Key Change: Creating Opera for All Voices

Opera for All Voices (OFAV) began as a consortium of North American opera companies committed to co-commissioning and co-producing new operatic works for audiences of all ages that bear the same artistic integrity and depth of storytelling as mainstage works. Over several years it has grown in its mission to tell "stories of our time." Follow host Andrea Fellows Fineberg from The Santa Fe Opera and OFAV collaborators and stakeholders as we explore the process, the context, and the story of commissioning and producing new operas in America. www.santafeopera.org

Connections Across Time and Space: Opera in the Cosmos 04/26/2023

Connections Across Time and Space: Opera in the Cosmos Seven years ago, Santa Fe Opera started a conversation that would reverberate throughout American Opera, shaping this celebrated art form into something more reflective of the world in which it's created. Today, Opera For All Voices (OFAV) commissions have surpassed even our wildest storytelling expectations. Key Change co-hosts Andrea Fellows Fineberg and Anna Garcia tuck into the time machine for a season-ending trip around the OFAV universe, revisiting the initiative's greatest hits and offering fans a glimpse at what's to come––with Ruth Nott, consultant, Opera for All Voices; Brent Michael Davids, composer; and Mary Kathryn Nagle J.D., playwright, attorney, and member of Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. OFAV began with a simple premise. "We wanted to see what other voices were available and had interesting stories to tell," Ruth explains. So, how'd we do? In the past 18 months alone, OFAV has produced two world premieres in Santa Fe, This Little Light Of Mine and Hometown To The World, a groundbreaking workshop in San Francisco for The Pigeon Keeper, and OFAV on Broadway featuring Hometown To The World. We've also strengthened our bond with the Pueblo Opera Cultural Council. While reminiscing is fun, the Key Change time machine is actually a forward-focused intergalactic vehicle. Brent and Mary Kathryn have plotted next season's creative journey from pueblo to cosmos. "It'll be one of the very first operas that centers a Native woman protagonist," hints Mary Kathryn. "We're asking questions that go far beyond Indian country or the history of the relationship between the United States and Native people. We're asking questions that pertain to all of humanity, and what is our relationship to the universe." Catch a ride for Season Five coming soon! FEATURING - Composer, Member of the Stockbridge-Munsee Community Mary Kathryn Nagle J.D. - Attorney at Law/Playwright/Screenwriter and Member Of Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma Ruth Nott - Consultant, Opera for All Voices RELATED EPISODES *** Key Change is a production of in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and edited by Hosted by Andrea Fellows Fineberg & Anna Garcia Audio Engineer: Show Notes by Lisa Widder Theme music by with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello Cover art by Dylan Crouch This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Hankins Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an Opera America Innovation Grant supported by the Anne & Gordon Getty Foundation. To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit us at . /episode/index/show/keychange/id/26640408

Competing Interests: How Do You Workshop a New Opera? 04/12/2023

Competing Interests: How Do You Workshop a New Opera? Roadtrip! After many long months of necessary virtual collaboration, the creative team behind The Pigeon Keeper, a Santa Fe Opera Opera For All Voices (OFAV) commission, finally got to spread their wings for an emotional workshop in San Francisco. Key Change co-hosts Andrea Fellows Fineberg and Anna Garcia discover what it was like to have everyone (well, almost everyone) in the same room for the very first time––featuring composer David Hanlon, librettist Stephanie Fleischmann, stage director Mary Birnbaum, music director Kelly Kuo, dramaturg Cori Ellison, Ruth Nott, consultant for OFAV, plus Elinore (Ellie) Pett-Ridge Hennessy, Azaria Stauffer-Barney, and Ruby Recht-Appel, all members of the San Francisco Girls Chorus (SFGC). "Stephanie and I really love working and responding in the moment," says David, excited to sit beside The Pigeon Keeper's librettist in real time and space. For those unfamiliar with the process of developing new operatic works, workshops put the pieces and performers together for a rigorous, accelerated series of rehearsals, and what some may call a smash-through – the first time the piece is heard by the artists in person all the way through, without stopping (even if there are mistakes.) Then the piece is presented to an invited audience of folks who may be interested to produce or present the opera in the future. “We're always trying things out, which is really exciting. But,” David admits, “there's a lot of flux to that.” Workshops are, by their nature, intense. Witnessing The Pigeon Keeper live, with its fairytale-like exploration of chosen family and mass migration, profoundly impacted participants of this workshop, especially members of the San Francisco Girls Chorus (SFGC), whose voices add poignant commentary to the storytelling. "I'm not gonna lie to you. I read through the music, and I started tearing up," recalls Ellie. "It just feels like home." And it feels one step closer to realizing The Pigeon Keeper as a fully staged production. FEATURING - Composer, The Pigeon Keeper - Librettist, The Pigeon Keeper - Stage Director - Music Director - Dramaturg Ruth Nott - Consultant, Opera for All Voices Elinore (Ellie) Pett-Ridge Hennessy, Azaria Stauffer-Barney, and Ruby Recht-Appel - Members, led by Artistic Director Valérie Sainte-Agathe RELATED EPISODES *** Key Change is a production of in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and edited by Hosted by Andrea Fellows Fineberg & Anna Garcia Audio Engineer: Show Notes by Lisa Widder Theme music by with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello Cover art by Dylan Crouch This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Hankins Foundation, the Andrew W Mellon foundation, and an Opera America innovation Grant supported by the Anne & Gordon Getty Foundation. To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit us at . /episode/index/show/keychange/id/26498886

