Santa Fe Desert Chorale Presents Carols and Lullabies: Luminaria

Desert Chorale Announces Complimentary Children’s Concert and Pop–up Carols Appearance

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Santa Fe, New Mexico, October 3, 2025: Now in its 43rd season, The Santa Fe Desert Chorale’s annual Winter Festival returns December 13–21, 2025, under the name Carols & Lullabies. This year’s program, Luminaria, offers a rich blend of Renaissance polyphony, radiant contemporary works, Latin American carols, and cherished holiday classics to ring in the season, with performances both in Santa Fe and Albuquerque.

Concert tickets are selling quickly, and early purchases are encouraged.

In addition to their main concert series, the Desert Chorale is pleased to offer a free children’s concert on December 17th, designed especially for families with young children, providing an accessible and engaging introduction to live choral music.

Carols & Lullabies: Luminaria Concert Dates
All concerts will be held at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe, unless otherwise noted.

Saturday, December 13th at 7pm
Sunday, December 14th at 4pm
Immanuel Presbyterian Church, Albuquerque
Tuesday, December 16th at 7pm
Thursday, December 18th at 7pm
Friday, December 19th at 7pm
Saturday, December 20th at 7pm
Sunday, December 21st at 4pm
Sunday, December 21st at 7:30pm

2025 Winter Festival Program
The Santa Fe Desert Chorale’s Winter Festival returns with a program that combines familiar holiday carols, contemporary selections, and traditional Latin American folk songs. Pianist Nathan Salazar joins 24 professional vocalists from around the country for this seasonal concert.

Planned Repertoire for Luminaria (subject to change):
The Mother
Darkest Midnight in December – Stephen Main
Nesciens Mater – Jean Mouton (1459-1522)

The Sun
The Crimson Sun – Alexander Campkin (b. 1984)
The Rose that Bare Jesu – Ron Kean (b. 1951)
Ring Out Wild Bells from Passing of the Year – Jonathan Dove (b. 1959)

The Great Mystery
O Magnum Mysterium II – Ernesto Herrera (b. 1988)

Navidad Nuestra
La Peregrinación from Navidad Nuestra – Ariel Ramírez (1921-2010)
El Nacimiento from Navidad Nuestra – Ariel Ramírez (1921-2010)
Esta Noche (Alegría) – arr. John Rutter (b. 1945)

Beloved Carols
Lullay Mine Liking – arr. Richard Rodney Bennett (1936-2012)
Angels We Have Heard on High – arr. Saunder Choi (b. 1988)

American Christmas
White Christmas – arr. Clay Warnick (1915-1995)
O What a Beautiful City – Shawn Kirchner (b. 1970)

Santa Fe Traditions
Jesus Christ the Apple Tree – Elizabeth Poston (1905-1987)
Silent Night – arr. Shawn Kirchner (b. 1970)

Total expected running time: 75 minutes

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

Tickets: Tickets for the 2025 Winter Festival are available now at desertchorale.org/tickets or by calling the Box Office at (505) 988-2282, Ext. 1. Tickets for regular season performances range from $22-$124. The Desert Chorale offers a 50% discount for all students with IDs.

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The Desert Chorale is proud to support local Santa Fe students, families, and community members with the following free performances and workshops this December:

Insights & Sounds Children’s Concert: Through the Insights & Sounds program, the Desert Chorale is dedicated to providing meaningful musical experiences for the local community, including a free mini concert for children and their families each concert season. The next concert for children will take place on Thursday, December 17th at 11:00am at Palen Hall at the Church of Holy Faith, located at 311 E Palace Ave, Santa Fe, NM 87501. Featuring the 24 professional singers of the Desert Chorale led by Joshua Habermann, this performance full of holiday favorites will be a fun way to introduce and share the thrill of great choral music with children in the Santa Fe community. Families may stay to meet the artists after the performance.

We ask that families please register in advance, as capacity is limited. Admission is pay what you wish. To sign up and for more information visit desertchorale.org/concertsevents/childrensconcert/. Registration is first come, first serve. Pop-Up Carols: The community is warmly invited to experience the festive sounds of the season as a small ensemble of professional singers from the Desert Chorale presents a free pop-up performance. This will take place on Saturday, December 20th from 1:00-1:45 pm at the DeVargas Mall.

As part of our ongoing commitment to engaging with our Santa Fe community, artists from the Desert Chorale will be leading a special workshop with students at a local public school and sharing holiday carols in a private performance at a nearby senior living center. While these events are not open to the public, they reflect our dedication to fostering meaningful connections through music across generations and throughout our community.

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Media Contact: For more information, please contact Joanna Armstrong by email at joanna@desertchorale.org or by phone at (505) 988-2282, Ext. 3.

Interviews available upon request with Artistic Director Joshua Habermann.

Click here for the Desert Chorale’s current press-ready photography.

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, and the City of Santa Fe Arts and Culture Department and the 1% Lodgers’ Tax. 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, the Del Norte LOV Foundation, Nusenda Credit Union, and Thornburg Investment Management.

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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: The Santa Fe Desert Chorale, a 501(c)(3) organization, is a nationally recognized professional chamber choir and one of the longest-running professional music organizations in New Mexico. Founded in 1982 by Lawrence “Larry” Bandfield, the Chorale has been praised as “the crème de la crème” (Dallas Morning News) of professional choral singers. Performing in historical venues such as the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, the Chorale is a centerpiece of cultural life in Santa Fe and its annual
Summer Festival is one of the nation’s largest choral events.

Under the direction of Artistic Director Joshua Habermann since 2008, the 24-member
ensemble performs a wide-ranging repertoire, attracting audiences from around the world, and earning a reputation as “a rara avis in the choral music world” (Santa Fe New Mexican). The ensemble’s first commercial release, The Road Home, debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Classical Chart. The Chorale recently recorded a new commercial album which they plan to release in 2026. In addition to performances in cities such as Dallas, Chicago, and Los Angeles, the Chorale had the honor of performing at the 2015 American Choral Directors Association National Conference in Salt Lake City and gave the closing performance at the
2025 National Conference in Dallas.

A leader in new music, the Chorale has commissioned over 30 new works by living composers and regularly presents world and American premieres. This dedication is further supported by the organization’s Commissioning Club, which funds a new piece annually. The Chorale also
has a deep commitment to its local community. Its outreach includes the annual Santa Fe Sings! community workshop and the Insights & Sounds program, which provides free educational opportunities for children and students, including mini-concerts, workshops, and symposiums to foster dialogue through the lens of choral music.