Transition: Looking back…Moving forward
After 17 years, the Santa Fe Opera Guild has a website, and it went live TODAY! It took a change in mindset, enormous effort, and a minor disruption called a pandemic-to get us to this place.
As the final editor of the Operagram in its old format, I admit to being both frightened and elated about running headlong into unknown territory after years of success with a respected newsletter that was shepherded by so many talented volunteers. The need for change won out over sentimentality because technology affords us the ability to serve our members in a more efficient, effective, and prompt medium.
Respect for the past is critical to building a solid future. In that spirit, I wanted to link the founder and first editor, Joan Behrmann, to the transition and new trajectory of the Operagram. So, I asked Joan for a bio for our first blog post and to include a few moments that impacted her life. Here is what Joan wrote, verbatim, and it is perfect!
Life-changing moments:
Opening an acceptance letter from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and realizing my dream of becoming Brenda Starr, Girl Reporter might come true.
Almost 50 years ago, spotting a cute guy wearing an Army fatigue jacket, across a crowded room in Miami, Fla., and thinking, “I could spend the rest of my life with him.”
Receiving a letter inviting me to join the start-up team for a newspaper that no one had ever heard of, with the audacity to believe it could cover the entire USA.
As the Arts & Entertainment Editor of The Nation’s Newspaper, walking the red carpet at the Oscars.
Crying at the Oscars in 2000, when my son took home a heavy gold ornament of his own.
As the newly-named Executive Editor, visiting the inauspicious offices of The Desert Sun, in a strip mall in Palm Springs, 1987 – and being told, “Don’t worry, you’ll have a new building.”
Stepping outside the Coyote Café on Water Street into a glorious sunset in 2003, and hearing my husband say, “I think I could live here.”
Attending an Opera Guild event in the Crosby patio, in 2005, where Steve Kutay suggested that I apply to be an opera docent.
So here we are, years later, now residents of Palm Springs and visiting dear friends each summer in Santa Fe—and attending the Opera.
Our son Dan is a movie and TV producer. Our daughter Laura is an amazing interior decorator. Our two grandchildren are carving out interesting careers. Nick donated his Army fatigue jacket to Goodwill and is active in the valley Interfaith Council. I am a docent at the Palm Springs Art Museum.
We all know there are more accolades and career and philanthropic achievements that Joan has earned. She was President of our guild and an active member for years. With a little prodding, she disclosed that her son, Dan, won an Oscar in 2000 for the film American Beauty.
So, dear Members, as we move forward, I pledge that the Santa Fe Opera Guild’s website will build on the past success of the Operagram, by bringing you news and informative articles delivered in a sophisticated and contemporary format. Have a wonderful time exploring your new website.
Warm Regards,
Bernadette Snider
Vice President of Communications, Santa Fe Opera Guild
This OperaBlog was contributed by Bernadette Snider, Vice President for Communications, Santa Fe Opera Guild Board of Directors, November 1, 2022.