Santa Fe Pro Musica is that rare musical organization: strongly committed to its community, while achieving national recognition. Founded in 1980 by Tom O’Connor (Music Director and Conductor) and Carol Redman (Education and Associate Artistic Director) Santa Fe Pro Musica has consistently expanded its repertoire, its audience, and its reputation. Entering its twenty-NINTH season, Pro Musica embodies the founders' vision: a performing arts and educational music nonprofit organization that has grown into a major musical presence in Northern New Mexico and far beyond.
In its early years, Santa Fe Pro Musica’s repertoire consisted primarily of duos, trios, and quartets, and the organization specialized in performing Baroque music on period instruments. Pro Musica now presents a varied repertoire of music from the last four centuries, including works for chamber orchestra, chamber ensemble, and large-scale oratorios. The annual Baroque Christmas concerts—always sold out—are so popular that visitors from all over the world include them in their Santa Fe holiday plans. In addition to concerts by its Chamber Orchestra and Baroque Ensemble, Santa Fe Pro Musica presents world-renowned solo artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Lang Lang and Ian Bostridge, while also offering audiences the opportunity to hear up-and-coming young performers like this season’s Laura Lutzke and Conrad Tao.
Santa Fe Pro Musica was highly honored at the end of 2007, when its recording of Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde/The Song of the Earth, in collaboration with the Smithsonian Chamber Players, was nominated for a 2008 GRAMMY® Award in the classical music category of Best Small Ensemble Performance.
Our Mission: Santa Fe Pro Musica brings together outstanding musicians to inspire and educate audiences of all ages through the performance of great music.
PASA REVIEW
Santa Fe Pro Musica Classical Weekend Lensic Performing Arts Center
January 2008
Serving Schubert,
superbly
St. Francis Auditorium was the place to be on Jan. 26, 2008, when tenor Ian Bostridge and pianist Julius Drake guided listeners through the varied creative landscapes of a fine all-Schubert recital. It definitely wasn't for those who like their lieder sweet, meek, and tastefully embalmed: this was Schubert in overdrive as well as in excelsis.
Some of the 20 works were familiar fare from the composer's 700strong song canon. Others are more usually heard on specialist's recitals. Few of the poetic texts have stood time's test; as a scholar I know drily remarked, most of these bards do not stand among the great names of German Romanticism.
But of course a poem is only part of a song, and Schubert's settings gave the verses heart, strong legs, and sometimes wings. The artists' gemlike musicianship, the final part of the equation, was a constant beacon. So was Bostridge's German diction, which to my ear was clear, strong, and superbly inflected.
Bostridge approached each song in a highly dramatic, almost idiosyncratic manner. He contorted his finely cut features and moved his tall, lanky body and long arms around in ways that would bring thunder down on the head of any student singer who tried it. But expression, attitude, and movement were geared to the emotional implications and subtexts, not only in each song but sometimes in a single word. It was artfully extreme.
Bostridge walked around, rocked from foot to foot, leaned back on the piano, and even held the piano edge and leaned away from it, incidentally leaving quite a nice crop of thumbprints. Once he held his water glass and sang reflectively into it, as if talking to us over the kitchen table. He also often sang leaning over, presumably to help focus his supple voice and counteract the altitude and dryness problems one could occasionally hear.
The melodramatic approach reminded me of his and Drake's sensitive yet spooky DVD of Schubert's Die Winterreise, staged by iconoclastic director David Alden. Yet in context, and given the huge range of mirroring and supporting colors Drake effortlessly drew from the piano, the approach was persuasive. (Kudos to page turner Sergio Rodriguez, who handled an often thankless job with aplomb.) But I wish we could have heard it all in a smaller room, sitting grouped around the piano as in a Liederabend of Schubert's day. Even the intimate St. Francis was too big for best effect.
There were some bitter audience complaints that, because the lights were kept low at the musicians' request, it was impossible to read the English translations and so follow the songs. True, it did. Yet by keeping us in the dark, Bostndge and Drake paid us the strong compliment of presenting their work at the level they thought it should be, not at a level we might find convenient.
