org/8783/8786
Compagnie Marie Chouinard
Lensic Performing Arts Center, 211 W. San Francisco Street, 505-988-1234 Canadian modern-dance troupe, featuring The Rite of Spring; 8 p.m. Sept 2; $36-$114; lensic org/events
Happenings
Identity Is Handmade
SITE Santa Fe, 1606 Paseo de Peralta, 505-989-1199
International Folk Art Market lecture series; 10 a.m July 7: Safeguarding Traditions in Mexico, with Susana Harp; 2 p.m. July 7: Threading Cultures, an exchange of ideas among textile artists;
10 a m July 8: Heritage of Fashion Design panel discussion; 2 p m
July 8: Your Brain on Art author Ivy Ross in conversation with trend analyst Philip Fimmano; $20 each; folkartmarket.org/ifam-events
Santa Fe Brewing Company Desert Party 35 Fire Place, 505-557-6182
A 35th anniversary celebration and fundraiser for ARTsmart
New Mexico, ALTO: Arts Integration, and Teatro Paraguas; 4 p.m. July 8; live music, artists’booths, food vendors, and raffles; admission by donation
Storytelling with Joe Hayes
Reunity Resources 1829 SanYsidro Crossing, 505-393-1196
Long-time storyteller of New Mexico and Southwest tales for all ages; 7 p.m. July 9, 16, 23, and 30; bring camp chairs or blankets; no charge
American Indian Cultural Arts Festival
Aztec Ruins National Monument, 725 Ruins Road, Aztec, 505-334-6174, ext. 231 Free event, featuring dancers, artists, and musicians Innastate, the Levi Platero Band, and Jir Project; 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m. July 15, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. July 16 (approximately 3 hours from Santa Fe).
2023 New Mexico IPA Challenge
Bosque Brewing-The Drinkery, 4980-B Promenade Boulevard
Attendees’vote on sixteen India Pale Ales; 2-5 p.m. July 15; $10 admission fee, $30 includes commemorative pint glass, samples of all brews, and a pint of beer, $35 at door; nmbeer.org/events; 21+.
Horizons: Weaving Between the Lines with Diné Textiles
Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, 710 Camino Lejo, Museum Hill, 505-476-1269
Examples from the collection, historic and contemporary weavings, prints, photographs, and other related items; opening July 16; through June 2, 2024; indianartsandculture org
Homegrown: Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Right-Wing Extremism
Hotel Santa Fe 1501 Paseo de Peralta, 855-825-9876
Author/journalist Jeffrey Toobin shares his point of view; social (with hors d’oeuvres and cash bar) 5:30 p m July 18; conversation 6 p m , book signing 7 p m ; $25 and $35; globalsantafe org
Contemporary Hispanic Market
Downtown Plaza
Annual outdoor event, with national artists; 8 a m -5 p m July 29 and 30; 505-331-5162; contemporaryhispanicmarket org
71st Traditional Spanish Market
Downtown Plaza
Works by adult and youth artisans; 8-5 p.m July 29 and 30; 505-836-0306, atriscoheritagefoundation.org/the-spanish-market Angels Under the Stars Gala
Spanish Colonial Arts Museum, Museum Hill Café, and International Folk Art Museum
A fundraiser for the nonprofit Kitchen Angels; 5-9 p.m Aug 26; cocktails, followed by dinner and desert; $300; kitchenangels.org
AT THE GALLERIES
Santa Fe
Aurelia Gallery
414 Canyon Road, 505-501-2905
Works in Light, holography by Michael Crawford; through July 29.
Currents 826
826 Canyon Road, 505-772-0953
Ecological Soup: Interspecies Encounters, video installations by Jiabao Li; through Aug 20.
Gerald Peters Contemporary 1011 Paseo de Peralta, 505-954-5700
Fernando Andrade: We the People, drawings; Tom Birkner: Night & Day on Main, paintings; Gil Rocha: 2nd Place, assemblages; through July 29.
Keep Contemporary
142 Lincoln Avenue, Suite 102, 505-557-9574
Paintings by Raymond Argumedo (Awake in a Dream) and Zienna Brunsted Stewart (Akin); through July 17.
Martinez Studio
223 ½ Canyon Road martinezstudio.com
Wandering Inside, paintings by Sandra Jo Martinez; through July 30.
Obscura Gallery
1405 Paseo de Peralta, 505-577-6708
Portraits of Birds, photographs by Debbie Fleming Caffery; through July 29.