Hometown to the World Debuts on Broadway 03/29/2023

Hometown to the World Debuts on Broadway If a chorus of 12 teens can provide compelling commentary on immigration enforcement from the stage of a venerable performing arts center in Santa Fe, how might ten times that number of voices impact the debate? From a Broadway venue that has welcomed some of the twentieth century’s most influential social justice visionaries? Key Change co-hosts Andrea Fellows-Fineberg and Anna Garcia pilot the time machine east to find out, setting a course for the 2022 premiere of at New York’s storied . Adding their insights to this aural postcard are Hometown’s composer Laura Kaminsky and librettist Kimberly Reed; Melay Araya, artistic director at The Town Hall; several chorus members from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts and Repertory Company High School for Theatre Arts, as well as the audience. Hometown––an original work commissioned by Santa Fe Opera for its Opera For All Voices (OFAV) initiative––follows the events of a 2008 raid by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of a kosher meatpacking plant in Postville, IA. The opera explores themes of religion, acceptance, and community, igniting a communal desire to create a more equitable world. “People that are already empathetic, they need fuel,” says Melay. “They need the refocusing that Laura and Kim provide in language and song to think larger and to address these issues, not just on the granular level, but as spiritual and ethical questions.” Hometown closes with a Hebrew call to action, delivered by that sprawling chorus of young, hopeful voices: Tikkun Olam! Repair the world! FEATURING Laura Kaminsky - Composer, Hometown to the World Kimberly Reed - Librettist, Hometown to the World Melay Araya - Artistic Director, The Town Hall A chorus comprised of 100+ public high school students from and RELATED EPISODES - Hometown’s Laura Kaminsky and Kimberly Reed on telling history and collaboration. - Revisiting Hometown’s story, structure, music, and what it means to be an American during the San Francisco workshop. ” - with Stage Director Kristine McIntyre and Dramaturg Cori Ellison. ” - with Chorus Master Carmen Flórez-Mansi. - Andrea prepares for the world premiere in Santa Fe with core members of its artistic team, young performers, and the most influential collaborator: the audience. - Post-show reactions from artists, creators, collaborators, and the audience buoyed by musical excerpts from Hometown’s premiere at the Lensic Performing Arts Center in Santa Fe. *** Key Change is a production of in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and edited by Hosted by Andrea Fellows Fineberg & Anna Garcia Audio Engineer: Show Notes by Lisa Widder Theme music by with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello Cover art by Dylan Crouch This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Hankins Foundation, the Andrew W Mellon foundation, and an Opera America innovation Grant supported by the Anne & Gordon Getty Foundation. To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit us at . /episode/index/show/keychange/id/26371251

