Festival of Song celebrates its tenth year, showcasing stellar vocal talent on the recital stage

Santa Fe, New Mexico, June 29, 2023 — Performance Santa Fe is proud to present the milestone tenth year of its acclaimed collaboration with the Santa Fe Opera, Festival of Song. This exceptional musical series invites audiences to experience the vocal artistry of three pairs of stars from the Santa Fe Opera alongside collaborative pianist Robert Tweten. The performances will take place on July 30, August 6, and August 13, 2023, at 4 pm, at the Scottish Rite Temple in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Festival of Song has been a cherished tradition in the cultural landscape of Santa Fe for over a decade, captivating audiences with unforgettable recitals. This year, the series brings together an exceptional lineup of talent, with three pairs of stars gracing the stage: Samantha Hankey and Huw Montague Rendall (Pelléas et Mélisande), Ailyn Pérez and Robert Watson (Rusalka), and Lauren Snouffer and Rolando Villazón (Orfeo).

Samantha Hankey, an extraordinary mezzo-soprano known for her luminous tone, will join forces with the commanding baritone Huw Montague Rendall for performances of works by Berg, Vaughan Williams, and Strauss. Ailyn Pérez, the acclaimed soprano celebrated for her radiant voice, and the expressive tenor, Robert Watson, will bring an exquisite blend of passion and elegance to works by Strauss, Britten, and Ponce. And last, but certainly not least, Lauren Snouffer, a versatile soprano with a captivating stage presence, will team up with the charismatic tenor Rolando Villazón to deliver deeply meaningful performances of pieces by Scarlatti, Schubert, Verdi, and more.

At the heart of each recital will be Santa Fe Opera’s Head of Music Staff and collaborative pianist Robert Tweten, whose artistry has garnered him international acclaim. Tweten’s musicality and sensitivity will elevate the performances to new heights and establish an unbreakable connection between the artists and the audience.

The historic Scottish Rite Temple will once again host Festival of Song, providing the perfect scene for these captivating vocal performances.  Following each performance, audiences are invited to a special reception in the Grand Ballroom to meet and mingle with the artists and enjoy refreshments. 

“We are thrilled to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Festival of Song, a series that has brought joy and inspiration to our community over the years,” says Amy Iwano, the Executive + Artistic Director of Performance Santa Fe. “This year’s lineup promises the pinnacle of vocal excellence, as we showcase these remarkable talents. Join us as we come together to honor the power of art song and celebrate a decade of this collaboration between Performance Santa Fe and the Santa Fe Opera.”

Event Details

Festival of Song: Samantha Hankey and Huw Montague Rendall
Sunday, July 30 | 4 pm
Scottish Rite Temple, 463 Paseo De Peralta, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501

Festival of Song: Ailyn Pérez and Robert Watson
Sunday, August 6 | 4 pm
Scottish Rite Temple, 463 Paseo De Peralta, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501

Festival of Song: Lauren Snouffer and Rolando Villazón
Sunday, August 13 | 4 pm
Scottish Rite Temple, 463 Paseo De Peralta, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501
$45–$95

$20 Rush tickets available day of the performance, based on availability
Student/educator and family discounts available
Visit https://performancesantafe.org/box-office-information/ for more information

10th Anniversary of Festival of Song. Three performances of art song by stars of the Santa Fe Opera’s 2023 season, with collaborative pianist Robert Tweten, followed by a reception with the artists. Presented by Performance Santa Fe at the Scottish Rite Temple, 463 Paseo De Peralta, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501. July 30, August 6, August 13, 4 pm. Tickets: $45–$95. (505) 984 8759. PerformanceSantaFe.org

Festival of Song presented through the generosity of Bruce Donnell
Samantha Hankey’s performance underwritten by Kathy and Robert Reidy
August 6 Festival of Song presented through the support of Yoko and Thomas Arthur
Robert Tweten’s performance underwritten by Yoko and Thomas Arthur
23–24 Season Sponsors: Ann Murphy Daily and William W. Daily, Gina Browning and Joe Illick, Robin Black, Leah Gordon