MUSEUMS & ART SPACES
Santa Fe
Coe Center for the Arts
1590-B Pacheco Street, 505-983-6372
In the Woods, Is Perpetual Youth, group show of works by local high school students; through July 10 African, Asian, European, Native American, and Oceanic objects; email info@coeartscenterorg for tours; coeartscenter.org. Open by appointment. El Rancho de las Golondrinas
334 Los Pinos Road, 505-471-2261
Living-history museum, dedicated to the heritage and culture of 18th- and 19th-century New Mexico; golondrinas org Open Wednesdays-Sundays
Georgia O’Keeffe Museum
217 Johnson Street 505-946-1000
Radical Abstraction, paintings from the collection; through Oct 30 Georgia O’Keeffe: Making a Life, art and objects from the collection; through March 27, 2024; okeeffemuseum org Open daily
Governor’s Gallery
New Mexico State Capitol, 490 Old Santa FeTrail, 505-476-5072
This Art Is Your Art, works from the Art in Public Places permanent collection; through Oct 3.
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts
108 Cathedral Place, 505-983-8900
Rick Rivet: Journeys, Mounds and the Metaphysical, 30-year retrospective of work by the Sahtu–Métis painter; through Sunday, July 16 • The Stories
We Carry, jewelry from the museum collection; through Sept 30, 2024; iaia edu/mocna
Closed Tuesdays
Meow Wolf
1352 Rufina Circle, 505-395-6369
The House of Eternal Return, immersive exhibits. The Adulti-Verse, admission discounts for ages 21+, first Thursdays of the month; meowwolf com Closed Tuesdays
Museum of Indian Arts and Culture
710 Camino Lejo, Museum Hill, 505-476-1269
Here, Now and Always, artifacts from the collection; indianartsandculture org Open daily
Museum of International Folk Art
706 Camino Lejo, Museum Hill, 505-476-1200
Between the Lines: Prison Art and Advocacy/ a Community Conversation, engagement-based exhibit providing public input through talk-back boards and a dialogue lounge; through Nov 5
• Ghhúunayúkata/To Keep Them Warm: The Alaska Native Parka, examples from the mid-19th century to contemporary reinterpretations; through April 7, 2024 • La Cartonería Mexicana: The Mexican Art of Paper and Paste, historic sculptures from the collection, exhibited with the work of three visiting cartoneros; through Nov 3, 2024 Core exhibits: Multiple Visions: A Common Bond, works in the Alexander Girard Wing Lloyd’s Treasure Chest: Folk Art in Focus, thematic displays from the permanent collection; moifa org Open daily
Museum of Spanish Colonial Art
750 Camino Lejo, museum@spanishcolonial.org Trails, Rails, and Highways: How Trade Transformed the Art of Spanish New Mexico, works from the collection; through August • To Be Determined: The collaborative Art of Jason/Okuu Pín Garcia and VicenteTelles, contemporary retablos; through Sept 8; spanishcolonial org Open Wednesdays-Fridays New Mexico Governor’s Mansion 1 Mansion Drive, newmexicogovernorsmansion.org
Including works by Marie Romero Cash, Gerald Cassidy, William Penhallow Henderson, and Willard Nash Free, docent-led tours noon-2 p m the second and fourth Wednesdays monthly (by appointment) Contact Mary Brophy, 505-476-2800, mary brophy@ gsd nm gov
New Mexico History Museum
113 Lincoln Avenue, 505-476-5200
Palace Seen and Unseen: A Convergence of History and Archaeology, photographs and artifacts
• The Massacre of Don Pedro Villasur, graphic art by Turner Avery Mark-Jacobs The First World War, ephemera relating to New Mexicans’ contributions • Setting the Standard: The Fred Harvey Company and Its Legacy, objects from the collection and photographs from Palace of the Governors archives • Telling New Mexico: Stories From Then and Now, artifacts, photographs, films, and oral histories; nmhistorymuseum org Downtown walking tours 10:15 a m WednesdaysSundays, through October Open daily
New Mexico Museum of Art
107 W. Palace Avenue, 505-476-5072
With the Grain, showcasing Hispanic, Northern New Mexico wood carvers; through Sept 4
• An American in Paris: Donald Beauregard, paintings, through Oct 22; Selections from the 20th-Century Collection, through December
• The Nature of Glass, group show, through December • Manuel Carrillo: Mexican Modernist, photographic exhibition; through Feb 4, 2024; nmartmuseum.org Open daily
