The rafters inside the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis de Assisi hum with symphonic sound when the Santa Fe Desert Chorale (SFDC) performs in the 140-year-old building. The ensemble, which features some of the best vocalists in the country, does two programs a year: one in the summer, July 12 through August 2, and another during the winter holiday season.
Santa Fe Desert Chorale Returns for a Summer of World-Class Choral Music
The caliber of musicians in the Santa Fe Desert Chorale makes it a standout, not just locally but among the wider universe of choir groups as well. Mezzo-soprano Kate Maroney—who has been part of SFDC since 2017—holds a doctorate in music arts from Eastman School of Music and a music degree from Yale, and has sung for the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Ballet, Carnegie Hall, and LA Opera. She says her yearly sojourn to Santa Fe is something she looks forward to every year.
“I absolutely fell in love with the chorale,” she says of SFDC, “and I fell in love with New Mexico. The beauty, the hiking, and the natural wonders make the weeks of the summer festival so special,” says the Brooklyn-based singer.
Nathan Salazar, a pianist with SFDC, resonates with the ensemble for a different reason. The northern New Mexico native—who has been playing since he was nine years old and has graced stages such as the John F. Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall, playing with vocalists including Susan Graham and Julia Faulkner—feels like a beacon of representation for locals.
“Growing up with a last name like Salazar (I am from the Chimayo/Santa Cruz area), and to be able to be part of the cultural fabric of Santa Fe in such a visual way, it’s so meaningful to me.” Salazar enjoys standing outside of the cathedral after a performance and greeting concert-goers. “I like to think having someone up there like me gets more people interested. More and more often, I am greeted by people from here [New Mexico], and it’s very special.”
For the Members, It’s More Than Just Singing Songs
Many of the SFDC performers return year after year, creating a family-like atmosphere that both Maroney and Salazar say is unique in the music world.
“Gigs come and go,” Salazar explains. “Something that is so special about the chorale is that many of us have been part of it for a long time.”
Having a bond with fellow musicians is something Maroney thinks makes the ensemble particularly strong.
“It’s a good incentive,” she says. “I always want to make sure I am well prepared, invested, and present in all the phrases because I have such respect for everyone in the room. You want to do your part so the whole thing is as great as it can be.”
The SFDC, under the leadership of artistic director Joshua Habermann, sings a wide array of genres like classical, pop, and folk.
“The chorale is able to perform everything from medieval chants all the way up to something written yesterday,” Salazar explains. “And they can perform all of it at the highest level.”
The Santa Fe Desert Chorale’s Summer Program
This summer, July 23-30, the ensemble will perform the Rachmaninoff Vespers, known to be some of the most difficult compositions to nail.
“It’s a kind of symphony for voices,” Maroney says. “It’s beautiful and difficult, and it requires a lot.”
And even though some of the pieces the SFDC performs are among the most demanding in the vocal canon, going to one of their summer concerts feels accessible and welcoming for music masters and novices alike.
“The music will be beautiful, but you don’t need a degree to understand it at all,” Maroney says. “It feels like the audience is part of these performances. We are all in this room, and there is this beautiful music being created, and we are all experiencing it together.”
Story by Maria Manuela
Featured Photo Courtesy Jiyang Chen
Additional Photography by Gabriella Marks
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