Apprentice Alumni
Where Are They Now?

Jennifer Lane (1987, 1988)

I was a Santa Fe Opera apprentice singer in both 1987 and 1988. I am now a Professor of Voice (with tenure) at the University of North Texas, having been there for 17 years. I was previously a tenured Professor at the University of Kentucky, where I taught Brandy Lynn Johnson, who became a Santa Fe apprentice about 15 years ago. I taught for nine years at Stanford University, directing opera productions and creating an early music collegium. For 40 years, I did upwards of 45 performances each year, some years many more than that. I also made over 50 commercial recordings and two films. SFO directly launched my career because I understudied the role of Polinesso in Ariodante, which I later recorded for Harmonia Mundi. I also began a decade of work with New York City Opera and traveled around the world to perform and record 18th century operatic and concert repertoire. My experiences at Santa Fe were expansive.

Eileen Garcia (2001)

I was first an apprentice at the Santa Fe Opera during the summer of 2001. I had just finished my second year of graduate school at Purdue University, where I later received an MFA in Scenic Design. I also completed an MA in the history of Decorative Arts from the Smithsonian and the Corcoran College of Art and Design. From 2001 on, I have been an apprentice, journeyperson, craftsperson, lead craftsperson, Assistant Properties Director and currently Properties Director at the SFO. Before joining the year-round staff at SFO, I worked at Purdue University, Shakespeare Theatre in Washington DC, Smithsonian’s Children’s Theatre, Adventure Theatre in Glen Echo Park, MD, Signature Theatre in Shirlington, VA and most recently, the Associate Properties Director at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts Theatre Company. The SFO has a unique summer season, with craftspeople from all over the country coming together to produce beautiful things for each production. Working here over the years created a network of connections for work and friends. I also met my life partner, Tobias Harding, that first summer when we were both apprentices, and we have a 10-year-old daughter together. I have now finished my 20th season at the opera and my 3rd season as a year-round employee, and I am overjoyed to call Santa Fe my full-time home.

Arthur Espiritu (2003, 2005)

I was involved with the Santa Fe Opera for two summers; the first season was in 2003, and then I returned in 2005. I went on to join the Pittsburgh Opera Resident Young Artist for two years. Since finishing my young artist years, I moved on and started a professional freelance operatic career in Europe, Asia, the UK, Ireland, Australia and some in the USA. It all began in 2007 when I made my European debut at the Teatro alla Scala. I'm still actively performing worldwide! SFO was a big influence on my career. It started with seeing all the young talents I was working with and recognizing the amount of work needed to make it; I found myself inspired by the high level of artistry surrounding me. Plus, observing and working with the latest and greatest artists then gave me insight into how much I needed to learn. The experience I have gained from being with SFO gave me the tools to compete and get where I needed to be in my career. I'm thankful for that.

Katherine Fortner (2014, 2015, 2018)

I had the unique experience of being an apprentice in three different departments for three years. In 2014, I started as an apprentice in the Production Music Services department; the following year, I returned as Props Run Crew Apprentice. I took the skills I learned in that department and Stage Managed at the Children’s Theatre of Charlotte and other companies around the Carolinas. I was an Assistant Stage Manager for a few seasons at Opera Carolina, Toledo Opera and Opera Grand Rapids. I enjoyed working with the Cleveland Orchestra on a production that took me abroad to Vienna, Austria. With the connections I made in the SFO Props Department, I also started touring the country during the holidays with Santa’s Sleigh for Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the musical. In 2018, I started my 3rd year as a Stage Crew Apprentice, and I quickly fell in love with changeovers (loading in and out the sets of 5 operas) and moving the scenery during the performances. I am currently the Head of Props on my 6th National Tour. A summer on Stage Crew at SFO prepared me for leading IATSE Union Stage Hands around the country. I’ve returned to the Stage Crew Department for two more summers as a Show Crew Supervisor. Of all my jobs, it is one of my favorites, and I hold it close to my heart. I love working with the apprentices, encouraging them to pursue their dreams in the industry and empowering them to be their best selves. I will always be grateful for the sunsets and time spent building relationships with people at the Santa Fe Opera while creating art in the desert.