In fact, Bostndge is anything but a deliberately ingratiating artist. Unlike musicians who turn concerts into American Idol-like popularity contests, he didn't want us to love him, or even necessarily like him. He wanted us to hear him and Drake, and experience the focused journey they'd mapped out. They sought our cooperation before our approval, and those who gave both found new worlds opening.
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Santa Fe Pro Musica Recording
Nominated for Grammy Award
Santa Fe, NM – Santa Fe Pro Musica is thrilled to announce that its recording of Gustav Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde/The Song of the Earth has been nominated for a Grammy Award in the classical category of Best Small Ensemble Performance. Nominations for the 50th Annual Grammy Awards were just announced; and the awards will be presented on February 10, 2008.
The Dorian/Sono Luminus recording, released in 2006, is a collaboration between Santa Fe Pro Musica, which specializes in the performance of works for chamber orchestra and chamber ensembles, and the Smithsonian Chamber Players, dedicated to exploring the worlds of the master instruments from the collection of the Smithsonian Institution. This performance of Mahler’s masterwork is based on the chamber orchestra transcription by Arnold Schonberg (completed by Rainer Riehn), and is conducted by Kenneth Slowik, artistic director of the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society, and features soloists John Elwes, tenor, and Russell Braun, baritone.
Thomas O’Connor, general director of Santa Fe Pro Musica, expressed his delight over the nomination. “Coming as a total surprise in the middle of our twenty-sixth season, this nomination is a wonderful validation of the success of Santa Fe Pro Musica, the Smithsonian Chamber Players, and the importance of the chamber orchestra repertoire and performance. The nomination is a great honor, and we are very grateful.”
BOARD OF TRUSTEES Kenneth Davis, President Jordan Braun |
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Thomas O’Connor Biography
Thomas O’Connor is the Co-Founder, Music Director and Conductor of Santa Fe Pro Musica. Mr. O’Connor is also a highly regarded oboist who has performed extensively on modern and historical oboes. He has performed with all of the major classical music organizations in New Mexico including the Santa Fe Opera, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Music from Angel Fire and the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra. He frequently performs outside of New Mexico with festivals and orchestras including the International Festival at the Domaine Forget (Canada), Oregon Bach Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Oregon Festival of American Music, Philharmonia Baroque ˙Orchestra (San Francisco), San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival (California), Maryland Handel Festival, American Bach Soloists (San Francisco), the Bach Ensemble, Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra, Dallas Chamber Orchestra, and Boston Baroque. He was formerly the Artistic Director of the Ernest Bloch Music Festival at Newport (Oregon) and also served on the faculty of Texas Tech University. He has recordings with Sony, Telarc and Dorian including a GRAMMY® nominated disc of the chamber version of Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde for Dorian Records. Mr. O’Connor is a graduate of the University of New Mexico and has pursued graduate studies at the Conservatory of Music at the University of Missouri at Kansas City and at the Institut des Hautes Etudes Musicale, Montreux, Switzerland.
Michael Anderson - Clarinet - Oregon Bach Festival Artistic Administrator - performs with the Eugene Symphony, Oregon Ballet Theater, Oregon Festival of American Music, Santa Fe Pro Musica, Oregon Mozart Players, Ernest Bloch Music Festival, Cascade Festival of Music, Oregon Symphony, Smithsonian Chamber Music Society, Third Angle, Le Festival International du Domaine Forget (Canada) - recordings with Hänssler, North Pacific Music, Dorian. |
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| Daniel Brandt - Violin - member Santa Fe Pro Musica and New Mexico Symphony Orchestra – concertmaster Symphony Parnassus (San Francisco), associate concertmaster El Paso Symphony - performed with Del Sol String Quartet - B. M. performance, summa cum laude honors program, university of New Mexico, M. M. performance, San Francisco Conservatory of Music. |  |
