Courtesy/Santa Fe Community Orchestra
SFCO News:
The Santa Fe Community Orchestra Chamber Players will present a free chamber music concert at 1:30 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, at the Sagrado Theater at Christ Church Santa Fe.
This intimate afternoon performance will feature masterworks for small ensemble, offering audiences the opportunity to experience the expressive depth, color, and nuance of chamber music in a welcoming and accessible setting.
Concert Program
Chamber Players
Join us for intimate afternoon of chamber music that journeys from early Romantic brilliance for clarinet and strings to the lyrical, folk-tinged sounds of early 20th-century Britain, highlighting the expressive range and color of small-ensemble playing.
Clarinet Quintet (Op. 34)
Carl Maria von Weber
A radiant chamber-work that bridges classical elegance with the emerging Romantic spirit, showcasing the clarinet in a concerto-like role amid a string quartet. In this four-movement masterpiece, Weber draws on his long-standing collaboration with virtuoso Heinrich Baermann to explore the clarinet’s lyrical and agile character. The opening Allegro bursts forth with dramatic initiative and operatic flair, the second movement Fantasia unfurls long-hearted melodies and chromatic flights, the Capriccio-style Menuetto sparkles with levity and technical brilliance, and the concluding Rondo races ahead with jubilant virtuosity—making this one of the composer’s most eloquent chamber creations.
String Quartet No. 2 in E flat major
E.J. Moeran
A spacious and pastoral two-movement quartet that offers a gentle immersion into English and Irish folk-inspired lyricism, reflecting Moeran’s love of nature and melody. This somewhat mysterious and seldom-performed work gains fresh light here: the first movement evokes rustic open air and quietly gestured themes in broad sonata form; the second movement ultimately shifts from introspective song-like lines into dancing reels and a lively jig, bringing folk-tune energy into the chamber-music world.
The concert is free of charge and tickets are not required. Further information can be found at sfco.org.
The Sagrado Theater is located at Christ Church Santa Fe, 1213 Don Gaspar in Santa Fe. Free parking is available at the venue.
About the Orchestra
The Santa Fe Community Orchestra was founded in 1982 to provide an opportunity for volunteer musicians to perform free orchestra concerts for a broad range of Santa Fe and northern New Mexico audiences, to present free educational programs for audiences of all ages, to engage New Mexico musicians as soloists, to promote the composition and performance of works by New Mexico composers, and to support the musical and cultural life of Santa Fe.
Our musicians are made up of community members from Santa Fe, Los Alamos, Las Vegas, Taos, and beyond. The majority of our members spend their working lives in other professions, from lawyers to teachers to doctors to scientists and engineers. Music is a passionate pursuit for us, and we are excited to share our love for these works with the community.