Pop quiz: Name an opera training initiative that creates space for self-discovery, serious fun, and a bit of Broadway adoration. Spoiler alert: there’s only one answer.

On this episode of Key Change, co-hosts Anna Garcia and Olga Perez Flora get to know Chandler Johnson, Director of Santa Fe Opera’s Apprentice Program for Singers, and uncover what early-career singers selected for this internationally acclaimed program can expect from their 13 weeks in the desert. 

“It’s a pressure cooker!” exclaims Chandler of the four-month-long apprenticeship, initially developed by John Crosby, founder of the Santa Fe Opera. How prestigious is the program, you might ask? We did the math. Out of a thousand applicants, less than 5% have a chance of making it in. That’s 36-46 participants annually. And once those folks are accepted? They’re met with a 360º view of the industry including an intense rehearsal regime, mainstage experience, individual scene recitals, donor events, and off-campus performances.

Chandler’s circuitous route to Apprentice Program director includes five different administrative titles at Santa Fe Opera alone, proving that the stage isn’t the only avenue to an illustrious career (although he’s got some amazing performance credits to his name). “I still sing for fun,” he says. “My roots were church music, musical theater, R & B, that kind of stuff. And, I'm always singing along to my favorite pop girlies.” 

Now, he’s happy to guide the next generation of talent, offering honest assessment and encouragement in equal measure. “I've had some singers come back and be, like, that one thing you said to me, that really changed the trajectory.”

KEY CHANGE RECOMMENDED PLAYLIST

Season 2, Episode 8: Gender is Not Genre: Women in Opera - featuring Susanne Sheston, Santa Fe Opera Chorus Master

FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE

Chandler Johnson, Director, Apprentice Program For Singers | Santa Fe Opera

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Apprentice Program For Singers | Santa Fe Opera

Apprentice Program For Technicians | Santa Fe Opera

Young Artists Program | Chautauqua Opera

The Glimmerglass Festival

Opera Santa Barbara

Jessica Vosk

Kathryn Henry

Lina González-Granados | LA Opera

Duke Kim

***

Key Change is a production of The Santa Fe Opera, Department of Community Engagement & Education.

Share your favorite opera moments and questions with Community Engagement: [email protected]

Produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios

Hosted by Anna Garcia & Olga Perez Flora

Audio Engineering: Collin Ungerleider & Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe

Technical Director: Edwin R. Ruiz

Production Support from Alex Riegler

Show Notes by Lisa Widder

Theme music by Rene Orth with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello

Cover art by Dylan Crouch

This podcast is made possible due to the generous support of the Hankins Foundation, Principal Education Sponsor of the Santa Fe Opera.

To learn more, visit SantaFeOpera.org/KeyChange.