Telling Hard Truths 03/15/2023

Telling Hard Truths What do you know about the life and legacy of Fannie Lou Hamer? Chances are, not much. That's about to change. Co-hosts Andrea Fellows Fineberg and Anna Garcia dust off the Key Change time machine for a trip back through time and place to the real-life inspiration for This Little Light of Mine (TLLoM), the modern operatic masterpiece commissioned by Santa Fe Opera's Opera For All Voices initiative. Good thing this ride is roomy because joining them are two women who can claim a direct connection to Mrs. Hamer: Jacqueline "Cookie" Hamer Flakes, Mrs. Hamer's last surviving daughter, and LaToya Ratlieff, Mrs. Hamer's grand-niece. Mrs. Hamer was born to sharecroppers early in the last century when life for an undereducated Black woman was difficult at best. She endured unimaginable cruelty at the hands of white people who sought to block voting access for folks who looked like her. While those encounters battered her body, her powerful, passionate voice never broke. And yet, many are still unaware of Mrs. Hamer’s contributions to the Civil Rights movement or the rousing, emotional speech she delivered at the 1964 Democratic National Convention. Cookie shares painful, visceral details of Mrs. Hamer’s life and poignant memories of her spirit in celebration of a life committed to community––and as a reminder that the fight for civil rights is still ours today. This transformative voyage also features familiar voices from the TLLoM creative team: composer Chandler Carter, librettist Diana Solomon-Glover, music director Jeri Lynne Johnson, stage director Beth Greenberg, and stage manager Laurel McIntyre. Charles Gamble, SFO's director of school programs, Devin DeVargas, Pojoaque Valley High School choir teacher, and members of the Pojoaque Valley Choir complete this episode’s passenger roster. This episode is dedicated in memoriam to Jacqueline "Cookie" Hamer Flakes (September 22, 1966 - March 27, 2023). FEATURING Jacqueline "Cookie" Hamer Flakes LaToya Ratlieff Diana Solomon-Glover – Librettist Chandler Carter – Composer Jeri Lynne Johnson – Conductor & Music Director Beth Greenberg – Stage Director Laurel McIntyre – Stage Manager Charles Gamble – SFO Director of School Programs Devin DeVargas – Pojoaque Valley High School Choir Teacher Members of the Pojoaque Valley High School Choir MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE PLAYLIST *** Key Change is a production of in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and edited by Hosted by Andrea Fellows Fineberg & Anna Garcia Audio Engineer: Show Notes by Lisa Widder Theme music by with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello Cover art by Dylan Crouch This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Hankins Foundation, the Andrew W Mellon foundation, and an Opera America innovation Grant supported by the Anne & Gordon Getty Foundation. To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit us at . /episode/index/show/keychange/id/26218452

A Day in the Life Before a World Premiere 03/01/2023

A Day in the Life Before a World Premiere It’s October 28, 2022. As a brisk, still night settles over Santa Fe, things are heating up inside The Lensic Performing Arts Center. Longtime opera patrons mingle alongside never opera goers. Soon, the curtain will rise on This Little Light of Mine (TLLoM), a modern operatic masterpiece composed by Chandler Carter with libretto by Diana Solomon-Glover. The one-act production is an unflinching yet uplifting dramatization of the life of Fannie Lou Hamer, a Black woman born on the very lowest rung of the American caste system. A Black woman who nonetheless rose to speak at the 1964 Democratic National Convention and became an exemplar of the Civil Rights movement. A Black woman who knew her worth despite a world that told her otherwise. But hold on! A lot has happened between the time Opera For All Voices (OFAV) of The Santa Fe Opera first commissioned TLLoM and this triumphant evening. Key Change co-hosts (yep, a lot has happened) Andrea Fellows Fineberg and Anna Garcia check in with members of the production’s creative team in the hours leading up to the world premiere. What do they want folks to understand about Mrs. Hamer’s life and legacy? How has the piece expanded discussions around whose stories get told onstage? And what’s the connection between self-care and a tiny table? If OFAV’s goal to foster community beyond opera’s traditional audience is central to this conversation, then TLLoM acts as the initiative’s standard bearer. It’s a fitting tribute to Mrs. Hamer’s innate ability to speak truth to power and galvanize individuals under one unifying voice. FEATURING Chandler Carter – Composer Diana Solomon-Glover – Librettist Jeri Lynne Johnson – Conductor & Music Director Beth Greenberg – Stage Director Laurel McIntyre – Stage Manager MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE PLAYLIST *** Key Change is a production of in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and edited by Hosted by Andrea Fellows Fineberg & Anna Garcia Audio Engineer: Show Notes by Lisa Widder Theme music by with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello Cover art by Dylan Crouch This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Hankins Foundation, the Andrew W Mellon foundation, and an Opera America innovation Grant supported by the Anne & Gordon Getty Foundation. To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit us at . /episode/index/show/keychange/id/26080932

Spark of Imagination: Generations of the Pueblo Opera Program with Sonja & Seth Martinez 07/20/2022

