The National Youth Opera Academy (NYOA), in collaboration with the Young Voices of the Santa Fe Opera, has announced a new intensive summer training program for high school vocalists.

The academy is set to take place from July 29 through Aug. 8, 2026, in Santa Fe and is open to classical singers ages 13 to 18 from the United States and abroad. Participants will get a chance to participate in a a fully staged and orchestrated youth opera production of “Odyssey,” a work by composer Ben Moore and librettist Kelley Rourke. The performance will be conducted by GRAMMY® Award–winning conductor Luke McEndarfer and presented at the Lensic Performing Arts Center in Santa Fe..

The academy will be led by GRAMMY®-nominated baritone and director Johnathan McCullough and the roster of guest faculty includes GRAMMY® Award–winning baritone and composer Will Liverman; mezzo-soprano and integrative performance coach Beth Clayton; mezzo-soprano Sun-Ly Pierce; director and acting coach Dylan F. Thomas; soprano Ashley Milanese; Young Voices of the Santa Fe Opera Director Amy Owens; soprano and Valley Opera Performing Arts General and Artistic Director Shira Renee Thomas; and director Melanie Bacaling of The Metropolitan Opera and the Santa Fe Opera.

Additionally, NYOA participants will also attend a performance of “The Magic Flute” at the Santa Fe Opera. They will also get a backstage tour and meet-the-artists session.

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