Editing Santa Fe Opera (section)

===Notable past apprentices===
Some major American opera singers who have been company apprentices include the sopranos [[Susanna Phillips]] (2004), [[Judith Blegen]] (1961), [[Ashley Putnam]] (1973 and 1975), and [[Celena Shafer]] (1999–2000); mezzos [[Joyce DiDonato]] (1995), [[Susan Quittmeyer]] (1978), and [[Michelle DeYoung]] (?); tenors [[Carl Tanner]] (1992,93), [[William Burden (tenor)|William Burden]] (1989–90), Richard Croft (1978), [[Chris Merritt]] (1974–75), and [[Neil Shicoff]] (1973); baritones [[David Gockley]] (1965–67; later general manager of the [[Houston Grand Opera]] and the [[San Francisco Opera]]) and [[Sherrill Milnes]] (1959); and basses [[Mark Doss]] (1983), [[James Morris (bass-baritone)|James Morris]] (1969) and [[Samuel Ramey]] (1966).

Many former apprentice singers have returned to perform major roles with the company. These have included Mark Doss in the 2011 ''[[Faust (opera)|Faust]]''; [[Joyce DiDonato]] in the 2006 ''[[Cendrillon (Massenet)|Cendrillon]]'' (and again in 2013 in ''[[La donna del lago]]''); Chris Merritt also in 2006 in ''[[The Tempest (opera)|The Tempest]]''; [[Carl Tanner]] in the 2005 production of ''[[Turandot]]''; and [[Joyce El-Khoury]] (2006 and 2008 Apprentice Singer) as Micaëla in the 2014 production of ''[[Carmen]]''. Beth Clayton, an apprentice singer during the 1995 season, returned in 2002 in the production of ''Eugene Onegin.'' <ref>{{Cite journal |last=Adams |first=Gladi |date=August 2015 |title=Patricia Racetter and Beth Clayton: Opera's Gorgeous and Talented Divas |journal=Lesbian Times |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=7-12 |via=Academic Search Complete}}</ref>