Santa Fe Desert Chorale to Present 2027 Season

The Santa Fe Desert Chorale (the Desert Chorale) has announced its 2027 season, led by Artistic Director Joshua Habermann. One of the longest-running professional music organizations in New Mexico, the Desert Chorale brings together 24 of the nation's top ensemble singers for choral concerts and community events in Santa Fe and Albuquerque.

The Desert Chorale's Summer Festival, July 11-August 1, 2027, is a leading destination event for choral music and among the largest and most significant choral festivals in the United States. During its Summer Festival, the ensemble will perform a program of emotionally vivid and architecturally stunning music from the Baroque era; another highlighting hauntingly beautiful choral music from the Nordic and Baltic regions, and music honoring some of the greatest literary figures of the last century. An Artist Spotlight Recital will showcase three of the ensemble's singers performing solo repertoire with pianist Nathan Salazar.

During the summer festival, award-winning Polish composer Marek Raczyński premieres a new choral work, having been selected by the Desert Chorale's Commissioning Club, a group of supporters who commission a composer to create a new choral work every summer. Allyson Harvel, winner of Chicago a cappella's HerVoice competition, will premiere a setting of Emily Dickinson's famous poem 'Because I Could Not Stop for Death.' Other living composers featured during the summer festival include Matthew Brown and Paolo Orlandi.

'We are very proud of the culture we have built at Santa Fe Desert Chorale,' says Habermann. 'Our vocal artists are among the finest singers on the American choral scene, able to perform captivating music at the highest artistic level. Our audience is wonderfully responsive, and gives us the opportunity to present intriguing programs of the very best choral music. The atmosphere of joyful collaboration is an expression of all that choral music can be.'

Also, during the 2027 Summer Festival, the Desert Chorale and VOCES8 Foundation will embark on a first-ever two-week program in Santa Fe, culminating in side-by-side performances in which Santa Fe Desert Chorale's professional ensemble and 12 early career vocalists from VOCES8 US Scholars will share the fruits of their new educational partnership. The twelve VOCES8 US Scholars performing with Santa Fe Desert Chorale are Claudia Adjou-Moumouni, Beaux Baldwin, Rachael Bell, Kevin Elam, Cameron Falby, Emma George, Micah Krajca, Erika Lantz, Kyuyim Lee, Amber Miller, Sam Scheibe, and Blake Wayment.

VOCES8 US Scholars who will participate in first-ever two-week program in Santa Fe
From left: Blake Wayment, Emma George, Beaux Baldwin, Rachael Bell, Cam Falby, Amber Miller, Sam Scheibe, Kyuyim Lee, Micah Krajca, Claudia Adjou-Moumouni, Kevin Elam, Erika Lantz (Photo courtesy VOCES8)

Earlier this month, Santa Fe Desert Chorale and the VOCES8 Foundation USA announced the Santa Fe Desert Chorale VOCES8 US Scholars Partnership, a new initiative through which Santa Fe Desert Chorale ('the Desert Chorale') will provide professional performance and training opportunities for selected participants in the VOCES8 US Scholars Program ('US Scholars'). Through the partnership, the 12 US Scholars will spend two weeks in Santa Fe training, rehearsing, and ultimately performing with Desert Chorale artists during the 2027 Summer Festival, specifically joining the professional musicians for all the performances of Invitation to Love.

'For some years, the Desert Chorale has been working toward creating an educational initiative to help train the next generation of professional American ensemble vocalists. The VOCES8 US Scholars, all early-career singers, are selected through highly competitive nationwide auditions to take part in several weeks of activities designed to prepare them for vocal ensembles of the highest caliber. We know these talented scholars will benefit from working with and learning from our professional vocal artists. We're looking forward to inviting them into our sound on our Invitation to Love program," explains Habermann.

The Winter Festival, happening December 11-22, 2027, welcomes the singers back to Santa Fe for its cherished holiday program.

The Desert Chorale's 24 exceptional professional singers are carefully selected for their artistry, musicianship, and community-mindedness. The organization programs its summer season so that audiences may experience all three programs over the course of a few days, establishing the festival as a highlight for its Southwestern residents and cultural destination for visitors around the world.

