Other Events of Interest
Opera Basics with Oliver Prezant
Collected Works Bookstore, 202 Galisteo St, Santa Fe
Fridays at 5:30-7:00 pm (MDT)
May 10 – Don Giovanni
May 24 – The Righteous
June 7 – Der Rosenkavalier
June 21 – The Elixir of Love
Each talk will introduce you to opera basics while previewing one of the five operas of the Santa Fe Opera’s 2024 season. For more than 25 years, Oliver Prezant’s unique presentations have helped thousands of newcomers and established opera lovers deepen their experience of music and opera. Best of all, you’ll have a chance to go into each performance with the confidence to relax, enjoy, and get the most out of your experience in the opera house.
- Learn all about the stories, the characters, the music and the text;
- Explore the building blocks of opera and how they’ve changed over time;
- Gain insight into how to listen to the singers and the orchestra;
- Get tips on how to understand the sets, props, costumes, and lighting;
- Learn about the composers and librettists;
- Develop an understanding of where each work fits within the history of opera.
These events are FREE. No reservation necessary. Seating is first come first served.
For more information, contact Anna Garcia at agarcia@santafeopera.org
New Mexico Performing Arts Society: J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion
Friday, May 10, 2024 at 6 pm - POSTPONED DUE TO ARTIST ILLNESS
Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel, Santa Fe
Saturday, May 11, 2024 at 6 pm - POSTPONED DUE TO ARTIST ILLNESS
Hope in the Desert Episcopal Church, Albuquerque
All ticket holders will receive a full credit to attend the rescheduled St. John Passion concerts in early fall 2024.
The Met: Live in HD at the Lensic
For more information / tickets, click on the name of the opera to go to the Lensic website.
Madama Butterfly May 11, 11 am
Santa Fe Pro Musica: Organ Series - Recital IV
Wednesday, May 15, 2024, 12:00 pm
St Francis Auditiorium, NM Museum of Art, 107 W Palace Ave, Santa Fe
On May 15 at noon, local organist Maxine Thévenot concludes Pro Musica’s Organ Series with music by Diderik Buxtehude, Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre, Rachel Laurin, Barrie Cabena, Calvin Hampton, Derek Bourgeois, and Henri Mulet. This 40-minute concert is FREE and open to the public.
Santa Fe Symphony: Amor!
Thursday, May 16, 2024, 7:00 pm (MDT)
Saint Frances Auditorium, NM Museum of Art
Join the Santa Fe Symphony for this once-in-a-lifetime SFS Strata chamber concert during the final weekend of the 40th Anniversary Season. Presenting GRAMMY® Award-winners Ana María Martínez—one of the foremost sopranos of her time—and pianist Craig Terry, along with Music Director Guillermo Figueroa on violin and The Santa Fe Symphony String Quartet, Amor! is not to be missed.
At RENESAN: Opera-toon-ity - Opera Classics in Classic Cartoons
Wednesday, May 8, 2024, 1-3 pm (MDT)
St. John’s United Methodist Church , 1200 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe
Join instructor Mark Tiarks at RENESAN for a lively presentation on the history of opera music in cartoons.
This course is available in-person and online.
New Mexico Performing Arts Society: Cantata Series II
Sunday, April 28, 2024, 5:30-7:00 pm (MDT) Cancelled due to artist illness
Everyone who purchased a ticket to the April 28 Cantata Series II concert in Albuquerque may receive a complimentary ticket to one of the two remaining 2023-2024 season events in The Duke City. If you have tickets to April 28, please email NMPAS at info@nmpas.org with your choice of the concert you’d like to attend in lieu of the planned cantata program:
Saturday, May 11, 2024 at 6 PM Bach’s complete St. John Passion with soloists, choir and orchestra
Sunday, June 9, 2024 at 5:30 PM Season Finale Operetta: Spain and the Art of Zarzuela
Santa Fe Pro Musica: Mozart Requiem
Saturday, April 27 at 7:30pm
Sunday, April 28 at 3pm
Lensic Performing Arts Center
Under the leadership of Conductor Laureate Thomas O’Connor, the Pro Musica Orchestra is joined by Polyphony: Voices of New Mexico and soprano Sherezade Panthaki, alto Meg Bragle, tenor Thomas Cooley, and bass-baritone Douglas Williams in presenting Mozart’s final masterpiece, Requiem. Composer Joseph Haydn (1731–1809) praised Mozart's dramatic and expressive range in this piece, remarking that had Mozart “written nothing else but his string quartets and his Requiem, this alone would have made him immortal.” These 75-minute concerts begin with Anna Clyne’s poignant Within Her Arms, a tribute to her late mother.