| Danny Bond - Bassoon - principal bassoon Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century (Amsterdam), Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra (San Francisco) - former faculty Royal Conservatory in The Hague - recorded the sonatas of Corrette, Boismortier and Devienne as well as concertos of Vivaldi and Mozart with the Academy of Ancient Music under Christopher Hogwood. |  |
| John Elwes - Tenor - began his musical career as Head Chorister at Westminster Cathedral in London - concerts and recordings with Benjamin Britten - collaborated in concerts and more than 100 recordings with Gustav Leonhardt, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Roger Norrington, John Eliot Gardiner, Joshua Rifkin, Christopher Hogwood. |  |
| David Farwig - Lyric baritone - freelance concert artist - Santa Fe Pro Musica, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado, Seattle Choral Arts, Conspirare (2006 Grammy nominee), Orchestra of St. Luke, Robert Shaw Festival Singers, Carmel Bach Festival, Victoria Bach Festival, Albuquerque Baroque Players |  |
| Jaap ter Linden - Cello - Musica da Camera, Musica Antiqua Köln, The English Concert, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Mozart Akademie, Arion Ensemble (Canada) - conducted San Francisco Philharmonia Baroque, Portland Baroque, Amsterdam Bach Soloists, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie - award winning recording artist with Harmonia Mundi, Archiv, ECM, Deutsche Grammophone, Brilliant Classics. |  |
| Laura Lutzke – Violin – currently studies at the Juilliard School - concertmaster of the New York Youth Symphony - performances with Manhattan Symphony Orchestra, Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra, Royal Academy of Music, Lausanne Academy, Prussia Cove, International Holland Music Sessions, Mozarteum, Bowdoin International Festival, Caramoor International Festival - performs on an 1822 violin made by Pierre Pacherele, on generous loan from The Christophe Landon Rare Violins Collection. |  |
| Kathleen McIntosh - Harpsichord and Organ - Santa Fe Pro Musica, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival, Los Angeles Bach Festival, San Francisco Early Music Society, Esteban Salas Festival Havana, Deya Festival Mallorca, Chamber Orchestra Kremlin and others - recordings with Gasparo Records and Maricam Studio. |  |
| Chase Morrison - Cello – studied at the New England Conservatory, Boston university, Wellesley College, Westminster Choir College - former principal cellist Tasmanian and Melbourne Symphonies - worked with Joni Mitchell and Barbara Streisand - former faculty Westminster Choir College, Western Springs Suzuki School, Chicago’s Sherwood Conservatory. |  |
| Carla Moore - Violin - concertmaster Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Portland Baroque Orchestra, American Bach Soloists - 1989 First Prize Winner, Erwin Bodky Competition for Early Music - performances with many baroque groups throughout North America, Britain, Europe and Asia - recorded for a wide range of labels and extensively for Centaur – coaches the Baroque Ensemble at the univsersity of California at Berkeley – M. M. degree with Distinction from Indiana university’s Early Music Institute. |  |
| Kathryn Mueller - Soprano - solo and chamber artist - Santa Fe Pro Musica, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Handel and Haydn Society, Seraphic Fire, New Trinity Baroque, Arizona Opera, Tucson Chamber Artists, Tucson Symphony - M. M. Vocal Performance, university of Arizona, B. A. Music with Honors, Brown university. |  |
| Nigel North – Lute – Professor of Lute at the Early Music Institute (Bloomington, Indiana) – specialist in accompanying singers, playing basso continuo in chamber ensembles and performing solo lute repertoire of the 17th and 18th centuries – recordings include “Bach on the Lute” 4 CD box set (Linn), Dowland Solo Lute Works (4 CDs, Naxos), “Musical Banguet” with Monika Mauch (soprano) on ECM. |  |
| Thomas O’Connor - Oboe - Music Director and Conductor Santa Fe Pro Musica - Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Domaine Forget (Canada), Oregon Bach Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Oregon Festival of American Music, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra (San Francisco), American Bach Soloists, Music from Angel Fire, Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra, Santa Fe Opera, Boston Baroque – 2008 Grammy nominee. |  |
| Susan Patrick - Harpsichord - Albuquerque Baroque Players, New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, Santa Fe Pro Musica, Desert Chorale, staff harpsichordist National Flute Association 2007 convention – emerita faculty university of New Mexico - Bachelor’s degree Tulane university (Newcomb College), Master’s and Doctorate university of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. |  |