About the Artists

One of the most exciting talents to have emerged in recent years, British baritone HUW MONTAGUE RENDALL has already made acclaimed debuts on some of the world’s most important stages, earning rapturous acclaim for his compelling artistry, stage craft, and musicianship. Montague Rendall continued his remarkable ascent during the 22–23 season with a series of anticipated projects including debuts with Opéra national de Paris, Bayerische Staatsoper, and Wiener Staaatsoper as well as returns to Festival d’Aix en Provence, Covent Garden, and Opera de Paris. An alumnus of the Royal College of Music, Montague Rendall trained under the tutorage of Russell Smythe. In summer 2016 Montague Rendall was as a Jerwood Young Artist with Glyndebourne Festival Opera, where he sang the role of Fiorello (Il barbiere di Siviglia), for which he was also awarded the John Christie Award 2016. The following summer he joined the prestigious Young Artist Programme at the Salzburg Festspiele and was a member of the International Opera Studio in Zürich from 2016 to 2018. In summer 2023, he makes his debut with the Santa Fe Opera in the role of Pelléas (Pelléas et Mélisande) under the baton of Harry Bicket.

Praised for her “luscious” voice and “distinctive…vividly dramatic” performances by Opera News, SAMANTHA HANKEY has established herself as one of the leading young mezzo sopranos of her generation. Lauded for her powerful stage presence, Samantha shines when faced with a complex character, praised for her “exquisite feeling… and a certain splendour.” (The Arts Desk). Samantha’s 22–23 season included performances as Federico García Lorca in a new production of Golijov’s Ainadamar at Scottish Opera, a house debut as Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel at Chicago Lyric Opera, a return to the Metropolitan Opera, and her role and house debut as Mélisande in a new production of Pelléas et Mélisande at Santa Fe Opera. In concert, Carnegie Hall presents Samantha in a prestigious debut solo recital of Zemlinsky, Strauss, and Ravel. Samantha’s career includes awards in a vast number of national and international competitions, including prizes at the Glyndebourne Cup and the Operalia Competition and a Career Grant from the Richard Tucker Music Foundation. A native of Marshfield, Massachusetts, Samantha Hankey embraced her passion for music from an early age after performing in a local production of Annie at age six.

Hailed by The New York Times as “a beautiful woman who commands the stage” and “a major soprano,” AILYN PÉREZ is in demand at the world’s leading opera houses and cultural capitals. Internationally celebrated for her signature artistry, as the winner of the 2012 Richard Tucker Award she became the first Hispanic recipient in the award’s history. Notable engagements of the current season include Ailyn’s highly anticipated role debut as Elisabetta di Valois in Verdi’s Don Carlo at Teatro di San Carlo under the baton of Juraj Valčuha and her greatly anticipated title role debut as Rusalka at Santa Fe Opera, led by Lidiya Yankovskaya. On the concert stage, Ailyn joins the Prague Philharmonia, led by Emmanuel Villaume, for her debut singing Ravel’s song cycle Shéhérezade. Ailyn Pérez is a graduate of Philadelphia’s Academy of Vocal Arts and Indiana University. Her many accolades include the Metropolitan Opera’s Beverly Sills Artist Award (2016), George London Foundation’s Leonie Rysanek Award (2006), Shoshana Foundation Career Grant (2007), 2nd place in the 2006 Operalia Competition, and honors from the Loren L. Zachary Foundation, Opera Index, and the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation.

Championed by Opera News for his “solid, ringing tones,” American tenor ROBERT WATSON has established himself as a sought- after interpreter of challenging repertoire at home and abroad.  Mr. Watson has appeared in concert as the tenor soloist in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Kansas City Symphony, and in Verdi’s Requiem with the Florence Masterwork’s Choral Society. He is a member of the esteemed ensemble of Deutsche Oper Berlin where he has performed a multitude of roles. Mr. Watson was a two-time Filene Young Artist at Wolf Trap Opera and is an alumnus of the Merola Opera Program at San Francisco Opera, the Opera Santa Barbara Studio, the Palm Beach Opera Benenson Young Artist Program, and the Dolora Zajick Institute for Young Dramatic Voices. Mr. Watson has been awarded prizes in the Opera Index, Gerda Lissner, and Irene Dalis competitions. He is a two-time recipient of a Richard F. Gold Career Grant from the Shoshana Foundation and a Catherine Filene Shouse Education Career Grant and is a two-time Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions regional finalist. In 2023 Mr. Watson makes his debut at Santa Fe Opera as the Prince in Rusalka.