Poeh Cultural Center and Museum
78 Cities of Gold Road, Pueblo of Pojoaque, 505-455-5041
Di Wae Powa: They Came Back, historical Tewa Pueblo pottery Nah Poeh Meng, 1,600-square-foot core installation highlighting works by Pueblo artists; poehcenter org Open Mondays-Fridays
Santa Fe Botanical Garden
715 Camino Lejo, Museum Hill, 505-471-9103
18-acre living museum; santafebotanicalgarden org Open daily
SITE Santa Fe
1606 Paseo de Peralta, 505-989-1199
Going With the Flow: Art, Actions, and Western Waters, group show; through July • His Mark, video installations by Bruce Nauman; Goodnight Moon, multidisciplinary works by Rachel Rose; through Sept 11; sitesantafe org Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays
Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian
704 Camino Lejo, Museum Hill, 505-982-4636
Always in relation: Artworks from the Schultz Collection; through Oct 21 California Stars: Huivaniūs Pütsiv, the first Californian artists whose works reflected personal experiences, mythology, and social justice; through Jan 14, 2024 Long term: Center for the Study of Southwestern Jewelry, devoted to Diné and Pueblo traditions • Rooted: Samples of Southwest Basketry; works from the collection; wheelwright org Closed Sundays and Mondays
Albuquerque
Albuquerque Museum
2000 Mountain Road NW, 505-243-7255
Those (Un)Familiar Faces, works from photo archives; through July 9 • Indigenous Art, Culture, and Community (from the collection of Ruth); through July 23 • Journey West: Danny Lyon, photographs, films, and montages spanning Lyon’s 60-year career; through Aug 27; cabq gov/culturalservices/ albuquerque-museum Closed Mondays
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center 2401 12th Street NW, 505-843-7270
Colors that Speak Words, collaborative installation between writers and visual artists; through Oct 15 • Grounded: Honoring Our Cultural Ties with Strength and Resilience • Birds and Feathers: Their Beauty Within Our Traditions, groups shows; through April 2024; indianpueblo org Open Tuesdays-Sundays National Hispanic Cultural Center 1701 Fourth Street SW, 505-246-2261
Aliento a Tequila y el Arte de Agave, photographs by Joel Salcido and ephemera from the permanent collection associated with the history of agave and the tequila industry; through Aug 13 • Nexo Entre Raíces/Nexus Between Roots, group show of prints; through Sept 10 • Aquí Estamos, selections from the permanent collection; through Sept 17; nationalhispaniccenterorg Open TuesdaysSundays.
New Mexico Holocaust and Intolerance Museum
616 Central Avenue SW, 505-247-0606
Overturned: A Life Etched in Stone • Hate in America Permanent exhibits, With Evil Intent African American Experience, Phase 2: Slavery 1866-1945 • Czech Torah • Armenian Genocide • Hidden Treasures • Colonization: Racism and Resilience; nmholocaustmuseum org Open Wednesdays-Saturdays
Taos
Couse-Sharp Historic Site
138 & 146 Kit Carson Road, 575-751-0369
Aún Aquí: Spanish Colonial Contemporary, group show of works by New Mexico artists; through November • Joseph Henry Sharp: The Life and Work of an American Legend; through December 2024; couse-sharp org Open by appointment Tuesdays-Saturdays La Hacienda de los Martinez
708 Hacienda Way, 575-758-0505
Sunday, July 1 opening of Colcha Embroidery: Traditional and Contemporary; through July; housed in a Northern New Mexico-style, Spanish colonial home, built in 1804 by Severino Martinez; taoshistoricmuseums org Open daily
FINAL FRAME
Enlightenment, a 44-by-44-by-2-inch contemporary abstract in acrylic by Tracy King, is among the pieces on display as part of “Collective Consciousness,” a celebration of ViVO Contemporary’s 20 years in business King is one of the gallery’s nine artist-owners; the others are Norma Alonzo, Ilse Bolle, Barrie Brown, Nina Glaser, Warren Keating, Ann Laser, Gary Oakley, and Laurinda Stockwell The exhibition runs Wednesday, July 5, to September 26, with an opening reception from 5 to 7 p m July 13 725 Canyon Road, 505-982-1320; gallery@vivocontemporary com Brian Sandford
Tosca
Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa
Giacomo Puccini
Richard
Claude Debussy
Antonín Dvořák ORFEO
Claudio Monteverdi World Premiere Orchestration Nico Muhly