Nick Garcia (2015)

I began working as a Props Run Crew Apprentice at the Santa Fe Opera in 2015. The following season, I got to join the Stage Management team as a Production Assistant, eventually leading me to become one of the Assistant Stage Managers. Between 2015 and 2021, I worked at SFO during the summers and freelanced the rest of the year, working at companies such as Royal Caribbean International, Pittsburgh Opera, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Opera Southwest. After leaving SFO after the 2021 season, I moved to Las Vegas, and I am currently on the Stage Management team for KÀ by Cirque du Soleil. I attribute a lot of the success in my career to the time I spent working at SFO. It truly became a home to me as it was the place I spent the most amount of my year in one place while I was freelancing around the country and abroad. SFO taught me a lot of lessons that I've been able to utilize in my career every day - whether it was dealing with freak weather storms that drowned the stage in water, working with people from multiple backgrounds/cultures and the skills of managing large groups of people in rehearsal and backstage. In my opinion, there is no better training ground for technicians to learn and grow than at the Santa Fe Opera.

Rafael Moras (2017, 2018)

The Santa Fe Opera changed my life. Shortly after my second summer at Santa Fe, I became a featured soloist in the global tour of Grammy Award-winning jazz trumpeter Chris Botti. That began a years-long journey that's taken me across continents! I've also performed as a soloist with the Houston Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Fort Worth Opera and Austin Opera. I recently made my Seattle Opera debut in the critically acclaimed world premiere of A Thousand Splendid Suns. I sang my first Don José in Denyce Graves' directorial debut with Minnesota Opera's Carmen. I've made house debuts with Utah Opera, Annapolis Opera, Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera and Houston Grand Opera. SFO invited me back as a soloist in the SFO Winter Tour, and it was during this experience that I discovered my love for speaking off-the-cuff with audiences. As an apprentice, they empowered me to pursue the music and way of connecting with audiences I love most. I'm preparing a return to Arizona Opera as Zorro in their inaugural New Works Festival, then headed to the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for a company debut in their Holiday Pops! I also recently made an amazing, much-anticipated role debut: fatherhood!

ARE YOU AN ALUM OF ONE OF OUR APPRENTICE PROGRAMS? If so, we would love to hear from you! Please send your name, years of apprenticeship, area of apprenticeship and your news to info@santafeopera.org

Apprentices © Magdalena Lily McCarson

Arousing Content and Serendipity
Presbyterian
Apprentice Alumni
Where Are They Now?

Jennifer Lane (1987, 1988)

I was a Santa Fe Opera apprentice singer in both 1987 and 1988. I am now a Professor of Voice (with tenure) at the University of North Texas, having been there for 17 years. I was previously a tenured Professor at the University of Kentucky, where I taught Brandy Lynn Johnson, who became a Santa Fe apprentice about 15 years ago. I taught for nine years at Stanford University, directing opera productions and creating an early music collegium. For 40 years, I did upwards of 45 performances each year, some years many more than that. I also made over 50 commercial recordings and two films. SFO directly launched my career because I understudied the role of Polinesso in Ariodante, which I later recorded for Harmonia Mundi. I also began a decade of work with New York City Opera and traveled around the world to perform and record 18th century operatic and concert repertoire. My experiences at Santa Fe were expansive.

Eileen Garcia (2001)

I was first an apprentice at the Santa Fe Opera during the summer of 2001. I had just finished my second year of graduate school at Purdue University, where I later received an MFA in Scenic Design. I also completed an MA in the history of Decorative Arts from the Smithsonian and the Corcoran College of Art and Design. From 2001 on, I have been an apprentice, journeyperson, craftsperson, lead craftsperson, Assistant Properties Director and currently Properties Director at the SFO. Before joining the year-round staff at SFO, I worked at Purdue University, Shakespeare Theatre in Washington DC, Smithsonian’s Children’s Theatre, Adventure Theatre in Glen Echo Park, MD, Signature Theatre in Shirlington, VA and most recently, the Associate Properties Director at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts Theatre Company. The SFO has a unique summer season, with craftspeople from all over the country coming together to produce beautiful things for each production. Working here over the years created a network of connections for work and friends. I also met my life partner, Tobias Harding, that first summer when we were both apprentices, and we have a 10-year-old daughter together. I have now finished my 20th season at the opera and my 3rd season as a year-round employee, and I am overjoyed to call Santa Fe my full-time home.