Spark of Imagination: Generations of the Pueblo Opera Program with Sonja & Seth Martinez If you’re unfamiliar with Santa Fe Opera’s (POP), take a quick journey back in time for of this conversation. Go ahead; we’ll wait. In it, you’ll meet Renee Roybal and Claudene A. Martinez, both members of Pueblo of San Ildefonso. The pair recall the early days of POP and the formation of the (POCC). Now that you’re sufficiently caught up, join Andrea Fellows Fineberg as her time machine co-pilot Kyle Gray, SFO’s Manager of Community Relations & Government Affairs, wraps up the conversation (for now.) Renee and Claudene return to share recollections of their early collaborative interactions with legendary director Peter Sellars in conjunction with the 2018 world premiere of Doctor Atomic. Then Sonja and Seth Martinez, Renee’s daughter and grandson, share memories of the SFO visits that shaped their affinity for opera. The discussion concludes with a roundtable wishlist of future POP-lead initiatives. “I definitely remember paying attention to the weather,” Sonja laughs, recalling stormy visits to the outdoor opera house before its much-anticipated roof upgrade. The unexpected theatrics only added to the excitement of attending world-class opera in her own backyard. What could compare to opera amid wild thunderstorms? The thrill of watching family and friends perform on that same majestic stage. “It was very exciting!” says Seth of the corn dance that POCC created as part of Doctor Atomic. He hopes SFO continues to integrate Indigenous traditions into its future seasons (along with more comedy, operas about space, and significant historical events). Meanwhile, his mother envisions expanded opportunities for Indigenous children to explore performance- and stagecraft-based endeavors. POP and POCC ensure that that future is within reach. FEATURING Andrea Fellows Fineberg - Host, Key Change Renee Roybal, Pueblo of San Ildefonso Claudene A. Martinez, Pueblo of San Ildefonso Sonja Martinez Seth Martinez MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE - Santa Fe Opera, 2018 RELATED EPISODES Season 4, Episode 4: Season 2, Episode 6: *** Key Change is a production of in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and edited by Hosted by Andrea Fellows Fineberg Audio Engineer: Show Notes: Lisa Widder Theme music by with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello Cover art by Dylan Crouch This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit us at . /episode/index/show/keychange/id/23800715

Story With Purpose: The Origin of the Pueblo Opera Cultural Council with Renee Roybal and Claudene A. Martinez 07/13/2022

Story With Purpose: The Origin of the Pueblo Opera Cultural Council with Renee Roybal and Claudene A. Martinez All aboard the Key Change time machine for a two-part trip! On this half of the journey, we toggle back to the origins of a beloved community-based program and then forward to celebrate its exciting expansion. 2023 will mark the 50th anniversary of the , lovingly known around the Santa Fe Opera as POP. Key Change commemorates this momentous event by passing the mic to colleague Kyle Gray, SFO’s Manager of Community Relations & Government Affairs. Kyle and his guests discuss the POP legacy and (POCC), which blossomed out of an artistic collaboration between legendary director Peter Sellars and SFO’s Indigenous neighbors during the 2018 production of Doctor Atomic — with guests Renee Roybal, Pueblo of San Ildefonso, and Claudene A. Martinez, Pueblo of San Ildefonso. “I’m 63 years old, and I’ve been going to and enjoying opera since I was a teenager,” Renee says. For nearly 50 years, POP has introduced thousands of Native American children to the grand adventure of opera. Both women have fond memories of inspiring behind-the-scenes tours, inventive performances, and rides on plush buses to the most anticipated social event of the summer. With POP’s legacy secure, the women have focused on POCC, which features members of the San Ildefonso Pueblo, Santa Clara Pueblo, and Tesuque Pueblo. POCC seeks to foster the Indigenous tradition of cross-cultural hospitality. Claudene says the Doctor Atomic experience was a meaningful beginning for the advisory. “I think that’s how POCC [will] continue to work with the opera, on other future moments that we could get involved in and educate.” FEATURING Andrea Fellows Fineberg - Host, Key Change Renee Roybal, Pueblo of San Ildefonso Claudene A. Martinez, Pueblo of San Ildefonso MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE - Santa Fe Opera, 2018 RELATED EPISODES *** Key Change is a production of in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and edited by Hosted by Andrea Fellows Fineberg Audio Engineer: Show Notes: Lisa Widder Theme music by with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello Cover art by Dylan Crouch This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit us at . /episode/index/show/keychange/id/23722379

In a Room Making Music With People: The Pigeon Keeper with Stephanie Fleischmann and David Hanlon 06/29/2022

