June 5, 2025

Dear valued members,

This letter is to formally announce that the Santa Fe Opera Guild has dissolved as a subsidiary organization of the Guilds of the Santa Fe Opera, Inc., which is allowed in the bylaws of the Corporation. Former Santa Fe Guild president, Bernadette Snider, is in the process of transferring official records over to the Corporate Board of Guilds, Inc., who will be overseeing membership, communications, and events within the Santa Fe community going forward. 

Recognizing the difficulty in finding volunteers to fill key positions on local boards, the Guilds of the Santa Fe Opera engaged in an intensive strategic planning process that resulted in a new organizational chart that was approved by the Corporation’s Board of Directors on May 24, 2025.

What is important to note is the events that Santa Fe members have come to enjoy, such as the dinner for Singing Apprentices of the Santa Fe Opera, the Annual Luncheon, and presentations on opera-related topics, can continue, with many administrative functions consolidated within a central structure of Guilds Inc.

More specifically, Guilds Inc. will consolidate the technical part of membership renewal, process credit card payments for membership and events, and send communications to all members. Instead of multiple accounts paid for by local chapters, Guilds Inc. will be moving to an integrated software package to support local events.

Your membership will continue as part of the Santa Fe Chapter of the Guilds of the Santa Fe Opera, Inc.

As part of the reorganization, you will be invited to ALL events hosted by all five chapters of the Guilds of the Santa Fe Opera. You will continue to have the opportunity to volunteer for Preview Dinners, participate in Youth Nights, and attend the Opening Night celebration on the opera’s campus that has become a signature event.

To continue local events previously noted, such as the Apprentice Dinner and Annual Luncheon, the Santa Fe Chapter of Guilds Inc. will need a few volunteers, who will receive support and guidance from Guilds Inc.

Representative to Guilds Inc. quarterly meetings
As your president did in the past, this person will serve as the official conduit between Guilds Inc. and Santa Fe chapter members, representing the Santa Fe chapter at meetings and reporting back to the membership.

Membership Liaison
This person will receive membership updates from Guilds Inc. and will be responsible for welcoming new members and extending thanks to renewing members.

Event Coordinator(s)
Each event sponsored by a local chapter will require an Event Coordinator. This person or persons will assemble a committee, prepare a budget for the event, and work with the Guilds Inc. Communications Director to confirm the details for event registration and advertising.

We recognize that this is a significant amount of information to absorb. To that end, current members will receive an invitation in the coming weeks to a Zoom meeting to ask questions and learn more about the reorganization of the Guilds of the Santa Fe Opera, Inc.

Thank you for continuing your membership! The importance of the arts within our community cannot be overstated and Guilds Inc. strives to enrich the lives of its members while supporting the Santa Fe Opera.

Barbara Anderson-Acosta
President, Guilds of the Santa Fe Opera, Inc.

P.S. We are concerned that some Santa Fe members may have been lost in the transition. Please share this information with friends who did not receive it and encourage them to email Membership@guildsofsfo.org to verify the status of their membership.