Dozens of instrumental and vocal offerings beckon
Are you in the mood to listen to music by Mozart or Brahms? How about a little Haydn or Ginastera? The biggest question that northern New Mexico classical music aficionados have to ask themselves this summer is which of the dozens of instrumental and vocal concerts they want to attend.
Taos School of Music’s Summer Chamber Music Festival kicks off its 46th season June 15 with a concert of works by Bartok, Franck and Schumann performed by the Borromeo String Quartet with pianist Robert McDonald.
Founded in 1963, the Taos School of Music is one of the oldest summer chamber music programs in the country. Its alumni have served as members of many highly respected professional ensembles, including the Alexander, Borromeo, Brentano, Chester, Lark and Muir quartets, and been principal players for major orchestras in the United States.
This summer’s festival features faculty performances by the Borromeo, Brentano and St. Lawrence string quartets, pianists Randall Hodgkinson and McDonald and violist Michael Tree, as well as concerts by a select group of advanced students of violin, viola, cello and piano who are at least 18 years old.
Among the works presented by the professional players are Bruckner’s Viola Quintet in F Major; Beethoven’s String Quartet in B flat Major, Opus 130; Franck’s Piano Quintet in F minor; and Berger’s String Quartet “Bridal Canopy.”
Chorale and Guests
The Santa Fe Desert Chorale presents its 26th summer season from June 26 through Aug. 10 with help from seven guest conductors, including Patrick Dupre Quigley, Donald Nally, Joshua Habermann and Judith Clurman, the finalists competing for the position of music director.
“The Desert Chorale is very excited to host three guest conductors: Simon Carrington from Yale, John Kennedy with Santa Fe New Music and Jonathan Willcocks from Chichester, England,” says Don Scott Carpenter, general director for the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, via e-mail. “We are also very excited about our four music director finalists.”
Kennedy conducts two performances of Vanguards of New Music, which is a program of three contemporary works taking place at First Presbyterian Church.
“We’re doing major works for voices by (Krzysztof) Penderecki, (Kaija) Saariaho and (Arvo) Pärt,” Kennedy says. “The Penderecki is sung a cappella, the Saariaho uses electronics and the Pärt has a small orchestra of 10 players.”
Among the programs presented by the Santa Fe Desert Chorale are “Glorious Voices-Sacred Spaces,” which features masterpieces of classical music; “Viva España,” the music of Spain; “The Tudors,” which highlights Renaissance music from England; and “Northern Lights,” which has repertoire by composers from Scandinavia and the Baltic states.
Chamber Music Season
The Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival’s 36th season begins July 20 and features more than 100 works performed by 76 artists and six ensembles.
The summer’s repertoire includes the premieres of four co-commissioned pieces and a new work by artistic director Marc Neikrug.
Executive director Steven Ovitsky says he is particularly excited about three concerts that will be presented at the KiMo Theatre in Albuquerque.
“We are looking to expand our audience,” he says. “We have a number of friends of the festival in Albuquerque. There are people working in Albuquerque who don’t want to drive up to Santa Fe during the week to come to a concert.”
The Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival offers noon, late afternoon and evening concerts as well as morning programs for youths. The open rehearsal schedule is posted online at www.sfcmf.org.
Music Makers
Taos School of Music
June 15-Aug. 3 Faculty concerts: June 15, 29; July 13, 16, 27 Young Artists Concerts: June 22, July 6, 20, Aug. 3 SMU-Fort Burgwin, 6580 N.M. Highway 518 (south of Talpa) Admission: Faculty concerts: $20 adults, $10 children under 16; Young Artists Concerts: $5
Young Artists Concerts and Seminars: June 21, 26, July 5, 10, 19, 24, Aug. 2
Hotel St. Bernard at Taos Ski Valley
Admission: Free
(575) 776-2388; TaosSchoolofMusic.com
Santa Fe Desert Chorale
June 26-Aug. 10
Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis, Scottish Rite Temple, Loretto Chapel, First Presbyterian Church, Holy Faith Episcopal Church, Lensic Performing Arts Center, Muñoz Waxman Gallery at CCA, all in Santa Fe
San Francisco de Asís in Taos
Cathedral Church of St. John, Albuquerque Journal Theater at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, both in Albuquerque
Tickets: $20-$55
988-1234; (800) 905-3315; 988-2282; desertchorale.org
Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival
July 20-Aug. 15
St. Francis Auditorium and Lensic Performing Arts Center in Santa Fe
KiMo Theatre in Albuquerque
Tickets: $15-$58; student discounts are available
982-1890; (888) 221-9836; sfcmf.org
