Reporting from Santa Fe

I am in Santa Fe, New Mexico for the annual meeting of the Music Critics Association of North America (MCANA). Yesterday, we gave our inaugural Award for Best New Opera to Missy Mazzoli and librettist Royce Vavrek for "Breaking the Waves." Here is a photo that shows them with MCANA president Barbara Jepson and George Loomis:

Here's another photo of Mazzoli and Vavrek:

While in Santa Fe, the critics are attending concerts and operas. Last night, I saw an excellent production of Rimsky-Korsakov's "The Golden Cockerl" at Santa Fe Opera. This afternoon I heard a noontime concert presented by the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival.

Tomorrow evening we will hear Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor" and Friday night will be the world premier of "The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs" by Mason Bates.

This afternoon we heard a terrific panel discussion about "The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs" with some of the artistic staff and performers: stage director Kevin Newberry, scenic designer Victoria "Vita" Tzykun, conductor Michael Christie, librettist Mark Campbell and mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke.  Here is a photo of the panel, plus music critic John Fleming with the microphone.