WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY, Dec. 21-24
Go for Baroque
Join the Santa Fe Pro Musica's Baroque Ensemble for A Baroque Christmas-A French Noël as they bring this holiday tradition to the Loretto Chapel for an evening of enchanting music performed on period instruments. The series channels the spirit of the great European palaces of the 17th and 18th centuries, featuring music composed by Joseph Bodin de Boismortier and John Féry-Rebel and makes good use of traditional French carols with vocal performances by soprano Eleanor Ranney. Brian DeLay plucks away at the theorbo (an archlute), while Kathleen McIntosh plays the organ for authentic baroque sound, and the richness of the woodwinds and strings transcends into the world of the past. (Jen Palmer)
THURSDAY, DEC. 22
In Absinthia
Remember the art scene of the Parisian winter? When everyone would fortify themselves against the cold with long fur coats and a shot of absinthe before racing across the city to gather together in the stately rooms of a wealthy friend and enjoy food, wine and conversation about the direction and merits of their peers' latest artistic adventures? Remember? Yeah, well, us neither, bub. But the next best thing is rather miraculously available to us now in the form of SALON Mar Graff, a Big Tesuque salon in the tradition of yesteryear with appropriate updates provided courtesy of contemporary artists and "high design furnishings." Generous host and professional chef John Margraff lays out the foodstuffs while artists Brendan Bullock, Jon Carver, Jules Joern, Alissa Marquis, Stacy Pearl and N Lawrence Whitmont provide the accents with help from Pearl & Guld, LTD. Undisclosed surprises are even promised...our money's on summoning the ghost of Gertrude Stein. (Zane Fischer)
THURSDAY, DEC. 22
Madame Ovary
OK, so hot flashes and early menopause aren't exactly the first things you think of when the word "humor" comes up. But Madame Ovary, the alter-ego of writer/comedienne Gail Larsen, found herself inspired by her hormones (or recent lack of them), enough to throw together a little fancy high tea to celebrate, laugh and maybe teach us a thing or two about "giving yourself the gift of yourself." Larsen's book, Madame Ovary: Midlife as an Artform, published by Espiritrix Press, will be available at the event, each copy including a red feather to remind you to "tickle your own fancy." We at SFR think there aren't enough high teas in Santa Fe in the first place, but are doubly intrigued by the fact that nothin' says "change of life" like scones with clotted cream.
(Jonanna Widner)
FRIDAY, DEC. 23
Michael, Madi, Merry Muertos
Capturing mystery and shadow is a specialty of local cello wizard Michael Kott, whose series of spooky yet exultant performances at the SFCC planetarium this summer resonated fittingly with the cosmic surroundings. Silent Nights, a new installment in Kott's 12-CD Golden Cello volume of works for electric cello, continues along imaginative lines. Joined by soulful vocalist Madi Sato, the aim is to juxtapose the otherworldliness of El Dia de los Muertos with the stillness of a night in deep winter. We don't expect these two holidays in combination, but with Kott and Sato, the unexpected is part of the recipe. In eclectic fashion, the visionary songs of Hildegaard of Bingen will also be thrown into the mix, in an evening of spontaneity and invention that promises to blast "Deck the Halls" right out of your head. (Peter Breslin)
WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY DEC.
28-31
The Old and the Beautiful
Like any form of connoisseurship, there are tiers of obsession and refinement in the world of antique collecting and appreciation. There's your basic thrifting and yard sale junk hound and there's the type who phones in anonymously to buy out entire estates at Sotheby's, and then there's everything in between. All comers, however, are likely to get their rare and mint condition rocks off at the 11th annual Winter Antiquities Show, though the judiciously curated group of 50 exhibitors offers something much closer to a museum than a flea market. The show is international in scope, featuring antiques, folk art, fine art and furniture from Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East as well as the Americas. Also in universal holiday spirit, the benefit reception for Kitchen Angels magically transforms your 50 bucks worth of cocktails and canapés into warm, fresh food delivery for our housebound neighbors throughout the city. (ZF)
FRIDAY, DEC. 30
The House Zimbabwe Built
On the fifth day of Kwanzaa my true love gave to me…ZIYA! Zimbabwe Nkenya's bitchin' bass playing and mastery of the mbira plays its way into our African-culture-starved hearts. With sounds steeped in traditional African music and given the turntable treatment with a heavy dose of rock-steady drums and imaginative, unspoken musical storytelling, Nkenya is joined by drummer Ngala Mfalme, Marco Topo on bass guitar, guest artists Cush on tenor sax and Daar Paydon on guitar. Poet Virginia Hampton along with dancer Amina Dunn round out this Kwanzaa-inspired performance. Nkenya is well known for his innovative improv (don't say jazz) and as former respected host of the KUNM radio show, "The House That Jazz Built." He has performed with internationally acclaimed artists and remains at the forefront of the New Mexico music scene. Blending the chiming reverberation of the mbira (African thumb piano) with scratches and occasional samples, such as the one where a voice envisions, "finally the time has come," Nkenya bridges worlds of ancient and new music. Indeed, the time has come to further the future of creative music. (JP)
SATURDAY, DEC. 31
Studio 6 New Year's Eve Bash
Two dance floors, five DJs, and each nook and cranny of both Pachanga and The Hideaway gussied up by local luminaries in the art world promises a killer way to kiss this year goodbye. Organized by Site Santa Fe (and partially sponsored by SFR), this event is shaping up as a standout shindig on an otherwise relatively ho-hum night. We Dionysian Santafesiños can whine all we want about the demise of local venues and the sad state of the blah blah no fun for the youngsters or the terminally hip, but we know in our hearts that, one way or another, some hearty soul will step in and rev it up. The Hideaway might be on the small side, but add the labyrinthine reaches of Pachanga and you've got yourself a perfect party spot, where you can disappear into a corner or join the fray. The lineup of DJs offers an eclectic mix of music to shake 2005 off and jump into 2006. (PB)
SATURDAY, DEC. 31
Youthful Blues
There are those blues players who know every trick in the book and try to play them all at once, gumming up their jam with one too many fancy licks; and then there are those who know every trick in the book, but with the smarts to hang back a bit, let it come, and explode when the time is right. Usually, the wisdom of restraint is restricted to those of a certain age, but once in a while a bonafide blues prodigy comes along with both chops and intuition. Albuquerque's Ryan McGarvey is just that kind of guy-the kid can play anything, but he knows he doesn't have to play it all at once. His brand of electric blues is perfect for New Year's Eve: bright, fun and full of youthful enthusiasm. (JW)
