2025-2026 Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra Season

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ARTIST STATEMENT

It is the first painting I created after surviving a devastating home propane explosion, which led to a ten-week recovery in a major burn center in San Antonio, Texas. Initially given less than a 20% chance of survival, I was determined to live— through pain, through uncertainty, through fire.

This work represents more than survival; it is a testament to rebirth. From the flames, I emerged into the singularity of the present moment—into each new day of my life. “Now and Forevermore” speaks to that transformation and to the enduring strength found in choosing to begin again.

DENNIS ZIEMIENSKI

100 Years of Route 66, July 31 – August 10, 2026 Santa Fe Opening Reception: Friday, July 31st from 5 – 7 pm

Santa Rosalia de Palermo, acrylic and mixed media on panel, 36" h x 24" w

Where Life Gets Better

El Castillo/La Secoya is a continuing care retirement community in downtown Santa Fe. We offer independent and assisted living, nursing services, and memory care. Contact 505-995-2110 for more information or a tour. Independent living apartments available now!

MEET OUR TEAM

MARKETING

Wallman Marketing Director

Regina Klapper Patron Services Manager

Marketing Assistant

DEVELOPMENT

Katie Rountree Development Director

Laura Witte Events & Annual Fund Manager

Jennifer Ferraro Grants Manager

FINANCE & OPERATIONS

Susan Meredith Finance Director

Nicolle Maniaci Personnel Manager

Curtis Mark Stage Manager

Amy Huzjak Operations Assistant & Orchestra Librarian

EDUCATION & COMMUNITY

Callie Kent Education & Community Director

Elizabeth Young Youth Program Director

William Waag Associate Director, Youth Education

Milliken Chorus Librarian

Grace Davis Office Coordinator

Adam

Elisabet de Vallée (Ome)

Bettina

MEET OUR TEAM

ENSEMBLE CONDUCTORS, PROJECT LEADERS & INSTRUCTORS

All of us here at The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra & Chorus want to make your experience with us as wonderful as possible. Whether it’s securing your favorite seats for one of our live performances, enrolling your child in one of our award-winning Youth Education classes, or exploring how best to support The Symphony through one of our many giving opportunities, we are just a phone call or e-mail away.

William Waag Youth Orchestra Director Conductor, Youth Symphony

Allison Rich Chamber Music Santa Fe

Deanna Teague Director, Youth Philharmonic

Chase Morrison Chamber Music Los Alamos

Lee Harvey Intermezzo String Orchestra Conductor

Joseph Alcocer String Specialist

Esther Delamater Elementary Violin Instructor

Zachary Vigus Running Start & Prelude String Orchestras

Dana Winograd Sierra String Quartet

Ryan Finn Jazz Director

Kat Keener Children’s & Youth Chorus Director

William Finn Jazz Coach

Madeline Thibodeaux Los Alamos Children’s Chorus Director

Jesse Parker Jazz Coach

Xander Mancino Jazz Coach

Robert Beasley Jazz Coach

Cameron Wilson Intermediate Band

Tamarah Lucero Mariachi Project Director

Emma Scherer Executive Director

EXECUTIVE

WE CAN’T WAIT TO CELEBRATE OUR 42ND SEASON WITH YOU!

In 2025–2026, The Santa Fe Symphony offers something for everyone. Each of our concerts, whether at the Lensic, Cathedral, or elsewhere in the community, has The Symphony’s trademark balance of repertoire: ranging from much-beloved masterworks to rarely-performed gems.

We believe that great music has the power to transform lives and bring communities together. When you support The Santa Fe Symphony with a ticket purchase or donation, you are supporting professional orchestral and choral musicians in your community, as well as an

There are so many ways to get involved with The Symphony. Invite a friend to join you for a concert. Volunteer to assist with our performances or in the office. Join our family of subscribers, donors, and friends. Sponsor a soloist or adopt a musician. Get involved with our education and community programs. Share your thoughts with us and tell us what you’d like to hear!

Thank you for your support of great music in Santa Fe. See you

THE SANTA FE SYMPHONY

The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra & Chorus is proud to serve and entertain residents in our community. We want to play our part in keeping music—in all its forms—a vibrant and important part of the lives of all of us in Northern New Mexico.

AUDIENCE

• 9,000 attend ticketed orchestral and/or choral concerts at the Lensic

• Patrons are almost entirely local to Northern New Mexico

CONCERTS

• 12 ticketed concerts featuring Orchestra, Chorus, Chamber Music

• 20+ free concerts each season featuring Orchestra, Chorus, and Chamber Ensembles

• 20+ Youth Program concerts each season featuring the 300+ students in our after-school programs for orchestra, jazz, mariachi, chamber music, and chorus

LOCAL MUSICIANS

• Each year, we employ 100+ New Mexican orchestral and choral musicians

DONOR SUPPORT

• Donor support is vital – ticket sales only account for 25% of annual revenue

• Donor support enables the symphony to attract world-class musicians, guest artists, and conductors, delivering inspiring performances that elevate the cultural life of the region

Whether you’re an individual, granting authority, foundation, or business, you can give with confidence. A Platinum Seal awarded by Candid ensures our records are available for review online, providing evidence your investment in The Symphony is safe and that your donations will be used as you request.

ORGANIZATION IMPACT

We’re committed to enriching the lives of area children and their families through the performing arts. We encourage young people to explore their potential in all areas of life while helping them develop their musical skills.

YOUTH PROGRAMS OFFERED

• 20+ weekly classes for students ages 7-20, teaching: Orchestra, Chorus, Mariachi, Jazz, Chamber Music

• 20+ Youth Program concerts each season

STUDENTS SERVED

• Over 5,000 students have participated in youth music classes since 1994

• 400+ students receive after-school and in-school programming

• 1,500+ students receive classroom visits and attend their first Symphony Concert at the Lensic each year

FINANCIAL AID: 27% of students qualify for aid and 100% of students who applied received tuition and instrument rental assistance. Assistance is offered “no questions asked,” with no tax returns required.

STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS: 29% Hispanic/Latino, 8% Asian, 3% Native American, 3% African American, 57% Caucasian

BILINGUAL SUPPORT: 11% of families served are primarily Spanish-speaking at home. The Symphony has a bilingual enrollment process, Spanish-speaking support staff, and Spanish-speaking class instructors.

Best Youth Arts Program 2025 — Santa Fe Reporter

SYMPHONY OF SERENITY awaits in the Land of Enchantment

fourseasons.com/santafe

733 Chavez Rd. NW, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PRE SIDENT

Perry C. Andrews III

VICE PRESIDENT, DEVELOPMENT

Mary Macukas, CFP®, CPWA®

VICE PRESIDENT, EDUCATION

Steven J. Goldstein, MD

VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING

Robert Vladem

SECRETARY

Justin Medrano

TREASURER

David Van Winkle

HONORARY COUNCIL

Ann Neuberger Aceves

E. Franklin Hirsch

NO

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Laura Chang, Orchestra Musician

Ann Dederer

Laura Dwyer, Orchestra Musician

Stephen Eastwood

Emily Erb, Orchestra Musician

Jose (“Pepe”) Figueroa

Kimberly Fredenburgh, Orchestra Musician

Naomi Israel

Kathy Landschulz, Chorus Council President

William Landschulz

Boo Miller

Ifan Payne

Teresa Pierce

Dr. Stefanie Przybylska, Orchestra Musician

Lee Rand

Rebecca Ray, Orchestra Musician

Laurie Rossi

Robin Smith, Foundation President

Gloria Velasco, Orchestra Musician

Everett Zlatoff-Mirsky

WHAT ROLE

— Perry C. Andrews III, Board President

BOARD PRESIDENT

As I sit here in front of my laptop on this beautiful, sunny summer morning in mid-June reflecting on both this past year as well as the next, I think about the significance of the many accomplishments and success stories YOUR Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra & Chorus has experienced during the last 12 months and our high expectations as we move into our 42nd Season in 2025-2026.

Twelve months ago, we were rapidly nearing our merger date of July 1, 2024 which would bring about the successful (and dare I say unique) combining of two of Santa Fe’s premier and financially sound performing arts organizations. With 70 years of combined service to the greater Santa Fe community, The Santa Fe Symphony and the Santa Fe Youth Symphony Association became one, forging a pathway for the combined organization to exponentially expand and enhance its outreach, youth education and mentorship to students throughout Santa Fe and beyond via our orchestra, mariachi, jazz and choral Projects.

This past season once again found our amazingly talented New Mexico orchestral and choral musicians, as well as an impressive lineup of guest soloists, performing to sellout crowds on stage at The Lensic Performing Arts Center, including major works seldomly performed such as our season finale, Hector Berlioz’s La damnation de Faust, conducted by Maestro Guillermo Figueroa.

This coming 2025-2026 Season promises to be nothing short of equally spectacular! Maestro Figueroa, Choral Director Carmen Flórez-Mansi, along with our orchestral and choral musicians will have you on the edge of your seat. Starting in September with guest violinist and longtime Santa Fe favorite Alexi Kenney all the way through to our season finale in May with two performances of Carl Orff’s incomparable cantata Carmina Burana – from start to finish, our 42nd Season is absolutely one you won’t want to miss!

On behalf of everyone at The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra & Chorus – our truly amazing staff, incredibly talented musicians and my fellow Board members who give so much of their time – let me end by sending a huge and very sincere “THANKS” to all of YOU, our greatly appreciated donors, season subscribers, single ticket purchasers, sponsors and community partners. Without all of YOU – especially now, in these times of increasing uncertainty regarding the future of the performing arts – we couldn’t do what we do every day, bringing great music to life in our “City Different!”

Perry C. Andrews III Board President

THE SANTA FE SYMPHONY

ORCHESTRA

VIOLIN I

David Felberg, Concertmaster

Ruxandra Marquardt, Assistant Concertmaster THE BOO MILLER ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER CHAIR

Elizabeth Young

Alan Mar

Elizabeth Baker

Carol Swift

Rebecca Callbeck

VIOLIN II

Nicolle Maniaci, Principal Violin II

Sheila McLay

Laura Chang

Anne Karlstrom

Lidija Peno-Kelly

Laura Steiner

Justin Pollak

Carla Kountoupes

Valerie Turner

Gloria Velasco

VIOLA

Kimberly Fredenburgh, Principal Viola

Lisa Ann DiCarlo-Finch

Barbara Clark

Allegra Askew

Christine Rancier

Virginia Lawrence*

CELLO

Dana Winograd, Principal Cello

THE DR. PENELOPE PENLAND PRINCIPAL CELLO CHAIR

Joel Becktell, Assistant Principal Cello

Erin Espinoza*

Melinda Mack

Lisa Collins

James Holland*

BASS

Terry Pruitt, Principal Bass

Kathy Olszowka

Sam Brown

Frank Murry

FLUTE

Jesse Tatum, Principal Flute

Laura Dwyer

OBOE

Elaine Heltman, Principal Oboe

Rebecca Ray

CLARINET

Lori Lovato, Principal Clarinet

Emily Erb

BASSOON

Dr. Stefanie Przybylska, Principal Bassoon

Leslie Shultis

HORN

Daniel Nebel, Principal Horn

Andrew Meyers

Peter Erb

Allison Tutton

TRUMPET

Jennifer Brynn Marchiando, Principal Trumpet

Sam Oatts

TROMBONE

Lynn Mostoller

BASS TROMBONE

Dave Tall, Principal Bass Trombone

TUBA

Dr. Richard White, Principal Tuba

TIMPANI

Ken Dean, Principal Timpani

HARP

Carla Fabris, Principal Harp

*ON LEAVE 2025–2026 SEASON

Scan to view the choral musician roster for each concert.

MUSIC DIRECTOR

I am thrilled for The Santa Fe Symphony’s 2025-2026 Season. For our 42nd concert season, we have selected a fantastic array of music for your enjoyment—from well-known and beloved classics such as Brahms’ First Symphony and Dvorak’s New World Symphony to more recent works such as Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story and Moncayo’s Huapango.

Special highlights for me are the appearances of three great virtuosos—violinist Alexi Kenney, returning to Santa Fe as part of our opening concert; pianist Olga Kern playing Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini on our February concert, and cellist David Finckel from the Emerson Quartet, performing Strauss’ Don Quixote, a masterpiece for cello and orchestra. And for our grand finale in May, our extraordinary Santa Fe joins us on stage in the ever-popular

The 2025-2026 Season promises to be our best ever. Thrilling and innovative programs overflowing with glorious music, our exceptionally fantastic orchestra, an outstanding symphonic chorus, and a gorgeous theater

Well Played!

Pasatiempo presents a rigorous composition of things to see and do in Santa Fe — from checking out the city’s world-class musical offerings presented by the Santa Fe Symphony to exploring the renowned arts and culture scene. Find it on newsstands, in the Friday edition of The Santa Fe New Mexican, and online at pasatiempomagazine.com. And don’t miss a beat by signing up for the Pasatiempo weekly newsletter at santafenewmexican.com.

THE SANTA FE SYMPHONY CHORUS

SOPRANO

Lany Berger

Nia Brannin

Sophia Carillo•

Danielle Cordova*

Anastasia Docherty

Heather Eaves

Alexandra Esquibel*

Patricia Fasel

Jolene Gallegos

Charlotte Grenier

Divara Harper

Susan Harris

Amy Hernandez•

Megan Huston

Katherine Keener*+

Amrita Khalsa•

Ansley King•

Kristin MacKowski

Liza Martinez

Kelsea Martinez-Eggleston+

Audrey McKee

Dalia Melendez*

Cyra Mersereau

Bettina Milliken

Elizabeth Neely

Elizabeth Roghair

Amanda Sidebottom*

Paula Young

Elizabeth Zollo

ALTO

Petra Archuleta•

Talitha Arnold

Luana Berger*

Robin Chavez+

Juliana Chiano

Barbara Cooper

Rachelle Elbert

Joseph Fasel

Mary Fellman*

MaryAlice Gillette

Libby Gonzales

Priscilla Gray•

Paige Johns

Colleen Kelly

Kehar Koslowsky*+

Katherine Landschulz+

Jahn Clarisse Madlangbayan

Maya Charlie Ortiz•

Amanda Penaloza

Joann Reier

Edna Reyes-Wilson

Anna Richards+

Judith Rowan

Joan Snider

Sveuja Strieker

Wendy Wilson

Laura Witte*+

Diana Zeiset

TENOR

Mattéo Bitetti

Rev. Doug Escue*

O’Shaun Estrada*+

Stephen Fasel*

Antonio Gonzales

Sarah Gupta

Robert Hoffman

Landen Kessler•

Grayson Kirtland

Joe Long

Fintan Long

Jonah Scott Mendelsohn*

Karson Nance

Joshua Narlesky

Todd Ritterbush

Nate Salazar*

Wesley Sisson

BASS

Jerel Brazeau

Devin DeVargas*+

Patrick Dolin

Bob Florek

David Foushee+

Anthony Hernandez•

Lewis Johnson

Peter B. Komis

Nicholas Lopez*

Dan Morton

Andrew Paulson*

Alan Rosales•

Issac Rosales•

Thomas Rogowskey

Richard Schacht*

Jim Schute

Carlos Vazquez-Baur*+

Roy Yinger+

Paul J. Roth+, Collaborative Piano

• Choral Scholar

+ Adopted

* Chamber Singer

CHORUS COUNCIL

Kathy Landschulz, President

Jerel Brazeau, Vice President

Rev. Doug Escue, Treasurer

Bettina Milliken, Chorus Librarian

Joseph Fasel

Jolene Gallegos

Carmen Flórez-Mansi, Ex Officio

Laura Witte, Ex Officio, Chorus Manager

Scan to view the choral musician roster for each concert.

CHORAL DIRECTOR

The Santa Fe Symphony Chorus is a community of the most generous, dedicated, and skilled choral musicians of Northern New Mexico and the surrounding areas. In my eight-year tenure, we have together created a nurturing environment in which we can grow and create beautiful and challenging choral masterworks at the highest level of performance. As a choral community we are proud to come together to present choral singing at its finest that excites the senses and touches the heart in ways that only choral music can provide.

The richness of the music presented by our fine choral musicians is only matched by the richness and diversity of our singers, which represents the community of Santa Fe. Last year we debuted our choral youth program locally, and by the end of the season, we were getting a new children’s chorus ready to launch this September in Los Alamos. These new beginning and intermediate youth choirs, along with the wonderful advanced Choral Scholars, will now ensure that choral music will continue to grow for years to come.

We are honored to continue this great tradition of excellence in choral music with the exciting choral offerings this season in our collaboration with Maestro Figueroa, and the amazing orchestral musicians of The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra.

I am thrilled and honored to work with the members of our superb chorus and orchestra and experience the great joy of creating art and beauty in our community. I am eager to lead them to new heights this season.

Carmen Flórez-Mansi

EMBARK ON YOUR CUSTOM-TAILORED FINANCIAL JOURNEY

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Enterprise Bank & Trust proudly stands alongside The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra & Chorus. Together, we are dedicated to preserving The Symphony’s rich history while embracing exciting new, youth-centered initiatives presented through The Symphony’s education and community programs.

Learn more about Enterprise’s community partnerships at enterprisebank.com/impact.

Together, there’s no stopping you.

SEASON OPENER

The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra

Guillermo Figueroa, Music Director

Alexi Kenney, Violin

ALEXI KENNEY, Violin

Violinist Alexi Kenney is forging a career that defies categorization, following his interests, intuition, and heart. He is equally at home creating experimental programs and commissioning new works, soloing with major orchestras, and collaborating with some of the most celebrated artists and musicians of our time. Alexi is the recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant and a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award.

Alexi has performed as soloist with the Cleveland Orchestra, the San Francisco, Dallas, Pittsburgh, Detroit, and San Diego symphonies, l'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Gulbenkian Orchestra, and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Last season, he played the complete violin sonatas of Robert Schumann with Amy Yang on period instruments at the Frick Collection, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and the Phillips Collection. He continues to tour his project Shifting Ground in collaboration with the new media artist Xuan, which intersperses works for solo violin by J.S. Bach with pieces by Matthew Burtner, Mario Davidovsky, Salina Fisher, Nicola Matteis, Angélica Negrón, and Paul Wiancko.

Alexi is a founding member of the quartet Owls—hailed as a “dream group” by The New York Times—alongside violist Ayane Kozasa, cellist Gabe Cabezas, and cellist-composer Paul Wiancko. He regularly performs at chamber music festivals including Caramoor, ChamberFest Cleveland, Chamber Music Northwest, La Jolla, Ojai, Marlboro, Music@Menlo, Ravinia, Seattle, and Spoleto. He is an alum of the Bowers Program at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

Born in Palo Alto, California in 1994, Alexi is a graduate of the New England Conservatory in Boston, where he studied with Donald Weilerstein and Miriam Fried. Previous teachers in the Bay Area include Wei He, Jenny Rudin, and Natasha Fong. He plays a violin made in London by Stefan-Peter Greiner in 2009 and a bow made in Port Townsend, WA by Charles Espey in 2024.

Outside of music, Alexi enjoys searching for great food and coffee, baking for friends, and walking for miles on end in whichever city he finds himself, and listening to podcasts and Bach on repeat.

PROGRAM

JEAN SIBELIUS

Violin Concerto in D Major, op.47

Allegro moderato Adagio de molto Allegro, ma non tanto

Alexi Kenney, Violin

INTERMISSION

JOHANNES BRAHMS

Symphony No. 1 in C minor, op.68

Un poco sostenuto; Allegro Andante sostenuto

Un poco allegretto e grazioso Adagio; Più andante; Allegro non troppo, ma con brio

FULL CONCERT UNDERWRITER

CONCERT SPONSORS-IN-PART

Dr. Thomas McCaffrey

Megan & David Van Winkle

REACH FOR THE STARS | ALEXI KENNEY

Allegra & James Derryberry

PROGRAM NOTES

Violin Concerto in D Minor, op.47

JEAN SIBELIUS

Born 1865, Tavastehus, Finland

Died 1957, Järvenpää, Finland

Sibelius composed his Violin Concerto (his only concerto) in 1903, between his Second and Third symphonies. This was a time of transition for the 38-year-old composer, who was moving away from an early Romantic style influenced by Tchaikovsky and toward a leaner, more concise language. Sibelius was dissatisfied when he heard the concerto premiered in Helsinki in 1904 by Viktor Novácek, and he revised it completely. The final version was first performed in Berlin on October 19, 1905, with Karl Halir as soloist and Richard Strauss conducting.

It is difficult to characterize this haunting music. The second movement sings gracefully and the finale is full of energy, but the prevailing impression the concerto makes is of an icy brilliance. The orchestral sonority emphasizes the darker, lower voices—cellos, violas, and bassoons—so that the violin, which often plays high in its range, sounds even more brilliant by contrast. Sibelius was a violinist who had hoped to make a career as a soloist before he (fortunately) gave up that dream and turned to composition, and he fills the solo part with complex technical hurdles. Long passages played in octaves, great leaps, sustained writing in the violin’s highest register, and such knotty problems as trilling on one string while simultaneously playing a melodic line on another, make this one of the most difficult of all violin concertos.

The Allegro moderato opens with a quiet mist of string sound, and over this the solo violin presents the long, rhapsodic main theme: singing, dark, surging. Certain features of this theme—a triplet tag and a pattern of three descending notes—will assume important thematic functions as the movement develops. The originality of this movement appears in many ways. There are three main theme-groups instead of the expected two, but before we get to the second, Sibelius defies all expectations by giving the soloist a brief cadenza. The sober and steady second subject arrives in the dark sound of bassoons and cellos, while the vigorous third is stamped out by the violin sections. And then, another surprise: Sibelius presents the main cadenza, which is long and phenomenally difficult, before the development begins. Then the development and recapitulation are truncated, and the ending is abrupt: Sibelius drives with unremitting energy to the close, where the solo violin catapults to the top of its range as the orchestra seals off the cadence with fierce attacks.

Woodwind duets introduce the second movement before the violin enters with the intense main theme, played entirely on the G string. This movement, in ternary form, rises to a great climax and falls back to end quietly and gently. The tempo indication for the last movement, Allegro, ma non tanto (Fast, but not too fast), is crucial: Timpani and low strings set the steady tread that marches along firmly throughout much of this movement. The violin’s vigorous dotted melody dominates

this rondo, but even here the mood remains somber. This movement has been described in quite different ways. The English musicologist Donald Francis Tovey called it “a polonaise for polar bears,” while Sibelius is reported to have referred to it as a “danse macabre.” The concerto concludes as the violin climbs into its highest register and, with the entire orchestra, stamps out the concluding D.

Symphony No. 1 in

C Minor, op.68

JOHANNES BRAHMS

Born 1833, Hamburg Died 1897, Vienna

Brahms waited a long time to write a symphony. He had impetuously begun one at age 23 in reaction to Schumann’s death, and he got much of it onto paper before he recognized that he was not ready to take on so daunting a challenge and abandoned it. Brahms was only too aware of the example of Beethoven’s nine symphonies and of the responsibility of any subsequent symphonist to be worthy of that example. To the conductor Hermann Levi, he made one of the most famous—and honest—confessions in the history of music: “You have no idea how the likes of us feel when we hear the tramp of a giant like him behind us.”

Brahms began work on what would be his first completed symphony in the early 1860s and worked on it right up to (and after) the premiere on November 4, 1876, when the composer was 43. He was concerned enough about how his first symphony would be received that he chose not to present it in Vienna, where all of

Beethoven’s symphonies had been first performed. Instead, he said, he wanted “a little town that has a good friend, a good conductor, and a good orchestra,” and so the premiere took place in the small city of Karlsruhe in western Germany, far from major music centers. Brahms may have been uncertain about his symphony, but audiences were not, and the new work was soon praised in terms that must have seemed heretical to its composer. Some began to speak of “the three B’s,” and the conductor Hans von Bülow referred to the work as “the Tenth Symphony,” suggesting that it was a worthy successor to Beethoven’s nine. Brahms would have none of it; he grumbled: “There are asses in Vienna who take me for a second Beethoven.”

