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Neighborhood: 7 miles North of town Address: 285N Phone: (800) 280-4654

Bizet created opera�s most alluring femme fatale, the gypsy whose siren song draws men to their doom. Anne Sofie von Otter sings her first American Carmens here, bringing an interpretation internationally hailed for its earthy sensuality, sense of humor, and foreboding danger. �Von Otter's Carmen is a tiger in a flamenco frock, arching her back menacingly and spitting out her hatred with a vehemence that keeps the audience on the edge of its seats,� was one critic�s vivid description. She will be partnered by William Joyner as Don Jose and Serena Farnocchia as Micaela, in a production conducted by Alan Gilbert and staged by Lars Rudolfsson.

Mozart�s radiant masterpiece celebrates the redemptive powers of love and of music. Natalie Dessay, who captivated our audiences as Amina in La sonnambula, will sing Pamina for the first time in her career. She will be joined by Heather Buck as Queen of the Night, Toby Spence as Tamino, and Joshua Hopkins as Papageno, in a new production conducted by William Lacey and staged by Tim Albery, whose Beatrice and Benedict charmed audiences and critics here in 1998 and again in 2004.

Jules Massenet took the timeless tale of Cinderella, �lightly dusted it with the magic powder of sounds,� and conjured up opera�s most bewitching fairy tale. Joyce DiDonato, a former Santa Fe apprentice who now appears with major international companies, returns in the title role. Kristine Jepson, most recently seen in Santa Fe as the rascally Nero in 2004�s Agrippina, displays a more charming side of her pants-role personalities as the Prince, with Judith Forst and Richard Stilwell returning to play the Wicked Stepmother and Cinderella�s father, respectively. Cinderella will be conducted by Kenneth Montgomery and staged by Laurent Pelley, who created the enormously popular version of La Belle H�l�ne seen here in 2003.

Richard Strauss orchestrated a scandalous success with his operatic version of Oscar Wilde�s Salome, in which the title character unveils her most diabolical desires. The opera�s premiere performance received 38 curtain calls and it soon triumphed around the world, its dazzling music sweeping aside objections to its story��which cannot be read by any woman��and its composer��the creator of carnal visions in waltz time.� Janice Watson, most recently seen here as Elettra in Mozart�s Idomeneo, portrays Salome, with Greer Grimsley as Jokanaan and Ragnar Ulfung as Herod. This new production will be conducted by John Fiore and staged by Bruce Donnell.

A Santa Fe anniversary season wouldn�t be complete without a major premiere, and 2006 brings one of great importance�the first American staging of The Tempest by Thomas Ad�s. Ad�s is widely recognized as one of today�s most talented young composers, and The Tempest, which won the prestigious 2004 Laurence Olivier Award for �Outstanding Achievement in Opera,� is his first large-scale stage work. The cast features Cyndia Sieden as Ariel, Patricia Risley as Miranda, Will Ferguson as Caliban, and Rodney Gilfry as Prospero. Alan Gilbert will conduct; the director and designer will be Jonathan Kent and Paul Brown, respectively, who collaborated on K�tya Kabanov� here in 2003 and Lucio Silla in 2005.

A Gala Concert on Saturday, August 12, hosted by Frederica von Stade, will celebrate the Apprentice Program for Singers. Many of the program�s most distinguished alumni from recent years will perform favorite arias and ensembles, accompanied by the Opera Orchestra. The evening is a benefit event, with proceeds going to the Endowment Fund for the Apprentice Programs.