FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Helen Pinch, Performance Santa Fe
Phone: (505) 984 8759
Email: hpinch@performancesantafe.org
Promotional Photos

Performance Santa Fe presents Festival of Song: three intimate recitals featuring stars of the Santa Fe Opera at the iconic Scottish Rite Temple 

Santa Fe, NM, June 30, 2022— Performance Santa Fe opens its 86th season with the return of Festival of Song, Sunday afternoon recitals by rising and established stars of the opera world. Festival of Song offers audience members the chance to see six singers featured in this summer’s Santa Fe Opera season interpret beloved art song repertoire not heard on the opera stage. Each Festival of Song recital is followed by a reception in the Grand Ballroom where audience members are invited to meet the artists over refreshments. 


Festival of Song: Tamara Wilson and Heidi Melton 
Sunday, July 31, 2022 | 4:00 p.m. 
Scottish Rite Temple 
463 Paseo De Peralta, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 

Heidi Melton, soprano 
Tamara Wilson, soprano 
Robert Tweten, piano 

Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Lieder des Abschieds Op. 14 
• Sterbelied 
• Dies eine kann mein Sehnen nimmer fassen 
• Mond, so gehst du wieder auf 
• Gefasster Abschied 

Heidi Melton 

Claude Debussy Chansons de Bilitis 
• La Flûte de Pan 
• La Chevelure
• Le Tombeau des Naïades 

Heidi Melton 

Evan L. Snyder Tiffany’s Spellbook* 
• Foreword 
• The Elixir of Exactly Eight Hours of Sleep 
• A Do-Little Potion for Conversing With Animals 
• Practical Practices for When Plagued by a Plague 
• A Spell for Sudden Sobriety 
• Dedication- A Drop of Good 

Tamara Wilson 

*Western US premiere. Full title is Tiffandra’s Grimoire Of Spells, Potions, And Other Such Magicks: A Pracktical Guide to Witchcraft for the 21st Century Practitioner or Tiffany’s Spellbook 

Presented through the generosity of Bruce Donnell 
Season Sponsors: Ann Murphy and William W. Daily; Leah Gordon 

Composer’s Note 

When preparing to write Tiffany’s Spellbook, I read volumes about the myriad disparate magical traditions that have existed throughout human history. These ranged from the lighthearted and the whimsical, to the deeply, even gravely, serious; from those that saw magic as a useful fiction, to others that saw magick as concrete fact. But, throughout all the spellwork I studied, one common theme emerged. Everything involved therein, from ritual components to times of magickal significance, helped to direct the caster’s intentions, served to manifest their “will to create something” into something created. Interestingly, as I put pen to paper to write this cycle, I’ve done the same thing: shaped my desire for this piece into the piece itself. So, if the score is a grimoire, the recital is a ritual, then the actual piece of music, the song cycle itself, in a way, is a spell. 

But, at the end of the day, it’s still just notes and rhythms, words, and intentions. Maybe that just makes Tiffany’s Spellbook a piece of music, and nothing more. Or maybe those intentions make it, just ever so slightly, a piece of magick. That’s not a judgment that I, the author, get to make. That lies wholly in the hands of the listener. That’s down to you. 

—Evan Snyder, 2022 

Young American dramatic soprano Heidi Melton has been called “the Wagnerian voice we have been waiting for since Flagstad and Nilsson” (La Presse), “a voice that is big, gleaming, and tonally resplendent” (San Francisco Chronicle). Ms. Melton performs with the world’s leading 300 Paseo de Peralta, Suite 102, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 | 505 984 8759 | PerformanceSantaFe.org 

operas and orchestras, including Opernhaus, Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Houston Grand Opera, Oper Frankfurt, and more. Ms. Melton is the recipient of many prestigious awards and prizes: George London Foundation’s George London / Kirsten Flagstad Memorial Award; Sara Tucker Study Grant from the Richard Tucker Music Foundation; national semi-finalist at the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions; and winner of the Mario Lanza Competition. This summer, Heidi Melton joins the Santa Fe Opera as an understudy in Tristan und Isolde. 