There can be no doubt, however, that Brahms meant his First Symphony to be taken very seriously. From the first instant of the symphony, with its pounding timpani ostinato, one senses Brahms’ intention to write music of vast power and scope. The 37-bar introduction, which contains the shapes of the themes of the first movement, was written after Brahms had completed the rest of the movement, and it comes to a moment of repose before the exposition explodes with a crack. This is not music that one can easily sing. In fact, themes here are reduced virtually to fragments: arpeggiated chords, simple rising and falling scales. Brahms’ close friend Clara Schumann wrote in her diary after hearing the symphony: “I cannot disguise the fact that I am painfully disappointed; in spite

PROGRAM NOTES

of its workmanship I feel it lacks melody.” But Brahms was not so much interested in melodic themes as he was in motivic themes with the capacity to evolve dramatically. After a violent development, the lengthy opening movement closes quietly in C major.

Where the first mov ement was unremittingly dramatic, the Andante sostenuto sings throughout. The strings’ glowing opening material contrasts nicely with the sound of the solo oboe, which has the poised second subject, and the movement concludes with the solo violin rising high above the rest of the orchestra, almost shimmering above the final chords. The third movement is not the huge scherzo one might have expected at this point. Instead, the aptly named Un poco allegretto e grazioso is the shortest movement of the symphony, and its calm is welcome before the intensity of the finale. It opens with a flowing melody for solo clarinet, which Brahms promptly inverts and repeats; the central episode is somewhat more animated, but the mood remains restrained throughout. That calm, however, is annihilated at the beginning of the finale. Tense violins outline what will later become the main theme of the movement, pizzicato figures race ahead, and the music builds to an eruption of sound. Out of that turbulence bursts the pealing sound of horns. Many have commented on the nearly exact resemblance between this horn theme and the Westminster chimes, though the resemblance appears to have been coincidental (Brahms himself likened it to the sound of an Alpenhorn resounding through mountain valleys). A chorale for brass leads to the movement’s main theme, a noble (and now very famous) melody for the first violins. When it was pointed out to Brahms that this theme bore more than a passing resemblance to the main theme of the finale of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, he replied tartly: “Any ass can see that.” The point is not so much that the two ideas are alike thematically as it is that they are emotionally alike: Both have a natural simplicity and spiritual radiance that give the two movements a similar emotional effect. The development of the finale is as dramatic as that of the first movement, and at the climax the chorale is stamped out fortissimo as the symphony thunders to its close.

– Program Notes by Eric Bromberger

FROM THE NEW WORLD

The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra

Maximiano Valdés, Guest Conductor

Svet Stoyanov, Marimba

SVET STOYANOV, Marimba

Praised by The New York Times for his “understated but unmistakable virtuosity” and “winning combination of gentleness and fluidity,” Svet Stoyanov is a unique force in modern percussion. A winner of the Concert Artists Guild International Competition, he enjoys a multifaceted career as a performer, music producer, and educator.

Svet’s performing career highlights include concerto appearances with the Chicago, Seattle, and Houston symphony orchestras; The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, and many more, as well as solo performances at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Verizon Hall, Shanghai Symphony Hall, and Taiwan National Concert Hall.

A passionate advocate for contemporary music, Svet Stoyanov has commissioned a significant body of works by composers, such as Mason Bates, Marcos Balter, Andy Akiho and many more. Recent highlights include Duo Duel, a double percussion concerto written by Pulitzer- and GRAMMY®-winning composer Jennifer Higdon. The concerto premiered with the Houston Symphony, conducted by Robert Spano. These performances were recorded live, and Duo Duel was released on a CD by NAXOS.

Svet’s next major commissioning initiative is a Concerto for Violin and Percussion—a first of its kind. This imaginative project is a consortium led by the Colorado Symphony and Peter Oundjian, with commissioning partners such as the Seattle Symphony, New York Youth Symphony and The Frost School of Music. The work will be written by Christopher Theofanidis and is scheduled for a world premiere and a recording in early 2026.

As a producer, Svet worked on numerous projects for The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music during the virtual seasons of 2020 and 2021. Most recently, he produced and released the percussion masterworks Kyoto by John Psathas, and Water by Alejandro Viñao to great critical acclaim, as well as the album “Through Broken Time” by flutist Jennifer Grim, which was featured in The New York Times

Svet is a Professor of Percussion at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, where he has built one of today’s most innovative percussion programs, creatively bonding orchestral, solo and chamber music. Many of his students hold positions in prestigious arts institutions around the globe. Svet’s artistic mission is committed to the authenticity, virtue, and transformative power of music.

PROGRAM

ROBERTO SIERRA

Sinfonía No. 7

Elegía

Cronos y El eterno ritorno De Profundis Clamavi Kairós y Apoteosis

EMMANUEL SÉJOURNÉ

Concerto for Marimba and Strings

Quarter-note = 69

Tempo souple Rhythmique. Energetique

Svet Stoyanov, Marimba

INTERMISSION

ANTONIN DVOŘÁK

Symphony No. 9 in E minor, op.95 “From the New World”

Adagio: Allegro molto Largo Scherzo: Molto vivace Allegro con fuoco

PROGRAM NOTES

MAXIMIANO VALDÉS , Guest Conductor

One of the most recognized Latin American conductors in the world, Maximiano Valdés has made a significant mark on the global music scene. Since 2008, he has served as Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Puerto Rico and as Artistic Director of the prestigious Festival Casals in San Juan since 2010. Valdés was Music Director of the Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias in Spain for over 16 years and is now Conductor Laureate. He also led the Buffalo Philharmonic for more than a decade and has held leadership roles with Orquesta Euskadi in Spain, Orquesta Filarmónica de Santiago in Chile, and Orquesta Nacional de España.

Valdés developed his career in North America, leading major ensembles like the Philadelphia Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, and Houston and Dallas Symphony Orchestras, among others.

His discography includes recordings with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Philharmonique de Monte-

Carlo. He also recorded a series of works by Latin American and Spanish composers with the Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar for Naxos. His recent CD offers works by Roberto Sierra with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Puerto Rico.

Sinfonía No. 7

ROBERTO SIERRA

Born 1953, Vega Baja, Puerto Rico

Roberto Sierra’s Seventh Symphony is his most recent. It premiered on June 1, 2024, at the Festival Casals by the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Maximiliano Valdés. Sierra has had a long and distinguished career as a composer. He trained first in his native Puerto Rico, then went on to study in Europe, some of that time spent as a student of György Ligeti in Hamburg. Sierra has had works commissioned and performed by almost all the leading American orchestras, and he has served as composer-in-residence with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony, Puerto Rico Symphony, and New Mexico Symphony. Sierra’s music has been performed throughout the United States, and it has found international audiences as well: His works have been performed by orchestras in Europe, South America, and Asia. In 2010, Sierra was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2010, and in 2021 he retired from Cornell University after nearly 30 years on the faculty there. Sierra has composed prolifically in almost all musical forms: In addition to his seven symphonies, he has composed operas, choral and solo vocal works, chamber music, keyboard music

(for both piano and harpsichord), and 25 concertos for a variety of instruments.

The symphony is in four movements that span nearly half an hour. Each movement has a title (in Spanish, Latin, or Greek) that make clear that this symphony is the record of a spiritual journey. That journey is often troubled, but the arc of the symphony is from the static darkness of its beginning to the shining strength of its conclusion. The opening movement is marked Elegía , and Sierra stresses that the performance should be played con profuna expresión. We usually expect an elegy to be restrained and heartfelt, but this one is violent and full of tension. It bursts to life on great eruptions of sound that’s dramatic, discordant, and full of the large percussion section. A measure of relief comes in the violins’ quiet theme that yearns upward, but even this remains troubled. The movement alternates these two quite different impulses before coming to a subdued conclusion.

The second movement is titled Cronos y El eterno ritorno (Chronos and the Eternal Return). This is the symphony’s scherzo. Sierra marks it Movido (“active, restless, hectic”), and it rips past, again full of the sound of percussion and brass. The meter here is particularly interesting. The opening meter is 3+2 over 8, and the movement will dance wildly on that asymmetric pulse, but the meter changes constantly, jumping from that opening through 3/4, 2/4, and 6/8, but always returning to that uneven but very dynamic opening meter.

The conclusion is violent; Sierra’s marking is quadruple forte.

De Profundis Clamavi (Out of the Depths I Cry to You) is the symphony’s slow movement, but it is driven by the same tensions that animated the first two movements. The music builds to a great climax full of the sound of pealing brass calls, then falls away, and on quietly rippling harmonics from the violas and cellos, it concludes quietly.

The finale, titled Kairós y Apoteosis (Kairos and Apotheosis), is the longest movement. In Greek, kairos is a moment for decisive action. Sierra marks the tempo rápido , and the movement is in whirling motion throughout. The apotheosis this movement brings after the varying darkness of the first three movements is a wild excitement. The music may often be dissonant and frenetically violent, but it is also powerfully alive, and on an unending supply of white-hot energy, it powers its way to a shining close.

Concerto for Marimba and Strings EMMANUEL SÉJOURNÉ

Born 1961, Limoges, France

Emmanuel Séjourné studied at the Strasbourg Conservatory, where he specialized in mallet percussion and in new music, improvisation, and jazz. He received the gold medal for percussion there in 1980, when he was only 19. A virtuoso performer on marimba and vibraphone, Séjourné currently teaches at the Strasbourg Conservatory, where he is head of the percussion department. He has performe d in Europe, Asia, and North America, and he is also

PROGRAM NOTES

a distinguished theorist: He has written a six-volume theory for mallet percussion as well as a book on his career as a percussionist. Séjourné has made numerous recordings, and he also gives master classes and serves as a judge at percussion competitions.

The Concerto for Marimba and Strings was commissioned by the International Marimba Competition in Linz just as that competition was established in 2006 (it is now situated in Salzburg). Séjourné wrote the piece specifically for the Austrian marimba player Bogdan Bacanu, who gave the first performance. As originally written, the concerto was in only two movements (the current second and third movements) but in 2015 Séjourné returned to it and wrote a new first movement, so the work is now in the standard three-movement concerto form. The concerto has proven extremely successful, with more than 800 performances.

Séjourné’s music has been described as “eclectic,” and his idiom here is romantic. The concerto is built on attractive themes, and he gives the soloist ample opportunity to shine. Séjourné takes care never to let the sometimes delicate sound of the marimba be overwhelmed by the string orchestra: He will often alternate passages for the orchestra with passages in which the soloist plays alone. The piece gets off to a vigorous start as the orchestra leads the way to the arrival of the soloist, who enters on a reflective solo. This movement pitches between different moods: It can be

inward, quick, melodic, or brilliant by turn, and it drives to a spirited close. The composer marks the central movement Supple tempo, and once again it is introduced by the strings, though this time their music is subdued. And again, the soloist makes an entrance with a solo cadenza of its own. Near the end, there are solos for violin, cello, and viola before the orchestra grows more animated, then breaks off for another extended solo passage for marimba. The finale, marked Rhythmic. Energetic , is built on sharply defined themes and rhythms. Some have heard the influence of flamenco music here, and even this movement’s quiet interludes are full of rhythmic energy. The energy level increases as we approach the end, and the concerto drives to an exciting conclusion.

Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, op.95 “From the New World” ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK

Born 1841, Muhlhausen, Bohemia Died 1904, Prague

When Dvořák landed in America in the fall of 1892 to begin his three-year tenure as director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York, his new employers tried to turn his arrival into a specifically “American” occasion: They timed his arrival to coincide with the 440th anniversary of Columbus’ discovery of America, and the composer himself was to mark that occasion by writing a cantata on the poem The American Flag. Shortly after arriving, Dvořák announced his intention to write an opera on Longfellow’s Hiawatha, and soon “American” elements—

PROGRAM NOTES

including Indian rhythms, spirituals, and a birdsong he heard in Iowa— began to appear in the music he wrote in this country.

These elements touched off a debate that has lasted a century. Nationalistic American observers claimed that here at last was a true American classical music, based on authentic American elements. But others have pointed out that the musical characteristics that make up these elements (pentatonic melodies, flatted sevenths, extra cadential accents) are in fact common to folk music everywhere, and that the works Dvořák composed in this country remain quintessentially Czech. Dvořák left contradictory signals on this matter. At the time of the premiere of the New World Symphony, he said: “The influence of America can be felt by anyone who has ‘a nose.’ ” Yet after his return to Europe, he wrote to a conductor who was preparing a performance in Berlin: “I am sending you Kretzschmar’s analysis of the symphony, but omit that nonsense about my having made use of ‘Indian’ and ‘American’ themes—that is a lie. I tried to write only in the spirit of those national American melodies.” Perhaps safest is Dvořák’s simple description of the symphony as “impressions and greetings from the New World.”

Composed in the first months of 1893, Dvořák’s Ninth Symphony had an absolutely triumphant premiere on December 16, 1893, by the New York Philharmonic in Carnegie Hall. One New York critic observed of the thunderous ovation that followed

each movement: “The staidness and solemn decorum of the Philharmonic audience took wings.” That occasion has been described as the greatest triumph of Dvořák’s life, and the surprised composer wrote to his publisher, Simrock: “I had to show my gratitude like a king from the box in which I sat. It made me think of Mascagni in Vienna (don’t laugh!)”

One of the most impressive aspects of this music is Dvořák’s use of a single theme-shape to unify the entire symphony. This shape, a rising dotted figure, first appears in the slow introduction, where it surges up in the horns and lower strings as a foreshadowing of the Allegro molto: There the shape is sounded in its purest form by the horns. This theme (actually in two parts, the horn call and a dotted response from the woodwinds) becomes the basis for the entire movement: When the perky second subject arrives in the winds, it is revealed as simply a variation of the second part of the main theme. The third theme, a calm flute melody in G major that has been compared to “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” seems at first to establish a separate identity, but in fact it is based on the rhythm of the main theme (although at a much slower tempo). That rhythm saturates the movement: within themes, as subtle accompaniment, or thundered out by the full orchestra. Dvořák drives the movement to a mighty conclusion that, pushed ahead by stinging trumpet calls, combines all these themes.

Solemn brass chords introduce the Largo, where the English horn sings

a haunting melody that was later adapted as the music for the spiritual “Goin’ Home.” More animated material appears along the way (and the symphony’s central theme rises up ominously at the climax), but the English horn returns to lead this movement to its close on an imaginative stroke of orchestration: a quiet chord built on a four-part division of the double basses. The Scherzo has sounded like “Indian” music to many listeners, and for good reason: Dvořák himself said that it “was suggested by the scene at the feast in Hiawatha where the Indians dance, and is also an essay I made in the direction of imparting the local color of Indian character to music.” The pounding opening section gives way to two brief trios, and in the coda the symphony’s central theme boils up one more time in the brass.

After a fiery introduction, the sonata-form finale leaps to life with a ringing brass theme that is, for a change, entirely new. But now Dvořák springs a series of surprises. Back come themes from the first three movements (there is even a quotation—doubtless unconscious—of “Three Blind Mice” along the way). The movement drives toward its climax on the chords that opened the Largo, and it reaches that soaring end as Dvořák ingeniously combines the main themes of the first movement and the finale. The composer has one final surprise: Instead of ringing out decisively, the last chord is held and fades into silence.

– Program Notes by Eric Bromberger

HANDEL ̕ S MESSIAH

Sam Dhobhany, Bass-Baritone

Ryan BryceJohnson, Tenor

The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

Guillermo Figueroa, Music Director

Carmen Flórez-Mansi, Choral Director

Elisa Sunshine, Soprano

Gretchen Krupp, Mezzo-Soprano

Ryan Bryce Johnson, Tenor

Sam Dhobhany, Bass-Baritone

Paul J. Roth, Collaborative Piano

ElisaSunshine, Soprano

GretchenKrupp, Mezzo-Soprano

Saturday, November 22 & Sunday, November 23

7 pm & 4 pm | LENSIC

PART I

Sinfonia (overture)

Comfort ye (tenor recitative)

Every valley (tenor aria)

And the glory of the Lord (chorus)

Thus saith the Lord (bass recitative)

But who may abide the day of his coming (alto aria)

And He shall purify (chorus)

Behold, a virgin shall conceive (alto recitative)

O Thou that tellest good tidings to Zion (alto aria and chorus)

For behold, darkness shall cover the earth (bass recitative)

The people that walked in darkness (bass aria)

For unto us a child is born (chorus)

Pifa (“Pastoral Symphony”)

There were shepherds abiding in the field (soprano recitative)

And lo, the angel of the Lord (soprano recitative)

And the angel said unto them (soprano recitative)

And suddenly there was with the angel (soprano recitative)

Glory to God (chorus)

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion (soprano aria)

Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened (alto recitative)

He shall feed His flock like a shepherd (soprano and alto duet)

His yoke is easy, and His burden is light (chorus)

INTERMISSION

PART II

Behold the Lamb of God (chorus)

He was despised (alto aria)

Surely He hath borne our griefs (chorus)

And with His Stripes we are healed (chorus)

All we like sheep have gone astray (chorus)

All they that see him (tenor recitative)

He trusted in God (chorus)

Thy rebuke hath broken His heart (tenor recitative)

Behold and see (tenor aria)

He was cut off (tenor recitative)

But Thou didst not leave His soul in Hell (tenor aria)

Why do the nations so furiously rage together? (bass aria)

Let us break their bonds asunder (chorus)

He that dwelleth in heaven (tenor recitative)

Thou shalt break them (tenor aria)

Hallelujah (chorus)

PART III

I know that my Redeemer livith (soprano aria)

Since by man came death (chorus)

Behold, I tell you a mystery (bass recitative)

The trumpet shall sound (bass aria)

Then shall be brought to pass (alto recitative)

O death, where is thy sting? (alto and tenor duet)

But thanks be to God (chorus)

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain (chorus)

Amen (chorus)

FULL CONCERT SPONSOR

CONCERT SPONSORS IN-PART

Kathryn O’Keeffe Charitable Foundation

PROGRAM NOTES

Messiah

GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL

Born 1685, Halle, Germany

Died 1759, London

In 1741, when George Frideric Handel was asked to compose and present a series of concerts in Ireland to benefit local charities, his music had become less fashionable and his financial straits dire. This fortuitous invitation was issued by William Cavendish, Duke of Devonshire and Lord Lieutenant of Dublin. It culminated in the first public presentations of the now-famous Messiah . Before leaving London for Ireland that fall, Handel composed the work in a mere 24 days, completing it on September 14.

Handel knew little about the quality, disposition or experience of the performers with whom he’d be working. Therefore, when he arrived in Dublin in November 1741, he changed the work to suit the particular abilities of his cast, and he continued to do so every time it was performed. Sometimes he changed things slightly, transposing an aria from one key to another to fit the range of the singer. Other times, he reassigned arias to different voices either because he had a different mix of soloists or because there was a guest star he wanted to feature. Sometimes he recomposed movements altogether. There are at least 10 different arrangements of the score, with 15 individual movements existing in more than 40 versions. In addition to the choral parts, Messiah is scored for oboes, bassoons, trumpets, strings, harpsichord, and timpani.

Handel presented 12 concerts in Dublin before unveiling Messiah on April 13, 1742, in the New Musick-Hall. The normal capacity was 600 people, but the Dublin Journal reported a crowd of at least 700. Such was the excitement about the new work that a Journal article admonished women to “come without hoops” and men to “come without swords” so that more people could be crammed in.

The event was an artistic and financial success, earning great reviews and making it possible for 142 people to be released from debtors’ prison. Handel waited a year before presenting Messiah in London. Seven years later, in 1750, he had the idea to perform the oratorio as a fundraiser for the Foundling Hospital. Annual performances have continued in London and around the world ever since. The Hospital still owns Handel’s autographed score and performance notes, which he left to the institution upon his death.

Messiah marked the beginning of a resurgence in Handel’s career; when he died in 1759, he was able to leave a substantial legacy to a niece, friends, servants, and various charities in England.

– Program Note by Tom Hall

ELISA SUNSHINE , Soprano

Celebrated for her “blend of vocal sparkle and theatrical charisma” by the San Francisco Chronicle, American soprano Elisa Sunshine is a recent graduate of San Francisco Opera’s Adler Fellowship, which brings the complexity of the human experience to life through vocal acrobatics and theatrical dynamism. She joined The Santa Fe Opera as an Apprentice Artist in 2024, making her company debut as Annina in La Traviata and covering Sheila in the world premiere of Gregory Spears’ and Tracy K. Smith's The Righteous. In the 20242025 season, Elisa made noteworthy debuts with The Atlanta Opera as Iris in Semele and Boston Symphony Orchestra as Juliette in Die tote Stadt. She returned to The Santa Fe Opera in summer 2025 as Waltraute in Die Walküre.

Elisa has covered Marie in La fille du régiment, Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, and Gilda in Rigoletto in previous collaborations with the Lyric Opera of Chicago. She returned to San Francisco Opera for its centennial celebration as part of Richard Strauss’ masterpiece Die Frau ohne Schatten under the baton of Sir Donald Runnicles. During her time as an Adler Fellow, she made her San Francisco Opera debut as the Shepherd boy in Tosca, sang Annina in La Traviata, and sang Soeur Anne de la Croix and covered Constance in Dialogues des Carmèlites.

PROGRAM NOTES

GRETCHEN KRUPP, Mezzo-Soprano

Acclaimed for her “show-stopping,” “ripe, round,” and “searing” voice, Gretchen Krupp is rapidly establishing herself as a magnetic force in the opera world, distinguished by her extraordinary vocalism and compelling theatricality. Her diverse repertoire spans centuries and styles, from classic to contemporary, dramatic to comic.

In the last two seasons, Gretchen has made her debut with the York Symphony Orchestra in Verdi’s Messa da Requiem, returned to the Santa Fe Opera to sing Waltraute and cover Fricka in the new production of Die Walküre, performed with The Dallas Opera for the premiere of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly as well as their production of Elektra, performed as Mary in Der fliegende Holländer at Pittsburgh Opera, and as Fricka in Die Walküre with The Atlanta Opera.

Gretchen was named a 2018 Grand Finalist in the Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition and a Finalist in the 29th Annual Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers. She is a proud alumna of prestigious young artist programs at the Santa Fe Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, Des Moines Metro Opera, and Dolora Zajick’s Institute for Young Dramatic Voices.

Tenor Ryan Bryce Johnson is a dynamic and versatile performer whose work spans both opera and musical theatre. In 2025, he returned to The Santa Fe Opera for the role of Borsa in Rigoletto. During the 2024 season with the company, he made his debut as Giuseppe in La traviata, and appeared as Faninal’s Major-Domo in Der Rosenkavalier, and Prunier in La rondine.

In 2023, Ryan was featured at The Glimmerglass Festival as the Grand Inquisitor and Governor in Bernstein’s Candide. At Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, he has performed Borsa in Rigoletto, Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance, Remendado in Carmen, and Nurse Rodriguez in Awakenings.

He is the 2023 First Prize Winner of the Lotte Lenya Competition, a 2024 district winner of The Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition, and a finalist in the George London Foundation Competition.

Ryan holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance and Literature from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Texas Tech University. He has trained as an Apprentice Singer at The Santa Fe Opera, a Young Artist at The Glimmerglass Festival, and a Gerdine Young Artist at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.

SAM DHOBHANY, Bass-Baritone

Second-year Houston Grand Opera Butler

Studio artist Sam Dhobhany, originally from Brooklyn, New York, received the Ana María Martínez Encouragement Award at HGO’s 2024 Eleanor McCollum Competition Concert of Arias. He is a 2022 alumnus of HGO’s Young Artist Vocal Academy. During the 2024-25 season at HGO, he made his company debut as Alidoro in HGO Family Day’s Cinderella and performed the role of Terry in Breaking the Waves. In summer 2024, he returned to Santa Fe Opera as an apprentice artist, where his roles included Marchese d’Obigny in La traviata, as well as covering Dulcamara in The Elixir of Love and The Notary in Der Rosenkavalier. Previously, with Santa Fe Opera in 2023, he covered and performed the role of Un Médecin in Pelléas et Mélisande.