Arthur Espiritu (2003, 2005)

I was involved with the Santa Fe Opera for two summers; the first season was in 2003, and then I returned in 2005. I went on to join the Pittsburgh Opera Resident Young Artist for two years. Since finishing my young artist years, I moved on and started a professional freelance operatic career in Europe, Asia, the UK, Ireland, Australia and some in the USA. It all began in 2007 when I made my European debut at the Teatro alla Scala. I'm still actively performing worldwide! SFO was a big influence on my career. It started with seeing all the young talents I was working with and recognizing the amount of work needed to make it; I found myself inspired by the high level of artistry surrounding me. Plus, observing and working with the latest and greatest artists then gave me insight into how much I needed to learn. The experience I have gained from being with SFO gave me the tools to compete and get where I needed to be in my career. I'm thankful for that.

Katherine Fortner (2014, 2015, 2018)

I had the unique experience of being an apprentice in three different departments for three years. In 2014, I started as an apprentice in the Production Music Services department; the following year, I returned as Props Run Crew Apprentice. I took the skills I learned in that department and Stage Managed at the Children’s Theatre of Charlotte and other companies around the Carolinas. I was an Assistant Stage Manager for a few seasons at Opera Carolina, Toledo Opera and Opera Grand Rapids. I enjoyed working with the Cleveland Orchestra on a production that took me abroad to Vienna, Austria. With the connections I made in the SFO Props Department, I also started touring the country during the holidays with Santa’s Sleigh for Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the musical. In 2018, I started my 3rd year as a Stage Crew Apprentice, and I quickly fell in love with changeovers (loading in and out the sets of 5 operas) and moving the scenery during the performances. I am currently the Head of Props on my 6th National Tour. A summer on Stage Crew at SFO prepared me for leading IATSE Union Stage Hands around the country. I’ve returned to the Stage Crew Department for two more summers as a Show Crew Supervisor. Of all my jobs, it is one of my favorites, and I hold it close to my heart. I love working with the apprentices, encouraging them to pursue their dreams in the industry and empowering them to be their best selves. I will always be grateful for the sunsets and time spent building relationships with people at the Santa Fe Opera while creating art in the desert.

Nick Garcia (2015)

I began working as a Props Run Crew Apprentice at the Santa Fe Opera in 2015. The following season, I got to join the Stage Management team as a Production Assistant, eventually leading me to become one of the Assistant Stage Managers. Between 2015 and 2021, I worked at SFO during the summers and freelanced the rest of the year, working at companies such as Royal Caribbean International, Pittsburgh Opera, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Opera Southwest. After leaving SFO after the 2021 season, I moved to Las Vegas, and I am currently on the Stage Management team for KÀ by Cirque du Soleil. I attribute a lot of the success in my career to the time I spent working at SFO. It truly became a home to me as it was the place I spent the most amount of my year in one place while I was freelancing around the country and abroad. SFO taught me a lot of lessons that I've been able to utilize in my career every day - whether it was dealing with freak weather storms that drowned the stage in water, working with people from multiple backgrounds/cultures and the skills of managing large groups of people in rehearsal and backstage. In my opinion, there is no better training ground for technicians to learn and grow than at the Santa Fe Opera.

Rafael Moras (2017, 2018)

The Santa Fe Opera changed my life. Shortly after my second summer at Santa Fe, I became a featured soloist in the global tour of Grammy Award-winning jazz trumpeter Chris Botti. That began a years-long journey that's taken me across continents! I've also performed as a soloist with the Houston Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Fort Worth Opera and Austin Opera. I recently made my Seattle Opera debut in the critically acclaimed world premiere of A Thousand Splendid Suns. I sang my first Don José in Denyce Graves' directorial debut with Minnesota Opera's Carmen. I've made house debuts with Utah Opera, Annapolis Opera, Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera and Houston Grand Opera. SFO invited me back as a soloist in the SFO Winter Tour, and it was during this experience that I discovered my love for speaking off-the-cuff with audiences. As an apprentice, they empowered me to pursue the music and way of connecting with audiences I love most. I'm preparing a return to Arizona Opera as Zorro in their inaugural New Works Festival, then headed to the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for a company debut in their Holiday Pops! I also recently made an amazing, much-anticipated role debut: fatherhood!

ARE YOU AN ALUM OF ONE OF OUR APPRENTICE PROGRAMS? If so, we would love to hear from you! Please send your name, years of apprenticeship, area of apprenticeship and your news to info@santafeopera.org

Apprentices © Magdalena Lily McCarson

Arousing Content and Serendipity
Presbyterian