Free Pop-up Caroling Returns to Santa Fe This December

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Santa Fe, New Mexico, September 16, 2022: The Santa Fe Desert Chorale will conclude their 40^th Anniversary Season with their 2022 Winter Festival. Benjamin Britten’s iconic work, A Ceremony of Carols, is the crowning jewel of this December’s festival. Harpist Emily Levin of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra joins the Chorale, unifying yuletide Middle English and Latin texts with intricate harp accompaniment. While originally written for treble voices, all 24 professional Desert Chorale artists under the direction of Artistic Director Joshua Habermann will bring this cherished work to life. Beloved seasonal choral treasures round out this program and joyfully conclude the Chorale’s 40^th year.

Dates and Locations for 2022 Winter Festival

Carols & Cocktails

The Desert Chorale is also hosting a joyous gathering to toast the close of their 40^th Anniversary. Join the Chorale on December 15^th at 5:30pm for Carols & Cocktails, featuring a standalone performance of Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols in the intimate acoustic of the Church of the Holy Faith, steps from the Plaza in Santa Fe. Following the performance, join Joshua Habermann and all 24 professional Desert Chorale artists for a fittingly festive cocktail reception and holiday sing-along in Palen Hall.

Winter Artist Roster

Artist biographies and headshots will be available on the Santa Fe Desert Chorale website (desertchorale.org/about/our-people) later this fall.

Tickets: Tickets for A Ceremony of Carols range from $20-$100 with half-priced student tickets available. Tickets for Carols & Cocktails are currently $125 but will increase to $150 beginning October 1st. Please visit desertchorale.org/tickets or call the Box Office at (505) 988-2282 ext. 0 to purchase yours today.

Please note that all patrons will be asked to follow the Desert Chorale’s most current COVID safety plan.

Free Caroling Throughout Santa Fe This December

The community is invited to enjoy quartets of professional Desert Chorale artists singing outdoors during our second annual Pop-up Carols event. Join us at various locations across the city, including the Genoveva Chavez Center, Museum Hill, the Railyard Water Tower, and the Santa Fe Plaza. Dates and times forthcoming. Locations subject to change.

Media Contacts: For more information, please contact Joanna Armstrong by email at joanna@desertchorale.org. For digital content, please contact Enrico Lagasca by email at enrico@desertchorale.org.

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The Vision of the Santa Fe Desert Chorale: Singing for our common humanity.

Mission Statement: The mission of the Santa Fe Desert Chorale 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-running professional music organizations in New Mexico, as well as one of the most distinguished. In his 2020 review of the Strength and Refuge: A Joyous Exploration of the Psalms program at Highland Park United Methodist Church (Tower Arts Series), Scott Cantrell of the Dallas Morning News remarked that, “The Santa Fe Desert Chorale [is] a top-notch, 24-voice group… comprising the crème de la crème of professional choral singers from coast to coast. The singing throughout was boldly projected, finely finished and expressed and, where necessary, quite nimble.”

Artistic Director Joshua Habermann, now in his fourteenth season, 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. Now in its 40th 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. Another recent highlight was an invitational appearance at the 2015 American Choral Directors Association National Conference, which was later broadcast by Minnesota Public Radio. In the 2017-2018 season, the Chorale presented three concerts in the Dallas area, and performed for regional ACDA conferences in Los Angeles and Chicago. In the 2018-2019 season, the Chorale toured to Dallas and presented regular winter and summer seasons in New Mexico, and in February 2020 the Chorale returned to Dallas as part of the Tower Arts Series of the Highland Park Methodist Church. In 2021, the Chorale began offering live streamed performances and access to full video recordings through their streaming service, Desert Chorale TV, sharing the beauty and power of choral music to a wider audience across the country and around the world.

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 28 works by 25 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 Chorale’s Commissioning Club selects and funds a new commission annually.

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 and across the nation. 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 Festival, Museum of International Folk Art, and galleries throughout Santa Fe, among others.

Through its community engagement programming, the Chorale partners with other musical, artistic, social service, and educational organizations in Santa Fe and beyond. The Hearts in Harmony partnership with the Interfaith Community Shelter is an example of the Chorale’s commitment to strengthening our community through song.