Last summer, Sam was a Filene Artist at Wolf Trap Opera, where he appeared as Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro and Zuniga in Carmen. He was a second-place winner in the Rocky Mountain Region of The Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. This season at HGO, he is tackling a variety of repertoire, including the roles of Undertaker in Porgy and Bess, The Notary in Gianni Schicchi, British Major in Silent Night, George in Of Mice and Men, and The Officer in The Barber of Seville. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

RYAN BRYCE JOHNSON , Tenor

Community: An Investment Worth Making

SOUNDS OF THE SEASON

The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra

Guillermo Figueroa, Music Director

The Santa Fe Youth Symphony Orchestra

William Waag, Youth Symphony Conductor

Maya Mueller, Clarinet

2025 Concerto Competition Winner, Senior Division

Laurie Rossi, Guest Conductor

Georgia McGaughey Nicholls, Guest Conductor

PROGRAM

PETER ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY

Selections from The Nutcracker Suite

March

Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy Waltz of the Flowers Trepak

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

Concerto in A Major for Clarinet and Orchestra, K.622

Allegro

Maya Mueller, Clarinet Winner of the 2025 Concerto Competition, Senior Division

MEL TORME

The Christmas Song

MODEST MUSSORGSKY

Pictures at an Exhibition

The Great Gate of Kiev

Side-by-Side with The Santa Fe Youth Symphony

INTERMISSION

DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH Festive Overture

Laurie Rossi, Guest Conductor

Sunday, December 7 4 pm |

JAMES M. STEPHENSON

A Charleston Christmas

arr. LUCAS RICHMAN

Hanukkah Festival Overture

LEROY ANDERSON Sleigh Ride

Georgia McGaughey Nicholls, Guest Conductor

JAMES M. STEPHENSON

Holly and Jolly Sing-A-Long

Carmen Florez-Mansi, Choral Director

SOUNDS OF THE SEASON

FULL CONCERT SPONSOR

Margaret & Barry Lyerly

CONCERT SPONSORS-IN-PART

Kay & Neel Storr, Storr Family Endowment Fund

PROGRAM NOTES

Selections from

The Nutcracker Suite

PETER ILYCH TCHAIKOVSKY

Born 1840, Votkinsk

Died 1893, St. Petersburg

In 1891, the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg approached Tchaikovsky with a commission for a new ballet. They caught him at a bad moment: At age 50, Tchaikovsky was assailed by worries that he had written himself out as a composer, and—to make matters worse—they proposed a storyline that the composer found unappealing: They wanted to create a ballet based on the E.T.A. Hoffmann tale Nussknacker und Mausekönig, but in a version that had been retold by Alexandre Dumas as Histoire d’un casse-noisette , and then further modified by the choreographer Marius Petipa. This sort of Christmas fairy tale, full of imaginary creatures set in a confectionary dream-world of childhood fantasies, left Tchaikovsky cold, but he nonetheless accepted the commission.

Sidetracked by his American tour and his sister’s death, Tchaikovsky tried to resume work on the ballet when he returned to Russia. To his brother, he wrote: “The ballet is infinitely worse than The Sleeping Beauty so much is certain.” The score was completed in the spring of 1892, and The Nutcracker was produced at the Imperial Theatre in St. Petersburg that December, only 11 months before the composer’s death at 53. At first, it had only modest success, but then its popularity grew so steadily that Tchaikovsky reassessed what he had created: “It is curious that all the time I was writing the

ballet I thought it was rather poor, and that when I began my opera [Iolanthe] I would really do my best,” he wrote. “But now it seems to me that the ballet is good, and the opera is mediocre.”

Tchaikovsky could have had no idea just how popular The Nutcracker would become: It has become an inescapable part of our sense of Christmas. This concert offers a selection of movements from the ballet, largely characteristic dances. March (also known as March of the Toy Soldiers) plays during a lively party scene, which includes dancing, games, and merriment. Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy is an elegant and dreamlike performance by a solo ballerina, while the fiery Russian Dance (also called Trepak) is a wild Cossack dance, while La mère Gigogne (roughly equivalent to The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, and also called Mother Ginger and her Children) features dancing clowns. Tchaikovsky, who was an admirer of Johann Strauss, loved waltzes, and this selection includes one of his finest, The Waltz of the Flowers from Act II.

– Program Note by Eric Bromberger

Concerto in A Major for Clarinet and Orchestra, K.622

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

Born 1756, Salzburg

Died 1791, Vienna

The second half of 1791 seemed, at least on the face of it, a promising time for Mozart. After several years of diminished popularity and income in Vienna, he suddenly found his music much in demand.

He composed La clemenza di Tito as a commission for the coronation of Leopold II as King of Bohemia, followed by his completion of The Magic Flute and working on the Requiem Mass. Despite brief periods of illness, Mozart’s prospects seemed very bright.

It was during the first week of the heady success of The Magic Flute that Mozart composed his Clarinet Concerto; it would be his final masterpiece and his last completed work before his death, eight weeks short of his 36th birthday. During his first years in Vienna, Mozart had become friends with Anton Stadler (1753-1812), a fellow Freemason and a virtuoso clarinetist. He wrote three great works for Stadler that feature the clarinet: the Clarinet Trio (1786), the Clarinet Quintet (1789), and the Concerto. Stadler played the basset clarinet, an instrument of his own invention, which could play four pitches lower than the standard clarinet of Mozart’s day. That meant Mozart’s clarinet works could not be played on the contemporary clarinet, so they had to be rewritten to suit the range of that instrument. Subsequent modifications have given the modern A clarinet those four low pitches, and today we hear these works in the key in which Mozart originally intended them.

Mozart completed the Clarinet Concerto on October 7th, only 59 days before his death. It is of course tempting to make out premonitions of death in Mozart’s final instrumental work, and many have been unable to resist that temptation, but such conclusions must remain subjective.

What we can hear in the Clarinet Concerto is some of the most graceful, noble, and moving music Mozart ever wrote. This is not a concerto that sets out to dazzle a listener’s ears with a soloist’s fiery technique (it has no cadenza) but rather music that, through its endless beauty, engages a listener’s heart. Mozart’s subdued orchestration (pairs of flutes, bassoons, and horns, plus strings) produces a smooth, warm, and understated sonority, ideal to accompany the clarinet and ideal for the restraint of the music itself. Mozart often has the first and second violins playing in unison, further purifying the sound of the orchestra.

At nearly half an hour, this piece is longer than almost all of Mozart’s other concertos. But its length brings with it a spaciousness that is very much a part of this music’s character. The opening Allegro establishes the concerto’s spirit immediately with its calm and lyrical opening idea. Solo clarinet takes up this theme at its entrance, and the soloist also has the graceful, arching second theme, a theme that—rather than contrasting sharply with the opening—remains very much within that same character. This may be a sonata-form movement, but it is one without conflict. Instead, it is endlessly graceful and expressive music, beautifully written for the clarinet.

The emotional center of this concerto is the Adagio. It is in this movement that one feels most strongly the concerto’s compelling combination of surface restraint and emotional depth; if one needs to make out premonitions of Mozart’s death, this movement’s intensity

PROGRAM NOTES

and spi rit of gentle resignation offer the place to look. The opening measures bring some of the most expressive Mozart music ever wrote, as the smooth sound of the clarinet rises and falls above the strings’ murmuring accompaniment. Near the end the music rises to a climax, but it is an emotional rather than a dramatic climax (Mozart’s marking is only forte), and the music slips into silence.

The concluding rondo-finale dances and turns cheerfully along its 6/8 meter. The clarinet has wide skips and long, athletic runs throughout its range here, but even more impressive are the interludes between the return of the rondo theme, many of them beautifully shaded and hauntingly expressive.

– Program Note by Eric Bromberger

Pictures at an Exhibition MODEST MUSSORGSKY

Born: 1839 Karevo, Russia

Died: 1881, Saint Petersburg

Pictures at an Exhibition, particularly its final movement, is widely considered one of Modest Mussorgsky’s (18391881) greatest works. He wrote the suite in three weeks’ time and dedicated it to Vladimir Stasov, a major figure on the Russian art scene in the late 19th century. The composition is Mussorgsky’s response to a display of Viktor Hartmann’s work at the Imperial Academy of Art.

Hartmann (1834-1873) was an artist and architect who met the composer between 1868 and 1870. The two became close friends immediately,

largely due to their shared passion for creating Russian art that was rooted in Russian culture rather than in European traditions. Hartmann died suddenly of a brain aneurysm at age 39. The Russian art world was in shock, no one perhaps more so than Mussorgsky.

Hartmann’s friends organized an exhibition of 400 of the artist’s paintings, architectural drawings, and other works. Pictures at an Exhibition illustrates, musically, 10 of those illustrations. For many, it is the most well-known example of 19thcentury program music—music that tells a story while, at the same time, depicts it sonically. The 10-movement suite includes the sounds of chickens, children, peasant carts moving through the mud, and more. Listeners are guided throughout the museum with sudden contrasts between movements as well as a few moments of reflection, not unlike if you were walking through a museum.

Originally written for solo piano, Maurice Ravel orchestrated Pictures in 1922, creating the edition most audiences have come to know and love.

The Promenade, which introduces the work, provides continuity between movements much like a hallway connects galleries in a museum; indeed, that was how the composer intended it to be heard. It also provides the underlying musical material for the final movement —

The Great Gate of Kiev, known more formally in Ukraine as The Bogarty Gates or “Gate of Heroes at Kiev.”

PROGRAM NOTES

For the exhibition that inspired Mussorgsky’s Pictures , Hartmann designed this Ukranian landmark in the “massive” Russian style, tall thick walls with a cupola shaped like a Slavonic helmet. His design was to commemorate the bravery of Tsar Alexander II’s men as they helped the monarch narrowly escape assassination, April 4, 1866.

While Hartmann’s designs for the gate in Kiev never materialized, Mussorgsky majestically depicted the grandeur he saw in Hartmann’s designs. For The Great Gate , the composer once again brings back the Promenade’s opening trumpet solo followed by brass choir, now retooled to showcase the tall, dense walls of the gate Hartmann proposed in his designs. The opening melody is now played by the entire brass section. Once the full orchestra joins in, the effect is a massive wall of sound, splendid and impressive, much as Hartmann’s Imperial Gate would have signaled to visitors arriving at the walled city of Kiev that they were about to enter a special place, one that was of great significance in the Imperial Russian Empire.

The Great Gate of Kiev is one of six portraits from the exhibition that Mussorgsky owned. By preserving it in sound and by expressing the emotions portrayed in Hartmann’s watercolors of life in 19th-century Italy, France, Poland, Russia and Ukraine, Mussorgsky shares with modern listeners a world now lost to war and the passing of time.

Festive Overture, op.96 SHOSTAKOVICH

In the fall of 1954, the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra needed a new work to celebrate the October Revolution for a concert that was to take place in three days time. Shostakovich agreed to write something and immediately set to work.

As his friend Lev Lebedinsky related: “The speed with which he wrote was truly astounding. When he wrote light music he was able to talk, make jokes and compose simultaneously, like the legendary Mozart. He laughed and chuckled, and in the meanwhile, work was underway and the music was being written down.”

This commission — made at the peak of Stalin's power — challenged the composer's reputation for producing high quality work "while you wait." There are varying stories about its composition — that Shostakovich locked himself in a room and passed pages under his door to copyists waiting outside to make parts for the players or that, as Lebedinsky recalled, the composer laughed and made jokes as he dashed off the main themes like he’d had it in his head all along. Whatever really happened, one thing is clear. The chaos and panic happening behind the scenes at the Bolshoi is simply not present in the work. Shostakovich's Festive Overture flows naturally to the ear; it is full of good humor, yet polished, energetic, and truly festive.

Many listeners recognize this work from an unlikely source: television. Five years after Shostakovich’s death, it was the musical theme of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.

– Program Notes by Elisabet de Vallée

WILLIAM

WAAG

Over the course of Director of Youth Orchestras William Waag’s career in music education, he has taught and conducted groups in Albuquerque, Seattle, El Paso, and Anchorage. A native of Boise, he’s led ensembles and classes in elementary schools as well as at the college level, but his true passion is working with young musicians, helping them develop and hone their skills.

Professionally, William plays the trombone, but you probably know him best as a conductor. In addition to leading The Symphony’s top two youth orchestras, he is on the podium with two groups for adults— the Santa Fe Community Orchestra and the Los Alamos Symphony.

William is busy signing up students for the Youth Symphony’s new season. If you’ve not registered your child for private lessons, ensembles or other music classes, William says to give him a call. He’d love to help you get your budding musician enrolled in whatever sessions are the right fit for your student.

MAYA MUELLER, Clarinetist

WINNER 2025 CONCERTO COMPETITION

Maya Mueller is a clarinetist currently pursuing her Master of Music degree at the Manhattan School of Music. She recently graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Music in Clarinet Performance. Originally from Rio Rancho, New Mexico, Maya is proud to represent her home state in this performance. She is especially grateful to her high school band director, Daniel Holmes of Cleveland High School, as well as her early instructors Michael Herrera and Michael Gruetzner, for their foundational support and encouragement throughout her musical development. She was also a dedicated member of the Albuquerque Youth Symphony for four years.

At the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival in New York, she performed at Lincoln Center. At the Zodiac Music Academy & Festival in France, Maya premiered a student composition and performed in historic venues. She also held principal roles at the Eastern Music Festival in North

Deeply committed to making music more accessible, Maya has taught in underserved communities across the U.S. and abroad. Her outreach includes volunteer teaching through the W.O. Smith Music School in Nashville, the Banda Sinfónica Integrada de las Américas in Colombia, and the Daraja Music Initiative in Tanzania.

2025-2026

Classical Music During Santa Fe’s Winter Season

Curated by Artistic Director and Violinist Colin Jacobsen

“Armed with vision, courage, a sense of humor and a devastating bow arm, Jacobsen is emerging as one of the most interesting figures on the classical music scene.”

(The Washington Post)

GRAMMY-nominated Orchestra

Renowned String Quartets

The Southwest’s Premier Bach Festival

Colin Jacobsen

NOSOTROS & THE SANTA FE SYMPHONY

The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra

Thomas Heuser, Guest Conductor

NOSOTROS

Nosotros, the award-winning Latin band known for its socially conscious music, has been drawing music lovers to its distinctive Latin groove for nearly three decades. What began as a guitar trio in 1994 quickly took on a life of its own, becoming something that no one could have predicted, including becoming one of the most recognizable and original Latin bands in the Southwest United States.

The band’s remarkable evolution over the years—taking on new members and leadership along the way—has resulted in the 10-piece Latin music powerhouse it is today. The group seamlessly combines a myriad of rhythms—cumbia, bolero, salsa, chica— with elements of rock, jazz, and beyond, creating an innovative and imaginative Latin sound that is unique, undefinable and unmistakably Nosotros.

Nosotros continues to this day to astound audiences wherever they perform. They have become festival favorites and have shared stages with the likes of Etta James, Gypsy Kings, Los Lobos, The Wailers, Roy Hargrove, Los Lonely Boys, Robert Mirabal, Joan Osborne, Ozomatli, Las Cafeteras, Flor de Toloache, Grupo Fantasma, Victor Wooten, Dave Mason, Making Movies and many more. And, importantly, their new music continues to be relevant, reflecting our ever-changing world. It also continues to be vibrant, fun and, yes, undefinable.

THOMAS HEUSER

American conductor

Thomas Heuser serves as Music Director of the San Juan Symphony and the Idaho Falls Symphony. He was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for Orchestral Conducting while serving as a Conducting Fellow with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Heuser holds degrees in music from Vassar College, Indiana University, and the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music.

PROGRAM

MUSIC BY NOSOTROS

Arranged for orchestra by Micah J. Hood

El Perseguido

Mama Tierra Hermosa Olvidarme Érase Una Vez Quemazón Esperanza

INTERMISSION

Aqui y Allá En El Más Allá Mentiras Siempre Seguimos Eres Tu Quien Escojo Amor Sincero

FULL CONCERT SPONSOR

Keep Your Investments in Tune

OPERATIC FAVORITES

The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

Guillermo Figueroa, Music Director

Carmen Flórez-Mansi, Choral Director

Overture and Chorus of The Priests from The Magic Flute, K.620

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

Born 1756, Salzburg

Died 1791, Vienna

As he often did, Mozart delayed writing the overture to The Magic Flute until almost the last minute: The premiere took place in Vienna on September 30, 1791, and Mozart wrote the overture on the 28th. Curiously, though Mozart was pressed for time, he did not base the overture on themes from the opera (his frequent practice) but instead wrote one using entirely new material. The only part of the opera that appears in the overture are three solemn chords. Three was a number with mystical meaning in Masonic ritual (the overture is in E-flat major, a key with three flats), and in the opera those chords herald the beginning of Sarastro’s ritual initiation of Tamino in Act II. These three massive chords, solemnly intoned by the full orchestra (an orchestra that includes three trombones), open the overture’s brief introduction, setting the tone for the opera’s high moral message. But at the Allegro, the music bursts forward suddenly, establishing the mood of sparkling fun that is also so much a part of The Magic Flute. The overture is in sonata form, and the exposition begins as a fugue, introduced by the second violins. Mozart will use this fugal opening as the first theme group; the second, the simplest of lyric figures, arrives in the solo woodwinds. And then a surprise: Mozart brings matters to a complete halt at the end of the exposition with a return of the three solemn chords from the overture’s beginning. The development begins in minor-key urgency, pressing ahead on the fugal material. The overture drives to a great climax and, riding along the splendid sound of timpani and the large brass section, comes to a ringing close, having established perfectly the mood for the action that will follow.

In the second act, the hero Tamino and his comic sidekick, the birdcatcher Papageno, must undergo a series of trials to determine if they are worthy of being received into the fellowship of Isis and Osiris. Papageno of course fails completely (but is rewarded with a beautiful young wife), while Tamino endures and is reunited with his love, Pamina. In the course of Tamino’s trials, he is observed by a chorus of priests, who sing optimistically yet solemnly to the gods Isis and Osiris about his progress toward enlightenment: He is bold, he is pure; soon he will be worthy of us.

PROGRAM

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

Overture and “Chorus of the Priests” from The Magic Flute

GIUSEPPE VERDI

“Va, Pensiero” from Nabucco

“The Anvil Chorus” from Il Trovatore

GEORGES BIZET

Prelude, “Aragonaise,” Intermezzo, and “March of the Toreadors” from Carmen

RICHARD WAGNER

“Bridal Chorus” from Lohengrin

“Entry of the Guests” from Tannhäuser

INTERMISSION

RUGGERO LEONCAVALLO

Intermezzo and “Bell Chorus” from I Pagliacci

GIOACHINO ROSSINI

Overture to The Barber of Seville

ALEXANDER BORODIN

“Polovtsian Dances” from Prince Igor

FULL CONCERT SPONSOR

Katherine & William Landschulz

CONCERT SPONSORS-IN-PART

Bernard Ewell & Sali Randel

Ralph Craviso

Elizabeth & James Roghair

PROGRAM NOTES

“Va, pensiero” from Nabucco

GIUSEPPE VERDI

Born 1813, Roncole

Died 1801, Milan

Nabucco was Verdi’s first success. Composed in 1842, when the 29-yearold composer had just endured some crushing failures and was on the verge of giving up composing, Nabucco proved so successful that it was given 57 times during the following season, and within 10 years it had been produced throughout Europe and as far away as New York and Buenos Aires. The opera tells of Nebuchadnezzar’s capture of Jerusalem and of the plight of the Jews in their Babylonian captivity. (The Italian word for Nebuchadnezzar is the unwieldy and almost unsingable Nabucodonosor, and so Verdi and his librettist Temistocle Solera shortened it to Nabucco. ) The opera is remarkable for its dramatic use of the chorus, which has some of the best music in the opera.

The opera’s most famous music, the chorus Va, pensiero, is sung by the Jews during their Babylonian captivity in Part 3. Its first lines set the tone of nostalgic longing that have made it so popular:

Fly, thought, on golden wings; rest upon the slopes and hills, where, soft and mild, the air of our native land smells sweet!

“Anvil Chorus” from Il Trovatore

GIUSEPPE VERDI

Born 1813, Roncole

Died 1801, Milan

First performed in Rome in 1853, Il Trovatore has become one of the most famous operas ever composed, despite (or perhaps because of) its really horrifying events, such as a woman and babies burned to death, false imprisonment, bloody revenge, and some spectacular cases of mistaken identity gone tragically wrong. The Anvil Chorus, one of the opera’s most famous moments, comes at the beginning of Act II. A group of gypsies stirs to life as dawn breaks on their encampment in the mountains of Spain, and as the day brightens they sing this lusty chorus in praise of wine, hard work, and the beauty of gypsy women. The men start fires, heat sword blades, and pound them with hammers as they sing, and a nice feature of Verdi’s setting is the fact that the clink of their hammers comes on the off-beat rather than the downbeat. The tune of that chorus has taken on a life of its own, from its use in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance to becoming the tune of the American popular song “Hail! Hail! The gang’s all here.”

Prelude, “Aragonaise,” Intermezzo, and “March of the Toreadors” from Carmen GEORGES BIZET

Born 1838, Paris

Died 1875, Bougival, France

Bizet’s opera of passion, jealousy, and murder was a failure at its first performance in Paris in March 1875. The audience seemed outraged at the idea of a loose woman and murder onstage at the OpéraComique, and Bizet died three months later at age 37, never knowing that he had written what would become one of the most popular of all operas. After Bizet’s death, his publisher felt that the music was too good to lose, so he commissioned the French composer Ernest Guiraud to arrange excerpts from Carmen into two orchestral suites of six movements each. The music has everything going for it: excitement, color, and (best of all) instantly recognizable tunes. From today’s vantage point, it seems impossible that this opera could have been anything but a smash success from the first instant.

This concert offers four orchestral excerpts from Guiraud’s first suite, and these include some wonderful writing for solo woodwinds: flute, oboe, English horn, clarinet, and bassoon all have their moment to shine in this beautifully scored music. The opening Prelude to Act I presents the ominous “fate motif” that will return throughout the opera, while the “Aragonaise” (which functions as an interlude before Act IV) is based on an old Andalusian folk song and features

th e sound of castanets and a haunting oboe solo. The graceful Intermezzo, with its limpid flute solo over harp accompaniment, is an interlude before Act III. “The March of the Toreadors” first recalls the Prelude to Act I, then introduces the toreadors as they march across the square in Seville; Bizet’s music, with its energy and bristling rhythms, catches some of their swagger. In the center section, violins sing the famous “Toreador Song,” and the movement concludes with the return of its opening march.

“Bridal Chorus” from Lohengrin

RICHARD WAGNER

Born 1813, Leipzig

Died 1883, Venice

Wagner composed Lohengrin, which he described as a “Romantic Opera in Three Acts,” between 1845 and 1848. It was first performed in Weimar on August 28, 1850, under the direction of Liszt, who told the composer: “Your Lohengrin is a noble work from beginning to end. At more than a few places, it brought tears to my eyes.” Wagner was not at that performance, and he did not see a production of the opera for another 11 years. His participation in the revolutionary movement of 1848 had led to a warrant for his arrest in Germany, and he had fled to Switzerland. He spent the night of the premiere of Lohengrin at the tavern Zum Schwanen in Lucerne, where he followed with his watch what was happening at that same second in Germany.

Set in 10th-century Antwerp, the opera tells of the mysterious Lohengrin, knight of the Holy Grail; his bride, the pure but troubled Elsa;

PROGRAM NOTES

and the plot against them by the evil Telramund and his wife Ortrud. The women of bridal party sing the Bridal Chorus as they accompany Elsa to her bridal chamber at the beginning of Act III. Their text suggests the holiness of this moment along with the joys marriage will bring. This music has moved into popular culture under the title “Here Comes the Bride.”

