SANTA FE DESERT CHORALE ANNOUNCES 2020 PROGRAMMING DETAILS, INCLUDING A COMMISSION BY COMPOSER REENA ESMAIL.
UNLIKELY PARTNERS IS COMPRISED OF FIVE DISTINCT CONCERT PROGRAMS.
TWENTY-THREE MAINSTAGE CONCERT PERFORMANCES, TWO VOCAL CHAMBER PROGRAMS, AND ANCILLARY FESTIVAL PROGRAMMING SCHEDULED.
FEATURED RETURN ENGAGEMENT ON THE DAVID R. DAVIDSON TOWER ARTS SERIES AT HIGHLAND PARK UNITED METHODIST CHURCH IN DALLAS, TEXAS.
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR JOSHUA HABERMANN CONDUCTS ALL PERFORMANCES. TICKETS ON SALE BEGINNING JANUARY 15, 2020 FOR ALL CONCERTS.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Santa Fe, New Mexico, January 10, 2020: The Santa Fe Desert Chorale (SFDC) today announced programming details for the all-professional Chorale’s 38th year.
Organized under the theme of Unlikely Partners, SFDC presents five distinct programs between February 28 and December 22, 2020: Strength and Refuge: A Joyous Exploration of the Psalms; The Jew and the Gentile: Salamone Rossi and Claudio Monteverdi; Roaring ‘20s, East Meets West; and Nochebuena. (A full schedule of concerts and venues is attached.)
Strength and Refuge: A Joyous Exploration of the Psalms features works set to Psalm texts by composers representing five centuries: from Salamone Rossi and Johann Sebastian Bach to Herbert Howells and Shawn Kirchner. A 10th
anniversary reprise of Robert Kyr’s Santa Fe Vespers 2010, commissioned by the Desert Chorale, is a highlight of the program. The Psalms have long been a source of comfort and inspiration to people of many faiths. Common to the Jewish and Christian traditions, and also mentioned in the Koran, they are woven into the cultural heritage of the three Abrahamic traditions. The Psalms were written not only as poetry, but as songs to be sung; the word itself comes from the Greek psalmoi, meaning ‘words to accompany music.’ The Santa Fe Desert Chorale returns to Temple Beth Shalom in Santa Fe for the opening concert of this series, with repeat performances at the Cathedral of St. John in Albuquerque New Mexico, and on The David R. Davidson Tower Arts Series at Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas. (The complete program including Joshua Habermann’s program note and texts and translations may be found on the homepage of the SFDC website: desertchorale.org.)
The Jew and the Gentile: Salamone Rossi and Claudio Monteverdi explores the compositions of Jewish composer Salamone Rossi (1570-1630) and his Christian counterpart Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643). Both employed at the Court in Mantua, Monteverdi and Rossi came from different backgrounds, but they
shared a common musical language. Excerpts from Rossi’s Hashirim Asher Li- Sh’lomo and Monteverdi’s Selva Morale e Spirituale demonstrate that our common shared artistic heritage is greater that our cultural divisions. Sixteen of the Desert Chorale’s Early Music specialists will be joined by period instrumentalists: Maxine Thévenot, Organ; Stephen Redfield, Violin; Lorenzo Colitto, Violin; and Katie Redman, Cello. Pre-concert lectures given by Kerry Ginger DMA are offered free to the public 90 minutes prior to concert time. In the spirit of the program, two performances will take place at Temple Beth Shalom and two will take place at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel.
Opening Night of the 2020 Summer Festival is sponsored by Stephen and Jane Hochberg. An Italian-themed 2020 Summer Festival opening night dinner, “A Banquet in the Court of the Duke of Mantua,” will follow the first concert on July 19, 2020 at the Inn and Spa at Loretto.
