Young Voices of Santa Fe Opera Read Octopus Stew at Placitas Library

Amy Owens, director of the Young Voices of the Santa Fe Opera, led a musical story time at Placitas Community Library, 453 Hwy 165 in Placitas, where she read Eric Velasquez’s Octopus Stew and the Young Voices performed songs throughout the narrative. The presentation ran roughly 30 to 45 minutes and was offered free to the public as part of the Santa Fe Opera’s Opera Makes Sense outreach.

Placitas Community Library billed the program as "A Musical Story featuring the Young Voices" and used lively copy to introduce the book: "What do you do when an octopus captures grandma? Put on your superhero cape and rescue her! Octopus Stew, written by Eric Velasquez, will be read by Amy Owens, director of the Young Voices of the Santa Fe Opera. Throughout the story, the Young Voices will perform songs." The musical interludes were intended to heighten drama and engagement for the children in attendance.

The Santa Fe Opera frames Opera Makes Sense as an early-education initiative: "The thrill of opera isn’t exclusively reserved for adults! Opera Makes Sense was created for children ages 3 to 5 to explore the world of opera through music and family-friendly storytelling." Event listings distributed to area libraries and community calendars, however, described the Placitas presentation as suitable for children ages 3 to 11. Organizers asked parents and caregivers to note those differing age-range descriptions when planning attendance.

Organizers managed seating and access conservatively. The Opera’s program page states that "tickets are not necessary" and that seating is on a first-come, first-served basis, while local notices warned that "seating and parking are limited at the library so attendees are instructed to arrive early to get a space and a seat up front." Placitas Community Library requested RSVPs by email at childrens@placitaslibrary.com, asking that groups provide the parent’s full name and the number of children and adults in each party. The library’s main phone is (505) 867-3355 for additional questions.

The Placitas performance was presented by the Placitas Artists Series and staffed in partnership with the Santa Fe Opera and the Santa Fe Public Library system. The Young Voices program lists sponsorship from Garcia Automotive Group, Placitas Artists Series, and Gene & Jean Stark, with the Hankins Foundation named as the principal education sponsor for Opera Makes Sense. The Santa Fe Opera runs a short library tour of related events at Santa Fe Public Library branches; other scheduled readings in the series appeared at Santa Fe Main, Southside, and La Farge branches on nearby dates.

Past Opera Makes Sense productions cited in community notices include Pete the Cat: The Great Leprechaun Chase and Ground Hog’s Runaway Shadow, indicating a pattern of pairing illustrated children’s books with live vocal performance. For program questions or media follow-up, contacts listed by the Santa Fe Opera include Amy Owens at YoungVoices@santafeopera.org and Erin Blake, Administrative Coordinator, at 505-946-2404 or eblake@santafeopera.org; the Opera box office can be reached at 800-280-4654 or 505-986-5900.