Opera Southwest 2023-24 Season
For more information / tickets, click on the name of the opera to go to the Opera Southwest website.
Carmen May 4, 8, 10, 7:30pm / May 5, 11, 12 2pm
Pre-Opera Seminar: Saturday, April 27, 2024, 10am to noon
National Hispanic Cultural Center – Wells Fargo Auditorium (just right of the front door)
Please join Opera Southwest to discuss and analyze one of the most famous operas of all time! This 4-act opera includes love, passion, and tragedy so no surprise it is famous. Opera Southwest’s production will be in Spanish with translation by Eduardo de Bray dating back to 1904 and let’s find out why from the experts. The presentation and commentary will be from Tony Zancanella, accompanied by special guests and artistic staff.
Coffee, water, and some delicious treats will be served.
FEE: $10.00 per person
Taste of Opera: May 4, 8, 10 | 5:45 pm
Enhance your weeknight opera-going experience with Taste of Opera – a pre-show dinner and relaxed conversation with Opera Southwest artistic staff members.
This package is available for the May 4, 8, and 10 performances of Carmen. Select your date when you register.
Where: La Fonda Restaurant on the National Hispanic Cultural Center Campus.
When: Dinner starts at 5:45 pm, the conversation with artistic staff will start at 6:30 pm, and the opera begins at 7:30 pm.
Cost: $45.95 for Wednesday night | $48.95 for Friday and Saturday night.
What’s Included: Your Taste of Opera reservation includes a buffet dinner, a glass of wine, and gratuity.
Your name will be on a will-call list at the restaurant.
At RENESAN: Beethoven’s 9th Symphony - Great Performers of the Past
Thursday, April 25 and May 2, 2024, 1-3 pm
St. John’s United Methodist Church, 1200 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe
The final concert of the Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra and Chorus during their current 40th anniversary season will feature a performance of Beethoven's 9th Symphony. In preparation, RENESAN is offering a course that will provide an insight into the way interpretations of this great symphony have changed over the last 100 years and an opportunity to hear recordings of famous orchestras, conductors, and singers of the past.
Santa Fe Pro Musica: Organ Series - Recital III
Wednesday, April 17, 2024, 12 noon | FREE
St. Francis Auditorium in the New Mexico Museum of Art
107 West Palace Ave, Santa Fe
This March, Santa Fe Pro Musica continues its Organ Recital Series with local organist and composer Frederick Frahm. Mr. Frahm performs his own compositions in this free, one-hour concert.
Severall Friends: Monteverdi's Venice
Sunday, April 14, 2024, 4:00 pm
New Mexico School for the Arts, 500 Montezuma Ave, Santa Fe
Please join Severall Friends for their 2023-2024 Season Finale, Monteverdi’s Venice. From the soul-stirring notes of Monteverdi to the vibrant melodies of Castello and Marini, this concert promises an unforgettable journey through time.
The intimate Gallery at the New Mexico School for the Arts is the perfect setting for these gems of the Baroque repertoire. Seating is limited, so please reserve early. (As a reminder: No tickets are sold at the door.)
