Courtesy/SFO
OPERA News:
SANTA FE — The Santa Fe Opera is delighted to announce the 84 members of its 2026 Apprentice Program for Theater Technicians. Selected from a pool of more than 700 national and international applicants, the class of 2026 includes nine apprentices from New Mexico and two international apprentices, contributing fresh creativity and technical expertise to the Santa Fe Opera and the broader performing arts industry. Each season, the technical apprentices perform essential backstage functions within one of eight distinct crews: Audio/Visual, Costumes, Electrics, Production/Music Services, Properties, Scenic Art, Stage Operations and Wigs and Makeup. The crews carry out daily changeovers to maintain the season’s repertory schedule and fill positions crucial to the live-running of productions.
Santa Fe Opera Production and Recruiting Coordinator Tracy Armagost facilitates the program, including recruitment, hiring and programming numerous seminars, director/designer presentations and an annual portfolio fair. This year, Tracy traveled approximately 15,000 miles, including 26 plane trips and 1,000 miles driven, to meet applicants at the American College Theater Festivals (ACTF) in four regions, colleges around New Mexico, and other job fairs and informational sessions tailored to reach tomorrow’s opera artisans and technicians. The SFO was also represented at recruitment engagements, including the Southeast Theatre Conference (SETC) and the United States Institute of Theater Technology (USITT) conference in Long Beach, California, by its production department heads.
Throughout the summer, each technical apprentice has the opportunity to work with the company’s world-class production staff, comprising designers, technicians, and skilled craftspeople from around the globe. In addition to their involvement in mainstage opera presentations, the technical and singing apprentices will also produce two evenings of apprentice-led programming during which they showcase their artistry to the public. The popular Apprentice Scenes, on August 16 at 8:00 pm, provide a wide range of performance and training opportunities with staged scenes from the operatic repertoire. The Apprentice Concert on August 23 at 8:00 pm features the apprentice singers in a concert alongside the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra conducted by James Gaffigan.
2026 Technical Apprentices
*Denotes second-year Apprentice
- Audio/Visual
Zachary Dukeminier, New Mexico*
Mia Elias, Texas
Jacob Gers, North Carolina
Lily Weigand, New Hampshire - Costumes
Erin Allen, Virginia
Aiden Berchtold, California
Shoshi Brustin, Colorado
Justin Buontempo, New York*
Donna Cantu, California*
Shay Conley, Illinois
Ella Doyle, California*
Amanda Geyer, Virginia
Räyya Gracy, Georgia
Ollie Gretok, North Carolina
Edward Webb Hodges, South Carolina
Jordan Lynn Howe, New Mexico
Lauren Kensley, Colorado*
Bethany Lawrence, Minnesota
Linda Litchy-Cervantes, Nevada
Auden Mucher, New York
Kalyn Paradis, Pennsylvania
Alexandra Riascos, New Jersey
Angelese Sanchez, New Mexico*
Madeline Schatzke, Texas
Kendall Swartz, Florida*
Moira Swinford, New York
Jackson Underwood, Kansas
Summer Wasung, Michigan - Electrics
Jenna Agredano, California
Li Downey, New York
Ella Fletcher, New York
Campbell Hicks, Colorado
Yi-Chen Lu, Taiwan
Kinsey Moore, Arizona
Matty D. Peterson, Texas
Gil Rogerson, North Carolina
Jay Sexton, New Jersey
Lumi Shalaev, Illinois - Production/Music Services Crew
Cruz Afonso, Florida
Mariah Braun, New Mexico
Elli Caunitis, Delaware
Jackson Tressel, Minnesota
Alice Wilson, Texas - Properties
Yassiar Brown, South Carolina*
Ally Doederlein, Michigan
Marisa Figueras, Florida
Michelle Guerrero, Texas
Ngan Ho-Lemoine, Vietnam
Olivia Houseman, Minnesota
Jordan Kerr, Ohio
Ren Kosiorowski, Michigan
Theo Kuehn, Colorado*
Sydney Liotta, New Mexico
Katie Mayers, New Mexico
Tony Nordyke, Texas
Lexie Scott, South Dakota
Callie Server, Iowa - Scenic Art
Michaela Meyer, Florida
Ellie Vice, Colorado*
Mac Weaver, Massachusetts - Stage Crew
Sebastian Alarcon, Texas
Logan Alvarez, Georgia
Christopher Blazer, Florida
Roe Burmester, Ohio
Leah Cobleigh, California
Sophie Coudert, Virginia
Lauren Custer, New Mexico*
Delaney Dwyer, New Mexico
Sam Feng, Colorado
Leta Jordá-Talevich, Michigan
AR Martin, Illinois
Linden Martin, Tennessee
Kent Mascheck, Texas
Jisselle Muñoz, Illinois
Rafael Payne, Texas
Anthony Sloterdijk, Texas
Ava Stipe, Texas*
Beka Underhill, Tennessee
Matthew Welch, Florida
Owen Wyatt, Texas - Wigs & Makeup
Faith Gilbert, North Carolina
Araceli Sias, New Mexico*
Jade Soto, North Carolina
Marcelina Villarreal, Texas
About The Santa Fe Opera’s Apprentice Program for Theater Technicians
Established in 1965, the Apprentice Program for Theater Technicians has provided intermediate and advanced instruction and practical experience to young technicians in elements of stage operations. Among the first of its kind in America, more than 4,100 aspiring technicians have participated in the internationally recognized program. Former Technical Apprentices have progressed to careers as professional technicians and designers for stage and film work; others work in production at opera, theater and ballet companies worldwide.