Dive deeper into the choral music you love

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Sponsored in part by

Mary Costello
Lynne Horning
Brahna Wilczynski in memory of Janusz Wilczynski

Dive deeper into the choral music you love with the return of the Desert Chorale’s Insights & Sounds Symposium. This year, we are partnering with the Boulanger Initiative to present workshops on a variety of topics for all music lovers. Plus, don’t miss the opportunity to connect with three composers featured during this year’s Summer Festival. Sign up for the discussions that interest you and bring a friend!

Tickets are FREE or pay what you wish. For information about scholarships to attend any of these sessions, please call (505) 988-2282.
Click here to register.

About the Boulanger Initiative

CELEBRATING, PERFORMING, AND SUPPORTING MUSIC COMPOSED BY WOMEN

Boulanger Initiative (BI) is a not-for-profit organization launched in Takoma Park, Maryland in 2018 by co-founders Dr. Laura Colgate and Dr. Joy-Leilani Garbutt to champion music created by gender marginalized composers. This includes the music of previous generations, works by living composers, and support for the creation of new music.

BI fosters inclusivity and representation to expand and enrich the collective understanding of what music is, has been, and can be. BI promotes music composed by women through performance, education, research, consulting, and commissions. You can learn more about their mission, values, and programs here.

How many women composers can you name? Wondering why you don’t hear more music written by women at concerts? Join Boulanger Initiative for a discussion examining why, in the 21st century, the classical music industry is still not inclusive of music by women. Discover how we got here, what needs to be done, and what you can do to create a more level playing field for the future of classical music.

How can we unlock and demystify the role of the composer? Graphic notation can empower anyone to connect to their inner creativity. Starting with a simple line drawing, we will work through the compositional process, ending with the thrilling experience of performing a piece written by YOU! Participants will use paper and coloring materials and be guided to represent an improvised sound/gesture in two dimensional form, which will then be workshopped and performed. A discussion will also be held to frame the workshop, asking listeners to consider the question of ownership in composition, their relationships to their own bodies, trees, dreams, sources of creativity, and memories. All ages are welcome; bring coloring materials and optionally, a musical instrument!

Redefining the Canon breaks down the history of the musical canon, and how it has turned into the same few pieces being programmed today, for auditions and performances. We will discuss steps performers, educators, and performing organizations can take to begin building a more inclusive programming, surrounding the music we program and teach. This session also covers Boulanger Initiative’s Redefining the Canon project, and how musicians can join as Excerpt Foragers to play through works by marginalized composers and make change in the field of audition excerpts.

Have you ever wondered how a new piece of music comes to life? How to craft a concert program? Bring your questions to an engaging discussion with the Boulanger Initiative, Artistic Director Joshua Habermann, and three composers featured in the Desert Chorale’s 2025 Summer Festival: Ernesto Herrera (Cantos y Cuentos), Sarah Kirkland Snider (Mass for the Endangered) and Shawn E. Okpebholo (Roots & Rivers).

Guest Speakers

Laura Colgate
Kathryn Cruz
Joshua Habermann
Ernesto Herrera
Sarah Kirkland Snider
Shawn E. Okpebholo

Register for the I&S Symposium

SESSION SCHEDULE

 

Thursday, July 24

  1. 10:00–11:00 AM: Where are the Women? Discussion
  2. 11:30 AM–12:30 PM: Graphic Score Workshop

Friday, July 25

  1. 10:00–11:00 AM: Redefining the Canon Lecture
  2. 11:30 AM–12:30 PM: Panel Discussion with Boulanger Initiative; Artistic Director Joshua Habermann; and Composers Sarah Kirkland Snider, Ernesto Herrera, and Shawn Okpebholo

Christ Church Santa Fe

1213 Don Gaspar Ave, Santa Fe, NM

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Thank You To Our Sponsors

Santa Fe Desert Chorale is supported in part by New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, and by the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding is provided by the County of Santa Fe Lodgers’ Tax, the City of Santa Fe Occupancy Tax, and the City of Santa Fe Arts and Culture Department and the 1% Lodgers’ Tax.