One of the Festival’s most distinctive features is its long, celebrated history of bringing new music to life through its championing of living composers—from the most important and influential to the most intriguing up-and-comers.
Since 1980, when the Festival presented its first commissioned work—Pulitzer Prize winner Ned Rorem’s The Santa Fe Songs, scored for baritone, violin, viola, cello, and piano and featuring settings of 12 poems by Santa Fe poet Witter Bynner—the Festival has presented at least one commissioned work almost every year.
By the end of its 50th season in 2023, the Festival will have presented the world, US, or New Mexico premieres of 115 commissioned works.
2023
Charlotte Bray, Ungrievable Lives (Festival Co-Commission; US Premiere)
Ryan Chase, Piano Quintet (Festival Commission; World Premiere)
Magnus Lindberg, Quintet for Piano and Winds (Festival Commission; World Premiere)
Christopher Stark, Other Pines for Piano Trio (Festival Commission; World Premiere)
Ryan Lindveit, Small Things (Young Composers String Quartet Project; Festival Commission; World Premiere)
Angela Elizabeth Slater, Where skies aflame (Young Composers String Quartet Project; Festival Commission; World Premiere)
2022
Detlev Glanert – String Quartet No. 3 (Co-commissioned by the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival in celebration of its 50th anniversary in 2023 and the Klenke Quartett, funded by Die Beauftragte der Bundesregierung fur Kultur und Medien und Neustart Kultur; world premiere)
Shulamit Ran – All Roads Leading for Flute, Viola, and Harp (Commissioned by the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival in celebration of its 50th anniversary in 2023; world premiere)
Kaija Saariaho – Semafor for Eight Instruments (Co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall and the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival in celebration of the Festival’s 50th anniversary in 2023; New Mexico premiere)
Marco-Adrián Ramos – Woven clay for the death of Mario Lavista or Quartet II (Commissioned by the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival for its Young Composers String Quartet Project; world premiere)
Benjamin Scheer – The Funambulist’s Double (Commissioned by the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival for its Young Composers String Quartet Project; world premiere)
2021
Brett Dean – Imaginary Ballet—Dances and Interludes for Piano and String Trio (Co-commissioned by the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Stichting Storioni Festival, Festival O/Modernt, West Cork Chamber Music Festival, and Seraphim Trio; US premiere)
Helen Grime – String Quartet No. 2 (Co-commissioned by the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and Wigmore Hall; world premiere)
Michael Seltenreich – Sextet for Piano and Winds (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission; world premiere)
Sean Shepherd – Old Instruments for Flute and Percussion (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission; world premiere)
Augusta Read Thomas – Filigree of the Sun for String Quartet (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission; world premiere)
Huw Watkins – Seven Inventions for Marimba and Piano (Co-commission by the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, the East Neuk Festival, Wigmore Hall, and the Great Music in Irish Houses Festival; US premiere)
Jack Hughes – Jubilate PM for String Quartet (Commissioned by the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival for its Young Composers String Quartet Project; world premiere)
Lara Poe – Dialetheia for String Quartet (Commissioned by the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival for its Young Composers String Quartet Project; world premiere)
2019
Michael Gandolfi – String Quartet: Dissembling the Essential (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission; world premiere)
John Harbison – IF, Monodrama for Soprano & Ensemble (Co-commissioned by the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Boston Musica Viva, and The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; New Mexico premiere)
Matthew Ricketts – Ember (Commissioned by the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival for its Young Composers String Quartet Project; world premiere)
Alex Stephenson – Bloom (Commissioned by the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival for its Young Composers String Quartet Project; world premiere)
2018
Magnus Lindberg – String Trio (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
Alexander Goehr – after “The Waking,” Op. 101 (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
Max Grafe – Quintet for Clarinet, Strings & Piano (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
Binna Kim – String Quartet (SFCMF Young Composers String Quartet Project)
Michael Seltenreich – String Quartet (SFCMF Young Composers String Quartet Project)
2017
Brett Dean – Rooms of Elsinore (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and Library of Congress Dina Koston and Roger Shapiro Fund)
Julian Anderson – Sensation for solo piano (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and Aldeburgh Festival of Music and the Arts)
William Bolcom – Sextet (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, and Great Mountains Music Festival and School in PyeongChang, South Korea)
Freya Waley-Cohen – Snap Dragon (SFCMF Young Composers String Quartet Project)
Phil Taylor – of embers and aspen leaves (String Quartet No. 2) (SFCMF Young Composers String Quartet Project)
2016
Elizabeth Ogonek – Lightenings, 12 variations for four players (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
Gideon Lewensohn – Movements and Gestures for Clarinet & String Quartet (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
Poul Ruders – Occam’s Razor (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
Loren Loiacono – Waxing Cerulean for String Quartet (SFCMF Young Composers String Quartet Project)
Christopher Stark – Spring Music (SFCMF Young Composers String Quartet Project)
2015