Roaring ‘20s is sponsored by Suzanne M. Timble. With this program, the Santa Fe Desert Chorale looks back 100 years and compares works by classical and popular composers of the 1920s. Representing the classical genre, Lili
Boulanger’s Hymne au Soleil, Claude Debussy’s Salut Printemps, Francis
Poulenc’s Lenten Motets, and movements from Frank Martin’s Mass for Double Choir contrast with American Songbook arrangements by Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, George Gershwin, and Jerome Kern. Popular Los Alamos native, Nathan Salazar, will be the collaborative pianist. Pre-concert lectures given by Gregory Grabowski DMA are offered free to the public 90 minutes prior to concert time.
East Meets West is sponsored by Elaine Wang Meyerhoffer. Contrasting musical styles by composers representing China, Japan, Korea, and the Philippines are featured on this multi-cultural program. The Santa Fe Desert Chorale will premiere a commissioned work for mixed chorus and tabla by its first female Composer-in-Residence in over a decade, Indian-American musician Reena Esmail. Pre-concert lectures given by Robert Kyr PhD are offered free to the public 90 minutes prior to concert time. Dr. Kyr’s lectures are sponsored by Janusz and Brahna Lauger Wilczynski.
In its 2020 Winter Festival, Nochebuena, the Santa Fe Desert Chorale builds on its long-standing commitment to music by Hispanic composers. New works and beloved carols from South, Central, and North America make for a joyful celebration of the season. A New Mexico tradition, performances will be presented in both Albuquerque and Santa Fe. The December 16, 2020 concert at Cristo Rey Catholic Church on Canyon Road is sponsored by Susan Noel.
Two afternoon vocal chamber programs have been added to the schedule: If Music be the Food of Life, a program sponsored by Phyllis Lehmberg at The Church of the Holy Faith on July 17, 2020, and Salute to American Music, a program sponsored by Allegra and Jim Derryberry at St. Bede’s Episcopal Church on August 7, 2020.
A full roster of vocalists for the early spring and summer concerts follows on page 10. The 2020 Winter Festival vocalist roster is information and will be announced shortly.
After 2019’s sold-out appearance, versatile Desert Chorale soprano Chelsea Helm returns to El Mesón for a Late Night on Friday, July 24, 2020. The DownBeat award-winning artist will perform American Songbook selections with the Bert Dalton Trio (Bert Dalton, Piano; Rob ‘Milo’ Jaramillo, Bass; and John Bartlit, Percussion).
Building on the success of the inaugural season of Insights & Sounds ancillary programming, where nearly 300 community members participated, six programs in partnership with Santa Fe visual and performing arts organizations are planned.
Two events in conjunction with the Roaring ‘20s program will take place: the Santa Fe Jewish Film Festival will present Noa Ben Hagai‘s documentary Einstein in the Holyland followed by a talk discussing the relationship between science, math and music. A curator from the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum will
introduce the collection’s newest acquisition Georgia O’Keeffe’s Ritz Tower, 1928 accompanied by SFDC vocalists performing selections from the mainstage program. These two events explore the genius at work in music, fine art and the sciences in the 1920s.
Four events expanding on the East Meets West mainstage program will take place. For adults, two gallery talks will take place. In the first, TAI Modern’s Gallery Owner/Director, Margo Thoma, will speak about bamboo artist Isohi
Setsuko Kouka’s work. In the second, painter Hyunmee Lee will speak about her art on exhibit at the Nüart Gallery. SFDC vocalists will perform selections from the East Meets West program at each event. For families, two events are scheduled. The first is an appearance by SFDC vocalists sponsored by Stephen and Jane Hochberg at The Museum of International Folk Art’s Yokai: Ghosts & Demons of Japan on free family day. The second program for adults and youth is an Animation Shorts Mini-Festival and conversation with Brian Neil Hoff, Founder of the Palm Springs International Animation Festival. The Mini- Festival will take place at CCA’s The Screen, and is sponsored in part by Elaine Wang Meyerhoffer. (All dates and venues are attached.)
Two pillars of the Santa Fe Desert Chorale’s Community Engagement programming continue in 2020: Santa Fe Sings! and Hearts in Harmony . The Desert Chorale’s Community Engagement Statement of Purpose reads: The Santa Fe Desert Chorale is committed to sharing the power of music with diverse populations by providing arts access through collaborative programming and community engagement.