Admission $30/$10 for students (includes free parking opposite New Mexico School for the Arts, 500 Montezuma Ave, Santa Fe, NM)
New Mexico Performing Arts Society: Chamber Concert
Sunday, April 7, 2024, 5:30-7:00 pm (MDT)
Immaculate Heart of Mary Retreat Center
50 Mt Carmel Rd, Santa Fe
Flutist and Powell Artist Linda Marianiello, clarinetist Daniel Schwab, violinists Elizabeth Baker and Natalie Frantz, violist Joyce Huang, and cellist Sally Guenther join forces to play some of the most beloved works for this combination of instruments:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Flute Quartet in C major, K. 285b
Johannes Brahms, Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115
Amy Beach, Theme and Variations for Flute and String Quartet, Op. 80
Santa Fe Pro Musica: Baroque Holy Week
Saturday, March 23, 2024, 7:30pm
Sunday, March 24 at 3pm
First Presbyterian Church of Santa Fe, 208 Grant Ave
Santa Fe Pro Musica continues their beloved tradition of Baroque Holy Week concerts on historical instruments. In these inspiring and unique concerts, featuring Santa Fe favorite soprano Clara Rottsolk and violinist Stephen Redfield, the Pro Musica Baroque Ensemble presents music by women composers from the French court of the Sun King, Louis XIV.
Santa Fe Pro Musica: Organ Recital Series, Part II
Wednesday, March 20, 2024, 12 noon | FREE
St. Francis Auditorium in the New Mexico Museum of Art
107 West Palace Ave, Santa Fe
This March, Santa Fe Pro Musica continues its Organ Recital Series with local organist and composer Frederick Frahm. Mr. Frahm performs his own compositions in this free, one-hour concert.
Triangle Wagner Society of North Carolina Presents "The Lovers’ Bane: The Story of Tristan and Iseult"
Sunday, March 10, 2024, 12 noon – 1:30 pm (MST)
Via Zoom
Join the Triangle Wagner Society of North Carolina for a unique presentation: “The Lovers’ Bane: The Story of Tristan and Iseult" as told in Medieval music and song. Severall Friends, a renowned Early Music ensemble directed by Mary Springfels, plays music of the 13th century with songs and lais, with text from the poem “Tristan and Iseult” by Gottfried von Strassburg. This literary work was the main source of Richard Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde. Adapted readings from the text are narrated by Desirée Mays, who will also introduce the video. The musicians play early music instruments set to a montage of original medieval images.
If you plan to participate on the day of the event or would like to receive a link to the recording of the program, please register with Martha Dimes: marthadimes@gmail.com. The guest fee is $15 by PayPal or check.
The Operatic Trumpet with Conductor Oliver Prezant
Thursday, March 7, 2024, 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Muñoz Waxman Gallery at CCA, 1050 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe
Join conductor and educator Oliver Prezant and master trumpeter Peter Bond for an interactive exploration of the evolving role of the trumpet in opera.
New Mexico Performing Arts Society Presents Chamber Music for Period Instruments
Saturday, March 2, 2024 at 7:30 pm (MST) in Albuquerque
Sunday, March 3, 2024 at 5:30 pm (MST) in Santa Fe
Several members of the New Mexico Bach Society Orchestra also play period instruments. This program is NMPAS’ first set of concerts to be performed on original instruments at baroque pitch, which is one half-step lower than modern tuning. The program includes music of the Italian, German and French Baroque by Michel Blavet, Francesco Geminiani, George Fr. Handel, Antonio Mahaut, and Johann Joachim Quantz.
Santa Fe Pro Musica: Elias Quartet - Groundbreaking!
Sunday, February 25, 2024, 3pm
St. Francis Auditorium in the New Mexico Museum of Art
In the fourth installment of Santa Fe Pro Musica’s popular String Quartet Series, the Elias Quartet performs groundbreaking compositions by Haydn, Stravinsky, and Beethoven that altered the trajectory of the string quartet.
