Abiquiu Chamber Music

The R. Carlos Nakai concerts are sponsored in part through the great generosity of JANET HARRINGTON and ROBERT WHITE; SALLY PATTON and RICK GRENZEBACK; and MELODIE and JON USHER, all of Abiquiu, NM.

ACMF proudly presents its Fourth World Premiere, Chaco: A Journey of the Spirit by Commissioned Composer GARY GACKSTATTER. Chaco was written in commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the U.S. National Park System and premiered in March, 2017 in its original version for orchestra, chorus, soloists, Native Flute, narrator and multi-media projections. The composer has created a chamber version  especially for ACMF, consisting of Native Flute, Soprano Soloist, Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet, Cello, Piano, and Percussion. Additionally, RUTH LOMON's (Re)Weavings will be performed. (Re)Weavings was ACMF's first commission in 2010 and subsequently became a Finalist for the American Prize in Chamber Music, 2012.  The program also includes R. CARLOS NAKAI's Duos for Native Flute and Clarinet as well as his Butterflies Dancing and Clan of the Mists, ensemble pieces with Native Flute.

 R. CARLOS NAKAI, Native Flute, is of Navajo-Ute heritage.  Now considered to be the world's premier performer of the Native American flute, his first studies were on trumpet, but a car accident ruined his embouchure. His musical interests then took a turn when he was given a traditional cedar flute as a gift---and challenged to master it.  Nakai's first album, Changes, was released by Canyon Records in 1983 and since then he has released over 37 recordings with Canyon, plus albums on other labels. Nakai brought the traditional flute into the concert hall, performing James DeMars’ Two World Concerto with over fifteen symphony orchestras. He was a featured soloist on the Philip Glass composition, Piano Concerto No. 2:  After Lewis & Clark. Nakai has received two Gold Records (500,000 albums sold) for Canyon Trilogy and Earth Spirit; has sold over 4 million albums and received nine Grammy® nominations.  His most recent Grammy nominations were Reconnections (2008) for Best Native American Album and the Dancing Into Silence (2010) for Best New Age Album. Nakai’s  music has also been featured in two major movies, Geronimo and The New World. A Navy veteran, Nakai received a Master's in American Indian Studies from the University of Arizona. He was awarded the Arizona Governor's Arts Award, an honorary doctorate from Northern Arizona University and has been inducted into the Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame. With composer James DeMars, he has published The Art of the Native American Flute, a guide to performing on the traditional cedar flute.  R. Carlos Nakai is an iconoclastic traditionalist who views his cultural heritage not only as a source and inspiration, but also a dynamic continuum of natural change, growth, and adaptation subject to the artist’s expressive needs.  Mr. Nakai first performed at ACMF in the 2010 season, with this unique, natural setting providing the idyllic setting for his fourth appearance here at ACMF. 

Commissioned Composer GARY GACKSTATTER is an active artist, composer, conductor, clinician, performer and teacher. He has been eaching at St. Louis Community College Meramec as Coordinator of Music and conductor of the Symphonic Band and Meramec Orchestra since 2007. Gary has served as conductor at Cowley College, Southwestern College and Wichita State University, and has 12 years of public school teaching experience. He holds a BME from Southwestern Oklahoma State and a MMP in Conducting from Wichita State University. He is the 2017 recipient of the Missouri Humanities Council Excellence in Education Award as well as a two-time Kansas Governor's Arts Award Winner. His creative output includes six symphonies (each combining music with other art forms); published works for band and orchestra; pen and ink artwork; and several CDs of original music for voice and guitar. He has also published three books: Pen and Ink, The Spark: Notes From the Podium, and Your Musical Journey. The composer also has also arranged symphony debuts for Trio Globo, Three Dog Night, Kansas, John Gorka, Barbara Higbie, John McCutcheon, Tom Chapin, Sam Bush, Laura Love and the Paul Winter Consort. He has conducted premiere perfrmances of the Elmer Bernstein film scores To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Escape, and two symphonies by cellist Eugene Friesen,  Grasslands and Carl Sandburg’s Prairie.  His artwork has been featured at several national shows and his musical works have been performed internationally. For more information go to: Gackstatter Art and Music and The Chaco Canyon Project on Facebook.