“Entry of the Guests” from Tannhäuser

RICHARD WAGNER

Born 1813, Leipzig Died 1883, Venice

The idea of the redemptive power of love would engage Wagner throughout his life: It lies at the core of Der fliegender Hollander, Lohengrin, Tristan und Isolde, the Ring Cycle, and even in some ways in Parsifal. It is also central to Tannhäuser, which Wagner composed between 1843 and 1845. Set in the 13th century, the opera tells of the minstrel-knight Tannhäuser, who is trapped by the sensual claims of Venusberg and is living a dissolute life in that grotto of love. Weary of the flesh and longing for something purer and finer, he appeals to the Virgin Mary and instantly finds himself back in his native Thuringia, where he once loved the pure Elizabeth. The locals sense where he has been and turn on him, but he vows to make a pilgrimage to Rome. That trip proves pointless when the pope dismisses his appeal, and the bitter Tannhäuser returns to Thuringia, defiant and vowing to go back to Venusberg. But Elizabeth, who has remained faithful to him in his absence, appeals to the Virgin Mary, hoping that she might die and offer her death as a means

of redeeming Tannhäuser’s soul. She departs on that fatal journey, and her death is announced by the approach of her funeral cortege. Recognizing her sacrifice for him, Tannhäuser, his soul finally released, falls dead.

The “Entry of the Guests” takes place in Act II as nobles, their ladies, and minstrels arrive at the Minstrels’ Hall in Wartburg for a singing contest. Appropriately, the music is a march, full of blazing trumpet fanfares and several stirring march tunes. When all have taken their places, the guests sing their joyful greeting to the hall and to their prince.

Intermezzo and “Chorus of the Bells” from Pagliacci

RUGGERO LEON CAVALLO

Born 1857, Naples

Died 1919, Montecatini

Verismo (“realism”) swept through Italian opera at the end of the nineteenth century like a sudden rush of blood and fire. Opera had traditionally told of royalty and mythic figures, but now the subjects were everyday people with everyday emotions, and, far from being noble, their actions were often tawdry and violent. Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana (1890)—a tale of seduction, infidelity, and revenge—seemed to define the movement, and in 1892, a struggling young composer named Ruggero Leoncavallo wrote a brief two-act opera that was heavily influenced by Mascagni’s opera. It was shocking in its violence and psychological penetration, and its premiere on May 21, 1892 was an instant success (some of that success was due to the conductor, a very young man named Arturo Toscanini).

PROGRAM NOTES

Leoncavallo said that the source of the story was a murder in his hometown; his father, the local judge, presided at the trial. Pagliacci has an ingenious plot: It tells the story of a group of traveling players, a commedia dell’ arte troupe, that comes to perform in a small town. Canio, the group’s leader (a role made famous by Enrico Caruso), is worried about his wife’s fidelity, and with good reason; he threatens to kill anyone who attempts to make love to her. The second act is the play itself put on before the townspeople. In the course of the play, the same marital situation comes up, and Canio, driven mad with jealousy, suddenly breaks out of character, stabs to death both his wife and her lover, and proclaims “La commedia è finita!” as the curtain comes down.

The Intermezzo is the orchestral interlude between the opera’s two acts, and thus it separates Canio’s threatening his wife with a dagger at the end of Act I from the opening of the play at the beginning of Act II. Only about three minutes long, it opens with a twisting, ominous gesture from the strings, marked drammaticamente , and then proceeds into the violins’ opening theme, marked con tristezza (“with sadness”) and on to a further violin theme marked con anima. And then, suddenly, it is over.

The vigorous “Chorus of the Bells” comes from the opera’s first scene. It is evening, and as the vesper bells ring in the background, happy townspeople sing this chorus, full of excitement and expectancy.

Overture to The Barber of Seville

GIOACCHINO ROSSINI

Born 1792, Pesaro

Died 1868, Paris

From the moment of its premiere in Rome on February 20, 1816, Rossini’s The Barber of Seville has been an audience favorite. The opera is one of the finest examples of opera buffa, full of witty music and comic intrigue in the battle of the sexes, and one of the most popular parts has always been its overture, which sets exactly the right mood for all the fun to follow.

Yet this overture had originally been composed three years earlier as the introduction to a tragic opera, Aureliano in Palmira . And, two years later, Rossini used it again as the overture to his historical opera about Queen Elizabeth I, Elisabetta, Regina d’Inghilterra. Finally, in 1816, it became the overture to The Barber of Seville. It seems hard to believe that an overture composed for a tragic opera could function so perfectly as the introduction to a comic tale—yet it does, and the music continues to work its charm.

In modified sonata-form, the overture is scored for Mozart’s orchestra (pairs of winds, plus timpani and strings) with the addition of one very non-classical instrument, a bass drum. The overture begins with a slow introduction marked Andante maestoso, which features crashing chords, gathering energy, and a beautifully poised melody for violins. The music rushes ahead at the Allegro con brio, with its famous “laughing” main theme, full of point and expectancy. Solo oboe

introduces the second theme-group, marked dolce, and this alternates with the main violin theme. Along the way are several of the lengthy crescendos that were a virtual Rossini trademark (his nickname was “Monsieur Crescendo”), and one of these drives this sparkling music home in a great blast of energy.

“Polovtsian Dances” from Prince Igor ALEXANDER BORODIN

Born 1833, St. Petersburg

Died 1887, St. Petersburg

Alexander Borodin was a member of The Five, the group of Russian nationalist composers that included Rimsky-Korsakov, Cui, Balakirev, and Mussorgsky. But Borodin was a composer only in his spare time, for by profession he was a chemistry professor and research scientist at the Academy of Medicine and Surgery in St. Petersburg. So great were his professional demands that Borodin could find time to compose only when on vacation or when ill. Knowing of these demands, his friends would jokingly wish him ill health when they parted; it was their way of wishing that he could find more time to compose.

One of the consequences of the demands on his time was that Borodin left several works incomplete when he died suddenly in 1887 at age 53. Among these was the one that would have been his masterpiece: the opera Prince Igor, based on the story of Prince Igor of Novgorod, a Russian Christian who in 1185 led an expedition against an invasion by the nomadic Polovtsian. Borodin worked intermittently on Prince Igor

from 1869 until his death, but even in those 18 years he was unable to finish the opera, which was eventually completed by Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov, who worked from the composer’s sketches.

Although Prince Igor is rarely staged, some of the music from the opera has become famous on its own. The Polovtsian Dances were written at an early stage in the composition of the opera in 1875 and first performed in March 1879; they had become popular while Borodin was still laboring on the rest of the opera. The Dances form the Finale of Act II of the opera. Prince Igor and his son have been captured by the leader of the Polovetsians, the mighty Khan Kontchak, who tries to cheer up his prisoners by offering them gifts, women from his harem, or even release if Prince Igor will promise to lay down his arms. When these offers are refused, Kontchak orders a brilliant entertainment for Prince Igor, whom he greatly respects.

Slaves enter to a brief Andantino, and the first dance quickly begins. The women slaves sing of the beauty of their homeland in music that is familiar to millions from the operetta Kismet, where it became the song Strangers in Paradise. This is followed by a savage dance for the men, given out first by a swirling solo clarinet. The timpani leads to the general dance: themes from the earlier dances are reprised as all sing of their devotion to their leader, the music gradually mounts in excitement, and the curtain to the second act comes down as slaves and dancers shout out “Hail Khan Kontchak!”

– Program Notes by Eric Bromberger

PROGRAM NOTES

MADAMA BUTTERFLY

Giacomo Puccini

THE MAGIC FLUTE

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

EUGENE ONEGIN

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

RODELINDA

George Frideric Handel

LILI ELBE

Tobias Picker / Aryeh Lev Stollman

ROMANCE & RHAPSODY

The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra

Guillermo Figueroa, Music Director

Olga Kern, Piano

OLGA KERN , Piano

With a vivid onstage presence, dazzling technique, and keen musicality, pianist Olga Kern is widely recognized as one of the great artists of her generation, captivating audiences and critics alike.

In 2001, Olga launched her U.S. career at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, winning a Gold Medal—the only woman in the last 50 years to do so. She has since performed extensively with top-tier ensembles, among them the St. Louis Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Detroit Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra (Washington, D.C.), Czech Philharmonic, and Filarmonica della Scala. She has also scored successes with Tokyo’s NHK Symphony, São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgart Philharmonic, and Pittsburgh Symphony. She was a soloist on widely acclaimed U.S. tours with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in 2018, 2019, and 2022. Olga performs riveting recitals throughout the world, playing in places such as New York, Fort Worth, Minneapolis, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Sweden, and Italy, as well as with renowned organizations including The Gilmore Piano Festival, Chamber Music San Francisco, Hollywood Bowl, Ravinia Festival, the Minnesota Beethoven Festival, Bad Kissingen, and Radio France Festival Montpellier.

Olga has appeared with the Dallas Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, Ireland’s National Symphony Orchestra, and Colorado Symphony. She performed recitals at the American Pianists Association Conference in Indianapolis and the International Piano Festival of Oeiras in Portugal as well as in Milan, Virginia Beach, Chicago, and San Francisco. Recent engagements included performances of Rachmaninoff’s monumental four concertos and Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the Austin Symphony and Virginia Symphony Orchestra; a nationally broadcast New Year’s concert with the Czech Philharmonic; appearances with Santa Rosa Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Toledo Symphony, Pacific Symphony, Asheville Symphony, Prague Symphony, Taipei Symphony, and Tokyo Symphony; and a tour of South Africa.

Olga has served as a jury chairman of several high-profile competitions, including her own, the Olga Kern International Piano Competition, of which she is Artistic Director. A dedicated educator, she has been on the piano faculty of the Manhattan School of Music since 2017, and in 2019, she was appointed the Connie and Marc Jacobson Director of Chamber Music at the Virginia Arts Festival. She also established “Aspiration,” a foundation that provides financial assistance to musicians around the world. Olga is a Steinway Artist. Her well-regarded discography includes works of Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Brahms, and Shostakovich.

PROGRAM

DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH

Symphony No. 1 in F minor, op.10

Allegretto; Allegro non troppo Allegro Lento Allegro molto; Lento

INTERMISSION

FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN

Harpsichord Concerto in D Major, Hob.XVIII:11

Vivace Un poco adagio Rondo all'ungherese: Allegro assa

Olga Kern, Piano

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF

Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, op.43

Olga Kern, Piano

CONCERT SPONSOR-IN-PART

Teresa Pierce / In Memory of Mort Morrison

REACH FOR THE STARS | OLGA KERN

William Seale, MD and Ann Dederer

PROGRAM NOTES

Symphony No. 1 in F Minor, op.10

DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH

Born 1906, St. Petersburg

Died 1975, Moscow

In the fall of 1924, a music student sat down at his desk in frosty St. Petersburg to complete a graduation requirement: He had to write a symphony. Dmitri Shostakovich got the first two movements done by December and the third in January 1925. Then he stopped. A friend was dying, and the composer had to force himself to complete the finale in April. He pressed on to finish the orchestration on July 1, satisfying the assignment.

But what he had written was not just an academic exercise. Premiered in St. Petersburg on May 1, 1926, Shostakovich’s First Symphony went around the world like a shot. Bruno Walter led it in Berlin the following year, Stokowski conducted the American premiere in 1928, and even Arturo Toscanini (no particular friend of new music) introduced it to New York Philharmonic audiences in 1931. Almost overnight, an unknown Russian music student had become a household word— and for good reason. Unlike the other “student” symphony to make it into the repertory—Bizet’s First Symphony—Shostakovich’s piece is a mature work of art by a composer with a distinct voice and in command of all the resources to bring that voice to life.

In retrospect, this symphony’s success should have been no surprise. This is fun music, alive with a fizzing energy that can be cheeky one second, lyric the next.

And at 18, Shostakovich already had an instinctive grasp on symphonic form, that unteachable ability to make basic ideas evolve into fullscale musical structures (even Schoenberg, who was not an admirer of Shostakovich’s music, conceded that the young composer had “the breath of the symphonist”). Also apparent from this youthful start is Shostakovich’s assured command of the orchestra, with imaginative solos for winds and strings, unusual groupings of instruments, and a dynamic range that extends from the delicate to the ear-splitting.

An original voice rings out from the first instant, where a muted trumpet sets the piquant tone, and this Allegretto introduction presents theme-shapes that will evolve across the span of the symphony. At the Allegro non troppo , the clarinet spins out the saucy main idea (this symphony has a terrific part for solo clarinet), and the second subject arrives as a limpid, offthe-beat little waltz for solo flute (the ballerina from Stravinsky’s Petrushka was clearly dancing in young Shostakovich’s memory as he wrote this). After all its energy, this sonata-form movement vanishes in a wisp of sound.

The brusque start of the second movement, a scherzo marked Allegro , turns into a blistering dance for ricochet violins, and off the movement flies, enlivened by the sound of the piano, which had been silent until now. The central episode is introduced by a pair of flutes, whose wistful little duet gives way to a lugubriously slow

return of the opening. This is a wonderful moment: Slowly the music eases ahead, then takes off, and Shostakovich deftly combines his main themes as the music races at white heat to a sudden stop. Three fierce piano chords crack through that silence, and the music disintegrates before us.

Writing to a friend just after completing these two movements, Shostakovich caught their character perfectly: “In general, I am satisfied with the symphony. Not bad. A symphony like any other, although it really ought to be called a symphonygrotesque.” And this points toward a curious feature of the First Symphony–it falls into two distinctly different halves. The grotesquerie of the first two movements gives way to a much darker tone in the final two. Solo oboe sings the angular, grieving main melody of the Lento, a subtle evolution of the first movement’s main theme, but in the course of this movement an entirely new idea begins to intrude: A six-note motto is stamped out by the trumpets and repeated across the remainder of the movement. The Lento fades away on faint echoes of the motto, and without pause a snare drum rushes us into the anguished beginning of the finale. This movement will be full of surprises, pitching between madcap energy one moment, dark chamber music the next, and it seems to race to a thunderous cadence. But this is a false ending. Out of that silence, the timpani stamps out the six-note motto (now inverted), and slowly this motto nudges the music ahead— gently at first, then faster, and then in a rush to the emphatic close.

Shostakovich died 50 years after he completed this symphony, and over that half-century he would compose 14 more. He would have one of the most difficult careers ever endured by an artist, a life tormented by suffocating political repression, foreign invasion, and personal tragedy. The First Symphony reminds us that the essence of Shostakovich’s mature musical language—a sardonic wit, a Mahler-like fusion of the tragic and the commonplace, and an assured handling of the orchestra—were all present in this dazzling music by an 18-year-old.

Piano Concerto in D Major, Hob.XVIII:11

FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN

Born 1732, Rohrau Died 1809, Vienna

The cliché about Haydn is that, while he revolutionized the string quartet and symphony, he had trouble with the concerto. His concertos are relatively few, and even fewer of them remain in the active repertory. While his symphonies and quartets can be daring and experimental, Haydn’s concertos are conservative, showing their roots in the baroque concerto and never really responding to the classical concerto of Mozart and Beethoven, with its virtually symphonic argument. Yet, one must still admit that Haydn wrote some first-rate concertos. His Trumpet Concerto remains, two centuries after its composition, the finest ever composed for that instrument, and his two cello concertos are widely played. Of his approximately 15 keyboa rd concertos, this one

PROGRAM NOTES

has made its way into the lasting affections of performers and audiences alike.

A certain amount of mystery surrounds the sparkling Concerto in D Major . Although we know it was published in 1794, nobody is sure when it was written: There is no record of its premiere, and the original manuscript has not survived. Even the instrument it was intended for is uncertain. It is commonly called a harpsichord concerto, but Haydn referred to it as a concerto for clavier, and the first published version says that it can be played by either “harpsichord or piano.” But Haydn surely must have intended that as a sales pitch, for this music cries out for the resources of the piano: While the solo part has no dynamic markings, the markings in the orchestral parts suggest a range of expression possible only on the piano.

This concerto establishes its character in the first instant. The usual marking for the first movement of a concerto is Allegro, but here Haydn specifies Vivace: even faster, vivacious. Virtually the entire movement grows out of the shining main theme, announced immediately by the violins and taken up by the piano on its entrance. Not only does this figure dominate the movement thematically, but Haydn pulls out bits of the theme and uses them as part of the accompaniment. The pianist plays virtually without pause here; there is a cadenza at the end, and Haydn builds the concluding cadence on the second measure of the main theme.

The spacious, singing slow movement is marked simply Un poco Adagio. Again, the orchestra introduces the main idea, and this grows increasingly ornate across the span of the movement, which features a good deal of expressive harmonic freedom. But it is the last movement that may be the most distinctive. Haydn specifies that this rondo-finale is all’Ungharese, which means “in the Hungarian style,” which in turn means “gypsy.” The piano leads the way with a jaunty tune that H.C. Robbins Landon has identified as being of Bosnian or Dalmatian origin. This rondo theme may not at first seem distinctively gypsy-like, but it is what happens along the way that explains the marking. Instantly Haydn begins to decorate this tune with grace-notes, and soon there are surprising keyshifts, sudden contrasts between loud and soft, and breathtaking energy. Good spirits prevail throughout, even in the minor-key episode, and this cheerful, shining music comes sailing home in a great blast of energy.

Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, op.43

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF

Born 1873, Oneg, Novgorod Died 1943, Beverly Hills

In the spring of 1934, Rachmaninoff and his wife moved into a villa they had just purchased on Lake Lucerne in Switzerland. They were delighted by the house, its opulent size, and its view across the beautiful lake, and Rachmaninoff was especially touched to find a surprise waiting for him there: The Steinway Company of

PROGRAM NOTES

New York had delivered a new piano. Rachmaninoff spent the summer gardening and landscaping, and he also composed: Between July 3 and August 24 he wrote a set of variations for piano and orchestra on what is doubtless the most varied theme in the history of music, the last of Niccolo Paganini’s TwentyFour Caprices for Solo Violin. Paganini had written that devilish tune, full of rhythmic spring and chromatic tension, in 1820, and he himself had followed it with 12 variations. That theme has haunted composers ever since. In the 19th century, Liszt (Transcendental Etudes), Schumann ( Twelve Etudes de Concert ), and Brahms (the two sets of Paganini Variations) all wrote variations on it, and they have been followed in the 20th century by Witold Lutoslawksi, Boris Blacher, and George Rochberg.

Rachmaninoff described his new work to a friend as being “about the length of a piano concerto . . . the thing’s rather difficult,” but he had trouble deciding on a name. At first he was going to call it Symphonic Variations on a Theme by Paganini and then thought about Fantasia for Piano and Orchestra in the Form of Variations on a Theme by Paganini. In the end he settled on the simpler Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, a title that places the focus on melody and somewhat disguises the ingenious variation technique at the center of this music. The first performance, with the composer as soloist, took place in Baltimore on November 7, 1934, with Leopold Stokowski conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra. Pleased and somewhat surprised by the

piece’s success with the public, Rachmaninoff observed dryly: “It somehow looks suspicious that the Rhapsody has had such an immediate success with everybody.”

The Rhapsody has a surprising beginning: A brief orchestral flourish containing hints of the theme leads to the first variation, which is presented before the theme itself is heard. This gruff and hard-edged variation, which Rachmaninoff marks Precedente, is in fact the bass-line for Paganini’s theme, which is then presented in its original form by both violin sections in unison. Some of the variations last a matter of minutes, while others whip past almost before we know it; (several of the variations are as short as 19 seconds). The 24 variations are sharply contrasted, in both character and tempo, and the fun of this music lies not just in the bravura writing for piano but in hearing Paganini’s theme sound so different in each variation. In three of them, Rachmaninoff incorporates the old plainsong tune Dies Irae (Day of Wrath), used by Berlioz, SaintSaëns, and many others, including Rachmaninoff , for whom this grim theme was a virtual obsession. Here it appears in the piano part in the seventh and tenth variations, and eventually it drives the work to its climax in the final variation.

Perhaps the most famous of Rachmaninoff ’s variations, though, is the 18th, in which Paganini’s theme is inverted and transformed into a moonlit love song. The piano states this variation in its simplest form, and then strings

take it up and turn it into a soaring nocturne. This variation has haunted many Hollywood composers, and Rachmaninoff himself joked that he had written this variation specifically as a gift “for my agent.”

From here on, the tempo picks up, and the final six variations accelerate to a monumental climax: The excitement builds, the Dies Irae is stamped out by the full orchestra, and suddenly, like a puff of smoke, the Rhapsody vanishes before us on two quick strokes of sound.

– Program Notes by Eric Bromberger

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SYMPHONIC DANCES

The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra

Guillermo Figueroa, Music Director

The Santa Fe Youth Symphony Orchestra

William Waag, Director of Youth Orchestras

Ann Toomey, Soprano

ANN TOOMEY, Soprano

American soprano Ann Toomey, whom Naples Daily News proclaimed, “…is a brilliant Floria Tosca…[whose] rich voice projects power that doesn't disintegrate under adversity” is a former member of the Ryan Opera Center at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, a 2016 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions national semifinalist and 2019 Richard F. Gold Career Grant Recipient. Recently, she made her European debut, to critical acclaim, performing the title role in Suor Angelica at the Berlin Philharmonie, under the baton of Kirill Petrenko.

Highlights of the immediate past and current season include Woglinde in Das Rheingold with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel, the Una poenitentium in Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with Giancarlo Guerrero and the Nashville Symphony, Meg Page in Sir John in Love as well as a crossover recital at Bard SummerScape, Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd with Dayton Opera, the Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors with Opera San Antonio, and First Lady in Die Zauberflöte with Glyndebourne Festival, as well as the cover of Micaëla in Carmen.

In recent seasons, Ann sang the title role of Tosca with Sarasota Opera, Opera Naples and Livermore Valley Opera, the Witch in Into the Woods with Tulsa Opera, Ortlinde in Act III of Die Walküre with Detroit Opera, Lady Billows in Albert Herring with the Princeton Festival, the title role in Die Kathrin with the Chicago Folks Operetta, returned to Wolf Trap Opera to perform the title role in Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah and to the Lyric Opera of Chicago as the Lady in Waiting cover in Macbeth.

During the 2018-2019 season, she performed as Musetta in La bohème with Lyric Opera of Chicago, completing her three-year residency with the Ryan Opera Center. She debuted at Lyric Opera of Chicago as First Lady in Die Zauberflöte and was also seen as the Fifth Maid in Elektra. She covered several roles during her time in Chicago, including Elettra (Idomeneo), Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte), and Micaëla (Carmen).

Ann Toomey is a native of Detroit, and currently lives in Chicago.

PROGRAM

Sunday, March 22 4 pm | LENSIC

JOSE PABLO MONCAYO

Huapango

Side-by-Side Performance with The Santa Fe Youth Symphony Orchestra

GABRIELA LENA FRANK

Three Latin American Dances for Orchestra

Jungle Jaunt

Highland Harawi

The Mestizo Waltz

INTERMISSION

SAMUEL BARBER

Knoxville: Summer of 1915, op.24

Ann Toomey, Soprano

LEONARD BERNSTEIN

Symphonic Dances from West Side Story

FULL CONCERT SPONSORS

Boo Miller

REACH FOR THE STARS | ANN TOOMEY

Katherine & William Landschulz

SIDE-BY-SIDE SPONSOR

Katherine & William Landschulz

PROGRAM NOTES

Huapango

JOSÉ PABLO MONCAYO

Born 1912, Guadalajara

Died 1958, Mexico City

José Pablo Moncayo studied at the Mexico City Conservatory and later joined with fellow composers Daniel Ayala, Salvador Contreras, and Blas Galindo to form the “Group of Four,” dedicated to furthering the cause of Mexican music. Moncayo was named pianist and percussionist in the Mexico Symphony Orchestra by Carlos Chavez, and he conducted the National Symphony Orchestra from 1949 until 1952. Moncayo died just a few days short of his 46th birthday.

Huapango, his most popular work, was composed in 1941. A huapango is a lively dance from the Veracruz region, and Moncayo constructs his Huapango as a sequence of orchestral dances based on three songs from the coastal plain between Veracruz and Alvarado: Siqui Siri, Balaju, and El Gavilan. Fast outer sections frame a more lyric episode in the center, and along the way there is an extended part for harp. At the close, trumpet and trombone engage in a lively duel, tossing bits of folk melody back and forth as Huapango pounds its way to a colorful close.