In a Room Making Music With People: The Pigeon Keeper with Stephanie Fleischmann and David Hanlon Hurry up and wait. When your world premier is stopped in its tracks by forces beyond your control, “momentum” is measured a bit differently. Andrea Fellows Fineberg chats with composer David Hanlon and librettist Stephanie Fleischmann, the creative duo behind about maintaining artistic progress during the pandemic, the limits of virtual collaboration, and finally (finally!) preparing for live performances. All aboard the Opera For All Voices time machine for a quick review! The Pigeon Keeper was initially scheduled for a workshop in 2020 and its world premier in 2021. Best laid plans, right? But one thing opera and a pandemic have in common is the power to stretch time. Or maybe freeze it. However defined, those protracted months presented David and Stephanie with additional opportunities to tinker, aided by technology and unexpected (if limited) solitude. “One of the joys of working with Stephanie is it's a very collaborative back-and-forth thing,” David says. Still, he admits that some discoveries can only happen in real life. Now that conditions have improved (fingers crossed), The Pigeon Keeper is set to soar. Accompanied by a stirring chorus of young voices provided by the San Francisco Girls Chorus, this OFAV commission follows a father and daughter as they navigate unimaginable loss. The story couldn't be more immediate in light of so many concurrent global tragedies, says Stephanie. “Now, with Ukraine, the question of refugees and children leaving their homes, making huge journeys to other places and losing everything that they know, the resonance and relevance of this piece have only grown in the time we've been waiting to bring it into the world.” FEATURING , Composer , Librettist Audio Sample from the San Francisco Girls Chorus from The Pigeon Keeper Audio Sample of “We’ve Been Getting By” from The Pigeon Keeper featuring bass-baritone and pianist MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE RELATED EPISODES - A first look at The Pigeon Keeper *** Key Change is a production of in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and edited by Hosted by Andrea Fellows Fineberg Audio Engineer: Show Notes: Lisa Widder Theme music by with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello Cover art by Dylan Crouch This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit us at . /episode/index/show/keychange/id/23573807

Influence and Inclusion: The Impact of Hometown To The World with Estevan, Ely, and Francesco of the Youth Chorus 06/22/2022

Influence and Inclusion: The Impact of Hometown To The World with Estevan, Ely, and Francesco of the Youth Chorus You’ve heard of main character energy? Well, get ready for youth chorus energy! Andrea Fellows-Fineberg connects with an optimistic, pragmatic, and empathetic mindset courtesy of the youth chorus members who participated in the December 2021 world premiere of Opera For All Voices’ Hometown To The World. Their insights and post-performance emotion speak to art's ability to foster community––with Ely Aguilar, Francesco Aimale, and Estevan Flórez-Mansi. We also hear post-show reactions from artists, creators, collaborators, and the audience buoyed by musical excerpts from the premiere at the Lensic Performing Arts Center in Santa Fe. So much has changed in the decade since the events of Hometown took place in Postville, IA. And yet. “At the end of the opera, I was thinking to myself this opera is beautiful but, like, there's no resolution. And that kind of hurt me,” Estevan says of the myriad issues that still complicate our national discourse on immigration. The youth chorus took on an increasingly significant role during the evolution of Composer Laura Kaminsky and Librettist Kimberly Reed’s intimate yet expansive one-act opera, questioning character motivations and responding to individual struggles for acceptance. That experience helped Ely deepen his awareness of human interdependence onstage and off. “This is a world premiere. I feel like this is going to be really touching for a lot of people. And I feel like it's going to bring more people together. But, like, everyone has to put in their own part so we could all do this together.” Francesco combines Ely’s idealism with a practical call to action. “I don't think twelve kids and three kind-of famous actors are gonna get a ton of messages across. More people in power need to start spreading these issues about how it's wrong to just hate people for being themselves.” Don’t worry about the chorus. These kids are alright. FEATURING Ely Aguilar - Youth Chorus Member, Hometown To The World Francesco Aimale - Youth Chorus Member, Hometown To The World Estevan Flórez-Mansi - Youth Chorus Member, Hometown To The World Laura Kaminsky - Composer, Hometown To The World Kimberly Reed - Librettist, Hometown To The World Blythe Gaissert - Linda Larsen, Hometown To The World Michael Kelly - Abraham Fleischman, Hometown To The World Many audience members, collaborators, and friends of Hometown To The World. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE RELATED EPISODES ” ” *** Key Change is a production of in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and edited by Hosted by Andrea Fellows Fineberg Audio Engineer: Show Notes: Lisa Widder Theme music by with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello Cover art by Dylan Crouch This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit us at . /episode/index/show/keychange/id/23500301

This Doesn’t Happen Without Audience: The Hometown To The World Premiere 06/15/2022