Soprano Soloist CHRISTINA MARTOS (for Chaco:  A Journey of the Spirit) has appeared in featured roles with the Washington National Opera (L’elisir d’amore, Gianni Schicchi, Jenufa) and the Central City Opera (The Saint of Bleecker Street), and participated in the prestigious Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program with the Washington National Opera, collaborating with Maestro Placido Domingo for productions of Die Zauberflőte and Hansel and Gretel. Recent engagements include multiple appearances as soloist with the New Mexico Performing Arts Society, Montage Music Society, and the world premiere of Los Bufones by Santa Fe composer Ron Strauss at the National Hispanic Cultural Center. ACMF welcomes Christina for her first performance at the festival.

Although ACMF strives to present all artists and programming as advertised, we reserve the right to make comparable artist or program substitution as might become necessary.

This concert is wholly underwritten through the great generosity of ANNE BECKETT of Youngsville, NM; SUSAN CHANDLER of Tucson, AZ; and ISOLDE THALMANN of St. Louis, MO and Abiquiu, NM. 

Montage Music Society’s primary focus is seeking out, commissioning, and performing music based on visual art. Forging connections between art forms encourages active listening and observation and stimulates fresh, new insights into the musical and visual creative processes. Founded in Boston, Massachusetts, Montage Music Society has enjoyed collaborations with the Library of Congress, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Corcoran Gallery, Chautauqua Institution, North Carolina Museum of Art, Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art. Their STARRY NIGHT CD (Amazon) is much acclaimed and features music of prominent American composers written exclusively about works of visual art. During 2017, Montage Music Society commissioned two major works which will be heard on this concert: OFER BEN-AMOTS' Montage Music in memorial tribute to artist Bebe Krimmer and commissioned by Greg De Prince; as well as The Astonomer's Key by composer BRUCE WOLOSOFF, inspired by the art work of Milton Kresnick and commissioned by the Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art, Roswell, NM.  Transforming Forest --a new work inspired Andy Goldsworthy’s Presidio installations and commissioned from composer Nell Shaw Cohen--will be premiered in early 2019. A CD featuring these new works will be released in the near future. Additionally, the Hungarian folk-like Contrasts of BELA BARTOK and PIERRE JALBERT's hard-driving, jazz-funk Street Antiphons round out this colorful program.  

Montage Music Society Co-Founder and Pianist DEBRA AYERS performs internationally as a recitalist with instrumentalists, singers and chamber music ensembles. Debra has been a frequent artist and ACMF, as well as the Albuquerque Chamber Soloists, Serenata of Santa Fe, Sunday Chatter, Taos Chamber Music Group and Santa Fe Desert Chorale. She has enjoyed collaborations with Aspen Music Festival Chamber Players; American, Apple Hill, La Catrina and Vega string quartets; Aspen Santa Fe Ballet; Ballet Pro Musica; Breckenridge Music Festival; the International Piatti Cello Festival; and at Denver’s annual JAAMM Festival. A proponent of contemporary music, her numerous premieres include works by Ofer Ben-Amots, William Bolcom, Paul Elwood, Jeff Harrington, Andrew List, Daniel Schnyder, Ronald Strauss, Bruce Wolosoff and Yehudi Wyner. Debra and cellist Marc Moskovitz presented the North American premiere of the rediscovered Zemlinsky Cello Sonata at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.  An alumna of the University of Southern California and the University of Wisconsin, her teachers include Gwendolyn Koldofsky, Jean Barr, André-Michel Schub, Brooks Smith, Martin Katz, and John Barrows. 

Violist KIMBERLY FREDENBURGH has been featured as a soloist and chamber musician across the United States, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Canada, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Italy and Monaco. She is the Principal Violist of The Santa Fe Symphony, the Santa Fe ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, Performance Santa Fe Orchestra and Acting Principal of the New Mexico Philharmonic. Kim performs regularly with the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. She is also Professor of Viola at the University of New Mexico where she teaches applied viola, coaches chamber music and serves as head of the string area. Previously she served on the faculty at Arizona State University while also performing as Associate Principal of the Phoenix Symphony for seven years. She was a Principal Violist in the New World Symphony (Miami, FL) under Michael Tilson Thomas. She has delivered papers and performed at national string conferences, international competitions and viola congresses. Her interest in contemporary music has resulted in many premieres of new works for her instrument. ACMF happily welcomes Kim for her first appearance at the festival. 

