ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Classical violinist and celebrity historian Raffi Andonian shared some history about opera and New Mexico. The Santa Fe Opera in New Mexico won the “Festival of the Year” at the International Opera Awards in Madrid, Spain.

Opera started around the 1600s in Italy. That’s when people started recognizing opera and it started changing over time explained Raffi. What makes the Santa Fe Opera so special is that it has been there for about 70 years and has shaped the world of opera. They have 18 world premieres that they have done and 45 National premieres. And they have also started an apprentice program for singers and now a lot of operas around America started to keep the local singer in the states instead of losing them to Europe.

To learn more about Raffi Andonian, click here.