Experience Great Choral Music in the Land of Enchantment
SANTA FE
WELCOME TO OUR 43rd SEASON!
Your Desert Chorale launched the new year with a tour to Dallas, where we gave a headliner performance at the 2025 ACDA National Conference and joined forces with Orpheus Chamber Singers for an unforgettable weekend of singing. Now, we look forward to sharing even more great choral music with you in the Land of Enchantment.
Come and experience the inspiring sounds of some of the best professional choral singers from across the country. There’s something for everyone during our must-hear Summer Festival, featuring three all-new concert programs and two world premieres. Plus, don’t forget to secure your tickets for our popular holiday program Carols & Lullabies: Luminaria.
We can’t wait to see you in the audience!
Special thanks to Barry and Margaret Lyerly for underwriting our 2025 professional vocal artists.
“...a rara avis in the choral music world.”
— Mark Tiarks Santa Fe New Mexican
CANTOS Y CUENTOS
Summer Festival Sponsor
Sallie Bingham
Conductor
Joshua Habermann
Artistic Director
Sponsored by Carmen Paradis and Brian McGrath
Guest Artist
Nacha Mendez, guitar
SONGS AND STORIES OF TODAY’S LATIN AMERICA
If you loved last year’s Songs of the Americas program, you won’t want to miss this treasure trove of songs from North and South America. Continue to journey through this diverse and dynamic musical landscape with sixteen professional Desert Chorale artists. Experience the vibrant rhythms and soulful melodies of modern-day Latin America as you’re transported across Brazil, Argentina, and Venezuela. Enjoy a world premiere fusing Cuban musical traditions with current choral techniques by CubanAmerican composer Ernesto Herrera. Then, celebrate familiar folk tunes featuring New Mexican guitarist Nacha Mendez.
Sunday, July 13, 2025 | 4 pm
Sponsored by Gregory Dove
Saturday, July 26, 2025 | 1 pm
Sponsored by Katherine and William Landschulz Cristo Rey Church
Tuesday, July 29, 2025 | 7:30 pm
Free Pre-concert Video Lecture
Presented by Antonio Gomez
Sponsored by Steven Kerchoff†
All concerts will be held at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi unless otherwise noted.
† in memoriam
MASS FOR THE ENDANGERED
Summer Festival Sponsor
Sallie Bingham
Program Sponsors
Catherine and Guy Gronquist
Conductor
Joshua Habermann
Artistic Director
Sponsored by Carmen Paradis and Brian McGrath
JOURNEYS OF COMPASSION, PROTECTION, AND HOPE
Connect to our deep relationships with nature and each other through the universal language of music. A chamber orchestra joins the twenty-four Desert Chorale vocal artists for two captivating works by brilliant American women composers. Known as “a hymn for the voiceless and the discounted,” Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Mass for the Endangered is an evocative meditation on the fragility of the natural world and a plea to defend it. After including a single movement of Caroline Shaw’s To the Hands in our acclaimed 2023 program The American Immigrant Experience, we are now thrilled to perform this work in its entirety, exploring themes of welcome and belonging. Join us for an evening of musical storytelling that reminds us of our shared struggles and triumphs as members of the human family.
Sunday, July 20, 2025 | 4 pm
Friday, July 25, 2025 | 7:30 pm
Sponsored by Patricia “Tish” Romer in memory of Joan Berner
Thursday, July 31, 2025 | 7:30 pm
Sponsored by Dmitri Bovaird and Maggie Edmondson in loving memory of Nina Hinson Rasmussen and Dr. Prescott C. Rasmussen
Free Pre-concert Video Lecture
Presented by Dr. Kerry Ginger
Sponsored by Steven Kerchoff†
All concerts will be held at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi unless otherwise noted.
ROOTS & RIVERS
Summer Festival Sponsor
Sallie Bingham
Conductor
Joshua Habermann
Artistic Director
Sponsored by Carmen Paradis and Brian McGrath
Guest Artists
Nathan Salazar, piano
Sutanu Sur, tabla
ECHOES OF THE PAST, VOICES OF THE FUTURE
Get a sneak peak at our upcoming commercial album live in concert! At the heart of this program is The American Road: Six Songs of the Enslaved, Embattled and Emancipated by NigerianAmerican composer Shawn E. Okpebholo. In this new large-scale work, Okpebholo reimagines folk songs and spirituals—including an original by Rhiannon Giddens—that both honor the pain and resilience of the past and inspire hope for the future. Be among the first to hear this momentous work paired alongside recent commissions, which we plan to include in a new album coming in 2026. Kile Smith’s Northland infuses the poetry of Harlem Renaissance writer Claude McKay with jazz, blues, and melodic lyricism to describe the Jamaican immigrant’s experiences in his new home. The bilingual work Caminante (Traveler) by Jocelyn Hagen exemplifies musically and poetically the miracle of people from all walks of life coming together as fellow travelers. The Tipping Point by Indian-American composer Reena Esmail combines Western and Indian musical techniques to portray the constant struggle between light and darkness, and the miraculous moment of the scale tipping in favor of light. Join us for a journey through American choral music.