Moncayo’s former teacher, Carlos Chavez, led the premiere of Huapango with the Mexican National Orchestra on August 15, 1941.

– Program Note by Eric Bromberger

Three Latin-American Dances for Orchestra

GABRIELA LENA

FRANK

Born 1972, Berkeley, CA

I. Introduction: Jungle Jaunt

This introductory scherzo opens in an unabashed tribute to the Symphonic Dances from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein before turning to harmonies and rhythms derived from various pan-Amazonian dance forms. These jungle references are sped through (so as to be largely hidden) while echoing the energy of the Argentinian composer Alberto Ginastera, who was long fascinated with indigeno us Latin-American cultures.

II. Highland Harawi

This movement is the heart of Three Latin American Dances and evokes the Andean harawi, a melancholy adagio traditionally sung by a single bamboo quena flute so as to accompany a single dancer. As mountain music, it evokes the ambiance of mystery, vastness, and echo. The fast middle section simulates what I imagine to be the zumballyu of Illapa, a great spinning top belonging to the Peruvian-Inca weather deity of thunder, lightning, and rain. Illapa spins his great top in the highland valleys of the Andes before allowing a return to the more staid harawi. The music of the Hungarian composer Bela Bartok is alluded to.

III. The Mestizo Waltz

As if in relief to the gravity of the previous movement, this final movement is a lighthearted tribute to the mestizo or mixed-race music of the South American Pacific coast.

In particular, it evokes the romancero tradition of popular songs and dances that mix influences from indigenous Indian cultures, African slave cultures, and western brass bands.

– Program Note by Gabriela Lena Frank

Knoxville: Summer of 1915, op.24

SAMUEL BARBER

Born 1910, West Chester, PA

Died 1981, New York City

James Agee (1909-1955) was a writer of unusual gifts: He was a poet, novelist, critic, and screenwriter. He died suddenly at 46, and his reputation rests on two extraordinary works: Let Us Now Praise Famous Men (1941), a study of Southern sharecropper families, and his novel A Death in the Family, left in manuscript at his death and published posthumously in 1957; it won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1958. The novel tells the story of the closely knit family of Jay and Mary Follett and their children Rufus and Catherine; that family is shattered by the death of the father in an automobile accident.

Much earlier, in 1938, Agee had written a sort of prose-poem, composed in one sudden burst of stream-of-consciousness, a piece he called Knoxville: Summer of 1915. Several pages long, it is a vision of childhood as recalled through the eyes of a child; Agee had grown up in Knoxville, and he set out to recreate his memory of being five years old. When, after his death, his editors prepared A Death in the Family for publication, they used Knoxville: Summer of 1915 as a poetic prologue to that novel.

Barber had come to know Knoxville when it was still a separate work, and In 1947, for soprano Eleanor Steber, he made a setting for high voice and orchestra, using approximately the final third of Agee’s text. This was first performed on April 9, 1948 with Serge Koussevitsky and the Boston Symphony, but Barber, concerned about the balance between soprano and large orchestra, rescored it for smaller orchestra, and it was published in this chamber-orchestra version.

Knoxville: Summer of 1915 may be the single most beautiful creation in American music. Barber recognized that Agee’s prose-poem captures a universal experience, and his music, by turns nostalgic and bittersweet, is worthy of the text (Agee was pleased with Barber’s treatment). Musically, Knoxville is a sort of rondo: It is sectional in structure, and a few basic themes return in various forms throughout. It opens quietly as the boy sets the scene: a summer evening, quiet, with people watering their lawns or talking. A moment of agitation intrudes as a streetcar passes, clanging and sparking in the night, and then (“Now is the night one blue dew”) the mood changes, almost magically. The family takes quilts out into their backyard and lies looking up at the stars (“On the rough wet grass”). The boy recalls and enumerates, with perfect childlike simplicity, the members of his family around him in the dark and their boarders. It is a moment of security, warmth, and wholeness, but—as the reader of the novel knows—a moment that will be shattered by subsequent events. P erhaps some of the

PROGRAM NOTES

profound impact of this child’s vision is the inevitable knowledge that this night cannot last. But for these few rapt moments, it does, and the boy blesses those around him and is put to bed, momentarily secure—but also adrift and alone in the world.

Symphonic Dances from West Side Story

LEONARD BERNSTEIN

Born 1918, Lawrence, MA Died 1990, New York City

Although West Side Story has become one of the most popular musicals ever, its creation involved a number of risks. Central among these was the decision to adapt Romeo and Juliet to a contemporary New York setting: The warring Montague and Capulet families are transformed into rival street gangs, the Sharks and the Jets, while Romeo and Juliet become Tony and Maria. And the grim ending of Shakespeare’s play made for a conclusion seldom experienced in a Broadway musical.

Yet West Side Story—first produced in Washington, D.C. on August 19, 1957—turned out to be a huge success (it ran on Broadway for over 1,000 performances), and Bernstein’s music is probably his most memorable score. Central to the original conception of West Side Story was the importance of dance. Jerome Robbins was both choreographer and director of the original production, and some members of the cast were chosen for their abilities as dancers; their singing ability was considered of secondary importance. The dance sequences remain some of the most impressive parts of the musical.

Several years after the premiere, Bernstein made an orchestral suite of the dances from the musical, and the Symphonic Dances from West Side Story were first performed by Lukas Foss and the New York Philharmonic on February 13, 1961. The dances follow the action of the play and in some movements incorporate bits of the songs. A brashly energetic Prologue (which requires finger snapping from the orchestra) leads to a section based on the song Somewhere , which envisions a more peaceful world. A Scherzo leads to Mambo, set at the high school dance, which both the Sharks and Jets attend. Tony and Maria dance together in the Cha-Cha (which quotes the song Maria), and their Meeting Scene is depicted by a quartet of muted violins. Tensions rise in the eerie, twisting Cool Fugue, and Rumble accompanies the fight in which the rival gang leaders Bernardo and Riff are killed. A flute cadenza prefaces the Finale, which incorporates Maria’s I Have a Love, and after so much vitality and violence, the Symphonic Dances come to a subdued close.

– Program Notes by Eric Bromberger

BEETHOVEN & STRAUSS

The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra

Guillermo Figueroa, Music Director

David Finckel, Cello

Sunday, April 12

4 pm | LENSIC

DAVID FINCKEL , Cello

David Finckel’s dynamic musical career has included performances on the world’s stages in the roles of recitalist, chamber artist, and orchestral soloist. The first American student of Mstislav Rostropovich, he was the winner of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s junior and senior divisions, resulting in two performances with the orchestra. In 1979 he joined the Emerson String Quartet, and during 34 seasons garnered nine Grammy Awards and the Avery Fisher Prize. His quartet performances and recordings include quartet cycles of Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Dvořák, Brahms, Bartók, and Shostakovich, as well as collaborative masterpieces and commissioned works.

David Finckel and pianist Wu Han founded ArtistLed, the first internet-based, artist-controlled classical recording label in 1997. ArtistLed’s catalog of more than 20 releases includes the standard literature for cello and piano, plus works composed for the duo by George Tsontakis, Gabriela Lena Frank, Bruce Adolphe, Lera Auerbach, Edwin Finckel, Augusta Read Thomas, and Pierre Jalbert. His orchestral recordings include both the Dvořák and Harbison concertos.

Artistic Co-Director of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, David also co-founded Music@Menlo in 2003, an innovative summer chamber music festival in Silicon Valley. He taught extensively with the late Isaac Stern in America, Israel, and Japan. He is currently a professor at both the Juilliard School and Stony Brook University and oversees CMS’s Bowers Program and Music@ Menlo’s Chamber Music Institute.

Passionately dedicated to education for musicians of all ages and experience, he developed a Resource section of his Website (davidfinckelandwuhan.com/resource) to provide, at no cost, a wealth of guidance for students on both music study and careers, as well as invaluable information for arts organizations and individuals on every aspect of concert presenting. David’s 100 online lessons on cello technique, Cello Talks, are viewed by an international audience of musicians (cellotalks.com). Along with Wu Han, David was the recipient of Musical America’s Musicians of the Year Award.

PROGRAM

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN

Symphony No. 1 in C Major, op.21

Adagio molto; Allegro con brio

Andante cantabile con moto

Menuetto: Allegro molto e vivace

Adagio; Allegro molto e vivace

INTERMISSION

RICHARD STRAUSS

Don Quixote: Fantastic Variations on a Theme of Knightly Character, op.35

Introduction

Theme: Don Quixote, the Knight of the Woeful Countenance

Var. 1: The Adventure of the Windmills

Var. 2: Battle with the Sheep

Var. 3: Dialogue of Knight and Squire

Var. 4: The Adventure with the Penitents

Var. 5: The Knight’s Vigil

Var. 6: The False Dulcinea

Var. 7: The Ride through the Air

Var. 8: The Adventure of the Enchanted Boat

Var. 9: The Combat with the Two Magicians

Var. 10: The Joust with the Knight of the White Moon

Finale: The Death of Don Quixote

David Finckel, Cello

FULL CONCERT SPONSOR

CONCERT SPONSORS-IN-PART

Perry C. Andrews III & Scott Baker / In Memory of Suzanne Timble

Megan & David Van Winkle

REACH FOR THE STARS | DAVID FINCKEL

Philip A. Martin

PROGRAM NOTES

Symphony No. 1 in C Major, op.21

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN

Born 1770, Bonn

Died 1827, Vienna

Beethoven began sketches for a symphony in C major in 1795, just three years after he arrived in Vienna, but the piece did not go well and he abandoned it. The symphony was the grandest of purely instrumental forms, and because he did not want to rush into a field where Haydn and Mozart had done such distinguished work, Beethoven used the decade of the 1790s to refine his technique as a composer and to prepare to write a symphony. He slowly mastered sonata form and began to write for larger chamber ensembles and for wind instruments; he also composed two piano concertos before taking on the challenge of a symphony. Beethoven then wrote the First Symphony in 1799-1800, and it was first performed, along with his Septet, in Vienna on April 2, 1800.

The genial First Symphony has occasionally been burdened with ponderous commentary from those who feel that it must contain the seeds of Beethoven’s future development; every modulation and detail of orchestration has been squeezed for evidence of the revolutionary directions the composer would later take. Actually, the piece is a very straightforward late-18th-century symphony, the product of a talented young man quite aware of the example of Haydn and Mozart and anxious to master the most challenging form he had faced so far. In fact, one of the most impressive things about this symphony is just how conservative

it is. It uses the standard HaydnMozart orchestra of pairs of winds plus timpani and strings (though early reviewers commented on its heavy use of the winds); its form is right out of Haydn (with whom Beethoven had studied); and its spirit is consistently carefree. There are no battles fought and won here, no grappling with darkness and struggling toward the light; its distinction lies simply in its crisp energy and exuberant music-making. There are some unusual features along the way, but these should be enjoyed as the striking touches they are rather than exaggerated in light of Beethoven’s future directions as a symphonist. The young composer who wrote it was actually looking backward rather than forward.

The key signature of this symphony may suggest that it is in C major, but the first movement’s slow introduction opens with a stinging discord that glances off into the unexpected key of F major. This leads to another “wrong” key—G major— and only gradually does Beethoven “correct” the tonality when the orchestra alights gracefully on C major at the Allegro con brio. Many have noticed the resemblance between Beethoven’s sturdy main theme here and the opening of Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony , composed twelve years earlier. This is not a case of plagiarism or of slavish imitation, only a young man’s awareness of the thunder behind him. This energetic movement, with its graceful second theme in the woodwinds, develops concisely and powerfully.

The second movement, marked Andante cantabile con moto, is also

in sonata form. The main theme arrives as a series of polyphonic entrances, and Beethoven soon transforms the dotted rhythm of this theme’s third measure into an accompaniment figure. It trips along in the background through much of this movement, and Beethoven gives it to the solo timpani for extended periods. Beethoven’s stipulation con moto is crucial: This may be a slow movement, but it pulses continuously forward along its 3/8 meter, driving to a graceful climax as the woodwind choir sings a variant of the main theme.

By contrast, the third movement bristles with energy, and Beethoven’s marking Menuetto seems incorrect: This may well be a minuet in form, but the indication Allegro molto e vivace banishes any notion of dance music. This movement is, in everything but name, a scherzo, the first of the remarkable series of symphonic scherzos Beethoven would write across his career. Its trio section is dominated by the winds, whose chorale-like main tune is accompanied by madly scampering violins.

The most am using joke in this symphony comes at the opening of the finale, where a rising scale emerges bit by bit, like a snake coming out of its hole; at the Allegro molto e con brio that scale rockets upward to introduce the main theme. With this eight-bar theme, the movement seems at first a rondo, but it is actually in sonata form, complete with exposition repeat and development of secondary themes. A vigorous little march drives the symphony to its resounding close.

Beethoven’s First Symphony found enthusiastic audiences; it was soon performed in Berlin, Breslau, Frankfurt, Dresden, Munich, Paris, and London, and there is even evidence that it may have been performed in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1817 (Beethoven would have been delighted). To those dismayed by the course of Beethoven’s subsequent music, the First Symphony—which so cheerfully trails clouds of 18thcentury glory—remained a symbol of the direction his career should have taken.

Don Quixote, op.35

RICHARD STRAUSS

Born 1864, Munich

Died 1949, Garmisch-Partenkirchen

In 1896, just after finishing Also Sprach Zarathustra, Richard Strauss set to work on a new project, one that would take him in entirely new directions. Strauss at first planned to write a tone poem based on events from Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote. But rather than writing a straightforward tone poem, Strauss made his task more complicated by casting his new work as a set of variations based on a collection of themes associated with Don Quixote, his sidekick Sancho Panza, and his idealized love Dulcinea. To bring yet one more dimension to this music, Strauss conceived it as a virtuoso work for cello and orchestra, with the solo cellist cast in the role of Don Quixote. Strauss completed the score in December 1897, and the premiere took place on March 6, 1898, in Cologne, with Friedrich Grützmacher as soloist and Franz Wüllner conducting.

PROGRAM NOTES

Strauss intended that the cello part would be played by an orchestra’s principal cellist seated in his or her normal position at the front of the cello section. But the solo part is so spectacular that the piece soon became a favorite of the great cellists, who naturally preferred to be positioned in front of the orchestra, like a soloist in a concerto; Strauss himself eventually came to conduct Don Quixote with the cellist placed in front of the orchestra. Although Don Quixote has become one of the greatest works in the cello literature, we should not overlook the other players Strauss assigns important solo roles in this music. The part of Sancho Panza is first announced by bass clarinet and tenor tuba and thereafter undertaken mostly by the solo viola, which plays a very important (and very difficult) part as the Don’s long-suffering squire; at key moments the solo violin contributes to the portrait of Don Quixote.

Don Q uixote consists of an introduction, a statement of the principal themes, ten variations, and a finale. Strauss made careful use of Cervantes’ masterpiece: He depicted only a few of the many incidents in the novel and felt free to alter their order in his own presentation. Curiously, Strauss left few indications in the orchestra score as to what each variation depicts; he said he wanted audiences to listen to his works as pure music first and only then approach them as pictorial music. But Strauss left a lengthy description in the piano score, outlining each variation in great detail, and so it is possible to

follow exactly what is “happening” at every moment of this music.

T he Introduction presents most of the important themes that will evolve across the span of the piece. The soloists remain silent here, and it is the orchestra that presents these themes. At the very beginning comes the little flute tune that will reappear in many forms, followed by a lilting idea for second violins that Strauss marks grazioso and a clarinet swirl followed by a threechord cadence; all of these will be associated with the Don Quixote character. Soon the solo oboe sings a gentle melody depicting the Don’s idealized lady-love and patroness, the fair Dulcinea. Trumpets mark his resolve to defend her, but quickly this noble beginning turns complex and dissonant as Quixote loses himself in dreams of knight-errantry; in Cervantes’ words, “through his little sleep and much reading, he dried up his brains in such sort, as he wholly lost his judgment.” The music reaches a point of shrieking dissonance—Don Quixote’s mind has snapped—and heroic fanfares break off in silence.

Out of that silence, the solo cello is heard for the first time in the section titled Don Quixote, the Knight of the Sorrowful Countenance: here the cello presents the Don’s themes, now in a minor key. Quickly we meet Sancho Panza, and it is no accident that we move to a major key for the genial sidekick: Bass clarinet and tenor tuba sing a rustic duet that introduces the squire, and the viola quickly takes this up, going on and on like Sancho

PROGRAM NOTES

himself. With the main characters introduced, the music proceeds directly into Variation I, which brings The Adventure of the Windmills . Here Don Quixote and Sancho’s themes are sounded simultaneously as they head out for their first adventure. It comes immediately: Don Quixote mistakes windmills for giants and rides to the attack. The windmill’s blades turn slowly, and a sharp thump knocks the aged knight from his horse; he recovers slowly amid thoughts of Dulcinea.

In Variation 2, the famous Battle with the Sheep, Quixote mistakes a flock of sheep for the armies of the evil Emperor Alifanfaron. Their bleating is memorably suggested by flutter-tongued minor seconds from the winds, while viola tremolos depict the cloud of dust they raise. Don Quixote charges into the flock, dispersing the terrified sheep and riding off in triumph as the shepherds howl. Longest of the variations, the third is the Dialogue of Knight and Squire: Don Quixote (here sometimes depicted by solo violin) speaks grandly of heroic deeds while Sancho chatters incessantly; finally, the knight cuts him off with a violent gesture, and the two head off in search of new adventures.

Variation 4 is The Adventure with the Penitents. The pair come upon a religious procession (solemn bassoon and brass chords) and ride to the attack; they are knocked flat and left lying in the dust as the procession fades into the distance. Variation 5 brings The Knight’s Vigil, during which he ruminates on his ideals in the moonlight as soft winds blow in the background.

Variation 6 ( The False Dulcinea ) opens with a jaunty oboe duet: The Don and Sancho have come upon three peasant girls, and Sancho convinces the knight that they are his beloved Dulcinea and her retinue, but they have been transformed by an enchanter. Don Quixote tries to pay homage to this coarse country girl, but the cackling girls flee in confusion. In Variation 7, The Ride through the Air, the Don and Sancho are convinced to mount a hobby horse, believing that it will carry them through the air; the wind howls around them, but the two remain firmly rooted to the earth.

Variation 8 is The Adventure of the Enchanted Boat, in which the pair come upon an abandoned rowboat, and Don Quixote is certain that the boat was left providentially so that they can find new adventures. They ride out into the stream but head toward a weir, tip over, and fall in; once ashore, they wring out their clothes (pizzicato notes echo the water dripping from their sopping clothes). Variation 9 is The Combat with the Two Magicians, in which they encounter a pair of Benedictine monks chatting happily as they come down the road (two bassoons in busy counterpoint); Don Quixote rides to the attack and sends the terrified monks fleeing.

In Variation 10, The Joust with the Knight of the White Moon, a wellintentioned neighbor dresses as a knight, jousts with Quixote, and defeats him. The vanquished knight is sent home under orders to give up knight-errantry for a year, and the pounding timpani pedal suggests his homeward journey in disgrace.

In the Finale, the Don’s fevered imagination gradually clears (the dissonances heard during the first presentation of his themes are here resolved), but he is now an old and frail man. He recalls some of the themes associated with his adventures, and, in the cello’s beautiful final statement, he dies quietly as a long glissando glides downward.

Don Quixote is not just one of the most successful of Strauss’ tone poems, it is one of his greatest works. Strauss once claimed that he could set a glass of beer to music, and Don Quixote very nearly proves him right. His biographer, Norman Del Mar, has shown how virtually every note in this score pictures a particular feature of Don Quixote and his quest. If Strauss’ music could on occasion get caught up in its own wit and bombast, Don Quixote is suffused throughout with a level of understanding that is both humorous and humane. Strauss may have set out to write a tone poem that would retell the story of one of the greatest characters in literature, but he achieved much more: In its difficulty and brilliance, Don Quixote is (along with the Dvořák Cello Concerto) one of the two greatest works ever written for cello and orchestra.

– Program Notes by Eric Bromberger

CARMINA BURANA

The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

Guillermo Figueroa, Music Director

Carmen Flórez-Mansi, Choral Director

Ruxandra Marquardt, Violin

Amy Owens, Soprano

Spencer Hamlin, Tenor

Edward Parks, Bass-Baritone

PROGRAM

FANNY MENDELSSOHN-HENSEL

Overture in C Major, H265

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major, K.219 “Turkish”

Allegro aperto; Adagio; Allegro aperto

Adagio

Rondo: Tempo di Menuetto

Ruxandra Marquardt, Violin

INTERMISSION

CARL ORFF

Carmina Burana: Songs of Beuren

Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi

O Fortuna

Fortune plango vulnera

I. Prima Vere

Veris leta facies

Omnia Sol temperat

Edde gratium

Uf dem anger

Tanz

Floret silva

Chramer, gip die varwe mir

Reie

Swaz hie gat umbe

Chume, chum, geselle min!

Swaz hie gat umbe

Were diu werlt alle min

Sunday, May 9 & Sunday, May 10

4 pm & 7 pm |

II. In Taberna

Estuans interius

Olim lacus colueram

Ego sum abbas

In taberna quando sumus

III. Cours d’Amours

Amor volat undique

Dies, nox et omnia

Stetit puella

Circa mea pectora

Si puer cum puellula

Veni, veni, venias

In trutina

Tempus est locundum

Dulcissime

Blanziflor et Helena Ave formosissima

Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi O fortuna

Amy Owens, Soprano

Spencer Hamlin, Tenor

Edward Parks, Bass-Baritone

CONCERT UNDERWRITERS

Ann Neuberger Aceves

Susan & Steven Goldstein

FULL CONCERT SPONSOR

Robert & Ellen Vladem

CONCERT SPONSORS-IN-PART

Zella & Lawrence Cox

Mary & John Macukas / In Memory of Wanda A. Roever

Dr. Thomas McCaffrey

PROGRAM NOTES

Overture in C Major

FANNY MENDELSSOHN HENSEL

Born 1805, Hamburg

Died 1847, Berlin

There is general agreement that the two most prodigiously talented young composers in history were Mozart and Mendelssohn, and there were many parallels between the two. They both were born into families perfectly suited to nurture their talents; showed phenomenal talent as small boys; began composing very young; had their music performed by professional musicians at an early age; became virtuoso keyboard performers; played the violin and viola, and composed voluminously in every genre. Both also drove themselves very hard and died in their thirties.

But there is an uncanny further parallel between the two: both Mozart and Mendelssohn had an older sister whose musical talents rivaled their own. Mozart’s sister Maria Anna, five years his senior, performed as a child with her brother in all the European capitals. She also composed (none of her music has survived), but a serious career in music was out of the question for a woman at the end of the 18th century. She married in 1784 and grew estranged from her brother; they did not see each other during the final years of his life.

Fanny Mendelssohn, four years older than Felix, had a much closer relationship with her brother. Like Felix, she began composing at an early age, and some of her songs were published under her brother’s name. She too was discouraged

from making a career in music, and at age 24 she married the painter Wilhelm Hensel and had a son. But music remained a passion for her, and she composed about 450 works, including choral settings, chamber music, works for piano, and a number of songs; late in her brief life, Fanny overcame her family’s opposition and began to publish music under her own name. She remained extremely close to her brother throughout her life, and her sudden death from a stroke at age 41 so devastated Felix that he collapsed on hearing the news and never really recovered; his own death six months later at age 38 was probably triggered, at least in part, by that shock.

