Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival
To bring together the world’s finest musicians to perform chamber music in all its forms;to build a broad and knowledgeable audience of all ages; to be an advocate of contemporary music; to provide diverse educational opportunities; and to enhance the cultural environment of Santa Fe and New Mexico.
Founded in 1972, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival has had a long and rich history of presenting chamber music of the highest quality in Santa Fe. During its annual six-week season in July and August, the Festival presents over 40 concerts, five Youth Concerts, one free Community Concert, and three master classes by more than 80 musicians of the highest caliber for an estimated audience of 16,000 residents and visitors to Santa Fe and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The Festival's programming consistently explores the breadth and depth of chamber music by presenting not only chamber music repertoire of the classical and romantic eras, but also baroque, world music, and contemporary music. The Festival has a strong commitment to the performance of new music and over its history, the Festival has commissioned 54 compositions.
The SFCMF also maintains a strong tradition of community service through its free education programs that reach over 3,000 Santa Fe young people each year.
Since 1981, Festival performances have been regularly broadcast on national radio networks, including WFMT Fine Arts Network, American Public Radio, Minnesota Public Radio, and National Public Radio (NPR). In 2006, the Festival launched a 13-week one-hour radio program that is syndicated to approximately 125 radio stations nationwide, as to U.K., New Zealand, and Israel. The Festival also has released 7 recordings on CD.
1971
Steven Ovitsky