Santa Fe Sings! Returns May 2023
Desert Chorale Commissions GRAMMY-nominated Composer Kile Smith

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Santa Fe, New Mexico, April 3, 2023: The Santa Fe Desert Chorale (SFDC) announced their 2023 Season programming. The Desert Chorale brings together 24 of the top ensemble singers in the country to sing under the direction of Artistic Director Joshua Habermann, who is celebrating his 15th year in the role.

The Desert Chorale’s 41st season features their annual Summer Festival—one of the largest choral events in the nation—running July 16–August 5, 2023. The Festival will include three new concert programs: The Tudors and the Medici, The American Immigrant Experience, and The Ecstasies Above. There will also be an afternoon of solo performances by three of the Chorale’s vocalists during their Artist Spotlight Recital on August 2nd. Finally, the Chorale artists return to Santa Fe once again for their annual winter program, Candlelight Carols, running December 9–22.

2023 Summer Festival Programs

The Tudors and the Medici
Experience the drama and grandeur of Renaissance Europe
This program highlights two great dynastic families of Europe whose patronage left an extraordinary imprint on the cultural landscape and brought to fruition some of the greatest artistic achievements of their time. Sixteen singers accompanied by period instruments will perform works by composers such as Thomas Tallis, William Byrd, and King Henry VIII himself. The program continues with a musical reenactment from one of the most spectacular weddings in Italian history, including works from opera’s founding father Jacopo Peri. Come and experience compelling stories of political intrigue and extraordinary music interwoven in this tour of London, Florence, and beyond.

The American Immigrant Experience
Rich and complex stories from our nation’s newcomers
The unique musical language of the United States is rooted in the songs brought to her shores by successive waves of immigrants. Listeners will embark on a musical journey that explores how their contributions have influenced and defined our country’s music and given us the rich tapestry of American song. Combining the power of the spoken word with choral music, the full 24 voices of the Desert Chorale and collaborative pianist Nathan Salazar give voice to the complex stories of uncertainty and hope from those moving from one home to another. This program will also feature the world premiere of Northland, a piece written especially for the Desert Chorale by the GRAMMY-nominated composer Kile Smith. The text of this new work consists of four poems by Harlem Renaissance writer Claude McKay (1890-1948) in which he wrestles with his own immigrant experience.

The Ecstasies Above
Glorious back-to-back collaborations that will keep you on the edge of your seat
This program consists of two virtuosic works for strings and voices from George Frideric Handel and award-winning living composer Tarik O’Regan. First, Dixit Dominus showcases Handel at his most Italianate, with exciting ornamentation and rhythmic drive. Several Desert Chorale artists step out of the full ensemble texture for impressive solos throughout the piece. We then continue into O’Regan’s work, The Ecstasies Above, which is a setting of Edgar Allen Poe’s poem “Israfel,” describing an angel whose “heart strings are a lute, and who possesses the sweetest voice of all God’s creatures.” A chamber orchestra joins the 24 voices of the Chorale for this masterful program.

2023 Summer Festival Concert Dates
All concerts will be held at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi (unless otherwise noted).

The Tudors and the Medici
Sunday, July 16th at 4 pm

The American Immigrant Experience
Sunday, July 23rd at 4 pm

The Ecstasies Above
Thursday, July 27th at 7:30 pm

The Tudors and the Medici
Friday, July 28th at 7:30 pm

The American Immigrant Experience
Saturday, July 29th at 7:30 pm

The Ecstasies Above
Sunday, July 30th at 4 pm

Artist Spotlight Recital
Wednesday, August 2nd at 4 pm
St. Bede’s Episcopal Church

The Tudors and the Medici
Thursday, August 3rd at 7:30 pm

The American Immigrant Experience
Friday, August 4th at 7:30 pm

The Ecstasies Above
Saturday, August 5th at 7:30 pm

Note: Pre-concert lectures to be announced at a later date.

2023 Winter Program: Candlelight Carols

Join in the festive Santa Fe holiday tradition of the Desert Chorale’s annual winter choral concert. This year’s program, A Glimpse of Snow and Evergreen, is filled with carols honoring the beauty of our winter mountain landscape and the traditions we keep at that special time of the year. Come wrap yourself up in the warm and joyous sounds of the season, featuring 24 of the best ensemble singers in the nation with collaborative pianist Nathan Salazar.

Candlelight Carols Concert Dates
Concerts will be held at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi (unless otherwise noted).

Saturday, December 9th at 7 pm

Sunday, December 10th at 4 pm
Immanuel Presbyterian Church, Albuquerque

Friday, December 15th at 7 pm

Sunday, December 17th at 4 pm

Tuesday, December 19th at 7 pm

Wednesday, December 20th at 7 pm

Thursday, December 21st at 7 pm

Friday, December 22nd at 7 pm

Summer Artist Roster:
Artist biographies and headshots are available on the Santa Fe Desert Chorale website (desertchorale.org/artists).

Tickets: Tickets for the 2023 Season (summer and winter concerts) are available now at desertchorale.org/tickets or by calling the box office at (505) 988-2282, Ext. 0. Tickets for regular season performances range from $20-$100. Artist Spotlight Recital tickets are $40. The Desert Chorale offers discounted tickets for all students with IDs.

Media Contacts: For more information, please contact Joanna Armstrong by email at joanna@desertchorale.org.