The Overture in C Major is her only work for orchestra that does not include voices. It dates from about 1832, when Fanny was about 26. She was married and had a small son at this point, but music remained crucially important to her, and she composed in what little spare time she had. This overture was first performed at one of the Sunday afternoon musicales that the Mendelssohn family put on in their elegant Berlin home, and it was successful enough that it was repeated in subsequent years. This is not an overture “to” anything–it is a concert piece that stands by itself. Fanny scored it for exactly the same orchestra that Felix would later use in his “Scottish” Symphony: pairs of woodwinds, four horns, two trumpets, timpani, and strings. The Overture in C Major opens with an introduction marked Andante, and this gradually builds to an Allegro di

molto that unleashes racing violins. The scoring is clean and transparent, and the music builds to several climaxes that feature the sound of the brass before driving to its conclusion on a resounding C-major chord for full orchestra.

What was probably the second performance of the Overture in C Major took place in the Mendelssohn family home in 1834, and on that occasion something remarkable happened: Fanny herself conducted the orchestra. She described what happened in a letter to Felix: “Mother has certainly told you about the Konigstadt orchestra on Saturday and how I stood up there with a baton in my hand like a Jupiter tonans . . . my Ouverture was played and I sat at the piano, then the devil in the form of Lecerf [the orchestra’s conductor] whispered to me to take the little baton in my hand. Had I not been so shy, and embarrassed by every stroke, I would’ve been able to conduct reasonably well. It was great fun to hear the piece for the first time in two years and find everything the way I remembered. People seemed to like it—they were very kind, praised me, criticized a few impractical passages, and will return next Saturday. Thus I took part in an unexpected pleasure.”

Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major, K.219 “Turkish”

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

Born 1756, Salzburg Died 1791, Vienna

Mozart’s 27 piano concertos spanned his career, but he wrote only five violin concertos, and these all come from the year 1775, when he was

19. The absence of more concertos for violin is surprising, given the fact that Mozart was admired as much for his violin playing as for his piano playing. The violin concertos were all composed in 1775: the First was written in April, and the others followed in June, September, October, and December. Each shows clear development over the previous one, and the Fifth—written the month before Mozart’s 20th birthday—has become the most popular of the set.

T he concerto’s many imaginative touches are evident from the very beginning. A vigorous orchestral introduction marked Allegro aperto ( aperto means clear or distinct) opens the movement, but the entrance of the soloist brings a surprise: Instead of pressing ahead at the initial tempo, the music slows to an Adagio, and over murmuring string accompaniment the violinist makes a simple and graceful entrance. The Allegro aperto suddenly resumes, and now the violinist plays the true opening theme, a variation of its slow first statement. This energetic movement takes its character from this soaring idea.

By contrast, the Adagio is poised and melodic. Mozart switches to an unexpected key—E major, a key he almost never used—and the violin picks up and develops the orchestra’s lyric opening idea. Gradually, though, the music becomes more complex as the violin’s melodic line is encrusted with trills and decorations and moves into minor keys.

PROGRAM NOTES

The last movement, a rondo in the form of a minuet, is the most original. Solo violin immediately lays out the minuet theme and is answered by the orchestra. All seems set for a standard rondofinale, but partway through Mozart bursts in suddenly with an Allegro that disrupts everything. The interruption is by “Turkish” music, giving the concerto its nickname. In 18th-century Europe, there was a fascination with all things Turkish, but it was an ambivalent fascination. The East might produce coffee, tea, silk, and spice, but it also brought the threat of military invasion, so there was an element of danger mixed in with the exotic. This fascination also showed up in European music of the era, where Turkish music generally meant “exotic” music, featuring vigorous rhythms and noisy percussion instruments. This fashion can be heard in Mozart’s opera The Abduction from the Seraglio and in works by many other composers (Beethoven’s Turkish March , for example). Here it takes the form of vigorous leaps, grace notes, thumping rhythms, and chromatic growls from the orchestra. The minuet-rondo resumes, and the concerto closes with a wonderful touch: The music suddenly vanishes in mid-phrase, as easily as something disappearing into mist.

Carmina Burana

CARL ORFF

Born 1895, Munich Died 1982, Munich

In the spring of 1934, Carl Orff came upon a collection of very old poems that would change his life. Originally written in the 13th century, the

poems had been found in 1803 in the Bavarian Abbey of Benediktbeuren, about 30 miles south of Munich, and published in 1847 under the title Carmina Burana : “Songs of Beuren.” Orff was captivated by both the sound of the language (Latin and Middle High German) and the poetry itself, with its emphasis on sensual pleasure (food, drink, sex), the beauties of nature and the cycle of the seasons, and, overriding everything, the fickleness of fortune. He selected 24 of the poems and quickly composed a setting for vast forces: soprano, tenor, and baritone soloists; boys choir; large chorus (with a smaller choir as part of this); and a huge orchestra that requires two pianos and five percussionists. As part of his approach to music education, Orff had tried to combine gymnastics, dance, and music, and now he conceived Carmina Burana as a “spectacle” that would involve scenery, lighting, and dancing along with the music. In this form, Carmina Burana was premiered in Frankfurtam-Main on June 8, 1937, though most performances today present it simply as a concert piece. Even in concert form, this music achieves the spectacular dramatic impact that Orff had hoped for, and it has become one of the most popular works composed during the 20th century.

The listener is immediately struck by the power and simplicity of this music. Rejecting the sophisticated techniques of modern composition, Orff instead employs simple repeated melodies, straightforward harmonies, and driving, elemental rhythms. This is music virtually

CARMINA BURANA

PROGRAM NOTES

devoid of polyphony, development, or any other complication. With his linear, almost pointilistic writing, Orff creates an archaic sound (the music is based in part on old folk tunes and dances of Bavaria), combining clarity of rhythm with brilliant blocks of instrumental color to produce an overwhelming effect in performance. Not everyone has been taken by Orff’s almost total rejection of modern methods, and some critics (perhaps jealous of this music’s huge popular success) have attacked his methods and intentions. When it was suggested to Stravinsky that Carmina Burana represented a form of neoclassicism similar to his own, that composer is reported to have sneered: “Neo-classical? That’s Neo-Neanderthal!”

Orff subtitled this work Cantiones profanae cantoribus et choris cantandae comitantibus instrumentis atque imaginibus magicis (“Secular songs for soloists and chorus, accompanied by instruments and supplemented by magical pictures”), and certain themes recur throughout these “profane songs.” Orff had been struck by the cover illustration of the printed collection of poems, which showed a wheel of fortune, and the theme of life’s unpredictability recurs throughout Carmina Burana : The work opens and closes with the same brilliant chorus, “O Fortuna”, and its massive pounding may depict the inexorable turning of that wheel. Two other themes, both related to that idea, are important: the coming of spring and the pleasures of love. But even these are touched

by luck: The seasons change, love is full of pain, and although one may be happy this moment, misery will inevitably follow.

Carmina Burana divides into three main sections, framed by the chorus “O Fortuna.” The first, Primo vere (Spring), tells of the reawakening of the earth after winter. It begins quietly, but gradually the pace of the songs and dances quickens, and the section ends with the blazing “Were diu werlt alle min.”

With In taberna (In the Tavern), the mood changes sharply. These are songs of those who have tasted the whims of fortune: the tenor’s “Olim lacus colueram” notes that one may be a beautiful swan one moment, but roasting on a spit the next. The section ends with a spirited drinking song for male chorus. Here, at least, is one way to escape the pain.

The third section, Cour D’Amours (Court of Love), consists of 10 songs, some quite brief, depicting the many faces of love: It is by turns a matter of pleasure, pain, longing, burning, joy, uncertainty. The soprano’s beautiful “In trutina”—a song of indecision, then sweet surrender— has deservedly become one of the most famous in the entire work, encapsulating several of its main themes. At the close, “O Fortuna” returns in all its massive power, and the wheel of fortune spins on, indifferent to men and women who celebrate one moment and suffer the next.

– Program Notes by Eric Bromberger

Simionescu-Marquardt, Assistant Concertmaster of The Santa Fe Symphony, attended the George Enescu School of Music and Conservatory of Music in Bucharest, where she was profoundly influenced by professors Stefan Gheorghiu and Modest Iftinchi.

As a young musician, she won several prizes and medals in international competitions including “Concertino” Prague, Henri Wieniawski, Tibor Varga, and All-Romania Prize (twice) and participated in the Yehudi Menuhin Competition. In 1986, she left Communist Romania to participate in the Indianapolis Violin Competition, defecting to the U.S. immediately afterward.

Simionescu-Marquardt continued her studies at Indiana University with Joseph Gingold and at Syracuse University, where she taught for eight years. In 1988, she became the youngest Associate Concertmaster in the U.S., a position she held for 13 years. She was also Principal Second Violin and Concertmaster of the Jacksonville Symphony in Florida and appeared as guest Concertmaster of the Rhode Island Philharmonic and the New Mexico Philharmonic.

RUXANDRA MARQUARDT, Violin Romanian-born violinist Ruxandra

AMY OWENS , Soprano

Award-winning soprano and crossover artist Amy Owens is known for her “high-flying vocals” and “scenestealing” charisma on operatic, musical theatre, and symphonic stages, as well as her multidisciplinary pursuits as a music educator, producer, and conductor (Opera News). She is known on concert stages for her interpretation of Carmina Burana , including multiple performances with the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center and Wolf Trap, as well as with MidAmerica productions for her Carnegie Hall debut. Her operatic and musical theater roles include Cunegonde in Candide, Johanna in Sweeney Todd, Chrisann Brennan in The Revolution of Steve Jobs, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, Emily in Our Town, Phoebe in Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, and the title role in The Santa Fe Opera’s world premiere of Sweet Potato Kicks the Sun.

Other career highlights include a dynamic range of opera, operetta, and musical theatre performances with Dallas Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Utah Opera, Virginia Opera, National Symphony, San Diego Symphony, New York Festival of Song, Brooklyn Art Song Society, and the Virginia Arts Festival. In addition to performing, she serves as the director of the Young Voices of Santa Fe Opera.

PROGRAM NOTES

EDWARD PARKS , Baritone

Grammy Award-winning baritone Edward Parks trained at the Met Opera’s Lindemann Young Artists Development Program and was awarded third prize in Placido Domingo’s Operalia Competition. Recent credits include Schaunard (La bohème) at The Metropolitan Opera, Marcello (La bohème) with Houston Grand Opera, and Don Alfonso (Così fan tutte) with Detroit Opera.

SPENCER HAMLIN , Tenor Tenor Spencer Hamlin joined the Metropolitan Opera in 2023; recent credits there include Marschallin’s Major-Domo (Der Rosenkavalier) , Spoletta (Tosca) , and First Jew (Salome) . Upcoming roles include Pablo (Tin Angel) with Teatro Grattacielo, Captain (Wozzeck) with West Edge Opera, Goro (Madama Butterfly) with LOKC, Nick (La fanciulla del West) with Detroit Opera, and Monostatos (Die Zauberflöte) with The Santa Fe Opera.

CARMINA BURANA

Leading the Way in Patient Safety

CHRISTUS St. Vincent is proud to be New Mexico’s only large, full-service hospital to earn Leapfrog’s ‘A’ grade for patient safety and quality care. As part of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, our expert providers collaborate with Mayo Clinic specialists to ensure you receive top-tier, personalized care right here at home. Enjoy the peace of mind that comes with extraordinary care from a trusted provider, with no additional costs. Trust your care to those you know. The results are extraordinary. The care is personal.

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•Private and Semi-Private Dining Rooms

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COMMUNITY CONCERTS

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTS

Each year, The Santa Fe Symphony brings great music directly to our community through a variety of free and pay-whatyou-wish performances and activities.

From lively concerts in libraries and senior centers to pop-up performances at children’s museums, farmers markets, and community festivals — our musicians reach Santa Feans of all ages, from babies and kids to families and seniors.

Community programs often include hands-on experiences like instrument petting zoos and interactive musical activities, making classical music accessible, fun, and welcoming for everyone.

AT THE CATHEDRAL

Led by Carmen Flórez-Mansi, The Santa Fe Symphony Chorus presents three beautiful, family-friendly concerts each season at the iconic Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in downtown Santa Fe. Admission is pay-what-you-wish — all are welcome!

CHORAL MASTERWORKS

Sunday, October 26, 2025

Cathedral Basilica | 3 pm

Carmen Flórez-Mansi leads The Santa Fe Symphony Chorus in Choral Masterworks, featuring the voices of our Choruses performing some of the most beloved choral music ever written. Join us at the iconic Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in downtown Santa Fe.

CAROLS & CHORUSES

Tuesday, December 9, 2025

Cathedral Basilica | 7 pm

Carmen Flórez-Mansi and The Santa Fe Symphony Chorus celebrate the holiday season at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in downtown Santa Fe. Be inspired by our outstanding ensembles, including The Symphony Chorus, The Symphony Chamber Singers, The Symphony Choral Scholars, and The Symphony Brass and Chamber Ensembles.

WE REMEMBER

Sunday, May 17, 2026

Cathedral Basilica | 3 pm

The Santa Fe Symphony Chorus, under the direction of Carmen Flórez-Mansi, performs their annual Memorial Day concert. Enjoy beautiful choral music at the iconic Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in downtown Santa Fe and be inspired by our outstanding ensembles, including The Symphony Chorus, The Symphony Chamber Singers and The Symphony Chamber Ensemble.

CONCERT SPONSORS

Katherine & William Landschulz

CONCERT SPONSORS

Irene & Cervantes “Buddy” Roybal

CONCERT SPONSORS

Barbara & James Cooper Komis Enterprises

BRINGING GREAT MUSIC TO LIFE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION

The Santa Fe Symphony’s Youth Program offers exceptional music education to hundreds of young musicians each year — from our youngest beginners to accomplished high schoolers. With robust financial aid and dedicated mentoring in local schools, we ensure that cost is never a barrier to participating in the joy of music.

JAZZ

Our Jazz Project offers small combo experiences in both Santa Fe and Los Alamos for intermediate and advanced players. Students explore improvisation, groove, and ensemble performance, with opportunities to showcase their talent at community events.

ORCHESTRA

With four string ensembles and two symphony orchestras, our Orchestra Project gives students in winds, brass, percussion, and strings a place to grow, shine, and perform. From first-time musicians to advanced symphony members, each student develops skills and confidence through ensemble learning.

MARIACHI

Our vibrant Mariachi Project includes two mariachi ensembles and a beginner guitar class. Students celebrate culture and community through music, while developing instrumental and performance skills in a supportive group environment.

CHAMBER MUSIC

Our Chamber Music Project pairs intermediate to advanced students in small ensembles coached by Symphony professionals. Students develop listening skills, musical independence, and collaboration while preparing for performances throughout the season.

BAND

CHORAL

The Choral Project provides uplifting ensemble experiences for beginner through advanced vocalists in both Santa Fe and Los Alamos. Students build their skills, confidence, and friendships as they explore choral repertoire in a supportive setting.

Our newest Education Project is designed for young musicians in wind, brass, and percussion who are ready to take their skills to the next level. Students will grow as leaders in their school music programs and prepare for success in honor ensembles, All-State auditions, and high school band experiences.

SCHOOL MENTORING & LESSONS

Symphony musicians and local educators provide instrument-specific coaching and teacher support directly in local schools, reaching over 750+ students annually.

EARLY CHILDHOOD

Our Early Childhood Project introduces the joy of music to our community’s youngest learners through meaningful partnerships with early learning centers, libraries, and community organizations. These offerings are designed to nurture creativity, connection, and developmental growth through music in a playful, culturally responsive environment.

MUSIC MATTERS: YOUR IMPACT

YOUR SUPPORT MAKES THIS POSSIBLE

• 321 students enrolled in afterschool programs

• 750+ students mentored in schools

• 4,000+ community members reached through free concerts and events each season

• 27% of students receive financial aid — every applicant is awarded support

• 20+ free community events each season — concerts, instrument petting zoos, sing-alongs & more

Your generosity ensures every young musician can experience the transformative power of music, regardless of income.

Students from low-income backgrounds who participate extensively in the arts have just a 4 % high‑school dropout rate — five times lower than their peers with less arts involvement.

Source: National Endowment for the Arts, The Arts and Achievement in At-Risk Youth: Findings from Four Longitudinal Studies

Students in after-school music programs in public housing neighborhoods showed significantly greater gains in reading proficiency than similar peers who did not participate.

Source: Catterall, J. S. & Waldorf, L. (1999). “Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education: Summary Evaluation.”

COMMITTEE & DIRECTORS

EDUCATION & COMMUNITY COMMITTEE

Perry Andrews

Kate Carswell

Ann Dederer

Steve Eastwood

Steven Goldstein, Chair

Naomi Israel

Callie Kent

Bill Landschulz

Lori Lovato

Boo Miller

Don O'Sullivan

Katie Rountree

Lee Rand

Laurie Rossi

Our Education & Community programs reflect our deep commitment to this community. It is a privilege to witness music bringing people together — families, neighborhoods, and audiences of all ages. Thank you for supporting this vision and ensuring that music remains a vibrant part of life in Santa Fe.

Emma Scherer

Susan Steffy

William Waag

Laura Witte

Dana Winograd

Elizabeth Young

Our Youth Programs empower students of all ages to grow with confidence and discover authentic self-expression through music. With diverse opportunities in school, after school, and in the community, our students thrive in an environment where their individuality is celebrated and their voices truly matter. Thank you for supporting the artists of the future and helping us nurture the next generation of creative leaders.

Callie Kent Education & Community Director

Elizabeth Young Youth Program Director

YOUTH CONCERTS

DISCOVERY CONCERT

October 20, 2025

LENSIC

Our annual concerts for fifth graders introduces students to classical music and the musicians of the Symphony. We offer bilingual support and in-classroom education opportunities for this exciting yearly tradition.

JOIN US THIS SEASON

Celebrate the accomplishments of our talented young musicians — your support and applause help them thrive!

FALL YOUTH PROGRAM CONCERTS

November 16, 2025

DuaNE SmIth auDItorIum LoS aLamoS

November 18, 2025

FarmEr’S markEt pavILIoN SaNta FE

November 19, 2025

CENtEr For CoNtEmporary artS SaNta FE

FAMILY CONCERT — OPERATIC FAVORITES

January 17, 2026

11 am

Bring the whole family for a special, family-friendly version of our January concert, Operatic Favorites. This program is designed with young listeners in mind – from curious toddlers to teens. This free performance introduces The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra & Chorus in an engaging, welcoming environment.

SPRING YOUTH PROGRAM CONCERTS

April 26, 2026

LENSIC

Enjoy performances by young musicians in our orchestra, band, jazz, mariachi, chorus, lessons, and chamber music projects. Ensembles, concert dates, and performance times to be announced.

2026 ANNUAL CONCERTO COMPETITION

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

SPRING 2026

The funds awarded through The Symphony's Annual Concerto Competition can make a significant difference to a music student’s professional development, especially during their first year of college. For example, the Senior Division third-place prize for The Symphony’s 2026 Concerto Competition can potentially cover the cost of a student’s textbooks in their first year of college. Textbook prices are rising roughly 3 times the rate of inflation. Educational data shows that:

• The price of textbooks increases by an average of 6% each academic year, doubling every 11 years;

• While less expensive, the cost-per-student of eTextbooks also increased by 36.8% over 12 months;

• College tuition/fees have risen over 80% in the past 12 years;

• The average postsecondary student spends between $600 and $1,200 annually for books and supplies each academic year;

ELIGIBILITY

• All applicants must be residents of New Mexico.

• 25% of students reported they worked extra hours to pay for their books and materials;

• 11% of first year college students skipped meals in order to afford books and course materials;

• 66% of college students skipped buying and renting course materials such as textbooks at some point in their career as they were too expensive.

• The 2026 Concerto Competition is open to orchestral or choral musicians (no piano).

• Applicants must be available to participate in the in-person finals round (date TBD), as well as the rehearsal and performance listed for their division;

• Applicants must provide their own accompanist for virtual auditions and in-person final rounds. If an accompanist is unavailable for virtual audition, videos should be submitted without accompaniment.

• Audition videos should be between 5 to 7 minutes in length uploaded. Applicants may perform multiple movements to fill up the time.

• Repertoire is NOT required to be memorized (but encouraged) for virtual or final auditions, but MUST be memorized by winners for live performance with The Symphony.

• Choral applicants may only apply in Junior Division: grades 9 though 12.

*NEED FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE?

We recognize the potential financial and logistical difficulty in applying to a competition of this nature. Students needing assistance, please email competition@santafesymphony.org with any questions. It is our intention to make this competition as accessible as possible to students throughout the state of New Mexico.

INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT

When you contribute to The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, you help bring beautiful music to life in our community.

Your support nurtures exceptional artistic talent, fosters community connection, and ignites inspiration in children through our many educational programs and classes.

There are many ways to give, allowing you to support The Symphony while also achieving your financial goals.

ANNUAL FUND

Ticket sales cover only 25% of our annual operating costs. The rest depends on the generosity of music lovers like YOU. Your gift, no matter the size, helps keep the music playing. It directly supports our professional musicians and brings vital music education programs to children across Northern New Mexico. Join us in making a lasting impact.

Donors at every level enjoy special access to the heart of The Symphony.

From attending dress rehearsals and exclusive receptions to dining with guest artists and mingling with fellow music lovers across Santa Fe—when you’re part of The Symphony Family, you truly experience the music from the inside out.

For information on how you can support The Symphony contact our Development Team:

Katie Rountree, Development Director, krountree@santafesymphony.org, 505.600.3976

Laura Witte, Events & Annual Fund Manager, lwitte@santafesymphony.org, 505.552.3916

BUSINESS SUPPORT

The performing arts are crucial to the well-being of a community.

The arts creates jobs, boosts tourism, spurs growth in related businesses and improves the overall quality of life in our communities. The Santa Fe Symphony together with our corporate sponsors and donors are strong business leaders who believe in the importance of music and music education, and the role these play in making Santa Fe a great place to live, work, and do business.

Join our team of Business sponsors and you will:

• support the arts in your community.

• help fund music education and access programming for more than 5,000 children, adults, and families in Northern New Mexico.

• support bringing great musical artists to Santa Fe like Alexi Kenney, Maximiano Valdés, Olga Kern, stars of the Santa Fe Opera and more…

• entertain your clients and reward your employees with Symphony experiences and free tickets for sponsored concerts. Sponsors of $2,500 or more are also invited to network with Symphony donors at Musicales, intimate musical receptions across Santa Fe.

• market your brand and show your commitment to the community asset that is The Symphony. Sponsors receive recognition in advertisements and from stage.

Advertise in our season program book and gain direct exposure to high-income culturally engaged audiences. Receive year long visibility through multi-concert program distribution.

MARKETING REACH

• 13,565 classical music lovers at live concerts and special events—season program book

• 8,000 email clients weekly through Symphony promotions

• 15,000 local and regional contacts—season brochure

• 8,000 local patrons and nationwide visitors to Santa Fe—Symphony Program Book

• 11,000 PASATIEMPO readers—print ads

• 339,000 Santa Fe New Mexican readers—print ads

• 674,040 annual viewers—digital ads on Santa Fe Reporter

• 15,000 Santa Fe Reporter readers—print ads

• 93,000+/- Classical Radio KHFM Public Radio and Hutton Broadcasting listeners

• 27,000 impressions—direct mail contacts from Sep through May

• 30,000 average impressions—social media monthly

• 21,000 average impressions—The Symphony website monthly

Be in good company. We are proud to be supported by many of Santa Fe’s leading employers and philanthropic giving programs.

SUPPORT YOUR SYMPHONY!

MUSICALES

Musicales are intimate gatherings filled with hors d’oeuvres, fine wine, and unforgettable music performed by our world-class guest artists and our talented symphony musicians.

ARTIST RECEPTIONS

Our post concert artist receptions at Galerie Züger are filled with symphony donors and musicians elated by the symphony concert they just experienced.

MAESTRO’S BRUNCH

NEW! Our Maestro Brunch will be an intimate brunch with Maestro Figueroa where he’ll share his excitement about the season, tell stories of his time with The Santa Fe Symphony, and enjoy good food and great company.

DISCOVERY CONCERT

Our annual Discovery Concert brings 1,600 fifth-grade students to hear the symphony play, many being their first time hearing a live orchestra. Learn more on page 104.