This Doesn’t Happen Without Audience: The Hometown To The World Premiere When an initiative is called Opera For All Voices, who’s the “all”? Key Change Season Four examines OFAV’s burgeoning legacy of co-creating new operatic works through a community-centric lens, beginning with an OG favorite, Hometown To The World. Host Andrea Fellows-Fineberg revisits the production with core members of its artistic team, young performers, and the most influential collaborator: the audience––featuring Ruth Nott, Composer Laura Kaminsky, Librettist Kimberly Reed, and a behind-the-scenes segment with Estevan Flórez-Mansi, youth chorus member. There’s perhaps no better modern operatic representation of community than Hometown To The World, a story of family, solidarity, and immigration set amidst the turmoil of a 2008 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid on a meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa. The timing of Hometown’s world premiere in December 2021 only intensified its message. As the world grappled with the anxiety of a global pandemic, OFAV’s talented group of artists dedicated themselves to addressing complex contemporary issues via a centuries-old art form––even as they had to remain socially distanced to engage the audience with this profound work. “I think that's part of what I love so much about live performance,” says Andrea. “You can sing all you want and sing as beautifully all you want, but if no one's there to appreciate it, to experience it, that's just singing.” Kimberly agrees, noting that when opera amplifies previously overlooked stories, the audience begins to see itself and each other in profound new ways. “That constant dialogue and constant reshaping of our world around us, that's just what life is about.” FEATURING Andrea Klunder - Key Change Producer Ruth Nott - Managing Director, Laura Kaminsky - Composer, Hometown To The World Kimberly Reed - Librettist, Hometown To The World Estevan Flórez-Mansi - Youth Chorus Member, Hometown To The World And many HTTW artists, collaborators and audience members MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE RELATED EPISODES - Hometown’s Laura Kaminsky and Kimberly Reed on telling history and collaboration - Revisiting Hometown’s story, structure, music, and what it means to be an American with Laura Kaminsky and Kimberly Reed during the San Francisco workshop. - Stage Director Kristine McIntyre shares her own connection to the story, as the granddaughter of Italian immigrants. Dramaturg Cori Ellison points out that both sides of the operatic equation - new work and standard repertory pieces - can thrive alongside each other. - Chorus Master Carmen Flórez-Mansi discusses the joys of working with Hometown’s talented young adults and reflects on her deeply personal responses to this urgent and ultimately uplifting contemporary opera. *** Key Change is a production of in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Hosted by Andrea Fellows Fineberg Featuring Cori Ellison, Ruth Nott, Composer: , Librettist: , Stage Stage Director: Produced and edited by Audio Engineer: Theme music by with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello. Cover art by Dylan Crouch Show notes by Lisa Widder This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. To learn more about Opera for All Voices, visit us at . /episode/index/show/keychange/id/23427419

Season 4 - The Voices of the Community 06/07/2022

0308: Bridging Communities with Carmen Flórez-Mansi 10/13/2021

0308: Bridging Communities with Carmen Flórez-Mansi At its heart, Hometown To The World is a simple story of hope set amongst the emotionally complicated aftermath of a 2008 Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid in Postville, IA––the largest ever in US history. It’s fitting, then, that host Andrea Fellows-Fineberg and her guest Chorus Master Carmen Flórez-Mansi close out this season of Key Change charting a buoyant, optimistic course towards the future. In addition to her roles as founder and director of the Choral Arts Society at St. Michael’s High School in Santa Fe, she’s also music director for the Cathedral Basilica where OFAV usually holds its summer concerts, pandemics not withstanding. Carmen is an artist in her own right, a musician, singer, mother, and community activist––identities that coalesce in her work with Hometown To The World. As the production prepares for its world premiere at the Lensic Performing Arts Center in December 2021, Andrea and Carmen discuss the joys of working with the talented young adults of the chorus and reflect on their deeply personal responses to Composer Laura Kaminsky’s and Librettist Kimberly Reed’s urgent, ultimately uplifting contemporary opera. Carmen is no stranger to OFAV’s commitment to developing new operatic works, having held the baton, or magic wand as we like to say, for 2019’s premiere of Sweet Potato Kicks the Sun, the initiative’s first-ever commission. “This was such an honor for me to be asked to be a part of this really important project. Sweet Potato…, the themes in that were about beauty and inclusion and love, and it carries over to what Hometown... is speaking about, but in a much more serious nature,” she says. For Hometown To The World, Carmen brought together twelve singers ranging in age from 13 to 17 years of age. “I know that they're musically able to hold this together,” she says, her voice swelling with pride as she acknowledges the teens’ willingness to so freely explore raw and powerful emotions, some of which are intensely personal, about immigration that the piece so beautifully confronts. “I think that the music is very challenging. So this will challenge them and also open whole new worlds.” Hometown To The World challenges audiences to redefine the future, offering hope through family and, of course, opera. RELATED EPISODES *** Key Change is a production of in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Hosted by Andrea Fellows Fineberg Featuring - Chorus Master, Hometown To The World Produced and edited by Audio Engineer: Theme music by with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello. Cover art by Dylan Crouch MUSIC IN THIS EPISODE This music in this episode is NOT from Hometown To The World... you'll have to catch the stage premiere in Santa Fe or stream the digital premiere from Hawaii Opera Theater to hear more. *** This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit us at /episode/index/show/keychange/id/20806091