Thursday, July 24, 2025 | 7:30 pm
Sponsored by David and Lee Takagi in honor of Joshua Habermann
Sunday, July 27, 2025 | 4 pm
Co-sponsored by Patricia Stanley and Phyllis Lehmberg
Friday, August 1, 2025 | 7:30 pm
Sponsored by Peter and Sara Rutenberg in support of new music by living composers
Free Pre-concert Video Lecture
Presented by Dr. Marques Jerrell Ruff
Sponsored by Steven Kerchoff†
All concerts will be held at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi unless otherwise noted.
CAROLS & LULLABIES: LUMINARIA
Winter Festival Sponsors
Mary and Phil Delk
in memory of Joel Brauer
Conductor
Joshua Habermann
Artistic Director
Guest Artist
Nathan Salazar, piano
CELEBRATE THE LIGHT AND BEAUTY OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON
Experience the popular holiday tradition of the Santa Fe Desert Chorale’s annual Winter Festival. This year’s concert combines the warm familiarity of beloved carols with the brilliance of new musical gems. Latin American seasonal folk tunes round out the program, illuminating the longest nights of the year with both festive and peaceful melodies. Join pianist Nathan Salazar and our twenty-four professional vocal artists from across the nation for this celebration of light, joy, and hope.
Saturday, December 13, 2025 | 7 pm Sponsored by Katherine and William Landschulz
Sunday, December 14, 2025 | 4 pm Immanuel Presbyterian Church, Albuquerque
Tuesday, December 16, 2025 | 7 pm
Thursday, December 18, 2025 | 7 pm
Friday, December 19, 2025 | 7 pm
Saturday, December 20, 2025 | 7 pm
Sunday, December 21, 2025 | 4 pm
Sunday, December 21, 2025 | 7:30 pm
All concerts will be held at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi unless otherwise noted.
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT RECITAL
WEDNESDAY
July 30, 2025 at 4 pm St. Bede’s Episcopal Church
SPONSORED BY Allegra and Jim Derryberry
This solo voice concert is sure to be the happiest hour of your week.
Our professional singers not only blend seamlessly in an ensemble— they also shine on the solo stage! Three of your favorite Desert Chorale artists come together for an art song recital in the intimate setting of St. Bede’s Episcopal Church. Sneak out of the office early and treat yourself to an afternoon filled with profound poetry and soaring melodies.
Photo: Siobhan Doherty Buffett John Buffett Baritone
Photo: Jared Rey Dianna Grabowski Mezzo-soprano
Photo: Caitlin Oldham Chelsea Helm Soprano
Photo: Evangeline Hodge Nathan Salazar Piano
GALA FIESTA
Join your Desert Chorale artists for a festive summer celebration!
THURSDAY
July 17, 2025 at 6 pm Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado Santa Fe
Enjoy an alfresco cocktail hour, an elegant dinner among fellow music lovers, and an intimate performance curated by Artistic Director Joshua Habermann featuring music from across the Americas.
No silent auctions, raffles, or requests for donations will interrupt this special event. Instead, each entry ticket includes a meaningful donation in support of your Santa Fe Desert Chorale.
To learn more and purchase your tickets, visit desertchorale.org/gala
INSIGHTS & SOUNDS
INSIGHTS & SOUNDS SYMPOSIUM
THURSDAY and FRIDAY
July 24 and 25, 2025
Christ Church Santa Fe
SPONSORED IN PART BY Brahna Wilczynski in memory of Janusz Wilczynski
Dive deeper into the choral music you love with the return of our Insights & Sounds Symposium. This year, we are partnering with the Boulanger Initiative to present workshops on a variety of topics for all music lovers. Plus, don’t miss the opportunity to connect with three composers featured during this year’s Summer Festival.
Symposium tickets on sale by May 15th at desertchorale.org/i&s
Save the dates for our free mini-concerts for children and their families:
July 30th at 11 am sponsored by Stephen and Jane Hochberg
December 17th (time TBD) sponsored by Katherine and William Landschulz
Photo: Courtesy of the Boulanger Initiative
Ernesto Herrera Sarah Kirkland Snider Shawn E. Okpebholo
2025 EVENTS CALENDAR
Artist Spotlight Recital Gala Fiesta Insights & Sounds Symposium