Alexander Goehr – Seven Impromptus for two pianos, Op. 96 (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
Sean Shepherd – String Quartet No. 2 (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
Max Grafe – comment apercevoir les dessins de rêve, String Quartet No. 1 (SFCMF Young Composers String Quartet Project)
Katherine Balch – With Each Breathing, String Quartet (SFCMF Young Composers String Quartet Project)
2014
Brett Dean – String Quartet No. 2, “And once I played Ophelia” (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Britten Sinfonia, and Australian String Quartet)
Lowell Liebermann – Four Seasons, Op. 123 (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, and Celebrity Series of Boston)
Julian Anderson – String Quartet No. 2, “300 Weihnachtslieder” (“300 Christmas Songs”) (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, La Jolla Music Society for SummerFest, Stiftung Berliner Philharmoniker, and Wigmore Hall)
Ryan Chase – Songs the Monsters Sang for String Quartet (SFCMF Young Composers String Quartet Project)
Tonia Ko – String Quartet (SFCMF Young Composers String Quartet Project)
2013
Thierry Lancino – Falling Angels for String Quartet (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
Elizabeth Ogonek – String Quartet (SFCMF Young Composers String Quartet Project)
Reena Esmail – String Quartet (SFCMF Young Composers String Quartet Project)
David Hertzberg – String Quartet (SFCMF Young Composers String Quartet Project)
2012
Helen Grime – Snow and Snow for Clarinet, Viola & Piano (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
Magnus Lindberg – Acequia Madre (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
David Del Tredici – String Quartet No. 2 (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and South Mountain Association)
Aaron Jay Kernis – Perpetual Chaconne (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, and La Jolla Music Society for SummerFest)
2011
Christopher Rouse – String Quartet No. 3 (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, La Jolla Music Society for SummerFest, International Festival on Arts and Ideas, and Calder Quartet)
Marc-André Dalbavie – Piano Quartet (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and La Jolla Music Society for SummerFest)
Sean Shepherd – Quartet for Oboe & Strings (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and La Jolla Music Society for SummerFest, world premiere)
2010
Cynthia Lee Wong – Piano Quartet (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and La Jolla Music Society for SummerFest, world premiere)
Chinary Ung – AKASA: “Formless Spiral” (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and La Jolla Music Society for SummerFest, world premiere)
Steven Stucky – Piano Quintet (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and Chamber Music Northwest)
Brett Dean – Epitaphs, for string quartet (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Australian String Quartet, and La Jolla Music Society for SummerFest)
2009
Gunther Schuller – Quintet for Horn & Strings (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, La Jolla Music Society for SummerFest, and The International Horn Society, world premiere)
George Tsontakis – Stimulus Package (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and La Jolla Music Society for SummerFest, world premiere)
Mark-Anthony Turnage – Grazioso! (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
2008
Roberto Sierra – Concierto de Cámara (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, and Stanford Lively Arts)
Kaija Saariaho – Serenatas (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and La Jolla Music Society for SummerFest, world premiere)
Huang Ruo – Real Loud: Trio for Cello, Percussion & Piano (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and La Jolla Music Society for SummerFest, world premiere)
Joan Tower – A Gift for Piano, Flute, Clarinet, Bassoon & Horn (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and Chamber Music Northwest)
2007
John Wyre – Quartet: Music for 16 Gongs (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
Marc Neikrug – Ritual for Cello, Piano & Percussion (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and La Jolla Music Society for SummerFest, world premiere)
2006
Marc Neikrug – Three Wine Pieces (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
Magnus Lindberg – Konzertstück for Cello & Piano (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and La Jolla Music Society for SummerFest, world premiere)
David Lang – Work (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and Muzik3, world premiere)
Leon Kirchner – String Quartet No. 4 (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, La Jolla Music Society for SummerFest, and Orion String Quartet, world premiere)
2005
Mark O’Connor – String Quartet No. 2 (Bluegrass) (co-commission, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and La Jolla Music Society for SummerFest, world premiere)
Lalo Schifrin – Letters from Argentina (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, La Jolla Music Society for SummerFest, and Chamber Music Northwest)
2004
Marc Neikrug – Piano Quintet (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, ARTS San Antonio, Chamber Music Sedona, The Kimmel Center, and 92nd Street Y)
Chick Corea – String Quartet No. 1, “The Adventures of Hippocrates” (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and La Jolla Music Society for SummerFest, world premiere)
2003
Morton Subotnick – Release: for Clarinet, Violin, Cello, Piano & Computer Generated & Controlled Surround Sound (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, The Ensemble Sospeso, and Southwest Chamber Music, world premiere)
Charles Wuorinen – Fenton Songs II (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
2002
Annie Gosfield – Lightheaded and Heavyhearted (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
John Harbison – Quartet No. 4 for Two Violins, Viola & Cello (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, La Jolla Chamber Music Society for SummerFest, and Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, Inc.)
