The Santa Fe Women's Ensemble

 

The Santa Fe Women's Ensemble offers quality performances of choral music for women's voices, presenting innovative and inspiring music from many centuries. The Ensemble encourages the writing of new music for women's voices by commissioning compositions, promotes the recognition and appreciation of women's choral repertoire, and develops the performance opportunities and musical skills of its members with its commitment to excellence.

In our 2008 Christmas Offering concerts, the Santa Fe Women's Ensemble will perform music from centuries past and present in two venues: the exquisite historic Loretto Chapel and the beautifully remodeled First Presbyterian Church with its noteworthy sanctuary designed by John Gaw Meem. Attuning to the special characteristics of each location, the Ensemble will perform two unique concerts, presenting traditional carols and folk songs along with other music inspired by the season. These holiday concerts have become a Santa Fe tradition since we first performed in the chapel in 1981.

This year, the Ensemble celebrates our 28th consecutive season with the world premiere of Every Stone Shall Cry by Linda Rice Beck, our 2008 commissioned composer. In recognition of Linda Raney's 20th season as music director, Beck asked Dr. Raney to select one of her favorite texts, and she chose this beautiful and powerful poem by Richard Wilbur. Beck, a Santa Fean and also a soprano with the Ensemble, presents a distinctive "insider's" perspective to the group's 25th commission of new music. The repertory will include O Regem coeli by Tomás Luis de Victoria, Magnificat by Palestrina, I Sing of a Maiden by Patrick Hadley, and There Is No Rose by Z. Randall Stroope. The program also features many festive carols, and several delightful selections by John Rutter, as well as a charming treasure of New Mexico: music from the Christmas folk play Los Pastores, which will begin several years of our celebration of Santa Fe's 400th anniversary.