The Festival draws inspiration from its namesake hometown, which is famously and affectionately known as the City Different. And things are different here, both in Santa Fe and at the Festival.

Schedule of Events

6pm: Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde

Donald Runnicles makes his Festival debut conducting Mahler's consummate fusion of song cycle and symphony, Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth), performed here in its intimate chamber orchestra version. Mahler was reeling from the loss of his daughter and other crises when he wrote this deeply moving work, and the poems he set to music evoke the beauty, sadness, and transience of life. An all-star ensemble is joined by two extraordinary soloists who are also making their Festival debuts: German mezzo-soprano Annika Schlicht, whose voice OperaWire has praised as "extraordinary for its beauty of tone," and American heldentenor Clay Hilley, who was lauded by The New York Times for his "vocal heft [and] clarion sound."

Mahler das lied von der erde
(arr. Schoenberg/riehn)