Cellist SALLY GUENTHER is both a familiar and favored artist of ACMF, performing as Duo Artist multiple times with Pianist Robert McDonald as well as with R. Carlos Nakai, Native Flutist, multiple times.  After engagements with numerous U.S. orchestras, including the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Cincinnati, Fort Worth, and the Syracuse Orchestra (principal), she became solo cellist of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra in Norway, a position she held for twenty years, where she was also active as a pedagogue, teaching at the Grieg Academy of Music, and was a member of the chamber ensemble, BIT-20, an internationally recognized group which records and travels extensively in Europe and Asia. Since returning to the U.S., Sally has made Taos her base for performing as well as her home, performing regularly with the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra, the New Mexico Symphony, Santa Fe Pro Musica, Santa Fe New Music, Serenata of Santa Fe, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and Chatter.  Sally performs regularly throughout the year with the Taos Chamber Music Group, maintains a private cello studio, and continues her association with chamber music and musicians in Norway.  Sally studied with renowned cellists János Starker and Harvey Shapiro. Sally recently spent eight months in Paris gaining additional Jazz skills and is currently residing and performing in Los Angeles during much of the year. She has performed regularly at ACMF, both in duo programs as well as part of the regular ACMF Ensemble, since the 2009 season.

 KEITH LEMMONS, Clarinet, has served as Associate Dean, Presidential Teaching Fellow, and Professor of Clarinet at The University of New Mexico. Concerts in Italy, Sweden, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada, as well as throughout the United States have received critical acclaim. Keith performs with the New Mexico Winds, Serenata of Santa Fe, Taos Chamber Music Group and Taos Trio, as well as his previous appearances with Abiquiú Chamber Music Festival.  His many graduates now teach at numerous colleges and universities and play in orchestras and military bands throughout the U.S. His degrees are from Pittsburg State University under Robert Schott and Michigan State University with Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr.  He also has extensive additional study with Larry Combs (Principal, Chicago Symphony), Charlie Neidich (Julliard School), and Thea King (Principal, English Chamber Orchestra).  His numerous recordings are found on Centaur, Summit, Navona, AlbuZerkque, Taos Chamber Music Group, UNM and Katson recording labels.  He is an artist for Buffet-Crampon and D’Addario instruments. ACMF has been privileged to enjoy Keith's artistry since his first appearance here in the 2010 season.

 Romanian-born Violinist RUXANDRA SIMIONESCU-MARQUARDT attended the George Enescu School of Music and Conservatory of Music in Bucharest. As a young virtuoso, in 1986 she left communist Romania to participate in the Indianapolis Violin Competition, defecting to the US immediately afterward. She continued her studies at Indiana University with Joseph Gingold and at Syracuse University, where she subsequently joined the faculty.  Ruxandra held the position of Associate Concertmaster with the Syracuse Symphony for more than a decade, then became Principal Second Violin and Concertmaster of the Jacksonville Symphony in Florida. She has also served as Concertmaster of the Rhode Island and New Mexico Philharmonic Orchestras. Her solo performances include appearances with the Bucharest Philharmonic, the Bucharest Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Syracuse Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, Gainesville Chamber Orchestra, Boston Virtuosi, Coastal Symphony of Georgia and the San Marco Chamber Society. As a chamber musician, she has participated in festivals at Bayreuth, the Skaneateles Music Festival,  Eastern Music Festival and the Grand Tetons. Ruxandra performs regularly with Santa Fe Serenata Chamber Music, the Altazano Salon in Santa Fe, Chatter of Albuquerque, and has been a regular artist with ACMF since the 2015 season.

Although ACMF strives to present all artists and programming as advertised, we reserve the right to make comparable artist or program substitution as might become necessary.

This concert is wholly underwritten through the great generosity of Abiquiu Valley Farm of Abiquiu, NM; and PIANOWERKES of Albuquerque, NM. 

