The Pro Musica Orchestra presents works by Rossini, Mozart, Jessie Montgomery and Prokofiev in its season opening performances Sept.24-25. Courtesy/SF Pro Musica

Santa Fe Pro Musica News:

SANTA FE — Under the Baton of Ransom Wilson, the Pro Musica Orchestra presents works by Rossini, Mozart, Jessie Montgomery, and Prokofiev in its season opening performances. 

Jessie Montgomery’s composition, Shift, Change, Turn was commissioned in 2019 by the Orpheus and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestras. She writes that “Shift, Change, Turn is my opportunity to contribute to the tradition of writing a piece based on the seasons, as change and rotation is something that we all experience as humans.”

The inclusion of Jessie Montgomery’s work on this program is a part of Pro Musica’s Women of Distinction Initiative. Pro Musica is proud to present violinist Chad Hoopes and violist Paul Neubauer, performing Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante in E-Flat Major, K. 364. The program begins with Rossini’s Overture to La Scalia di Seta—filled with themes of romance, bumbling antics, finger- wagging, and laughter—and ends with Symphony No. 1 in D Major, Op. 25, “Classical,” Prokofiev’s 20th-century take on 18th-century forms.

Meet the Music: Join us for pre-concert talks with our guest artists one hour before the performance, included with ticket purchase.

Season Opening Reception: Join us for a reception at the courtyard of the New Mexico Museum of Art Sunday, Sept. 25 with conductor Ransom Wilson, violinist Chad Hoopes, and violist Paul Neubauer. This reception includes hors d’oevres, wine and a cash bar.

Reservations are required. Call the box office at 505.988.4640.

Tickets: $22-$92.

COVID-19: The health and safety of our audience, staff, and artists are of the highest priority. Vaccination is recommended but not required for concert attendance. Pro Musica audience and staff are required to wear face masks indoors at concerts and events, regardless of vaccination status. Musicians may choose to perform on stage without masks. If you are experiencing symptoms of, have been exposed to, or have tested positive for Covid-19, please take appropriate isolation and quarantine steps following CDC guidelines. Patrons who refuse to follow our Covid safety policies will be asked to leave the concert. Ticket(s) will not be refunded.

Artist Biographies

About Ransom Wilson, conductor:

Ransom Wilson is music director of the Redlands Symphony, on the faculty of the Yale School of Music, and has performed as flutist with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center since 1991. He was an assistant conductor at the Metropolitan Opera and has been a conductor of the New York City Opera, the symphonies of London, Houston, Kraków, Denver, New Jersey, Hartford, and Berkeley, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the Hallé Orchestra, and the chamber orchestras of Philadelphia, St. Paul, and Los Angeles. His recording career includes three GRAMMY nominations and over 35 albums as flutist and/or conductor. www.ransomwilson.com

About Chad Hoopes, violin:

Chad Hoopes won the 2008 First Prize, Young Artists Division–Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition, and is the recipient of the 2017 Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Career Grant. He has performed with the symphonies of Vancouver, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Houston and National (D.C.), as well as the orchestras of Paris, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Colorado Music Festival, and the National Arts Centre (Ottawa). Hoopes frequently performs with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and has given recitals at the Ravinia Festival, Tonhalle Zürich, the Louvre, and Lincoln Center’s Great Performers Series (New York City). Hoopes plays the 1991 Samuel Zygmuntowicz, ex-Isaac Stern violin. www.chadhoopes.com

About Paul Neubauer, viola:

Paul Neubauer is principal violist of the New York Philharmonic and has appeared as soloist with over 100 orchestras including the philharmonics of New York, Los Angeles, and Helsinki, the symphonies of Bournemouth, Dallas, Detroit, the National, San Francisco, St. Louis, and the orchestras of Santa Cecilia, English Chamber, and Beethovenhalle. A two-time GRAMMY nominee, he has many recordings and world premieres to his name, plus features in CBS’s Sunday Morning, A Prairie Home Companion and in Strad, Strings, and People magazines. Mr. Neubauer is the artistic director of the Mostly Music Festival (New Jersey), and faculty at The Juilliard School and Mannes College. www.paulneubauer.com

About Jessie Montgomery, composer:

Jessie Montgomery is an acclaimed composer, violinist, and educator. She is the recipient of the Leonard Bernstein Award from the ASCAP Foundation, the Sphinx Medal of Excellence, and her works are performed frequently around the world by leading musicians and ensembles. Her music interweaves classical music with elements of vernacular music, improvisation, poetry, and social consciousness, making her an acute interpreter of 21st-century American sound and experience. Her profoundly felt works have been described as “turbulent, wildly colorful and exploding with life” (The Washington Post). www.jessiemontgomery.com