0307: Lighting a Fire: The Legacy of Fannie Lou Hamer 09/01/2021

0307: Lighting a Fire: The Legacy of Fannie Lou Hamer To appreciate the life and legacy of civil rights icon Fannie Lou Hamer is to speak truth to power and unite in song. In June of 2021, Opera For All Voices did just that, hosting an online workshop of This Little Light Of Mine, the one-act opera commissioned by Santa Fe Opera, composed by Chandler Carter with a libretto by Diana Solomon-Glover, in collaboration with Kentucky Opera led by Barbara Lynne Jamison. No one’s better suited to take the mic than for this exploration Ms. Hamer’s lasting impact than Diana. She delivers three riveting segments beginning with Ann and Chester Grundy, community activists from Lexington, KY, who had encounters with Fannie Lou Hamer. When Ann Grundy offered to escort Ms. Hamer around Berea College campus for a week-long speaking engagement in 1964, little did she know the ripple effect that Ms. Hamer’s presence in her life would have. One year later and 40 miles away, Mrs. Grundy’s soon-to-be husband Chester met Ms. Hamer at the University of Kentucky. “She asked us what are we doing?” At 18, he was unable to interpret the profound nature of that question. While he wishes he could go back in time to give a more substantive answer, Mr. Grundy knows one thing for sure. “[Fannie Lou Hamer] was a kind of, I would say, a transitional person, someone you never forget, somebody who did something that changed the kind of orbit of your life.” In the second segment, Diana speaks with Dr. Aldon Morris, the Leon Forrest Professor of Sociology and African American Studies at Northwestern University, and Reverend Dr. James Forbes Jr, Senior Minister Emeritus of Riverside Church in NYC. After reading an article he wrote for Northwestern Magazine, Diana was inspired to engage Dr. Morris in conversation about the power of art, music specifically, to affect long-held mindsets about sociological issues. “Music has just been a central component of our long struggle to be free,” he says, a galvanizing force for centuries. The act of singing itself gave Ms. Hamer the courage to defy intimidation and brutality, to be the light in times of darkness. Rev. Forbes agrees. Music has always played a central role to worship in Black churches. Ms. Hamer instinctively understood that perseverance and truth were woven into the lyrics she sang. “You just sing about it,” Rev. Forbes says, “[and] you may be able to get away with a political critique.” The final segment features Diana, Barbara Lynne, and Andrea reflecting on the role of art and artists in a world afraid to confront the truth. Beyond portraying key events in the life of voting rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer, This Little Light Of Mine introduces audiences to truths that may be new to them and, in the process, energize them to transform the future. “The music gave so much power to the movement and, it's very hard to describe in words, but the thing that music does to us is totally experiential,” Diana and her guests remind us. “It kind of defies language.” RELATED EPISODES: - introduction to the commission of This Little Light of Mine with composer Chandler Carter and librettist Diana Solomon-Glover - interview with voting and civil rights activist, LaToya Ratlieff, Fannie Lou Hamer’s grand-niece; and Diana Solomon-Glover - featuring the interpretative artists and community partners of Is This America? - featuring guest host Javier Mendoza and Florida International University students who performed a live stream of Is This America? *** Key Change is a production of in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Hosted by Andrea Fellows Fineberg Guest Host Featuring: Ann & Chester Grundy - Community activists - Librettist, This Little Light Of Mine, and Key Change guest host - Senior Minister Emeritus of The Riverside Church, NYC - The Leon Forrest Professor of Sociology and African American Studies at Northwestern University - General Director, Kentucky Opera Produced and edited by Audio Engineer: Theme music by with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello. NEW! Cover art by Dylan Crouch Episode Recording Engineer: Special thanks to MUSIC IN THIS EPISODE This episode contains excerpts from the This Little Light of Mine workshop in collaboration with Kentucky Opera, featuring Nicole Joy Mitchell as Fannie Lou Hamer. Credits: Composer: Chandler Carter Librettist: Diana Solomon-Glover Director: Beth Greenberg Chorus master: Everett McCorvey Music Director: Jeri Lynne Johnson Fannie Lou Hamer: Nicole Joy Mitchell Dorothy Jean Hamer: Aundi Marie Moore June Johnson/SNCC Worker: Heather Hill MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE - Dr. Aldon Morris, Northwestern Magazine *** This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit us at /episode/index/show/keychange/id/20331323

0306: Building a Better Society with Florida International University Music Students 08/25/2021

