Community Calendar

Albuquerque fans, DakhaBrakha performs at the KiMo Theatre on December 4!

DakhaBrakha is a music quartet from Kyiv, Ukraine. Using Ukrainian polyphony as its foundation, they interweave complex rhythmic and melodic structures from India, Arabia, Africa, and Australia. Their music has textural, layered sounds with distinctive percussive heartbeats, thumping bass lines, distorted electric guitars, and influences of jazz, spoken word, rap, and punk. DakhaBrakha calls this tapestry of influences “ethno chaos.”

Their history spans years of performances prior to Russia’s 2022 invasion, but war is in everything now. They are troubadours, activists, and educators. They aim to help audiences see Ukraine not as a monolith, but as a cosmopolitan culture that takes in other cultures and gives in return.

Directed by Jose Luis Hurtado, the New Music New Mexico Ensemble performs music by 20th and 21st century composers.

UNM Music's graduate brass quintet, directed by Mike Walker.

Peter Mayer, folk artist acclaimed for his joyous, funny and spiritually resonant tunes about the beauty of an interconnected universe, is appearing in concert to kick off the holiday season. Proceeds will benefit First Unitarian’s social justice programming for the wider Albuquerque community.

Join the Band of Enchantment for an afternoon of swinging Christmas favorites featuring captivating vocalist Eliana Joy. With fresh and inventive musical arrangements by writer and bandleader Robert Beasley, this 18-piece jazz orchestra will keep your toe tapping from start to finish. Ring in the holidays with this one of a kind, can't miss musical event!

Roberto Minczuk conductor
Amy Owens soprano
Olga Flora mezzo-soprano
James Flora tenor
Michael Hix bass-baritone
New Mexico Philharmonic Chorus
Sharee Gariety chorus conductor
Celebrate the holiday season with the world’s most beloved sacred symphonic work: Handel’s Messiah. Experience an intimate performance by the New Mexico Philharmonic—conducted by Music Director Roberto Minczuk and featuring a stellar cast: Amy Owens (soprano), Olga Flores (mezzo-soprano), James Flores (tenor), Michael Hix (bass-baritone), and the debut performance of the New Mexico Philharmonic Chorus. A transcendent tour de force—Handel’s masterwork the way it was meant to be!

Celebrate the holidays with The Klezmatics, the Grammy-winning klezmer superstars who revolutionized Yiddish music. Emerging from New York City’s East Village in 1986, they infuse traditional Eastern European Jewish sounds with bold contemporary themes like human rights and anti-fundamentalism. Their genre-blending music draws from Latin stomps, jazz riffs, and rhythms of the Balkans, Middle East, Africa, and America, making klezmer relevant to new generations.

Through their ecstatic, socially conscious music, The Klezmatics transcend labels, continually reshaping Jewish culture and leaving an indelible mark on world music.

The Squirrel Nut Zippers bring their joyous, raucous Christmas Caravan tour back on the road, performing all the hits from holidays past. From heartwarming ballads to boisterous dance tunes, the band conjures an atmosphere nestled somewhere between the wondrous lights of Christmas and the backroom din of a speakeasy.

Inspired by 1920s jazz, klezmer, and old-time music, SNZ’s endlessly curious and innovative leader Jimbo Mathus has concocted a show truly unique and original.

Giordano’s passionate tragedy stars tenor Piotr Beczała as the virtuous poet who falls victim to the intrigue and violence of the French Revolution. Following their celebrated recent partnership in Giordano’s Fedora in the 2022–23 Live in HD season, Beczała reunites with soprano Sonya Yoncheva as Chénier’s aristocratic lover, Maddalena di Coigny, with baritone Igor Golovatenko as Carlo Gérard, the agent of the Reign of Terror who seals their fates. Met Principal Guest Conductor Daniele Rustioni takes the podium to lead Nicolas Joël’s gripping staging.

Local support for the Met: Live in HD series is provided by The Edward Hastings and Gino Barcone Trust.

Jamie Reeves, conductor
Manzano Day School Chorus
Bosque School Choir
V. Sue Cleveland High School Choir
Moriarty High School Choir
Albuquerque Youth Symphony

Celebrate the spirit of the season with the New Mexico Philharmonic’s Holiday Pops—a radiant evening of music, joy, and togetherness. This festive program features cherished holiday classics and orchestral favorites, including Leroy Anderson’s A Christmas Festival and Sleigh Ride, selections from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, and Alan Silvestri’s Believe from The Polar Express. Additional highlights include the spirited Hanukkah Fantasy, as well as rich arrangements of Brazilian Sleigh Bells and Fantasia on Greensleeves. Joined by outstanding youth ensembles from across Albuquerque, your New Mexico Philharmonic brings to life a heartwarming holiday tradition for the entire community.