Operatic
You’ll hear a lot of opera talk in Santa Fe each summer as the Santa Fe Opera kicks off its annual season. Yeah, it’s a big deal around here for sure, what with our world-famous opera house and all, but if you ask any old dingus on the street how they feel about the medium, chances are their reaction will range from nonplussed to indifference. Let’s face it, the worlds of classical music, opera, etc., come with a kind of high bar for accessibility—some shows are pricey; many times we’re dealing with foreign languages; and dress codes; some shows are long; and so forth. But the opera need not be scary. In fact, much of its core draw comes from timeless themes of love, lust, scandal, comedy and drama.
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Enter conductor, Road Scholar and music educator Oliver Prezant and his upcoming Opera Basics lecture series at Collected Works Bookstore and Coffeehouse. For five Fridays this summer, Prezant will break down the info folks need to understand and enjoy the world of opera.
“Operas are basically stories with music, props, costumes, sets, lights, and every designer that’s involved is trying to communicate with the audience,” Prezant tells SFR. “These talks can really help people get inside the stories and how they’re told to understand how it all goes together.”
Attendees will get the lowdown on the stories behind the shows that define opera. Prezant will also dig into the history of the medium, plus the more practical elements of production, thereby contextualize nearly everything budding opera lovers might need to know while arming newcomers and vets alike with the information they need to better understand how opera has impacted the last couple hundred years.
“This week, we’re looking at The Turn of the Screw, which is based on a ghost story by Henry James that goes deeply into the psyche of the narrator,” Prezant adds.” Is she seeing ghosts, or is she imagining everything? It’s in English, so it’s not hard to understand, and the original story and the opera are very tightly constructed, but there’s still lots of room for ambiguity.”
The Santa Fe Opera kicks off its 2025 season on June 27 with a production of Puccini’s La Boheme.
(Alex De Vore)
The Fifth Element
Provided
Yeah, yeah, yeah—you’ve got plenty of opportunities to check out special art markets all summer long in Santa Fe. Still, this year’s inaugural Native Elements Art Festival+Market finds the Institute of American Indian Arts Scholarship Fund joining with the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women and the Santa Fe Botanical Garden for five days of excellence. We’re talking silent auctions, more than 160 Indigenous artists, panel discussions, arts demos, one-off exhibits, food, music and more across a variety of venues including the Botanical Garden, La Fonda on the Plaza and the Santa Fe Community Convention Center. It’s gonna be huge, so make sure you check the website below for all the pertinent info as it’s just too big to fit in print. (Alex De Vore)
Native Elements Art Festival+Market: Various times Wednesday, May 21-Sunday, May 25. $10-$175. Various locations, visitsfbg.org/native-elements
The Plants Are Watching
artdirector@sfreporter.com
Summer Guide 2021
The Santa Fe Public Library’s Nature Lovers Book Club is designed for those interested in discovering the endless wonders of the natural world. Each session focuses on a recently released book through which participants explore meaningful themes and kick off discussions. This month’s selected title is The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth by environmental journalist Zoë Schlanger. Throughout the book, Schlanger investigates the science behind the consciousness and intelligence of plants and how they sense and communicate. So just remember—they’re watching you. (Adam Ferguson)
Nature Lovers Book Club: 6 pm-7:30 pm Wednesday. May 21. Free. Santa Fe Public Library (Southside), 6599 Jaguar Drive, (505) 955-2820
Make Way for the Duckies
Laura Paskus
Rio Grande, October 2020.
Known for its diverse plants and wildlife, the Leonora Curtain Wetlands Preserve opens this week for the season. To kick things off, volunteer Rocky Tucker leads a morning tour through the 35-acre marsh with a focus on identifying the variety of birds that live in the unique habitat. While there are loads of amazing birds throughout Santa Fe, species like mallards and great blue herons depend on the wetlands to thrive. And with Tucker's avian expertise, guests can rest assured they’ll come out with plenty of new bird knowledge while maybe even catching a glimpse of new species or two. Keep in mind, reservations are required. (AF)
Rocky Tucker's Bird Tours: 8 am-10 am Saturday, May 24. $15-$20. Leonora Curtain Wetlands Preserve, 334 Los Pinos Road, (505) 471-2261
