January 12, 2008
Santa Fe, New Mexico
It was the era of bellbottoms and protest rock. The time of civil rights marches and hippie
communes. Santa Fe and the state of New Mexico played a vital role in the events and
experiences of the 1960’s, and in some ways is still more connected to that legacy than most
other parts of our nation. But did this period solely revolve around the counterculture
movement and its popular culture?
The New Mexico Museum of Art’s upcoming exhibition, entitled “Flower Power: A Subversive
Botanical,” will examine anti-war sentiments, anti-establishment demands, class
realignments, gender divisions, and utopian desires associated with the single petal, daisy
flower that was an icon of the 1960s. In conjunction with this theme, Concordia Santa Fe will
present a concert “Flower Power” exploring both familiar and tangential imagery of this
transformational period of American history.
Concordia Santa Fe burst onto the local musical scene in June 2007, presenting its premiere
performance at the St. Francis Auditorium. As a group founded by local musicians desiring a
professional-level outlet for wind and percussion music, the ensemble opened to rave
reviews from seasoned musical aficionados and newly recruited audience members alike.
The “wind ensemble,” as a symphony orchestra without strings, is a relatively new concept in
concert music, but allows for a vast palette of sound possibilities and connects well with both
traditional and contemporary musical compositions.
The next performance of Concordia Santa Fe will be led by guest conductor Dr. Robert
Ambrose, Director of Wind Studies and Ensembles and Associate Director of the School of
Music at Georgia State University. He also serves as musical director of the Atlanta Wind
Symphony, a peer organization to Concordia Santa Fe. Dr. Ambrose has received degrees
from Boston University, Boston College, and Northwestern University.
Concordia Santa Fe is comprised of some of northern New Mexico’s premier wind and
percussion musicians. Members travel from Los Alamos, Espanola, Albuquerque, and even
Farmington and Las Cruces to participate in transformational musical experiences for both
ensemble and audience members. As one of a very few similar music organizations in the
country, the group is committed to familiarizing Santa Fe and the surrounding areas with the
concept of a wind ensemble as a new and exciting musical art form.
The upcoming “Flower Power” performance will be presented at the St. Francis Auditorium,
of the New Mexico Museum of Art at 107 West Palace Avenue in Santa Fe. The concert
begins at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 2, 2008, with free admission and donations gratefully
accepted at the door.
For more information, please visit the ensemble website at www.concordiasantafe.org.
Concordia Santa Fe
"Harmony in the High Desert"
a 501(c)(3) charitable organization
"Harmony in the High Desert"
a 501(c)(3) charitable organization
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