Santa Fe Opera and Road Scholar
The following programs featuring Oliver Prezant are presented by the organizations listed.
Opera Basics
in Santa Fe and Placitas!
Join conductor and educator Oliver Prezant for a series of FREE, fun, informative talks on opera. Each talk will introduce you to opera basics while previewing one of the five operas of the Santa Fe Opera’s 2025 season.
• Learn 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 • Hear about the composers, the librettists, and the genesis of the opera • Develop an understanding of where each work fits within the history of 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.
Five Friday evenings in Santa Fe, from 5:30 - 7 p.m.
at Collected Works Bookstore: 202 Galisteo St., Santa Fe, NM
Five Saturday afternoons in Placitas, from 2 - 3:30 p.m.
at Las Placitas Presbyterian Church: 7 Paseo de San Antonio Rd., Placitas, NM
These events are FREE, no reservations necessary. Seating is first come, first served.
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La bohème by Giacomo Puccini
Santa Fe: Friday, April 11, 5:30 - 7 p.m.
Placitas: Saturday, April 12, 2 - 3:30 p.m.
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The Marriage of Figaro by W. A. Mozart
Santa Fe: Friday, April 25, 5:30 - 7 p.m.
Placitas: Saturday, April 26, 2 - 3:30 p.m.
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Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi
Santa Fe: Friday, May 9, 5:30 - 7 p.m.
Placitas: Saturday, May 10, 2 - 3:30 p.m.
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The Turn of the Screw by Benjamin Britten
Santa Fe: Friday, May 23, 5:30 - 7 p.m.
Placitas: Saturday, May 24, 2 - 3:30 p.m.
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The Valkyrie by Richard Wagner
Santa Fe: Friday, June 6, 5:30 - 7 p.m.
Placitas: Saturday, June 7, 2 - 3:30 p.m.
These events are FREE. No reservation necessary. Seating is first come, first served.
Opera Basics is a presentation of the Santa Fe Opera, in partnership with the Placitas Artists Series.
Santa Fe Opera Prelude Talks
with Oliver Prezant
June 28* 1 - August 23, 2025
GET YOURSELF READY for the incredible productions of The Santa Fe Opera’s 2025 Season, with lively, informative, interactive Prelude Talks presented by Oliver Prezant before each performance.* Whether you’re new to opera or a seasoned opera-goer, 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 in Stieren Hall.
THIS SEASON’S OPERAS: La bohème, by Giacomo Puccini; The Marriage of Figaro, by W. A. Mozart; Rigoletto, by Giuseppe Verdi; The Turn of the Screw, by Benjamin Britten; and Die Walküre (The Valkyrie), by Richard Wagner.
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 Friday, June 27 (opening night) or before the Apprentice Scenes on August 10 and 17.
Prelude Talks are presentations of The Santa Fe Opera.
For more information and tickets for the 2025 season, click the link below:
Road Scholar Opera Extravaganza:
The Santa Fe Opera Festival Season 2025!
Three six-day seminars, starting on July 28, Aug. 4, and Aug. 12, 2025.
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 2025 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.