Santa Fe Pro Musica: Organ Recital Series, Part I
Wednesday, February 21, 2024, 10am | FREE
St. Francis Auditorium in the New Mexico Museum of Art
This spring, Santa Fe Pro Musica collaborates with the New Mexico Museum of Art and local organists in presenting four free solo organ recitals on the recently renovated Reuter pipe organ in St. Francis Auditorium. The first installment of this series features Pro Musica’s organ extraordinaire David Solem in music by Louis Vierne, J.S. Bach, and César Franck.
Santa Fe Pro Musica: Brentano Quartet - Chiaroscuro
Sunday, February 11, 2024 at 3 pm
St. Francis Auditorium in the New Mexico Museum of Art, 107 W. Palace Ave, Santa Fe
Pro Musica’s celebrated String Quartet Series continues this February with the Brentano Quartet. In their program “Chiaroscuro,” Shostakovich's intensely personal String Quartet No. 8, dedicated to the victims of fascism and war, sits in high contrast with two of the most uplifting, ebullient quartets by Mozart and Mendelssohn.
New Mexico Performing Arts Society: Cantata Series I
Sunday, January 28, 2024, 5:30 pm
Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel, 50 Mount Carmel Road, Santa Fe
Interest in the music of Johann Sebastian Bach has led Artistic Director Franz Vote to program a new Cantata Series in 2023-2024. For the inaugural concert, he has chosen Cantata BWV 23, Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn (Thou very God and David’s Son) and Cantata BWV 114, Ach, lieben Christen, seid getrost (Dear Christians, be ye comforted).
Santa Fe Pro Musica: Winter Orchestra Concert
Sunday, January 28, 2024 at 3 pm
Lensic Performing Arts Center, 211 W San Francisco St, Santa Fe
This January, the Pro Musica Orchestra celebrates Mozart’s music, legacy, and birthday by featuring an early work—Divertimento in D Major K. 136—and a late work—his monumental Symphony No. 41, “Jupiter.” Italian conductor Marcello Cormio leads the orchestra. Also on the program are the colorful works Strum by Jessie Montgomery and Carl Nielsen’s Flute Concerto with soloist Anthony Trionfo.
Santa Fe Pro Musica: Diderot Quartet - J.S. Bach's Legacy
Sunday, January 14, 2024, 10am - Conversation and Demonstration: Why Historical Instruments?
Sunday, January 14, 2024, 3pm - Concert: J.S. Bach’s Legacy
Both events to be held at the St. Francis Auditorium at the New Mexico Museum of Art
In the new year, Santa Fe Pro Musica continues their String Quartet Series with the celebrated period instrument ensemble, Diderot Quartet. Through the music of Bach, Mendelssohn, and Caroline Shaw, this explores Bach’s profound legacy across continents and centuries.
You are also invited to join the Diderot Quartet in a show-and-tell of historical string instruments. Learn what differentiates these from modern instruments and how that influences the music. FREE
Taos Opera Institute: An Evening with Jamie Barton
Sunday, January 13, 2024, 4 pm
Taos Community Auditorium, 145 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, Taos, NM
Jamie Barton, renowned mezzo-soprano, will perform at the Taos Community Auditorium on Sunday, January 13 at 4:00 pm to benefit the Taos Opera Institute. Hailed by Opera Magazine as “a complete singer with a once-in-a generation voice,” Barton is fresh from her triumphant performance as Elizabeth Van Lew in Houston Grand Opera’s world premiere of Intelligence by composer Jake Heggie (Dead Man Walking).
Joe Illick & the New Year's Eve Orchestra, featuring Augustin Hadelich
Sunday, December 31, 2023 at 5 pm
Lensic Performing Arts Center, 211 W. San Francisco St, Santa Fe
Ring out 2023 with a holiday tradition that keeps getting better every year. Santa Fe’s own Joe Illick brings his all-star orchestra to ring in the new year with soloist Augustin Hadelich. The concert features the Bruch Violin Concerto, Massenet’s Méditation from Thaïs, Sarasate’s Carmen Fantasy, and Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 (Joe Illick, piano).