Soprano Tamara Wilson continues to garner international recognition for her interpretations of Verdi, Mozart, Strauss, and Wagner and is the recipient of the prestigious Richard Tucker Award. 21/22 season highlights include debuts at Teatro La Fenice and returns to the Bayerische Staatsoper, LA Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and the Cleveland Orchestra. On the concert stage, Ms. Wilson debuted with the Cleveland Orchestra in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 under Franz Welser-Möst, the National Symphony in Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 2 with Matthew Halls, and with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in Verdi’s Messa da Requiem conducted by Marin Alsop at the BBC Proms, which was recorded for commercial release. This summer, she makes her Santa Fe Opera house debut in Tristan und Isolde (Isolde)


Festival of Song: Elena Villalón and Nicholas Brownlee 
Sunday, August 7, 2022 | 4:00 p.m. 
Scottish Rite Temple 
463 Paseo De Peralta, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 

Elena Villalón, soprano 
Nicholas Brownlee, bass baritone 
Robert Tweten, piano 


Joaquín Turina Tres Arias, Op. 26 
• Romance 
• El Pescador
• Rima 

Elena Villalón 

Johannes Brahms Vier ernste Gesänge (Four Serious Songs), Op. 121 
• Denn es gehet dem Menschen wie dem Vieh 
• Ich wandte mich und sahe 
• O Tod, wie bitter bist du 
• Wenn ich mit Menschen und mit Engelszungen redete 

Nicholas Brownlee

Tom Cipullo Late Summer 
• Crickets 
• …Summer Into Autumn Slips 
• Touch Me 

Elena Villalón 

Charles Ives Songs my mother taught me 
• At the River 
• Memories A & B 
• Charlie Rutlage 

Nicholas Brownlee 

Presented through the generosity of Bruce Donnell 
Season Sponsors: Ann Murphy and William W. Daily; Leah Gordon. 

Cuban American soprano Elena Villalón is currently a third-year studio artist with Houston Grand Opera. Lauded for her artistic and expressive vocal technique, “a radiance in which one could simply bask contentedly” (Washington Classical Review), Ms. Villalón most recently took home several prizes in the Hans Gabor Belvedere Competition, including 2nd Prize, Audience Prize, CS Prize, and the Wil Keune Prize. She has performed with Houston Grand Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, The Dallas Opera, and the Austin Opera. An avid recitalist, Ms. Villalón appeared as the soprano soloist in Poulenc’s Gloria with the Grand Rapids Symphony and in Handel’s Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day with Boston Baroque. This summer, Ms. Villalón makes her role and house debut at the Santa Fe Opera as Nanetta in Verdi’s Falstaff

First prize winner of the Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition, winner of the Zarzuela prize at Operalia, and The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions grand prize winner, bass-baritone Nicholas Brownlee is lauded for his “commanding presence” and “rich tone” (Musical America). Highlights of Mr. Brownlee’s 21-22 season included a return to the Ensemble at Oper Frankfurt, debuts with Bayerische Staatsoper and Wiener Staatsoper, and returns to The Metropolitan Opera. Mr. Brownlee frequently collaborates with leading orchestras, including the Houston Symphony, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Following his performance in the title role of last year’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Mr. Brownlee returns to The Santa Fe Opera in 2022 for Tristan und Isolde (Kurwenal). 


Festival of Song: Emily Fons and Jack Swanson 
Sunday, August 14, 2022 | 4:00 p.m. 
Scottish Rite Temple 
463 Paseo De Peralta, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501

Emily Fons, mezzo soprano 
Jack Swanson, tenor 
Robert Tweten, piano 

Charles Ives
Feldeinsamkeit 
Ilmenau 
Weil auf mir 

Emily Fons 

Franz Liszt Tre Sonetti di Petrarcha 
• Pace non trovo 
• Benedetto sia il giorno 
• I’vidi in terra angelici costumi 

Jack Swanson 

Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Come Away, Death 
O Mistress Mine 
Adieu, Good Man Devil 
My Mistress’ Eyes 

