Santa Fe Opera and Road Scholar

The following programs featuring Oliver Prezant are presented by the organizations listed.

OPERA BASICS
April 26 - June 21, 2024

Join conductor and educator Oliver Prezant for
a series of fun, informative talks on opera.

at Collected Works Bookstore and Coffeehouse
202 Galisteo St. Santa Fe, NM 87501

These events are FREE. No reservation necessary.
Seating is first come first served.

Friday, April 26 – La traviata
Friday, May 10 – Don Giovanni
Friday, May 24 – The Righteous
Friday, June 7 – Der Rosenkavalier
Friday, June 21 – The Elixir of Love

Each talk will introduce you to opera basics while previewing one of the five operas of the Santa Fe Opera’s 2024 season. For more than 25 years, Oliver Prezant’s unique presentations have helped thousands of newcomers and established opera lovers deepen their experience of music and opera. Best of all, you’ll have a chance to go into each performance with the confidence to relax, enjoy, and get the most out of your experience in the opera house.

  • Learn all about the stories, the characters, the music and the text;

  • Explore the building blocks of opera and how they’ve changed over time;

  • Gain insight into how to listen to the singers and the orchestra;

  • Get tips on how to understand the sets, props, costumes, and lighting;

  • Learn about the composers and librettists;

  • Develop an understanding of where each work fits within the history of opera.

For more information, contact Anna Garcia at agarcia@santafeopera.org

Opera Basics is a presentation of The Santa Fe Opera.

For Santa Fe Opera information and tickets for the 2024 season, click the link below:

Santa Fe Opera Prelude Talks
with Oliver Prezant
June 29* 1 - August 24, 2024

GET YOURSELF READY for the incredible productions of The Santa Fe Opera’s 2024 Season, with lively, informative, interactive Prelude Talks presented by Oliver Prezant before each performance.* Whether you’re new to opera or a long-time patron, these 30-minute talks will take you inside the opera and the production to help you get the most out of your evening in the opera house. This season, Oliver will be presenting all of the Prelude Talks.

THIS SEASON’S OPERAS: La traviata, by Giuseppe Verdi; Don Giovanni, by W. A. Mozart; The Righteous, by Gregory Spears (World Premiere); Der Rosenkavalier, by Richard Strauss; and L’elisir d’amore (The Elixir of Love), by Gaetano Donizetti.

IMPORTANT INFO: There are two 30-minute talks in Stieren Orchestra Hall each evening: two hours and one hour before the performance.* These talks are provided for ticket holders and are free with your ticket. Seating is limited. For best seating availability, try the talk two hours before the performance.

*EXCEPTIONS: Prelude Talks are not offered on June 29 (opening night) or before the Apprentice Scenes on August 11 and 18.

Prelude Talks are presentations of The Santa Fe Opera.

For more information and tickets for the 2024 season, click the link below:

Road Scholar Opera Extravaganza:
The Santa Fe Opera Festival Season 2024!

Three six-day seminars, starting on July 29, Aug. 5, and Aug. 12, 2024.

Enjoy previews and post-performance discussions with Oliver and opera enthusiasts from the all over the country, as we explore the operas of the Santa Fe Opera’s 2023 Festival Season in depth and attend performances of all five productions. Over the course of the six-day seminar, you’ll have a chance to find your way into the workings of each opera: the plot, characters, and source material, as well as the language, libretto, and the music. Along the way, we’ll explore the art of the singers, conductor, director, and designers, and the elements of the production.

Opera Extravaganza seminars are presented by Road Scholar. For more information, click the link below:

Photo credits: Oliver Prezant at Collected Works: Cecile Lipworth. Prelude talk at The Santa Fe Opera and Conductor and arts educator Oliver Prezant, headshot: photos by Ruthanne Greeley. Footer: Prelude Talk at The Santa Fe Opera, photo by Ruthanne Greeley.