Limited tickets are available. Get yours today!
Santa Fe Pro Musica: Holiday Bach Festival
December 20–23 & 28–29
St. Francis Auditorium at the New Mexico Museum of Art
This December, Santa Fe Pro Musica presents their Holiday Bach Festival—seven exciting concerts celebrating the holiday season, baroque masters, the glorious music of Bach, and beyond!
Performance Santa Fe: Winter Wassail
Friday, December 15, 2023, 7:30 pm
Scottish Rite Temple, 463 Paseo De Peralta, Santa Fe
From whence comes our American Christmas tradition? Wassailing is ancient - it has variously meant welcoming, drinking, singing along, giving alms, or celebrating them all at once with a special mulled drink: the wassail! Members of the acclaimed performance ensemble Barokksolistene lead us on a merry merging of music and myth, creating a vibrant new tradition that deepens our roots to our antic past. Come sing, laugh, and recall a younger time when the nights were long, the frost was deadly, and pagan spirits and holy saints mingled in harmony.
Santa Fe Desert Chorale: Candlelight Carols
December 9-22, 2023
Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi (Note that the performance on December 10th will be at Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Albuquerque)
Ring in the holiday season with the beauty and power of world-class choral music.
The all-professional artists of the Santa Fe Desert Chorale return to New Mexico this winter for their 2023 Winter Program: Candlelight Carols. The Desert Chorale brings together 24 of the top ensemble singers in the nation to sing under the direction of Artistic Director Joshua Habermann, who is celebrating his 15th year in the role.
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 collaborative pianist Nathan Salazar.
More information can be found at desertchorale.org or by calling the box office at (505) 988-2282.
Santa Fe Pro Musica: Brooklyn Rider with Anne Sofie von Otter
Songs of Love and Death
Sunday, November 19, 2023, 3:00 pm (MST)
St. Francis Auditorium at the New Mexico Museum of Art, Santa Fe
Santa Fe Pro Musica’s celebrated String Quartet Series opens with Artistic Director Colin Jacobsen’s game-changing quartet Brooklyn Rider. Joined by legendary Swedish mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, they present “Songs of Love and Death,” a creative concert program exploring the intimate intersection of the human voice and the string quartet through the unexpected pairing of two great songwriters—Franz Schubert and Rufus Wainwright.
Santa Fe Symphony & Chorus: Handel's Messiah
Saturday, November 18, 2023, 7:00 pm
Sunday, November 19, 2023, 4:00 pm
Lensic Performing Arts Center, Santa Fe
George Frideric Handel’s glorious Messiah is a landmark oratorio, with soaring arias, memorable choruses, and a hallmark Baroque flourish. This beloved masterwork is perhaps one of the most enduring messages of hope in the orchestral and choral repertoire. Don’t miss The Symphony's annual performance at The Lensic—a Santa Fe tradition and a musical rite of the holiday season—conducted by Maestro Thomas Heuser and featuring the full Symphony Orchestra and Chorus with choral direction by Carmen Flórez-Mansi. The brilliant cast of rising stars from the Santa Fe Opera’s Apprentice Program features Caitlin Gotimer, Soprano; Kathleen Felty, Mezzo-Soprano; Philippe L’Esperance, Tenor; and Cory McGee, Bass-Baritone. The run time for this abridged version of Messiah is approximately 2.5 hours, with one intermission.
Tickets start as low as $25. Half-priced tickets for children 6 to 14 years of age can be purchased by phone through The Symphony Box Office at 505-983-1414..
FREE PREVIEW TALKS - 6:00 pm on November 18 and 3:00 pm on November 19.
