The Santa Fe Opera Guild’s Salon returns in person on Sunday, November 6 from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm (MST) at the Santa Fe Woman’s Club on Old Pecos Trail. Participants will join in lively discussions led by our distinguished moderators who are celebrated opera singers and SFOG volunteers who are opera aficionados.
Carlos Archuleta will serve as moderator for Singers: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. Carlos is an opera singer who has performed with companies such as Santa Fe Opera, Washington National Opera, New York City Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Dallas Opera, Minnesota Opera, Orlando Opera, Boston Lyric Opera and Utah Opera. One of his signature roles was Escamillo in Carmen which took him to London, performing in the Royal Albert Hall. Recent engagements include the role of Tonio in Pagliacci, Tenorio in the world premiere of Bless Me Ultima, and Scarpia in Tosca with Opera Southwest.
Martha Baker will serve as moderator for New Settings of Standard Operas: Yes or No? Martha has been on the Santa Fe Opera Guild Board of Directors since 2014. In the past she served two years each as President, Vice President for Communications, and Vice President for Education. She served a two-year term as Treasurer of the Guilds of the Santa Fe Opera, Inc., the Santa Fe Opera Guild's parent corporation. Martha is also active as a volunteer with the Santa Fe Opera as a Tour Docent and an Overture Ambassador. Martha has been a season ticket holder of the Santa Fe Opera since 1986 and is particularly fond of works by Mozart, Donizetti, Rossini, and Verdi. She holds an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA and a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Design from UC Davis.
Kehar Koslowsky will serve as moderator for Trouser Roles and Countertenors. Kehar received her degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Maryland. She performed with the Washington Bach Consort, Woodley Ensemble, and Cathedral Choral Society, and has performed Rosina in Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia with the Crittenden Opera Studio.
LeRoy Lehr will serve as moderator for The 2023 Season: What Are You Looking Forward To? LeRoy's career spanned a period of almost 65 years as a soloist in opera, concert and oratorio with many of the world’s leading musical organizations, including 19 years as a company member of The Metropolitan Opera prior to his retirement to New Mexico. LeRoy is a founding member of Center Opera-now Minnesota Opera, the first company to perform improvisational opera. He appeared in many world premieres and is equally at home in both contemporary and traditional music. Over the years, he collaborated with many notable musical coaches and conductors and appeared as soloist with the symphony orchestras of Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Gothenberg, Mexico, Minnesota and The National Symphony, to name just a few.
Kathleen Wilson will serve as moderator for Orpheus Goes to the Opera: Monteverdi and Beyond. Kathleen holds a doctorate in Vocal Pedagogy from Columbia University and a masters in Musicology from the University of Arizona. She has several CD recordings to her credit, one of which was nominated for a Latin Grammy, and was a Fulbright Scholar to Venezuela and Colombia. She has taught Opera History and began the opera program at the University of New Hampshire.
David Harrington will serve as moderator for Opera As the Ultimate Art Form: Singing, Staging, Orchestra, Costumes, Lighting, and more. David began his own voice studies with James Kathryn Rule, a Metropolitan Opera mezzo soprano, at age 14. He continued with tenors David Lloyd and Jon Crain at West Virginia University where he holds a BA in Vocal Performance. He has also did some graduate study in musicology at the Catholic University of America. Although David has been an opera lover all his life, that’s not the career he chose. He served as an officer in the United States Air Force for nearly thirty years before retiring as a colonel. He was a Tour Docent at the Santa Fe Opera for a decade and served as treasurer on the Board of Directors of the Santa Fe Opera Guild for six years.
Not sure which topic is your favorite? Don’t worry; participants are free to visit several tables and you can choose another topic every 20 minutes.
Refreshments are included in the $20.00 cost for members, and $25.00 cost for non-members.
The registration deadline is Wednesday, November 2, and space is limited. Please join us for this popular event!