Dave Grusin – Three Latin American Dances for Violin, Cello & Piano (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
2001
Peter Lieberson – Rilke Songs (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, world premiere)
Per Nørgård – Into the Source: Quartet No. 9 for Two Violins, Viola & Cello (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
Marc Neikrug – Petrus (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and Manchester Cello Festival)
2000
Augusta Read Thomas – Invocations (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Philharmonic Society of Orange County, and Laguna Chamber Music Society)
1999
Mario Lavista – String Quartet No. 6 (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
1997
Feliu Gasull – Contra-xions (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
Bright Sheng – The Silver River (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and Philharmonic Society of Lincoln Center, world premiere)
1996
Lee Hoiby – Rain Forest (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
1995
Tomiko Kohjiba – The Transmigration of the Soul (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
1994
Richard Danielpour – Sonnets to Orpheus, Book II for Baritone & Chamber Ensemble (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
1993
Charles Wuorinen – A Winter’s Tale (co-commission—Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Chamber Music Northwest, Da Camera, Thamyris, Southwest Chamber Music Society, Chamber Music Society of Baltimore—with funds from the Brown Foundation in Houston)
1992
Jacob Druckman – Come Round (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Ravinia Festival, and Saratoga Performing Arts Center, world premiere)
1991
Vassily Lobanov – Quintet for Piano & Strings (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and Union of Composers of the Russian Federation, world premiere)
Morton Subotnick – All My Hummingbirds Have Alibis (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and National Endowment for the Arts, world premiere)
John Harbison – Between Two Worlds (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Ravinia Festival, and Saratoga Performing Arts Center, world premiere)
1990
Ned Rorem – The Auden Poems (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Ravinia Festival, and Saratoga Performing Arts Center, world premiere)
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich – Quintet for Clarinet & String Quartet (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and Chamber Music Northwest)
Edgar Meyer – Quintet (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and Chamber Music Chicago, world premiere)
Mark O’Connor – Quartet for Violin, Viola, Cello, and Double Bass Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission underwritten by Marvin Vexler, world premiere)
1989
Edgar Meyer – Quartet (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
Bruce Adolphe – Sharéhi (Dancing Stories) (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
1988
Morton Subotnick – And the butterflies begin to sing (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
1987
Tobias Picker – New Memories (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
1986
Stephen Paulus – Letters from Colette for Soprano, String Quartet, Piano & Percussion (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
1985
Ned Rorem – Scenes from Childhood for Oboe, French Horn, String Quartet & Piano (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
1984
Ivan Tcherepnin – Explorations (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
1983
Leon Kirchner – The Twilight Stood (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and Consortium commission, world premiere)
1982
Ned Rorem – Winter Pages (co-commission – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and Spoleto Festival U.S.A.)
Yehudi Wyner – On This Most Voluptuous Night: Five Songs for Soprano and Chamber Ensemble on texts by William Carlos Williams (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
1981
John Harbison – Piano Quintet (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
1980
Ned Rorem – The Santa Fe Songs: Twelve poems of Witter Bynner for Baritone, Violin, Viola, Cello & Piano (Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival commission, world premiere)
