A PULLOUT PREVIEW OF THE CLASSICAL SEASON 2019-2020

hat delicious flood of summer classical offerings is just about behind us, but the 2019-2020 fall-winter seasons promise a wide range of programming as they kick into gear this month. Piano and vocal recitals. Chamber works. Operas, new and historic. Symphonic pieces of all sizes. And some notable performers.

Again this year the repertoire embraces the familiar, with Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart, Haydn, and Tchaikovsky popping up especially often. Beethoven is very much in evidence, although the real fête for his 250th birthday won’t arrive until 2020. There are some substantial offerings in contemporary music, including John Rutter’s and Philip Glass’ which premiered in 2018. Most of the new work, however, are short pieces, either sandwiched between longer, comfort-food choices or offered as appetizers in the hope that audience memories will be short if they prove unappealing.

While it’s business as usual onstage, the real drama will come from offstage. The financial future is murky for everyone, with increasing concerns about a possible recession and charitable giving already showing downtrends due to tax reform.

In addition, four of the city’s classical music organizations are working through major management transitions that will impact what we see and hear in future years. The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and Performance Santa Fe have new leaders in executive director Daniel Crupi and executive and artistic director Chad Hilligus, respectively. Their 2020-2021 season announcements will reflect the vision (and agendas) of these young administrators. After almost 40 years at the helm, Santa Fe Pro Musica co-founder and music director Thomas O’Connor lays down the baton. Will this be the chance for a woman to finally occupy one of our major artistic leadership positions?

Santa Fe Opera artistic director Alexander Neef, who also heads the Canadian Opera Company, was tapped in July to lead the enormous and administratively byzantine Paris National Opera. His future involvement here, if any, remains uncertain. In addition, three SFO department heads have resigned since January, giving general director Robert Meya a chance to assemble his own team, perhaps more quickly than he might have wished.

Here, runs down the 2019-2020 programming in a special pullout section featuring some of the most exciting work of the fall and winter. Consult the organizations’ websites for complete details. Curious about holiday events? Check out the Nov. 22 issue of

which will outline what’s out there during the happiest time of the year.

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