Performance Santa Fe: Secret Byrd
November 14 & 15, 2023
Scottish Rite Temple, 463 Paseo De Peralta, Santa Fe
Relive the era of the Protestant Reformation in England as you are transported by the clandestine compositions of William Byrd. Despite facing dire consequences for his concealed Catholic faith, Byrd's music became a symbol of resilience and rebellion. Immerse yourself in Byrd’s 'Mass for Five Voices.' Secret Byrd is an experience that delves deep into a poignant discourse on the freedom of belief and its contemporary relevance.
At RENESAN: From Bel Canto to Park and Bark: Why They Don't Sing Opera Like They Used To
Thursday, November 9, 2023, 3:15 pm – 5:15 pm
RENESAN, 1200 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe
Many commentators and vocal experts have declared the demise of opera. Professional papers by vocal pedagogues and YouTube videos abound with titles such as Where Have All the Great Singers Gone? and The Death of Opera. These professional vocal experts are not referring to modern opera stage productions and the dominance of the Regieoper since Adolphe Appia but rather to what they perceive as the death of Bel Canto and the development of a very different (and, to them, ugly) singing technique.
This course will describe the Bel Canto style of the 18th, 19th, and early 20th century and discuss how that style evolved into what is currently heard in the world’s leading opera houses. Why did these changes occur? Why did singers during the 20th and 21st centuries have to develop a new style of operatic singing? Join us to consider how opera continues to survive and to better understand what opera goers hear from the stage today.
Tuition - $25.00
Instructor - Ifan Payne
Santa Fe Pro Musica: Season Opening Week
Discovery Series: Tracing the Roots
Wednesday, November 1, 2023, 5:30 pm (MDT)
Hervé Wine Bar, 139 W San Francisco St, Santa Fe
Santa Fe Pro Musica’s season opening week begins with an intimate conversation and performance with violinist and Artistic Director Colin Jacobsen, exploring classical music's world-wide connections and inspirations. Wine and appetizers included.
Click HERE to listen to a 10-minute interview with Colin Jacobsen on 95.5 KHFM.
The DNA of Music
Saturday, November 4, 2023, 3:00 pm (MDT)
Center for Contemporary Arts, 1050 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe
In anticipation of their exciting season opening orchestra concert, Santa Fe Pro Musica presents “The DNA of Music.” In this hour-long exploration, Colin Jacobsen and the Pro Musica Orchestra will immerse the audience in the diverse cultural heritages that influenced Pro Musica’s concert “Source Code” to be performed the next day. Saturday's exploration of "The DNA of Music" provides an enhanced experience of Sunday's concert “Source Code.”
Season Opening Concert: Source Code
Sunday, November 5, 2023, 3:00 pm (MST)
Lensic Performing Arts Center, 211 W San Francisco St, Santa Fe
Colin Jacobsen leads the Santa Fe Pro Musica Orchestra in an innovative program built around Jessie Montgomery’s Source Code. Come equipped with new knowledge acquired from the week’s events and experience the DNA of classical music through the music of Heinrich Biber, Béla Bartók, Jessie Montgomery, Colin Jacobsen, Edvard Grieg, and Jacobsen’s arrangements of select world folk music.
You are invited to arrive one hour before the concert to hear an interview with Colin Jacobsen and KHFM's Brent Stevens. Included with ticket purchase.
Opera West! presents Cavalleria Rusticana
October 12, 2023, 6:00pm - Preview Talk by Oliver Present at Collected Works Bookstore, 202 Galisteo St, Santa Fe, free admission
October 27, 28, & 29, 2023 - Performances at New Mexico Museum of Art, 107 W Palace Ave, Santa Fe
Join Opera West! for a memorable evening in the historic St. Francis Auditorium as they present Pietro Mascagni’s opera Cavalleria Rusticana. “This is one of the quintessential operas in the Italian tradition,” said Prezant, “gritty, down to earth, and heartbreakingly beautiful. It’s a great introduction to Italian opera - be sure to bring your handkerchief!”Purchase Tickets
Opera West! is a professional chamber opera company whose primary mission is to produce live, fully staged opera performances featuring highly talented professional opera singers accompanied by professional chamber orchestra.