The Santa Fe Desert Chorale’s Summer Festival is supported in part by New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, and by the National Endowment for the Arts. It is also partially funded by the County of Santa Fe Lodgers’ Tax. The Santa Fe Desert Chorale thanks the following organizations for their ongoing support: New Mexico Bank & Trust, Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce, the Santa Fe New Mexican, Santa Fe Selection Travel Guide, and Thornburg Investment Management.

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Santa Fe Sings! returns in-person on May 6, 2023 at The United Church of Santa Fe.

First launched by the Desert Chorale in 2016, this special workshop draws participants ranging from eighth graders to octogenarians from across northern New Mexico, singing together under the direction of Artistic Director Joshua Habermann. Singers of all backgrounds are invited to come cultivate their love for singing and nurture their confidence as they create music together. In addition to individual singers, area choruses are invited to set-up informative tables to increase membership and awareness for attendees. The event will conclude with a free showcase for friends and family.

Santa Fe Sings! is generously underwritten by Stephen and Jane Hochberg.

Joshua Habermann, conductor
Jessie Wenchieh Lo, collaborative piano

Saturday, May 6, 2023 from 8:30am–2:00pm
The United Church of Santa Fe
1804 Arroyo Chamiso, Santa Fe, NM 87505
Adults: $25
Students (middle school and above with ID): $5
Full and partial scholarships are available.

Learn more and register for this one-day workshop at desertchorale.org/sfsings. Capacity is limited and registration will be on a first come, first-served basis.

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The Desert Chorale will give the world premiere performance of Northland during their summer festival program The American Immigrant Experience. The Chorale’s Commissioning Club selected GRAMMY-nominated composer Kile Smith to write a piece for the 2023 season.

“I’m delighted as can be to compose a special work for the wonderful Santa Fe Desert Chorale in 2023,” said Smith when first commissioned by the Chorale. “They and Joshua Habermann are revered throughout the choral world, so it’s long been an interest of mine to write for them… It will be a joy to be in Santa Fe to work with the choir and to meet the community that supports and loves them!”

The music of Kile Smith has received three Grammy nominations and is hailed nationally and internationally for its strong voice, sheer beauty, and “profoundly direct emotional appeal.” Craig Hella Johnson has called Kile “one of our most important composers … his voice is unlike any other … utterly unique.” He has been commissioned by The Crossing, Conspirare, Piffaro, Cincinnati’s Vocal Arts Ensemble, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Chor Leoni, William Ferris Chorale, Helena Symphony, Lyric Fest, Westminster Choir College, Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania and iSing Girlchoirs, Choral Arts Washington (DC), Choral Arts Philadelphia, Newburyport Chamber Music Festival, Gaudete Brass, and many others. Kile’s first opera, The Book of Job, co-commissioned by Conspirare and The Crossing, premieres in Austin and Philadelphia in the 2023/24 season.

Major choral works of Kile’s are heard in New York, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Dallas, Canada, England, and New Zealand, and has been performed by Seraphic Fire, The 24, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Sofia Philharmonic, the Grand Rapids and Delaware symphonies, Orchestra 2001, and Network for New Music, and he has written works for Philadelphia Orchestra concertmaster David Kim and principal horn Jennifer Montone. Gramophone called Vespers “spectacular,” American Record Guide, “a major new work,” Fanfare, “a magnificent achievement,” and Audiophile Audition, “a masterpiece of the deepest kind … easily one of the best releases of the year of any type … a crime to pass up.” Ten CDs with Kile’s music have been released since 2018.

He’s been Composer in Residence for Lyric Fest, the Helena Symphony, the Jupiter Symphony, and the Church of the Holy Trinity, Philadelphia. Kile has hosted Fleisher Discoveries on radio and podcast since 2002, and is a contributor to the arts and culture magazine Broad Street Review. Sought out as a narrator, he has brought Peter and the Wolf, ’Twas the Night Before Christmas, Casey at the Bat, Hansel and Gretel, and his own Bremen Town Musicians to the concert stage. Kile’s website is kilesmith.com, and he is on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and SoundCloud.

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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 American professional chamber choirs. “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” (Dallas Morning News). Performing in historical venues such as the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, the Chorale’s Summer Festival has become a centerpiece of the cultural life of Santa Fe and is among the nation’s most significant choral events.

Artistic Director Joshua Habermann, now entering his fifteenth season, leads the Chorale in repertoire spanning seven centuries, from early polyphony to contemporary works. Habermann’s versatile programming sets the ensemble apart as “a rara avis in the choral music world” (Santa Fe New Mexican).

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. The ensemble has traveled across the nation, performing in prominent conferences and cities such as Dallas, Chicago, and Los Angeles. 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 29 works by 26 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 organization’s Commissioning Club selects and funds a new commission annually.

While nationally recognized, the Chorale prides itself on its strong relationships within the community of Northern New Mexico. Since 2016, the Chorale has hosted an annual community singing workshop, Santa Fe Sings!, bringing together music-lovers of all backgrounds to express themselves through song under the direction of Joshua Habermann. In 2022, the Chorale launched its inaugural Insights & Sounds Symposium, an event full of interdisciplinary dialogue through the lens of choral music. Through its community engagement programming, the Chorale partners with other musical, artistic, social service, and educational organizations in Santa Fe and beyond.