Italian pianist Emanuele Arciuli brings his viruosity, shimmering palette of tonal color, and depth of interpretation to the rarely performed American masterpiece, the CONCORD SONATA of CHARLES IVES. The Ives has not been performed in NM for nearly a decade and is a rarity on the live concert stage. Conductor and educator Oliver Prezant will present an engaging pre-concert talk on the sonata in the Galeria of The Abiquiu Inn at 12:00. First published in 1920, this epic work for solo piano juxtaposes modernist musical gestures with quotes from the music of Beethoven, folk and popular music, hymn tunes, and more. It’s an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink effort to create a musical impression of the transcendentalist philosophy of Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, and the Alcotts in mid-nineteenth century Massachusetts. Given the scope of the work, it’s no surprise that Ives continued to work on the piece for almost forty years. Whether you’re an experienced listener or new to the concert hall, the talk will take you inside the music and the mind of the composer, and help you to deepen your understanding and enjoyment of this extraordinary American masterpiece. Emanuele Arciuli will open this concert with a solo tribute to RUTH LOMON, with her Five Ceremonial Masks, inspired by her 50 years of summers spent in NM, exploring and absorbing Native American cultures.  The first half of the concert concludes with the riveting Phrygian Gates by composer JOHN ADAMS, featured composer at the Santa Fe Opera, performing his Dr. Atomic.

Emanuele Arciuli has established himself as one of the most original and interesting performers on today's classical music scene. His repertoire ranges from Bach to contemporary music, with a strong affinity for composers from the United States.  Emanuele Arciuli continuously develops new projects and is in constant pursuit of new ideas and innovative programs. Round Midnight Variations, a group of 16 compositions that were written expressively for Arciuli by composers such as Babbitt, Rzewski, Torke, Daugherty, Bolcom, and Harbison, sparked the interest of international critics and is considered by some to be one of the most significant contemporary American piano collections. The variations, which were released by Stradivarius on CD under the title Round Midnight - Hommage to Thelonious Monk in May 2011, have been celebrated by the international press. His special interest in Native American cultures has greatly impacted Emanuele Arciuli's career and resulted in his commissioning works from a number of Native American composers. His Indian Gallery project was premiered at Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and featured new works inspired by Native American visual art by composers such as John Luther Adams, Michael Daugherty, and Huang Ruo. Emanuele's numerous recordings include Gates to Everywhere, with music by Carla Bley, Fred Hersch, and Chick Corea, the complete piano works of Berg and Webern, and the world premiere of Bruno Maderna's Concerto for Piano and Orchestra. His CD dedicated to George Crumb (Bridge) was nominated for a Grammy Award, and his CD with works by Adams and Rzewski received the Italian critics' award for Best Record in 2006. Emanuele Arciuli regularly performs at major concert halls and festivals, such as the Berliner Festwochen, Wien Modern at Musikverein, La Scala for Milano Musica, Miller Theater New York, Miami Piano Festival, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, La Fenice Venice, and the Brescia and Bergamo International Festival. He has collaborated with internationally renowned orchestras such as the Indianapolis Symphony, Saint Petersburg Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira and the RAI National Symphony. Conductors with whom he has worked include Roberto Abbado, Andrei Boreico, Yoel Levi, James MacMillan, Wayne Marshall, Kazushi Ono, Zoltan Pesko, Arturo Tamayo and Mario Venzago.  His newest comprehensive book on American piano music, Musica per pianoforte negli Stati Uniti, was recently published in Italy and presented at the MiTo Settembre Musica Festival in Torino by Enzo Restagno. May 2011, Emanuele Arciuli was awarded with the most important Italian critic's prize, the Premio Franco Abbiati. In winning this prize, Emanuele Arciuli follows in the footsteps of Maurizio Pollini, Radu Lupu, and Zubin Metha. Emanuele is Professor at the Conservatory in Bari, Italy.  Walk in Beauty, his newest double-CD of contemporary Amerian Piano Music was released to great critical acclaim, fall of 2017. Emanuele's long love of New Mexico is warmly reflected in it, with the pianist himself calling the album "a spiritual hike through New Mexico".  Emanuele returns to ACMF for his sixth appearance, having appeared with R. Carlos Nakai in 2012; then presenting solo concerts here in 2013, 2014; and performing concerto programs in 2015 and 2016.

OLIVER PREZANT is a well-known lecturer and educator for The Santa Fe Opera, Music Director of the Santa Fe Community Orchestra. He is also artistic advisor and teaching artist in the ArtWorks program of Partners in Education, which provides arts education programs in the Santa Fe Public Schools. As an educator, Oliver has created and presented education programs for the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival; Opera Southwest; the Guilds of the Santa Fe Opera and San Francisco Opera; and numerous other arts organizations. He has presented programs on music and visual art in conjunction with the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, the New Mexico Museum of Art, the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, and the Las Vegas Museum in Las Vegas, NM. His unique presentations for audiences of all ages have helped thousands of music lovers to deepen their appreciation and understanding of music.  ACMF is delighted to have Oliver's contribution enhancing and deepening the listener's appreciation of this unique solo program. 