0306: Building a Better Society with Florida International University Music Students When you name an initiative Opera For All Voices (OFAV), it better have the “all voices” to back that claim up! In the first of a series of guest-hosted episodes, Andrea passes the mic to the remarkable young talents making Is This America? their own. But before she does, Andrea reminds listeners of what OFAV is all about: telling stories for our time and extending that conversation outward––to all voices. Javier Jose Mendoza, Director of Orchestral Studies at Florida International University School of Music, Miami, is joined in conversation by FIU students Angeline Fontaine, Elisha Martin, and Pedja Kovacevic, all of whom participated in the university’s full orchestral workshop of Is This America? which is based on selections from This Little Light of Mine by composer Chandler Carter and librettist Diana Solomon-Glover. One of OFAV’s earliest commissions, it’s a celebration of American civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer’s legacy. Although new to the work and, in some cases, Ms. Hamer herself, the opera holds special meaning for these three students. Is This America? provides the soundtrack as they contemplate future roles as citizens, artists, and activists, its words and music of the past reverberating through their 21st-century lives. It’s impossible to listen as Angeline, Elisha, or Pedja discuss bringing Ms. Hamer’s story to life or the broader effect her commitment has had without being awed by their insight. It’s as Javier says, “I don't know if a person that sits through this work if they leave thinking the same way.” That’s the promise of Is This America? and the endowment of OFAV. RELATED EPISODES: - introduction to the commission of This Little Light of Mine with composer Chandler Carter and librettist Diana Solomon-Glover - interview with voting and civil rights activist, LaToya Ratlieff, Fannie Lou Hamer’s grand-niece; and Diana Solomon-Glover - featuring the interpretative artists and community partners of Is This America? *** Key Change is a production of in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Hosted by Andrea Fellows Fineberg Guest Host Featuring: , , Produced and edited by Audio Engineer: Theme music by with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello. NEW! Cover art by Dylan Crouch Special thanks to This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. To learn more about Opera For All Voices, visit us at /episode/index/show/keychange/id/20253908

0305: Making a Choice With Conviction: A Conversation with Jeri Lynne Johnson 03/03/2021

0304: Singing a Call To Action, Is This America? 02/24/2021

0303: Responding to the World, Hometown to the World 02/17/2021

0302: Interpreting Ambiguity, Sweet Potato Kicks the Sun 02/10/2021

0301: Dreaming of Opera... 02/03/2021

Season 3 Trailer - What now? 01/20/2021

BONUS: Is This America? 10/30/2020

0209: America Is Impossible Without Us: Revisiting Hometown to the World 06/05/2019

0208: Gender is Not Genre: women in opera 05/29/2019

0207: Mother of a Movement: This Little Light of Mine inspired by the life of Fannie Lou Hamer 05/22/2019

0206: The Universe is Made of Stories: A conversation with Peter Sellars 05/15/2019

0205: The Audacity of Storytelling: bringing us from another to each other 05/08/2019

0204: Hope Is the Thing With Feathers: a first look at The Pigeon Keeper 05/01/2019

0203: Bring Your Folding Chair: Equity, diversity, inclusion and opera - Part 2 04/24/2019

0203: Bring Your Folding Chair: Equity, diversity, inclusion and opera - Part 2 "If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” ~Shirley Chisholm We take a moment to dream with members of the opera community across departments about what a more equitable, diverse and inclusive opera industry will look, feel, and sound like. Beyond that, we take a practical look at things that are working and things that perhaps still slow to change, and why. This conversation is at the heart of Opera for All Voices. This episode is part 2 of a 2-part exploration. If you haven't already go back one episode to 202: A Seat at the Table to meet the amazing members of our opera community who are part of this candid and intimate conversation: Cayenne Harris, Vice President, Lyric Unlimited Ben Taylor, Baritone Terrence Chin-Loy, Tenor Monique Gaffney, Wig & Makeup Artist Melanie Bacaling, Stage Manager Jason Lynch, Lighting Designer Michael Ortiz, Assistant Technical Dir. at Santa Fe Opera Madalyn Mentor, Artistic Coordinator at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Anh Le, Acting Director of Marketing & Public Relations at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis June Kim, Development Associate at Santa Fe Opera Thank you all for your openness, generosity, and everything you contribute to our industry. *** Key Change is a production of in collaboration with Opera for All Voices. Produced and edited by Hosts: Andrea Fellows Walters and Brandon Neal Audio Engineer: Theme music by with Corrie Stallings, mezzo-soprano, and Joe Becktell, cello Cover art by Special thanks to Shannon Harris for recording our interview in Chicago Special music licensing from curated by Brandon Neal OFAV Consortium Members: , , , and This podcast is made possible due to the generous funding from the Melville Hankins Family Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. To learn more about Opera for all voices, visit us at /episode/index/show/keychange/id/9508844

0202: A Seat at the Table: Equity, diversity, inclusion and opera - Part 1 04/17/2019

0201: Press Play: A closer look at our first commission Sweet Potato Kicks the Sun 04/10/2019

Key Change: Creating Opera for All Voices

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