| Eleanor Ranney – Soprano - performs early music, chamber music and opera – M. M. from Mannes Conservatory, B. M. from the university of New Mexico – roles include Susannah in The Marriage of Figaro (Mozart), Yum Yum in the Mikado (Gilbert and Sullivan), Nannetta in Falstaff (Verdi), Gia in Rock of Angels (Gerald Fried, 2004 world premiere) - Eleanor is from Santa Fe NM and currently resides in Chicago. |  |
| Stephen Redfield - Violin - concertmaster Santa Fe Pro Musica - Victoria Bach Festival, Oregon Bach Festival, San Luis Obispo Festival, other festivals and orchestras in Canada, Mexico, Asia, Europe - won the Coleman and the Monterey Chamber Music Competitions, awarded Quartet Fellowships at Aspen and Chautauqua Festival - currently faculty university of Southern Mississippi. |  |
| Carol Redman – Flute – Associate Artistic Director, principal flute, Santa Fe Pro Musica – Smithsonian Chamber Music Society, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, festivals in California, Colorado, Oregon, Canada, Maryland, Germany, Japan – former member New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, Santa Fe Opera – B. M. magna cum laude university of New Mexico – 2008 Grammy nominee. |  |
| Gail Robertson – Violin and Viola - founding member Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, Boston – member Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, Wolf Trap Chamber Players, Pacific Symphony, American Ballet Theatre, NYC Ballet, Kirov Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet - Principal Viola Mantovani Orchestra nationwide tours - first recipient of Austrian Government Ministry of Education Scholarship. |  |
| MaryAnn Shore – Recorder and Oboe –B. M. Oberlin Conservatory, M.M. university of New Mexico, currently pursuing Performer’s Diploma Indiana university – Santa Fe Pro Musica, New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, Santa Fe Opera, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Orchestra of New Spain, Madison Bach Musicians, Musica Angelica, Miami Bach Society, Musica Antigua de Albuquerque, Albuquerque Baroque Players, New Mexico Woodwind Quintet. |  |
| Cyndia Sieden - Soprano - sang the role of Ariel in the Santa Fe Opera’s 2006 production of Thomas Adès The Tempest - sang the role of the Queen of the Night (Mozart, The Magic Flute) in Munich, Paris, Barcelona, Antwerp, English National Opera, Brussels, Florida, Carmel Bach Festival, Opera Colorado, Macau, Beijing China, Australia - recitals and chamber music performances throughout the world. |  |
| Rosalind Simpson – Harp - Santa Fe Opera, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Santa Fe Pro Musica, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Music in the Mountains, Telluride Chamber Music Festival, New Mexico Symphony, Las Cruces Symphony, El Paso Symphony, San Juan Symphony - former principal Bern Symphony Orchestra, Switzerland, PACT Symphony, South Africa - Premier Prix and Diplôme Supérieur, Conservatoire Royale de Musique, Brussels, Belgium. |  |
| Mary Springfels – Viola da gamba – 2007 Early Music America Lifetime Achievement Award - Musician-in- Residence Newberry Library - founder and director Newberry Consort - performances/recordings New York Pro Musica, the Waverly Consort, Concert Royal, Sequentia, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Seattle Baroque Orchestra, Music of the Baroque, Musica Sacra, Marlborough Festival, New York City Opera, Chicago Opera Theater - music faculty Northwestern university. |  |
| Conrad Tao – Piano – played his first children’s songs on the piano at 18 months of age, first public piano recital at 4, Mozart concerto debut at age 8, age 10 PBS “From the Top” – concerto appearances with Aspen Festival Orchestra, California Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony - solo recitals in Chicago, Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale, New York City, Mexico City, Switzerland, Italy – winner of the Juilliard Pre-College’s Gina Bachauer Piano Competition, Prokofiev Concerto Competition – currently enrolled in Juilliard’s Pre-College Division - his credits as a violinist and composer are equally impressive. |  |
| Janeene Williams – Soprano – freelance concert artist – Santa Fe Pro Musica, Albuquerque Baroque Players, university of Texas Symphony Orchestra, Georgetown Festival of the Arts, Conspirara, Mozart Fest, university of Texas New Music Ensemble, Austin/Southhampton Early Music Exchange, Victoria Bach Festival, Brevard Music Festival. |  |