CONCERTO COMPETITION

Each year, we host a concerto competition for advanced instrumental and vocal students. The Concerto Competition Finals are for those students who will audition one final time and a winner will be announced. Learn more on page 101.

BUSINESS SPONSORS

Entertain your clients and reward your employees with Symphony experiences and free tickets for sponsored concerts. Sponsors of $2,500 or more are invited to network with Symphony donors at Musicales & Artist Receptions.

MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES

Market your brand and show your commitment to the community asset that is The Symphony. Sponsors of $5,000 or more receive recognition in print, digital, and radio advertisements and from stage.

DONOR BENEFITS

2025-2026

DONOR BENEFITS

Recognition in the Season Program Book

Exclusive donor content, event invitations, concert information

Advance Season

Subscription Purchases Available

Free Ticket Exchanges

Advance Season Announcement

Invitation to an open Dress Rehearsal of your choice (1)

Backstage Tour on a Concert Day*

(2) Two complimentary tickets to a Symphony concert*

Invitation to Season Opener & Closer Artist Receptions

Invitation to our annual Season Preview Musicale

Invitations to Symphony Circle Musicales (2)

Invitations to all Galerie Züger Artist Receptions (9)

Invitation to all open Dress Rehearsals

Invitation to Musicians Circle Musicales (4)

Invitation to annual Discovery Concert

(4) Four complimentary tickets to a Symphony concert*

Half-page program book advertisement+

Business advertised in print, digital, radio promotions+

Invitation to Producers Circle Musicale (1)

(6) Six complimentary tickets to a Symphony concert*

Free Parking for Sunday Subscription Concerts* (9)

Invitation to SFS Concerto Competition Finals*

Full-page program book advertisement+

Invitation to sit on stage at a Dress Rehearsal of your choice (1)*

Invitation to Maestro's Brunch

(8) Eight complimentary tickets to a Symphony concert*

Two-page program book advertisement+

*subject to availability

^Encore Society - 4 year commitment +available to business sponsors

SYMPHONY SUPPORTERS

We gratefully acknowledge the following individuals, businesses, and foundations for their generous support. Gifts of all sizes help us bring great music to life each year, bridging the gap between the cost of producing nine subscription concerts, income generated from ticket sales, and numerous community outreach performances throughout our season.

Listed below are donors who made a gift or pledge to The Santa Fe Symphony between July 1, 2024 and August 1, 2025. For more information, please contact Katie Rountree, Development Director at 505.600.3976 or Laura Witte, Events & Annual Fund Manager at 505.552.3916.

IMPRESARIO CIRCLE

J. W. Couch Foundation

Susan and Steven Goldstein

Katherine and William Landschulz

Boo Miller

City of Santa Fe, Arts & Culture Department

COMPOSERS CIRCLE

Ann Neuberger Aceves

Dorne and Stephen Eastwood

Enterprise Bank & Trust

Diane and John Lenssen

Margaret and Barry Lyerly

Faith and David Pedowitz

Santa Fe Community Foundation

Santa Fe New Mexican

William Seale, MD and Ann Dederer

Suzanne Timble ∞

Valerie Turner and Guillermo Figueroa

DIRECTORS CIRCLE

Perry C. Andrews III and Scott Baker

Zella and Lawrence Cox

Dalit and Ronald Holzman

Ellen and James Hubbell

Lineberry Foundation

Mary and John Macukas

Dr. Thomas McCaffrey

Elizabeth and James Roghair

Megan and David Van Winkle

PRODUCERS CIRCLE

Casa Rodeña Winery

Julie and Michael Dawson

The Fasken Foundation

Fix My Roof LLC

Connie and Ambassador

David Girard-diCarlo

Karen and McAllison Hebert

Linda Kenney and Michael P. Sheetz ∞

The Kind World Foundation

La Fonda on the Plaza

Mary Lauritano and Skip Raschke

Phyllis Lehmberg

Nusenda Credit Union

Penelope Penland and Verne Stanford

Teresa Pierce

Laurie Rossi and John Scully

Rotary Club of Santa Fe Foundation

Beth and Joel Scott

Thornburg Investment Management

Toyota of Santa Fe

Ellen and Robert Vladem

Joyce Wolff and Richard Henderson

Frank W. Yates, Jr. Family Foundation

Everett Zlatoff-Mirsky

MUSICIANS CIRCLE

Yoko and Thomas Arthur

James F. Bianca

Century Bank

Christus St. Vincent

Regional Medical Center

City of Santa Fe, Youth and Family Services

Concept Hotels

Ralph Craviso

Allegra and James Derryberry

Eli Lilly and Company Foundation

Evelyn L. Petshek Arts Fund

Bernard Ewell and Sali Randel

Jose "Pepe" Figueroa

Galerie Züger

Debra L. Hart and Leslie Arthur Roundstream

Anita and Kurt Hausafus

Shirley and E. Franklin Hirsch

Inn on the Alameda

Kathryn O'Keeffe

Charitable Foundation

Komis Enterprises, Dorinda and Peter Komis

Los Alamos National Laboratory

Robert Mackenzie and John Thompson

Kathe MacLaren and Ifan Payne

Phil Martin

Morgan Stanley - The Compass Rose Group

New Mexico Arts

New Mexico Bank and Trust

Pam Parfitt and Brian Morgan

Judith Rowan and Richard Schacht

Irene and Cervantes “Buddy” Roybal

Dee and Augustus Rush

Santa Fe Hestia Fund

Nikki Schwartz and David Hofmann

Donald Shina and Kevin Waidmann

Marion and Joe Skubi

Barbara and Glen Smerage

Robin Smith

Sotheby's International Realty

Kenneth Stilwell

Kay and Neel Storr, Storr Family Endowment Fund

Texas Instruments Foundation

Elizabeth VanArsdel

Joan Vernick

Joan West

Sara Wigh and James McManis

Judith Williams and Elliot Stern

Judith Wilson

SYMPHONY CIRCLE

ALH Foundation

Anonymous

Bonnie Binkert and Michael Melody

SYMPHONY SUPPORTERS

Megan and John Boudreau

Holly Bray and Tad Witherington

Barbara and James Cooper

The Dragonfly Fund of Santa Fe Community Foundation

Engine70 Studios

Tina and Georges Feghali

Hilton Santa Fe Historic Plaza

Hutton Broadcasting

Alice and John Jennings

Barbara and David Larson

Laura A. Liswood

Eileen Mandel

McCune Charitable Foundation

Barbara and Thomas Moore

Janet and Dan Morton

N3B Los Alamos

Steven Ovitsky

Patina Gallery

Ray N. Rhodes

Carol and Richard H. Rudman

Kevin M. Sadler

Hilary and Reed Schaper

Linda Schoen Giddings and Daryl Giddings

Deborah and Howard Spiegelman

Deborah and Scott Wegeleben

Kay and Bill Whitman

Elizabeth J. Yasek

PATRONS CIRCLE

John R. Adams

Paul Allison

Catherine Alsip

Anonymous

Anonymous

Beatrice Freeman Sheinberg Memorial Music Fund, The Santa Fe Community Foundation

Anne and John Burton

Dr. Andrew Cameron

Kate Carswell and Timothy Schmoyer

Susan and Conrad de Jong

Elisabet de Vallée and D. Reed Eckhardt

Nancy Dickenson

Keri L. Durfee and Mark Goldweitz

Anne Eisfeller and Roger Thomas

Dr. Richard Forde and David Foushee

Cheryl Fossum Graham

David Frank and Kazukuni Sugiyama

Christine and Frank Fredenburgh

Maria and Edward Gale

Keri and Tim Goorley

Julia and Jonathan Gordon

Marilyn S. Hebert

Kathy and Brad Holian

Deborah and David Holloway

Sherry and Robert Johnson

DJ Kahlo Fund

Nancy Katz and Margo Dichtelmiller

Jenifer and Grayson Kirtland

Patricia H. Kushlis

Virginia Lawrence

Barbara Lenssen and Keith Anderson

Eileen and Mike Mabry

Diana MacArthur

Ginnie Maes

Nicolle Maniaci and John Witiuk

Angela Martin

Cecilia and Emil Matic

Kathy and John Matter

Evelyn McClure

Dee Ann McIntyre

Justin Medrano, Morgan Stanley Foundation

Sara Mills and Scott Brown

Judy Mitchell

Yolanda Myres and John Scimeca

Kim and Don O'Sullivan

Cindi and Jerald Parker

Jan and Jim Patterson

Kim and David Pipes

Joohee and Lee Rand

Mary Rankovich and Dennis Kanka

Alice Redmond-Neal and David Neal

Carolyn and Preston Reed

Frank Renz

Helen and William Rogers

Diane Rubin and Leonard Eber

Pamela and Richard Salmon

Santa Fe Community Foundation

David Scherer

Emma Scherer and Zak Nelson

Elaine Schweitzer and Kevin O'Leary

Barbara Servis

Susan and John Shaffer

Jessica and Philip Smucker

Marja and Everett Springer

Nancy and Neill Taylor

Melanie Peters Thorne and Edwin Thorne Jr.

Carrie and Robert Tiemann

Marcia Torobin

The United Church of Santa Fe

Dolores Valdes Level and Lee Level

Adrian Vanderhave

Bethany and Stephen Wells

Lisa and John Wilhelmsen

Marylou Witz

Nancy Zeckendorf

BENEFACTORS

Sue Baum

Virginia and Morgan Boatwright

Mark Murdock

Judy and Bob Sherman

SUPPORTERS

Elizabeth Alexander

Ann Griffith Ash

Marilyn and Cris Barnes

Anne E. Beckett

Judith Benkendorf and Norman Marks

Kate Blackwell and Felix Jakob

Nancy Cusack and Larry Stoerner

Greta and Robert J. Dean Jr.

Lorna Dyer and Jerry D. Watts

Martha and Michael Everett

Mary Felton

Carmen Floréz-Mansi and Tom Mansi

Melissa Fox

William Green

Richard Grimes

Barbara Haffner

Lisa and David Hampton

Susanne Hoffman-Dooley

Jen and Russell Howard

Elizabeth Hume

Keytha and Paul Jones

Genowefa and Bruno Keller

Sheryl Kelsey and George Duncan

Heather Kemp

Dr. Joyce Koenig and Dr. Kenneth Schowengerdt

Andy Landschulz

Dominic LoCrasto

SYMPHONY SUPPORTERS

Andrea London

Jane and David McGuire

Kathryn McKnight

Tiia McLaughlin

Nicolle Maniaci and John Witiuk

Bette K. Myerson

Candace and Frank Norris

Nancy and Jim Pierce

Denise and Matt Poage

Sabrina Pratt and David Carr

Barbara and Leonard Rand

Clare and Jack Ratliff

Nicola Renison

Marianne C. Reuter

Katie and Russ Rountree

Andrew J. Rudnick

Mary Y. Sandham

Sandy and Richard Snider

Susanne Stauffer

Charles Tallman

Beth and David Winfield

ASSOCIATES

Terry Brownell

Kirstin Bruner

Diane and Fletcher Catron

Barbara and Aaron Clark

Eric Consolazio

Shane Cronenweth

Janet and Joel DeLisa

Frances Diemoz and Alan Webber

Debby Everett

Gary G. Faules

Robert J. Florek

Sophia O. Garrett

Sandra and Justin Greene

Theresa and Martin Helldorfer

Louisa Hendrix

Ann and Jerry Hicks

Gloria Holloway

Sallie Holloway

Bernhard Holzapfel

John Horning

Il Vicino Wood Oven Pizza

Naomi Israel

Brenda and Michael Jerome

Callie and Joel Kent

Diana King

Sande G. Knight

Marilyn and Matthew LaCome

Lori Lovato

Tina Ludutsky-Taylor and Allen Taylor

Bradley Lummis

Carina and Boris Maiorov

Helen Maloof Aranda

Jim Martin and Mark Chalfant

Frances and Michael Meier

Bettina Milliken

Esther and Ralph Milnes

Carol and George Miraben

Nancy Newton and Dave Grusin

PayPal Giving Fund

Margaret and John Ratliff

Roberta and William Richards

Susan Rosenbaum and Eric Schoen

Salvador Ruiz Esquivel

Robert G. Russell

Peggy and Jack Seigel

Anne Shute

MaryEllen Staib

Susan Steffy

Maria T. Stennis

Lawrence M. Wells

Brad Westergren

Sylvia Wittels and Joe Alcorn

Claire and Jim Woodcock

FRIENDS

Lexey Alcorn

Anonymous

Janice Arrott

Katherine Avalon

Jennie Baccante

Steven D. Berkshire

Patricia A. Boham

Diane and James Bonnell

Lisa and Stephen Botos

Beverly Boyd Wilson and Richard Wilson

Bruce Bradford

Susan Cedar and Gary Lowenthal

Janis Chitwood

Pamela Culwell and Charles G. Case II

Laura S. Cummings

Yvette de la O and Patrick Block

Linda Dean and John Kitzmiller

Anna Delev

Rebecca Dempsey

Charly Drobeck

Karen Duray

Bobbie Elliott

William Fajman

Patricia and Joseph Fasel

Leslie Finegan

Kim Fredenburgh and Kevin Vigneau

Rose A. Gattis

Julie Geng

Sheila Gershen

Mona Golub

Libby Gonzales

Keri and Tim Goorley

Maya Griswold

Gwen and Eugene Gritton

Barbara Hadley and John Burke

Barbara Hays

Jacquelyn Helin and Robert A. Glick

Paul Helman

Callie and David Henkel

Richard Hertz

Wendy and Sam Hitt

Rae Hoffacker and Peter Pappas

Betsy and Thomas Jones

Ted Karpf

Susan and Gary Katz

Margaret Keller

Judy and Andrew Kramer

Leonard J. La Magna

Ellie Leighton

Richard Lindahl

William J. Lock

Joan Lombardi and Lee Nash

Henry M. Lopez

Nina Watthen Lovaas

Randi Lowenthal

Rob Lunn

Richard D. Mariner

Ramon Martinez and Paul Sidebottom

Michael G. McCafferty

Sandra McLeroy

Dorothy McMath

Rosemary Merriam and George Warmingham

Carleen Miller

Jan L. Moberg

Susy Moesch

Suzanne and Richard Molnar

Luanne and Steve Moyer

SYMPHONY SUPPORTERS

Nancy A. Murphy

Network for Good

Katherine Nydes and Hans Bakker

Katie and David Olivant

Betty E. Onstad

Margaret Page and Michael Pearce

Carol Patterson

Lisa Reamy Heaton and Gordon Heaton

Jo Redmon

Lois and Lee Reiswig

Anders Richter

Carol Ross

Francine Salkin and Jonathan Beamer

Merry Schroeder and David Matthews

Suzanne Schutze

Martin Sigel

Leslie and Roger M. Simon

Martha and Ken Simonsen

Sandra Sparks

Judith and Robert Sterns

Sarah J. Strong

Martha Tallant Sogol and Les Sogol

Enid Tidwell

Donald M. Topkis

Maria Virobik and Patrick Lee

Deb and Larry Weinberg

Janislee and Bill Wiese

Patsy Williamson

Dana Winograd

Dan Winske

Brad Woolbright

Judith and Guy Yale

Nancy and George Yankura

June and Frederick Yoder

Gretchen Yost and Norman Doggett

Lyle York

Caire Zoeller and Richard J. Klein

DONORS

Rosalind Abero

Joan M. Balik

David D. Bowes

Sonja Braun Sand

Constance Burke and William Leeman

Christine and Gregory Davis

Beth and Robert Detwiler

Ariane Eberhardt and Brian Crone

Sheila and William Epstein

Annelyse and William Feiereisen

Jeanne Forrester and Thomas Vosburgh

Cynthia and Michael Furlanetto

Mary and Kevin Garrison

Katy Gross

Gerald Hendrickson

Nancy Hun

Cheryl and Chris Krause

Anne and Bruce Legler

Virginia and Maurice Lierz

Jeanne M. Lubey

Janice L. Mayer

Estelle Miller

Claire Olson and Philip Kosch

Ann and Murray Ostberg

Rebecca and Alan Ray

Edna Reyes-Wilson and Harvey Wilson

Anna Richards

Carmen Rodriguez

Patsie Ross

Kristin Rowley

Ward Russell

Pamela Schackel and Michael Golden

Colleen and Art Sheinberg

Lola Soler and Gene Bourne

Sherri Sorensen-Clem

Lindsay B. Sugano

Jane and Pat Sullivan

Gretchen and John Thomas

Mary and Peter Thomas

Warren E. Watson

FRIENDS OF EDUCATION & COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

Elizabeth Alexander

Janice Arrott

Katherine Avalon

Beatrice Freeman Sheinburg Memorial Music Fund of Santa Fe Community Foundation

Sonja Braun Sand

Kirstin Bruner

Andrew Cameron

Janis Chitwood

City of Santa Fe Arts & Culture Department

City of Santa Fe, Youth & Family Services

J.W. Couch Foundation

Laura S. Cummings

Susan and Conrad De Jong

Dragonfly Fund of Santa Fe Community Foundation

Dorne and Stephen Eastwood

Sheila and William Epstein

The Fasken Foundation

Melissa Fox

Cynthia and Michael Furlanetto

Rose A. Gattis

Susan and Steven Goldstein

Keri and Tim Goorley

Maya Griswold

Katy Gross

Barbara Hadley and John Burke

Marilyn S. Hebert

Shirley and E. Franklin Hirsch

Il Vicino Wood Fire Pizza

Naomi Israel

Genowefa and Bruno Keller

Margaret Keller

Callie and Joel Kent

The Kind World Foundation

Soledad and John King

Marilyn and Matthew LaCome

Katherine and William Landschulz

Mary Lauritano and Skip Raschke

Phyllis Lehmberg

Lineberry Foundation

Los Alamos National Laboratory

Diana MacArthur

Robert B. Mackenzie and John Thompson

Boris A. Maiorov

Helen Maloof Aranda

Janice Mayer

Evelyn McClure

McCune Charitable Foundation

Tiia McLaughlin

Judy Mitchell

Mark Murdock

Bette K. Myerson

Yolanda Myres and John Scimeca

N3B Los Alamos

Network for Good

Candace and Frank Norris

Kim and Don O'Sullivan

Pam Parfitt and Brian Morgan

Barbara and Lee Rand

Joohee and Lee Rand

SYMPHONY SUPPORTERS

Rebecca and Alan Ray

Carmen Rodriguez

Elizabeth and James Roghair

Rotary Club of Santa Fe Foundation

Santa Fe Community Foundation

Santa Fe Hestia Fund

Merry Schroeder and David Matthews

Jessica and Philip Smucker

Sandy and Richard Snider

Martha and Les Sogol

Sherri Sorensen-Clem

Sandra Sparks

MaryEllen Staib

Susan Steffy

Maria T. Stennis

Ken Stilwell

Sarah J. Strong

Gretchen and John Thomas

Adrian Vanderhave

Nina Watthen Lovaas

Deb and Larry Weinberg

Brad Westergren

Patsy Williamson

Judith Wilson

Frank W. Yates, Jr. Family Foundation

Nancy and George Yankura

June and Fred Yoder

DONATIONS IN HONOR OF

Marylou Witz, by Diane and James Bonnell

Everett Zlatoff-Mirksy, by Mona Golub

Ann Neuberger Aceves, by Ellie Leighton

Dr. Penelope Penland and Ann Neuberger Aceves by, Faith and David Pedowitz

Kate Carswell, by Karen Carswell, Dan Adelmann, Marty and Carol Sigel

Marja Aulikki Landschulz, by Katherine and William Landschulz

Robert Giebeig and Paul Gscheidle, by Suzanne Timble

DONATIONS IN MEMORY OF

Dorothy Harroun, by Dalit & Ronald Holzman

Barbara Holzapfel, by Bernhard Holzapfel

Sam and Esther Katz, by Susan and Gary Katz

Lemonia Komis, by Dorinda and Peter Komis

Mort Morrison, by Teresa Pierce

Viola Floréz Tighe, by Dorinda and Peter Komis

Matthew Frauwirth, by Judith and Robert Sterns

Suzanne Timble, by Kenneth Stilwell

Truel West, by Joan West

Gordon Wilson, by Judith Wilson

FRIENDS OF THE SYMPHONY CHORUS

Robert J. Florek

Dr. Richard Forde and David Foushee

Mary and Kevin Garrison

Jenifer and Grayson Kirtland

Janet and Dan Morton

Betty E. Onstad

Ann and Murray Ostberg

Lisa Reamy Heaton and Gordon Heaton

Anna Richards

Jane and Pat Sullivan

Joan West

SPECIAL THANKS

2024 Home for the Holidays

Education & Community Fundraiser

315 Restaurant

Array

Atrisco Cafe & Bar

Agua Fria Nursery

The Beauty Marque

Beef and Leaf

Black Mesa Winery

Cafecito

Cafe Fina

Casa Nova

Chimayo Rocks

Chocolate Maven

Clafoutis

Collected Works

Ann Dederer and William Seale

Dinner for Two ElleWell

Engine 70 Studio

Garcia Books

Susan and Steven Goldstein

Henry and the Fish

Hutton Broadcasting

Jambo Bobcat Bite

Joe's Tequila Bar

Joseph's Table

Kakawa Chocolate

Kaunes's Market

La Choza

La Fonda del Sol

Katherine and William Landschulz

Los Poblanos

Kathe MacLaren and Ifan Payne

Museum Hill Cafe

Newman's Nursery

Pig and Fig

Plaza Cafe

Pranzo's Osteria

Radish & Rye

Restaurant Martin

The Royal Rawness

Salt Cave

SantaCafe

Santa Fe Brewing Co

Sign of the Pampered Maiden

Robin Smith

Sotheby's International Realty

Sopaipilla Factory

Stretch Lab

Sukhmani

Teca Tu

Tia Sophia's

Megan and David Van Winkle

Violet Crown

Whole Hog Café

Whoo's Donuts

Everett Zlatoff-Mirsky

SPECIAL THANKS

Angels & Demons Annual Gala

Perry Andrews and Scott Baker

Ann Dederer and William Seale

Anne Eisfeller and Roger Thomas

Four Seasons Rancho Encantado

Katherine and William Landschulz

Kathe MacLaren and Ifan Payne

Mary and John Macukas

Mercedes Benz of Santa Fe

Patina Gallery

Joohee and Lee Rand

Barbara and Lee Rand

Nestor Romero

Santa Fe Opera

Santa Fe Symphony Foundation

Robin Smith

Everett Zlatoff-Mirsky

∞ deceased

If we have omitted your name or listed your name incorrectly, please accept our sincere apologies.

Contact Katie Rountree at 505.600.3976 so we can update our records.

There are many ways to give to The Symphony and achieve your personal and financial goals.

Gifts to The Symphony support great music in your community and dozens of programs for youth and families.

The Symphony is a 501(c)3 organization. Tax ID: 85-0331684

GIVE ONLINE

WAYS TO GIVE WAYS TO

Make your donation quickly and easily via credit card at: santafesymphony.org/donate

PERSONAL CHECK

Please make checks payable to The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra & Chorus and mail them to: PO Box 9692, Santa Fe, NM 87504

RECURRING MONTHLY DONATION

Commit to a recurring monthly donation, spreading the impact of your overall giving and impacting The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra & Chorus all year long.

IRA DISTRIBUTION

If you are 70½ or older, you may avoid paying tax on your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) when you convert it to a Qualified Charitable Donation (QCD)! Please forward The Santa Fe Symphony’s address and Tax ID# to your IRA Custodian and let them know to include your name when they distribute the contribution so we may recognize you properly.

MAKE A GIFT OF STOCK

The Santa Fe Symphony can accept gifts of stock. For detailed instructions on how to transfer appreciated securities to the Symphony, please contact Laura Witte.

EMPLOYER MATCHING GIFTS

Many companies will match gifts of current and/or retired employees, doubling or even tripling your impact. Check with your Personnel, Benefits, or Human Resources Department to find out if your employer will match your gift.