Although ACMF strives to present all artists and programming as advertised, we reserve the right to make comparable artist or program substitution as might become necessary.

This concert is wholly underwritten through the great generosity of DEBORAH BECKETT and STEVEN BRUBAKER of Chicago, IL and Abiquiu, NM; SUSAN and CHARLES MIZE of Tesuque, NM; and MEREDITH R. SPEERS and SEAMUS P. MALIN of Santa Fe, NM.

ACMF’s final concert presents Crossing 32^nd Street, one of the freshest, most stimulating, classical-new music ensembles in the West. Named Phoenix's "Best New Classical Music Ensemble" by the Arizona Republic, the group strives to increase the awareness and understanding of modern music through the aggressive commitment to performing relevant contemporary works at the utmost artistic level. Founded in 2000 by contemporary music specialists from Arizona State University, the University of New Mexico, and the University of California-San Diego, Crossing 32nd Street is ensemble-in-residence at Paradise Valley Community College.  Though its instrumentation changes with the needs of each piece, Crossing 32nd Street's core members play percussion, piano, saxophone, and electronics while also composing and improvising with acoustic, electro-acoustic, and multi-media tools. This concert presents an array of contemporary styles ranging from works for multiple marimbas; STOCKHAUSEN's virtuosic Zyklus #9 for solo percussion; the seldom-performed Credo in U.S., one of iconic experimentalist JOHN CAGE's early forays into electroacoustic and prepared piano music; and concludes with the mysterious, compelling Imprints: Concerto for Piano and Four Percussion, as ACMF concludes its memorial tribute to the life-long contributions of composer RUTH LOMON. Through its greatly imaginative instrumentation and intricate inter-weavings, Imprints sums the composer’s totality of appreciation and admiration of New Mexico’s Native American cultures. Thank you always, Ruth.  

DOUGLAS NOTTINGHAM has been active throughout the U.S. as a percussionist, performance artist, composer, music educator, recording artist and producer.  As a solo percussionist and member of Phoenix’s Crossing 32^nd Street,  the New Mexico-based LINKS Ensemble, and the dance/contemporary music ensemble KRUSTÁ,  Doug has specialized in the performance of contemporary chamber works, although performing the gamut of symphonic, jazz, and heavy-metal.  He has appeared as featured artist at conventions of the World Dance Alliance, Percussive Arts Society, the Society of Composers, the Society for Electroacoustic Music in the United States, and the Society of American Music. His recordings appear on the Neuma, Nonsequitor, Stradivarius and Wergo labels. As Dr. Nottingham, he is a faculty member at Glendale Community College where he teaches electroacoustic music, digital recording, and commercial music, as well as applied percussion and is director of the award-winning Glendale Community College Percussion Ensemble. Doug appeared previously as artist and conductor at ACMF during the 2014 season with LINKS Ensemble.

 Praised by The Washington Post for performances that were “beautifully but powerfully executed, coordinated and shaped” pianist MADELINE WILLIAMSON has been championing new music and that of women composers throughout her life.  She has performed widely as soloist and collaborator in major U.S. venues as well as in Europe, Mexico, and Egypt. She served as invited Artist-in-Residence for a year at Escola Profissional Artistica Do Vale Do Ave Conservatory (ARTAVE) in Caldas da Saude, Portugal. Madeline was also founder of KRUSTÁ a new music/modern dance ensemble, performing concerts and frequent residencies throughout the U.S. Over the years, she has worked closely with such iconic American composers as John Cage, George Crumb, David Burge, Lou Harrison, Ruth Lomon, Joan Tower, and Ellen Zwilich, in addition to young, emerging composers. After three decades as Professor of Piano on the Artist Faculty of Arizona State University, Madeline relocated to Abiquiú in 2004. She continued performances with the Santa Fe New Music Ensemble and in 2008, became Co-Founder and Artistic Director of ACMF.  Among others, her latest CD was of Peter Garland: Waves Breaking on Rocks with the Santa Fe New Music Ensemble on World Records. She also nurtures a studio of 20 aspiring and award-winning young pianists in her Los Alamos private studio. 

 Although ACMF strives to present all artists and programming as advertised, we reserve the right to make comparable artist or program substitution as might become necessary.