The Tempest, based loosely on Shakespeare's play, has a libretto by playwright Meredith Oakes. It debuted at Covent Garden in February 2004. The Santa Fe production, newly staged by Jonathan Kent, will include three members of the original cast; Alan Gilbert is the conductor.

The other new productions are Bizet's Carmen, starring mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter in her Santa Fe debut; Mozart's The Magic Flute, featuring soprano Natalie Dessay in her first appearance as Pamina; Massenet's Cendrillon, with mezzo-sopranos Joyce DiDonato and Kristine Jepson; and Strauss's Salome, with soprano Janice Watson in the title role.

The program for the 50th-anniversary gala concert, scheduled for August 12, 2006, has not yet been announced.