2027 Season Highlights

• Summer Festival: Baroque Brilliance (July 11, July 23, and July 29 in Santa Fe): Sixteen Desert Chorale artists, joined by musicians on organ, cello, and theorbo, perform several of the greatest choral hits from the Baroque era. Highlights include Bach's magnificent Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied, Scarlatti's achingly beautiful Stabat Mater, and Marek Raczyński's new choral work in response to Bach's inspiring motet, commissioned by the Santa Fe Desert Chorale Commissioning Club. A pre-concert lecture made available to all audiences through an on-demand video will be presented by James Kennerley.

• Summer Festival: True North (July 18, July 27, and August 1 in Santa Fe): In a concert reminiscent of the very first performance he conducted with the Desert Chorale nearly 20 years ago, Habermann leads the 24-voice ensemble through a program of choral soundscapes shaped by the deep artistic traditions of the Nordic and Baltic regions. From the shimmering folk-inspired lyricism of Toivo Kuula's Sävel (Melody) to the ethereal modernism of Einojuhani Rautavaara's Lähtö (Departure), this program recalls the wonder of ancient forests, frozen lakes, and skies ablaze through a span of centuries of some of the most hauntingly beautiful choral music ever composed. A pre-concert lecture video presented by Bradley Naylor will be available on-demand.

• Summer Festival: Invitation to Love (July 22, July 25, and July 31 in Santa Fe; July 24 in Albuquerque): The Desert Chorale and pianist Nathan Salazar honor some of the greatest literary figures of the last century, and the composers who heard music hidden inside their words. Two different settings of Paul Laurence Dunbar's poem 'Invitation to Love" by Matthew Brown and Paolo Orlandi frame this program. Allyson Harvel, winner of the Chicago a cappella's HerVoice competition, breathes new life into Emily Dickinson's 'Because I Could Not Stop for Death.' Twelve emerging choral professionals representing VOCES8 US Scholars will sing alongside the 24 Desert Chorale artists as part of the Santa Fe Desert Chorale & VOCES8 US Scholars Partnership, expanding the ensemble for this powerful program. The pre-concert lecture video, available to all on-demand, will be presented by Kate Maroney.

• Summer Festival: Artist Spotlight Recital (July 28 in Santa Fe): Desert Chorale artists not only blend seamlessly as an ensemble, they shine as soloists on-stage. This program allows audiences to hear Desert Chorale artists Elijah McCormack, Kate Maroney, and Enrico Lagasca in an intimate art song recital with pianist Nathan Salazar.

• Winter Festival: Carols & Lullabies (December 11-22 in Santa Fe; December 12 in Albuquerque): The 2027 season concludes with cherished holiday carols and seasonal treasures performed by the Desert Chorale's 24 professional vocalists.

Santa Fe Desert Chorale performing during the 2026 Winter Festival (Credit: Tira Howard Photography)

Ticket Information

Tickets to the 2027 season concerts in Santa Fe will be available for purchase starting November 6, 2026 at desertchorale.org/tickets or by calling the Box Office at (505) 988-2282, Ext. 1. Tickets for performances in Albuquerque and the Spotlight recital will go on sale in the new year. Tickets for regular season performances range from $22-$139. The Desert Chorale offers a 50% discount for all students with IDs.

2027 Summer Festival Desert Chorale Vocalist Roster

• Soprano: Elisse Albian, Chelsea Helm, Elijah McCormack, Sarah Moyer, Kathlene Ritch, Addy Sterrett
• Alto: Kerry Ginger, Dianna Grabowski, Sylvia Leith, Kate Maroney, Sarah Nickerson, Pamela Terry
• Tenor: George Case, Brad Diamond, Erik Gustafson, Michael Jones, Bradley Naylor, Steven Soph
• Bass: James K. Bass, John Buffett, Harrison Hintzsche, Enrico Lagasca, Edmund Milly, Marques Jerrell Ruff

About The Santa Fe Desert Chorale

The Santa Fe Desert Chorale, a 501(c)(3) organization, is a centerpiece of cultural life in Santa Fe. It performs in historical venues, such as the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, and its annual Summer Festival is one of the nation's largest choral events.