Santa Fe Sings!, which is underwritten by Stephen and Jane Hochberg, will celebrate its fifth anniversary. Joshua Habermann will lead the workshop for avocational singers, ranging in age from 8th graders to octogenarians. In 2019, there were 171 registrants representing eight New Mexico counties and five other states attended. The joyful day of music-making will take place once again at the United Church of Santa Fe (Rev. Talitha Arnold, Senior Minister). Steinway artist, Jacquelyn Helin will be the collaborative pianist.
Hearts in Harmony, the Santa Fe Desert Chorale’s weekly choral sing at the Interfaith Community Shelter, is Co-Directed by SFDC alto Sarah Nickerson and Angela Gabriel. Found in 2017, nearly 110 Wednesday morning sessions (10:00- 11:00 am) have taken place. In 2019, 77 Pete’s Place guests participated, with an average attendance of four sessions. The program is supported by cross sector funding from CHRISTUS St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, the McCune Foundation, the Mission and Outreach Committee of The Church of the Holy Faith, The Candyman Strings & Things, and individual donors.
Tickets are available for all events at desertchorale.org or by telephone at (505)988-2282. Prices vary by venue. Tickets range from $10 (students with identification) to $95.
For more information, please contact Janice L. Mayer by e-mail (505)988-2282, or by e-mail at Janice@desertchorale.org
For images, please contact Zina Jundi by e-mail at zjundi@comcast.net
Santa Fe Desert Chorale thanks the following organizations for their ongoing support: The City of Santa Fe Arts Commission, National Endowment for the Arts, New Mexico Arts, and the Santa Fe New Mexican.
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Santa Fe Desert Chorale Mission Statement:
The mission of the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, one of the nation’s premier professional vocal ensembles, is to excite, engage, and inspire diverse audiences with the beauty and power of great choral music.
About the Santa Fe Desert Chorale:
Founded in 1982 by Lawrence “Larry” Bandfield, the Santa Fe Desert Chorale is one of the longest continually performing professional music organizations in New Mexico, as well as one of the most distinguished. In his review of the American Voices program, Scott
Cantrell of The Dallas Morning News wrote: “The variety certainly displayed the
ensemble’s impressive versatility. Habermann consistently got vivid performances, introspective music elegantly colored and shaped, extrovert fare delivered with great pizzazz. Individual singers got lots of solo exposure.”
Now in his 12th season, Artistic Director Joshua Habermann leads the Chorale in repertoire spanning seven centuries, from early polyphony to contemporary works. The composition of the Chorale is truly national in scope and the ensemble is recognized as one of the finest American chamber choirs.
A recent highlight was an invitational appearance at the American Choral Directors Association National Conference, which was later broadcast by Minnesota Public Radio. In the 2017-2018 season, the Chorale toured to Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, Los Angeles, and Oklahoma City, and presented regular winter and summer seasons in New Mexico.
Now in its 38th year, the Desert Chorale Summer Festival season is a centerpiece of the cultural life of Santa Fe, and among the nation’s most significant choral events.
The Chorale’s first commercial release, The Road Home, launched at No. 3 on the Billboard Classical Chart following a sold-out CD launch program in Santa Fe. Throughout its history, the Chorale has maintained a commitment to give voice to music from Hispanic and Native American communities. Dedicated to advancing the composers of our time, the Chorale has commissioned 24 works by 20 composers; three-quarters of the composers commissioned have been American. In addition, another seven works have been given their world or American premieres by the Santa Fe Desert Chorale.
The ensemble performs at historical sites in Santa Fe such as the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi and Cristo Rey Catholic Church, as well as other venues throughout the Southwest.
The Desert Chorale prides itself on its strong relationships within the community of Northern New Mexico, and enjoys collaborations with the Center for Contemporary Arts, Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, The Jewish Film Museum, Museum of International Folk Art, and galleries throughout Santa Fe, among others.
Community Engagement programming partners the Chorale with other musical, artistic, social services, and educational organizations in Santa Fe and on tour. Other important goals include fostering the next generation of singers and arts administrators