Emily Fons 

Francis Poulenc Deux Poèmes de Louis Aragon 
• C. 
• Fêtes galantes 

Jack Swanson 

Francis Poulenc La court paille 
• Le sommeil 
• Quelle aventure! 
• La reine de coeur 
• Bi, Be, Ba, Bo, Bu 
• Les anges musiciens 
• Le carafon 
• Lune d’Avril 

Emily Fons 

Gioachino Rossini
La promessa 
Addio ai Viennesi

Jack Swanson 

Gioachino Rossini Les amants de Seville 

Emily Fons 
Jack Swanson 

Presented through the generosity of Bruce Donnell 
Season Sponsors: Ann Murphy and William W. Daily; Leah Gordon. 

Mezzo-soprano Emily Fons impresses audiences and critics alike through her remarkable versatility as an interpreter of Mozart and Baroque music as well as of Rossini and more modern composers. Recent projects include Die Fledermaus (Orlofsky) with the Seiji Ozawa Music Academy and Le Nozze di Figaro (Cherubino) with the Seattle Opera. With the Santa Fe Opera she performed the world premiere of Cold Mountain (Ruby)in 2015 as well as Le Nozze di Figaro (Cherubino) in 2013. Ms. Fons was a 2010 semi-finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and has also received awards from the Santa Fe Opera, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and Polanki (the Milwaukee Polish Women’s Organization). This season, Ms. Fons returns to the Santa Fe Opera as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia. 

Stillwater, Minnesota native Jack Swanson is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after young tenors in the opera world. His distinctive high lyric voice is known for singing the acrobatic arias of Rossini and the legato melodies of Donizetti. In the 21-22 season, Mr. Swanson debuted with a number of European companies (including Opéra National de Lorraine, Teatro Regio, and Opéra National du Rhin) and sang a concert of Mozart, Bel Canto, and Romantic Italian songs in Beirut, Lebanon. Known for his concert work, Mr. Swanson’s credits include Handel’s Messiah, Dubois’ The Seven Last Words of Christ, Mozart’s Requiem, and Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. Mr. Swanson twice received the Richard Tucker Memorial award from the Santa Fe Opera. He returns to the Santa Fe Opera to perform opposite Ms. Fons as Count Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia. 

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 Staff for The Santa Fe Opera and Music Director of Graduate Opera Studies for the New England Conservatory. Mr. Tweten 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. During his tenure with The Santa Fe Opera, Mr. Tweten has been on the podium for Don Giovanni, Le Nozze di Figaro, Katya Kabanova, The Pirates of Penzance, Ermione, and the 50th Anniversary Concert, as well as performances of the GRAMMY award winning The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. Mr. Tweten has enjoyed a long relationship with Utah Opera/Symphony where he has conducted fifteen productions since his 300 Paseo de Peralta, Suite 102, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 | 505 984 8759 | PerformanceSantaFe.org 

debut in 2005. Mr. Tweten’s most recent performances have included conducting Mahagonny Songspiel with Florentine Opera, Don Pasquale, Dido & Aeneas, An American Dream, and L’Enfant et les Sortilèges at NEC, Rigoletto with Calgary Opera, and Turandot with Lyric Opera of Chicago. Tweten also recently returned to Opera San Antonio for Don Giovanni and Utah Opera to lead Jonathan Dove’s Flight. A longtime resident of Santa Fe, Mr. Tweten is thrilled to be a part of bringing back Festival of Song to live audiences this summer. 


$45 – $105 
$20 rush tickets and student/family/group discounts available 
To purchase tickets, visit PerformanceSantaFe.org or call (505) 984-8759 

Performance Santa has been bringing the very best of 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 three dynamic, exciting, and inclusive educational programs for students in the community— Arts for Life, the Masterclass Series, and the Field Trip Series. PSF’s 2022-2023 season brings 26 performances to Santa Fe and celebrates the diverse possibilities of artistic expression. Learn more at www.PerformanceSantaFe.org. Performance Santa Fe is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. 

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