DONOR ADVISED FUND

An increasingly popular way to make a gift, one with significant tax advantages, a donor advised fund (DAF) is like a personalized, charitable savings account. You may invest these funds for tax-free growth and recommend grants to nonprofits like The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra & Chorus over time.

SPECIAL EVENTS SAVE

THE DATES!

WINTER GALA Home for the Holidays

A BENEFIT FOR OUR MUSIC EDUCATION PROJECTS

Monday, December 15, 2025 | 6 PM

The Club at Las Campanas

The Santa Fe Symphony’s signature winter gala—a festive evening filled with cheer, joyful holiday music, seasonal delicacies, and a curated selection of gourmet wines. This event benefits the Education Projects & Community Engagements of The Santa Fe Symphony.

ANNUAL

GALA

A BENEFIT FOR THE SANTA FE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA & CHORUS

Saturday, May 30, 2026 | 6 PM Four Seasons Rancho Encantado

Join us for our biggest fundraiser of the year! A special evening with friends, fabulous music, live auction, and gourmet food and wine! Save the date; tickets go fast for this annual celebration of great music in Santa Fe!

$5,000 Music Director

$2,500 Concertmaster

$1,200 Assistant Concertmaster

ADOPT-A-MUSICIAN

$1,000 Principal Musician

$750 Section Musician

$5,000 Choral Director

$1,000 Chamber Singer

$750 Choral Musician

Every musician has a unique story to tell. Through The Symphony’s “Adopt-a-Musician” program, you have the chance to forge a personal connection with one of our orchestral or choral musicians.

Contact Events & Annual Fund Manager, Laura Witte, at lwitte@santafesymphony.org or 505.552.3916 if you would like to participate in this exciting program.

Special thanks to “Adopt-a-Musician” Chair, Laurie Rossi.

Perry Andrews adopted: Melinda Mack, Cello Elizabeth Young, Violin I

Anonymous adopted: Leona Tsinnajinnie, Soprano II Robin Chavez, Alto I

Marilyn and Cris Barnes adopted: Carlos Vasquez-Baur, Chamber Singer Tenor II

Judith Benkendorf and Norman Marks adopted: Luke Gullickson, Piano

Eric Consolazio adopted: Kristen Ferraro, Soprano II

Ann Dederer and Bill Seale adopted: Lori Lovato, Principal Clarinet

Stefanie Przybylska, Principal Bassoon

Allegra and Jim Derryberry adopted: Ruxandra Marquardt, Assistant Concertmaster

Keri Durfee and Mark Goldweitz adopted: Lynn Mostoller, Trombone

Dorne and Stephen Eastwood adopted: Laura Witte, Chamber Singer Alto I

Bernard Ewell and Sali Randel adopted: Erin Espinoza, Cello

Jose “Pepe” Figueroa adopted: Guillermo Figueroa, Music Director

Cheryl Fossum Graham adopted: Elanie Heltman, Principal Oboe

Dr. Richard Forde adopted: David Foushee, Bass I

Christine and Frank Fredenburgh adopted: Kimberly Fredenburgh, Principal Viola

Susan and Steven Goldstein adopted: Laura Chang, Violin I Rebecca Ray, Oboe

Shirley and Frank Hirsch adopted: Valerie Turner, Violin II

Kathleen and Brad Holian adopted: Dana Winograd, Principal Cello

Alice and John Jennings adopted: Christine Rancier, Viola

Kathy and Bill Landschulz adopted:

Devin DeVargas, Chamber Singer Bass

O’Shaun Estrada, Chamber Singer Tenor

Carmen Floréz-Mansi, Choral Director

Katherine Keener, Chamber Singer Soprano I

Kehar Koslowsky, Chamber Singer Alto I

Alan Mar, Violin I

Paul Roth, Collaborative Piano

Gloria Velasco, Violin II

Jody and David Larson adopted: Dave Tolen, Principal Percussion

Mary Lauritano and Skip Raschke adopted: Richard White, Principal Tuba

Dominic LoCrasto adopted: Rebecca Callbeck, Violin II

Eileen Mandel adopted: Alexis Corbin, Percussion

Cecilia and Emil Matic adopted: Kelsea Martinez-Eggleston, Soprano II

Jane and David McGuire adopted: Sam Oatts, Trumpet

Sara Mills and Scott Brown adopted:

Sam Brown, Double Bass

Allison Tutton, French Horn

Teresa Pierce adopted:

Brynn Marchiando, Principal Trumpet

Jesse Tatum, Principal Flute

Nicola Renison adopted: Anna Richards, Alto II

Laurie Rossi adopted:

Allegra Askew, Viola

Elizabeth Baker, Violin I

Barbara Clark, Viola

Laura Dwyer, Flute

Peter Erb, French Horn

James Holland, Cello

Anne Karlstrom, Violin II

Virginia Lawrence, Viola

Sheila McLay, Violin II

Frank Murry, Double Bass

Lidija Peno-Kelly, Violin II

Laura Steiner, Violin II

Carol Swift, Violin I

Marnie Sandham adopted: Roy Yinger, Bass II

Emma Scherer and Zak Nelson adopted: Emily Erb, Clarinet

John Scully adopted: Lisa Collins, Cello

Charles Tallman adopted: Kathy Landschulz, Alto

Megan and David Van Winkle adopted: Carla Kountoupes, Violin I

Everett Zlatoff‑Mirsky adopted: David Felberg, Concertmaster

Nicolle Maniaci, Principal Violin II

ENCORE SOCIETY

ENCORE SOCIETY MEMBERS

The sound of your applause reminds us why we do what we do. Because of your support, we continue to bring great music to life®—season after season.

Members of the Encore Society are uniquely committed to securing the future of The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra & Chorus through generous multi-year pledges. Members have committed at least $40,000 over a four-year period. This vital support allows us to plan boldly, perform brilliantly, and grow sustainably.

With your help, The Symphony is poised to elevate the musical landscape of New Mexico—presenting beloved masterworks, rarely performed gems, world-class soloists, and the finest local talent. Together with the Santa Fe Youth Symphony, we are expanding music education and deepening community engagement, ensuring that the transformative power of music reaches every corner of our city for generations to come.

Join the Encore Society and take your place in shaping a lasting legacy of music.

ENCORE SOCIETY MEMBERS

Ann Neuberger Aceves

Perry C. Andrews III & Scott Baker

Zella & Lawrence Cox

Connie & Ambassador

David Girard-diCarlo

Susan & Steven Goldstein

Dorne & Stephen Eastwood

Linda Kenney & Michael P. Sheetz ∞

Katherine & William Landschulz

Phyllis Lehmberg

Diane & John Lenssen

Mary & John Macukas

Boo Miller

Teresa Pierce

Dr. Penelope Penland & Verne Stanford

Elizabeth & James Roghair

Laurie Rossi & John Scully

William Seale, MD & Ann Dederer

Megan & David Van Winkle

Everett Zlatoff Mirsky

If you would like to become an Encore Society member contact Katie Rountree, Development Director, for more information: 505.600.3976

OVATION SOCIETY

SHAPE YOUR LEGACY!

During our 42nd season, we invite you to join the Ovation Society and create a lasting legacy.

The Ovation Society honors individuals who have made a meaningful commitment to the future of The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra & Chorus by including us in their will or estate plans. These visionary supporters help ensure that our extraordinary performances and far-reaching educational programs will continue to inspire future generations.

If you have already included The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra & Chorus in your estate plans, we would be honored to recognize you as a member of the Ovation Society. Members are invited to our annual Ovation Society Luncheon in celebration of their generous support.

OVATION SOCIETY MEMBERS

Ann Neuberger Aceves

Perry C. Andrews III

Anonymous

Anonymous, In Memory of Gladys & Julius Heldman

Gregg Antonsen

Amanda & Stephen Apodaca

Maggie & David Brown

Mary Ann & Raymond Burkard

Marilyn Casabonne

Jean Cheek

Zella Kay Cox

Daniel Crane

Haley & Hugh Curtin

Shelley & Fred Glantz

Susan Goldstein & Steven J. Goldstein, MD

Elaine & Gregory W. Heltman

Katherine & William Landschulz

Eileen R. Mandel

Drs. Jenny M. Auger Maw & Gilbert M. Maw

Carmen Paradis & Brian McGrath

Dr. Penelope Penland

Genie Ramsey

Britt Ravnan & Michael Ebinger

Laurie Rossi

Vera Russo

Donald Shina, MD & Kevin Waidmann

Marion Skubi

Ken Stilwell

Priscilla & Hunter Temple

Melanie Peters Thorne & Edwin Thorne, Jr.

Elizabeth VanArsdel

Megan & David Van Winkle

Gretchen Witti

Nancy Zeckendorf

The Santa Fe Symphony would like to acknowledge the following members of the Ovation Society who have passed on. We are eternally grateful for their generosity.

Charmay Allred

Dr. Harold & Norma Brown

Mrs. Geroge Dapples

Francis Essig

Helen C. Gabriel

santafesymphony.org

Allen Mason

Joyce M. Nicholson

Paul Rubinfeld

Jacqueline D. Rudisch

Anthony Russo

Patricia Sheppard

Bernice E. Weiss

Margaret "Mickey" F. Inbody

Emily Zants

Janet Zlatoff-Mirsky

Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

ENDOWED FUNDS

CREATE A LEGACY THAT ENDURES

Leave a lasting impact on the cultural life of Santa Fe by including The Foundation for The Santa Fe Symphony in your estate plans. A planned gift is a powerful way to ensure that the joy, inspiration, and educational value of live orchestral music continues to thrive for generations to come.

For more than 25 years, the Foundation has supported The Symphony's mission through prudent investment and stewardship. With over $3 million in assets, The Foundation provides vital annual funding for performances, education programs, and community outreach, helping to sustain our work year after year.

When you make a planned gift to The Foundation, you are creating a personal and permanent legacy, whether through a bequest, charitable trust, or beneficiary designation. There is no greater gift than one that echoes into the future. Join us in keeping great music alive; include The Foundation in your legacy planning today.

If you’d like to make a donation to The Foundation or include us in your estate planning, contact: Katie Rountree, Development Director, krountree@santafesymphony.org, 505.600.3976

ENDOWMENTS

NAMED CHAIRS

The Eddie & Peaches Gilbert Gregory W. Heltman Founder’s Chair

($1,000,000)

The Dr. Penelope Penland Principal Cello Chair

($150,000)

DESIGNATED ENDOWMENTS

Lloyd & Virginia Storr

Music Library Fund

($50,000)

The Boo Miller Assistant Concertmaster Chair

($200,000)

The Boo Miller Principal Percussion Chair

($150,000)

Forever Mentor Program

John & Marte Murphy

($50,000)

The Ann Neuberger Aceves Principal Conductor Podium

($500,000)

The Diane & Peter Doniger Principal Harp Chair

($150,000)

FOUNDATION PRESIDENT

I joined The Foundation for The Santa Fe Symphony’s Board of Directors in 2017, when The Symphony was transforming from a passionate group of talented local musicians to a professionally managed, but still musician-driven, arts organization. As with all change, this transition came with a lot of “growing pains” and some angst, but the group’s commitment to create beautiful music for all of Santa Fe never wavered.

In the ensuing years, The Santa Fe Symphony has become an important regional force in classical music and music education and is one of the few orchestras in the country that includes musicians in its management structure. This innovative model is supported by an increasingly able group of staff members, artistic leadership, a committed board and you, our audience!

The Foundation currently manages an endowment of over $3,250,000 and provides five percent of necessary operating funds to The Symphony annually. This would not be possible without the support of the farsighted donors who created the Foundation and those who continue to give of their time, talent, and treasure as members of the Foundation board, tasked with preserving and growing the assets so crucial to The Symphony’s future.

As we enter the next decade, we hope you will consider including the Foundation in your annual charitable giving or estate planning. What better way to leave a legacy of timeless music!

Robin Smith President, Santa Fe Symphony Foundation

FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Founding President Emerita

Ann Neuberger Aceves

President

Robin Smith

Secretary / Treasurer

Eileen R. Mandel

Directors

Perry C. Andrews III

Michael Dawson

Robert Mackenzie

Dr. Penelope Penland

Marion Skubi

Ex Officio Member

David Van Winkle

Advisor to The Foundation

Teresa M. Pierce

Investment Advisors

Enterprise Bank & Trust

FOUNDATION GIFTS

We gratefully acknowledge the following individuals and organizations for their generous support of The Foundation for The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra & Chorus. The following contributors are listed according to their cumulative non-designated giving since The Foundation’s inception in 1998:

$200,000+

Ann Neuberger Aceves Foundation Founding Member

Peaches and Eddie ∞ Gilbert Foundation Founding Members

Gladys and Julius Heldman ∞ Foundation Founding Members

Boo Miller

Marie S. and Roy R. Neuberger ∞ Foundation Founding Members

$50,000+

Melanie Peters Thorne and Edwin Thorne Jr. Foundation Founding Members

Diane and Peter Doniger

Estate of Charmay Allred

Estate of Francis Essig

Clarie and Richard Gantos

Dr. Penelope Penland

$25,000+

Estate of Mrs. Georges Dapples

Helen and Bertram ∞ Gabriel Foundation Founding Members

Diane and John Lenssen

Marte and John Murphy

Virginia and Lloyd Storr

$10,000+

Carmen Paradis and Brian McGrath

Drs. Jenny M. Auger Maw and Gilbert M. Maw

Estate of Duane “Pete” Myers

Patricia and Carl Sheppard

Marion and Joe Skubi

$5,000+

Sheryl and Michael DeGenring

Constance and Ambassador

David Girard-diCarlo

$2,000+

Jean and John ∞ Cheek

Lee Dirks

Dr. James Fries

Maria and Edward Gale

Cameron Haight

Sue and Dr. Beryl Lovitz ∞

Joyce Nicholson ∞

Genie and Mick ∞ Ramsey

Frances E. Richards

$1,000+

Ann Griffith Ash

Maggie and David Brown

Julie and Mike Dawson

Charles Gulick

Marian and Robert Haight

Bertram Heil ∞

Elaine and Gregory Heltman

Evelyn and David Kloepper

Dr. and Mrs. James McCaffery

Dee and Bill Moore

Alice and Ted Oakley

Sarah and Tom Penland

Mimi and Lee Powell

James Sullivan

Nancy and William ∞ Zeckendorf

Janet ∞ and Everett Zlatoff-Mirsky

OTHER FOUNDATION FRIENDS

Kathy and Rick Abeles ∞

George Aceves

Martha Albrecht

Ann Alexander and Richard Khanlian ∞

Anonymous

Gerald Arnold

Susan Arnold and Ralph Poelling

Julie and William Ashbey

Julie and David Ashton

Hank Bahnsen

Ethel and Sam Ballen ∞

Vera Barad and Edward Marks

F. K. Bateman

Linda and Bill Bein

Celia Berlin

Ann Reifman and Elliot Blum

Julianne Bodnar and John Greenspan ∞

Helen and Richard Brandt

Leona Bronstein

Norma and Harold Brown ∞

Norma H. Burch

Maryann and Raymond Burkard

Elva and Bob Busch

Helen and Julius Cahn

Lisa and David Caldwell

J. Susan Cedar and Gary Lowenthal

Barbara Schmidt Clark and Aaron Clark

Judith Margo Clark

Diane Copland

Diane Shaw Courtney

Zella and Larry Cox

Kathryn Van der Heiden and Grover Criswell

Haley and Hugh Curtin

Florian Art Garcia ∞ and Brian F. Dailey

Edgar Foster Daniels ∞

Josette and Volker De La Harpe ∞

Janet and Joel DeLisa

Dorothy Dorsey

Al Dos Santos

Mary E. Eisenberg

Carole and Hal Eitzen

Helen Eubank

Bernard C. Ewell

Nancy and Thomas Feine

Stephen Flance

Megan and Jeffery Fries

Lynn Matte-Gibbs and Stephen W. Gibbs

Elizabeth Glascock

Linda Goff

Diane and Charles Goodman

Maria and Kurt ∞ Haegele

Marianne Hale

Kitty Carlisle Hart ∞

Barbara Hays

Arthur Hemmendinger

Sarah and Roth Herrlinger

Thomas George David Hesslein

Ann and Jerry Hicks

Constance Hillis

Gail and C.W. Hornsby

Virginia and Ira Jackson

Medora ∞ and James Jennings

Colleen Jones

Patricia and Alfred Judd

Sara and Jim Killough

Sandra Kirmer

Dr. and Mrs. Joseph C. Kiser

Patricia Klock

Kay Delle Koch

Ronnie Koenig and Marc Feldman

Camille and David Kornreich

Susan Krueger

Jody and David Larson

Lynn F. Lee

Phyllis and Stanford ∞ Lehmberg

Ellie Leighton

Ann and Bill ∞ LeMay

Barbara Lenssen and Keith Anderson

Miranda and Ralph Levy

Carole Light and Alex Redmountain

Elizabeth Lubetkin Lipton

Martin and Mildred Litke

Harvey Litt

George and Norma Litton

Andrea London

Matthew Roy London

Patricia London

Linda Mack and Wynn Berven

Colleen Mahon-Powers

Paul and Nancy Malmuth

Dr. Marilyn Mason

John McCusker

Karen McGrath

Andre Michaudon

Audrey Miller

Ann Morgan

Margaret Morgan and David Cohn

Patricia and Richard Morris

Luanne and Steve Moyer

Pat Mueller-Vollmer

Ruth Nelson and Thomas Murphy

Jim Neuberger

Roy S. Neuberger ∞

Betsy S. Nichols

Richard A. Nulman

Bob Nurock

Dolores and Frank Ortiz

Concha Ortiz y Pino de Kleven

Melinne Owen and Paul Giguere

Janet M. Peacock

Margaret M. Page and J. Michael Pearce

John Pedotto

Valerye Plath

Ronnie and William Potter

Joshua Quesada

Harriet Raff

John Geiger and Ronald Rinker ∞

James M. C. Ritchie

Mara and Charles Robinson ∞

Kathleen and Gerald Rodriguez ∞

Brett Roorbach

Kimberly Roos

Barbara Rosenblum

Hilda Rush

Molly and Tony ∞ Russo

Donna Saiz

Dorothy Salant

Mary Anne and Allen Sanborn

Nancy Scheer

Beatrice and M. C. Schultz

Noel Schuurman

Edward Seymour

Donald Shina and Kevin Waidmann

Christine Simpson

Karen Sonn

Karen and Frank Sortino

Harold Steinberg

Emily and Peter Coates Sundt

Georgann and Jeff Taylor

Priscilla and Hunter Temple

Enid and Roy Tidwell ∞

Connie Tirschwell

Patrick Toal

Sandy and Gene Tomlinson

Emma Lou and Don Van Soelen

Roberta Van Welt

Marlene Vrba

FOUNDATION GIFTS

Suzanne Watkins

Moira and Bernard Watts

Joy S. Weber

Joan and Truel ∞ West

Dorian Wilkes

Dora and T.C. Williams

Barbara Windom and Victor di Suvero

Marilyn and Marvin Winick

Nancy Wirth

Marcia Wolf

Marilyn Worthington

Gilda Zalaznick

Patricia and Nolan ∞ Zisman

FOUNDATIONS, FUNDS AND TRUSTS

Anonymous

Dominion Foundation

Donald T. Regan Charitable Foundation

Bar-Levav Family Foundation

Garfield Street Foundation

The Harold Brown and Norma C. Brown Revocable Trust

Lackner Family Endowment Fund

McCune Charitable Foundation, Santa Fe

Sidney and Sadie Cohen Foundation

Thorne Family Fund, Santa Fe Community Foundation

DONATIONS TO THE FOUNDATION IN HONOR OF:

Ann Aceves, by Ellie Leighton

My sister, Ann Neuberger Aceves, by Roy S. Neuberger ∞

Ray Besing, by Joyce Nicholson ∞

Elaine and Gregory W. Heltman, by Joyce Nicholson ∞

Marian and Ernest Karlson, by Kathleen Rodriguez and Gerald Rodriguez ∞

Lori Lovato, by Zella and Larry Cox

Joyce Nicholson ∞

Beth and Joel Scott, by Joyce Nicholson ∞

DONATIONS TO THE FOUNDATION IN MEMORY OF:

Ann Mahon Bradstreet, by Joyce Nicholson ∞

Amalia and Franz Chrobok, by Maria and Kurt ∞ Haegele

Ken Coleman, by Michael and Sheryl DeGenring

Ruthe Coleman, by Ann Neuberger Aceves

Bonnie Binkert and Michael Melody

Bertram Gabriel Jr.∞, by Ann Neuberger Aceves

Helen Gabriel

David Grayson, by

Peggy and John Polk

Samuel Grossman, by Jean and John ∞ Cheek

Chris Gulick, by Charles Gulick

Gladys and Julius Heldman, by Dee and Bill Moore

Gladys Heldman, by

Ann Neuberger Aceves

Barbara Lenssen and Keith Anderson

Helen Gabriel

Joyce Nicholson ∞

Harriet Heltman

Sally Joseph, by Harriet Raff

Bennett Marcus, by Enid and Roy Tidwell ∞

Emma Lou and Don Van Soelen

Marielle McKinney, by Edgar Foster Daniels ∞

Lee Dirks

Josette and Volker de la Harpe ∞

Gladys and Julius Heldman ∞

Virginia and Ira Jackson

Miranda and Ralph Levy

Richard A. Nulman

Concha Ortiz y Pino de Kleven

Delores and Frank Ortiz ∞

James M. C. Ritchie

Edward Seymour

Emily and Peter Coates Sundt

Suzanne Watkins

Barbara Windom and Victor di Suvero

Nancy and William ∞ Zeckendorf

Roy R. Neuberger ∞, by Ann Neuberger Aceves

Jan Arleen Nicholson, by Joyce Nicholson ∞

Ambassador Frank Ortiz, by Ann Neuberger Aceves

Betty Rutledge, by Ann and Bill ∞ LeMay

Dona Haynes Schultz, by Charmay Allred ∞

Pat Wismer, by Christine F. Wismer

Emily Zants ∞

BUSINESS DONATIONS TO THE FOUNDATION IN KIND

Eun K. Hong, CPA

∞ = deceased

Storytelling & Video Production

Digital Display & Hotel Advertising

Digital Marketing & Website Development

SEATING & PRICING

Complete our 2025-2026 subscription form online at santafesymphony.org/subscribe.

To receive 10% OFF your entire order as a full subscriber, please select the full season, comprised of nine brilliant programs (does not include December 27 with Nosotros).

Partial subscription packages are also available; simply select a minimum of five subscription concerts.

Purchase single tickets at santafesymphony.org/events.

REFUNDS & EXCHANGES

Refunds are not offered unless we cancel a concert. Subscribers and donors ($100 level and up) may exchange their tickets for another date. Tickets may also be donated back to The Symphony for a tax credit. Tickets can be donated no later than 2 pm on the day of the concert. Please note that only tickets purchased through The Symphony can be donated for tax purposes; tickets bought at the Lensic do not qualify.

GENERAL INFORMATION

WHEN DOES WILL-CALL OPEN?

The will-call table opens an hour prior to the concert.

WHAT IF I CAN’T FIND MY TICKETS?

Call the box office at 505.983.1414 and we can reprint your tickets. If you have selected electronic tickets, they will be delivered to your inbox one week prior to the event. If you cannot locate them, we can email them to you again or print them for pickup at the venue.

WHAT IS THE DRESS CODE?

While many of our patrons like to take the opportunity to dress up, casual attire is just fine! T-shirt or tie, we know you’re all here for the music!

CONNECTED

WHAT IF I ARRIVE LATE?

Late seating is generally not allowed except in between pieces. If you arrive late, we will ask you to wait until the next piece is over. Depending on where your seats are located, you may be placed in different seats so as not to disturb other patrons, and you will be able to move to your regular seats at intermission. If there are no available seats that would minimize disturbance to other patrons, we will not be able to seat you until intermission. If a concert has no intermission, we cannot guarantee seating to latecomers. If you need to leave your seat during the performance, you may not be re-seated until intermission. Latecomers will be able to wait in the lobby and watch the concert on the video monitor.