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FY
REPORT
desertchorale.org
26 ANNUAL
ENCORE! ENCORE! The Desert Chorale is for everyone. Our repertoire crosses genres, geographical boundaries, and cultures, but you can feel the clear, high desert air and unmistakable character of Santa Fe in every note we sing. Out of the cultural heritage of New Mexico and the rich history of choral music around the world, we strive to create concert experiences that are joyful and universal. In 2025, that music reached more than 10,000 audience members in New Mexico, 2,000+ festivalgoers for our tour in Texas, more than 350 children and their families for our Family Concerts, hundreds of music students in our free masterclasses, and dozens of clients in our arts-inhealthcare program Hearts in Harmony. 2025 was a testament to the power of voices lifted in song.
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“We love the Desert Chorale and have been attending since 2008. The Chorale is the most important musical event we attend in any given year!” Jim Murphy
“What an honor to perform with the Santa Fe Desert Chorale. Truly one of the best groups in the nation.” Nacha Mendez guitarist and vocalist, recipient of the 2025 New Mexico Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts.
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SUMMER Festival
Commissions + Premieres
Insights & Sounds
Box Office Records
In 2025, we commissioned new work from Ernesto Herrera and Shawn E. Okpebholo for our Summer Fetival. To date, we have premiered:
We hosted a two-day symposium with the Boulanger Initiative about identity and representation in choral music. Our featured composers took part in a lively presentation about their experiences breaking barriers.
The 2025 Summer Festival broke all previous box office records, with a quarter-million dollars in ticket sales. More than 4,000 people attended Sumer Festival concerts, an 8% increase year over year.
37 works commissioned by the Chorale 7 additional U.S. or world premieres
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The Desert Chorale has presented programs in Spanish in every one of our 43 years of existence, a commitment to our New Mexico roots.
“Superbly sung...with texts set in a variety of evocative and effective manners.” –Santa Fe New Mexican
“The Chorale’s performance was firstrate...with impressive dynamics and oftenlovely vocal colors.” –Pasatiempo
Cantos y Cuentos
Roots & Rivers
Mass for the Endangered
This Spanish-language program presented
The American Road, a major new commissioned work by Shawn Okpebholo (above), anchored a program that featured other Desert Choralecommissioned works by renowned composers.
A moving program that explored our shared struggles and triumphs as a human family in relationship with the natural world.
a world premiere by Ernesto Herrera (above) a guest appearance by Chihene Nde legend Nacha Mendez Alexis Corbin and Hovey Corbin performing Afro-Cuban dance rhythms
Northland by Kile Smith Caminante by Jocelyn Hagen The Tipping Point by Reena Esmail
Mass for the Endangered by Sarah Kirkland Snider (above) To the Hands by Caroline Shaw
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“The Desert Chorale’s tonal quality is like no other organization. You stand alone.” Nancy Helman
“One of North America’s finest choirs.” Classics Today Magazine
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WINTER Festival
Luminaria
New Mexico PBS
In 2025, nearly 6,000 people attended our Winter Festival, Luminaria, selling out every concert. Audience member Carl Wackerman told us, “It was the best choral concert I’ve heard in my 78 years on earth.”
In 2025, New Mexico PBS began broadcasting a Desert Chorale Winter Festival concert every Christmas Eve. These special holiday broadcasts reach up to 700,000 households in New Mexico and thousands more online.
Audience Growth Attendance at our Winter Festival grew more than 10%, with revenue reaching nearly $325,000. Demand was so great we’ve added a new winter concert in Santa Fe for 2026.
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NEW ALBUM Roots & Rivers Released in June 2026, our first album in 8 years features new music written for the Desert Chorale, including Shawn E. Okpebholo: The American Road, a six-movement suite that reimagines hymns, folk songs, hymns, and spirituals. Reena Esmail: The Tipping Point. Infused with Indian classical music and the brilliant tabla playing of Sutanu Sur. Jocelyn Hagen: Caminante. A bilingual piece reflecting Santa Fe’s ancient role as a crossroads. Kile Smith: Northland. A jazz-inflected setting of a suite of Harlem Renaissance writer Claude McKay’s poems on immigrating to the United States. “This is a beautifully explorative album celebrating the diversity of today's American choral writing, delivered with exceptional warmth by the Santa Fe Desert Chorale under Joshua Habermann.” –BBC Music Magazine
Shawn Kirchner: Sweet Rivers. A new arrangement, created especially for the Desert Chorale, of a classic American hymn.
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VOLUNTEERS & PARTNERS
Ambassadors
A Sense of Connection
104 Desert Chorale Ambassadors volunteered almost 1,300 hours of their time in 2025 to help set up and break down concerts, seat guests, and pitch in with logistics. Without our Ambassadors, we would have no concerts!
“Volunteering for the Chorale is so much fun. The beautiful music, the diverse fans, the phenomenal singers. I love encountering so many new people, something that doesn't happen enough in day-to-day life.” – Denise Fort Desert Chorale Ambassador
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Hearts in Harmony Our weekly music-in-healthcare singing group at The Life Link behavioral healthcare center helped 131 unique individuals find a sense of belonging, community, and hope in 2025.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Santa Fe Sings! More than 200 singers learned new songs and musical skills in our annual choral workshop Santa Fe Sings! Santa Fe Sings builds collaborative networks in choral groups across New Mexico.
Children’s Concerts Attendance at our free children’s concerts grew this year. In 2025, more than 350 kids and their adults played music and sang along with the Chorale in these fun interactive performances.
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In March 2025, the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) honored the Desert Chorale by inviting us to be headline performers at their biennial national conference. Only the world’s best ensembles headline ACDA. Past honorees include the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, ENTREVOCES, and Nederlands Kamerkoor.
ACDA and DALLAS TOUR
Dallas Tour Stop While in Dallas, the Desert Chorale staged a joint concert with the Orpheus Chamber Singers that drew more than 700 choral music lovers from around Texas.
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FINANCIAL Health
$1M Endowment Gift An anonymous donor gave $1,000,000 toward our endowment fund this year, which now stands at $1.85M.
Revenue Growth We set new records for ticket revenue in both summer and winter festivals, donations were up by 11%, and grant funding grew by 27%.
Annual Campaign Giving to our Year-End Appeal grew by 20% in 2025, which reflected an increase in the number of people who gave, also +20% year over year.
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Growth Ignites Artistry “The Santa Fe Desert Chorale’s fiscal health has yielded benefits in its artistic ambition.” –Santa Fe New Mexican, Pasatiempo
Artistry Fuels Growth With total assets approaching $3 million against minimal liabilities, the Chorale can expand its ambitious festivals and commission major works.
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Emma Marzen
Joshua Habermann
Catherine Gronquist
Executive Director
Artistic Director
Board President
THE REASON FOR THE MUSIC IS YOU. THANK YOU FROM ALL OF US!
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