Recognized for her unique artistic curiosity in world-class performances spanning the music of Claudio Monteverdi and Johann Adolph Hasse through to Missy Mazzoli and Sir George Benjamin, American LAUREN SNOUFFER is celebrated as one of the most versatile and respected sopranos on the international stage. In the 22–23 season, concert collaborations included Mahler’s Second Symphony with Franz Welser-Möst and the Cleveland Orchestra and operatic performances include Die Zauberflöte in a return engagement with the Opernhaus Zürich and a debut at Santa Fe Opera in Monteverdi’s Orfeo with world premiere orchestration by Nico Muhly. Closely associated with Sir George Benjamin’s Written on Skin, Snouffer has sung under the composer’s baton at the Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music and with the Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse. A Grammy Award-nominated artist, Snouffer’s impactful discography includes Hasse’s Siroe and Handel’s Ottone with George Petrou for Decca and Feldman’s The Rothko Chapel with Steven Schick for ECM. An alumna of the Houston Grand Opera Studio, Lauren Snouffer graduated from Rice University and The Juilliard School.

Through his uniquely compelling performances on the world’s most important stages, ROLANDO VILLAZÓN has firmly established himself as one of the leading artists of our day. Heralded as “the most charming of today’s divos” (The Times) Rolando Villazón’s versatility is peerless as he maintains successful careers as a stage director, novelist, artistic director, and radio and TV personality next to his on-stage career. He has sold over 2 million albums worldwide and recorded over 20 CDs and DVDs which have received numerous prizes. Born in Mexico City, he began his musical studies at the national conservatory of his home country before joining the junior programs at the opera houses in Pittsburgh and at the San Francisco Opera. Villazón quickly made a name for himself on the international music scene and is now a regular guest at the State Operas of Berlin, Munich, and Vienna, La Scala, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera New York, and the Salzburg Festival. In 22-23 Villazón portrays one of his signature roles, Monteverdi’s Orfeo, in a new production at Santa Fe Opera, conducted by Harry Bicket featuring new orchestration by Nico Mulhy.

ROBERT TWETEN has performed extensively as both a pianist and conductor throughout the USA and his native Canada, and currently holds the positions of Head of Music Stafffor the Santa Fe Opera, and Music Director of Graduate Opera Studiesfor the New England Conservatory. Robert began his career as a soloist after winning competitions including the Canadian National Piano Championship and the Du Maurier Search for Stars, but quickly found his affinity and passion for collaborating with singers and has gone on to perform with many of the industry’s most prominent singers throughout North America and Europe. During his tenure with The Santa Fe Opera, Tweten has been on the podium for six productions, most recently stepping in during the 2022 season for three performances of Falstaff.  Other companies he has collaborated with include; Utah Opera/Symphony, where he has conducted sixteen productions since his debut in 2005, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Calgary Opera, Vancouver Opera, Florentine Opera, Opera San Antonio, Kentucky Opera, Edmonton Opera, Dayton Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Tulsa Opera, and Sarasota Opera. The 2022/2023 season found Tweten conducting the North American premiere of Roberto Scarcella Perino’s Furiosus at Merkin Hall in New York, performances of Die Zauberflöte and L’arbore di Diana at NEC, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs with Utah Opera, and curating the programs and performing four recitals for the inaugural season of the Sag Harbor Song Festival, of which he is Music Director.

About Performance Santa Fe

Performance Santa Fe has been bringing the world’s best music, dance, and theater to iconic Santa Fe locations since 1937. The organization upholds excellence in the performing arts and brings joy and enrichment to the community. Alongside its extensive performance season, the organization runs dynamic, exciting, and inclusive educational programs for students in the community. Experience the extraordinary with Performance Santa Fe’s 2023–24 season, featuring 23 performances of music, dance, and theater. Learn more at www.PerformanceSantaFe.org. Performance Santa Fe is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.

Press inquiries: Helen Pinch | hpinch@performancesantafe.org | (505) 984 8759

Tickets or general questions: Eliana O’Brien | eliana@performancesantafe.org | (505) 984 8759

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