FREE CONCERT! Join The Santa Fe Symphony Chorus, led by Choral Director Carmen Flórez-Mansi, for some of the most beloved Christmas carols of all time—accompanied by the glorious sounds of The Symphony Brass & Organ. This free annual performance at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi is The Symphony’s gift to the Santa Fe community during the holiday season!
No tickets are required; all ages are welcome.
Doors open at 6:15 pm.
The Santa Fe Symphony Chorus
Carmen Flórez-Mansi, Choral Director
The Santa Fe Symphony Chamber Chorus
The Santa Fe Symphony Choral Scholars
The Santa Fe Symphony Brass Ensemble
Brynn Marchiando, Trumpet
Leif Atchley, Trumpet
Jeffrey Rogers, Horn
Byron Herrington, Trombone
Derek Manteufel, Tuba
Paul Roth, Collaborative Piano
Dr. James Yeager, Organ
PROGRAM
J.S. BACH
Transcribed by Harry Herforth
My Spirit Be Joyful
The Santa Fe Symphony Brass Ensemble
TRADITIONAL CAROL
O Come All Ye Faithful—Sing-Along
ANDREA RAMSEY
Cover Me with The Night
Nate Salazar, Tenor
Todd Ritterbush, Tenor
Curtis Borg, Bass
MAX REGER
Mariä Wiegenlied, op.76 no.52 (Mary’s Cradle Song)
Jenna Kloeppel, Soprano
FRANZ BIEBL
Ave Maria
Choral Scholars with members of The Santa Fe Symphony Chorus
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL
For Unto Us a Child is Born from Messiah
The Santa Fe Symphony Brass Ensemble and Organ
The Santa Fe Symphony Chorus
TRADITIONAL CAROL
Hark the Herald Angels Sing—Sing-Along
ANTONIO VIVALDI
Arr. W. Blanton & J.Furkins (2021)
Fugue from Concerto Grosso in D Minor
The Santa Fe Symphony Brass Ensemble
TRADITIONAL CAROL
Arr. James Clements
People, Look East (Carol of the Advent)
ERIC WHITACRE
Lux Aurumque
SERGEI RACHMANINOV
Bogoroditse Devo (All Night Vigil)
The Santa Fe Symphony Chamber Chorus
ADOLPHE ADAM
O Holy Night
The Santa Fe Symphony Brass Ensemble and Organ
The Santa Fe Symphony Chorus
TRADITIONAL CAROL
Angels We Have Heard on High—Sing-Along
GUSTAV HOLST
Arr. D.D. Haslip (2021)
On Christmas Day
The Santa Fe Symphony Brass Ensemble
RANDOL ALAN BASS
Gloria
George Frideric Handel—Sing-Along
Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah
Of Note
Eric Whitacre has said he based Lux Aurumque (Light and Gold) on a poem attributed to Edward Esch, whom Whitacre describes as “a recluse, in the truest sense of the word … born sometime in the early ’70s, but rarely making a public appearance.” Because Edward Esch is not in the Library of Congress catalog, and researchers have not been able to verify his existence, some have guessed that Esch is a pseudonym for Whitacre himself.
Commissioned for the St. Louis Children’s Chorus 30th Anniversary Gala in 2009, Cover Me With the Night uses text from a traditional Ghanian prayer:
“Come, Lord. Come, Lord and cover me with the night.
Spread your grace over us, when the night is cold and dark.
Your promises are more than the stars in the sky….”
Rachmaninov’s All-Night Vigil premiered in March 1915 in Moscow. The piece consists of texts taken from the Russian Orthodox all-night vigil ceremony. It has been praised as Rachmaninoff’s finest achievement as well as “the greatest musical achievement of the Russian Orthodox Church.” The composer requested that its fifth movement be sung at his funeral.
Carmen Flórez-Mansi, Choral Director
Carmen Flórez-Mansi, a native of New Mexico, currently serves as the Pastoral Associate for Music at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. Since 1989, she has performed as a vocal artist, choral conductor, vocal instructor and liturgy specialist throughout the Southwest, including solo appearances with the Santa Fe Desert Chorale and The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra & Chorus. Carmen is also the Director of the St. Michael’s High School Choral Arts Society, which she founded in 2014.
The Santa Fe Symphony Chorus
Experience exciting repertoire from the Renaissance to the 21st century, under the direction of Choral Director, Carmen Flórez Mansi, and Principal Conductor, Guillermo Figueroa. Our 80+ member Symphony Chorus presents professional-quality orchestral and choral concerts, as well as education and outreach programs for adults and school children. Performing a regular subscription series at the 790-seat Lensic, Santa Fe's Performing Arts Center, The Santa Fe Symphony & Chorus is a community-focused