UNM Orchestras

01/06/2026

ATTN ALL STRING PLAYERS: Want to have a semester full of wonderful orchestral or string ensemble music?? 🎶💕 All string players are welcome to participate in our ensembles!! 🎻 It's a simple process to play for the audition placement - we look forward to hearing you all!! 🎉 Undergrad deadline is Jan 15 with video; Graduate deadline is Jan 19 in Keller Hall. Please register and follow the instructions on the form!! https://forms.office.com/r/GEPGcph0Rj
UNM Music UNM Fine Arts

12/03/2025

Come enjoy some pre-Holiday cheer! Can't wait to share this music with our community! The University of New Mexico - UNM UNM Music UNM Fine Arts

11/04/2025

The music is soaring at The University of New Mexico - UNM! Huge congratulations to all the 2025 Concerto Competition Finalists, and to Winner Amanda Rindlisbach (Soprano), and both 1st Runner's Up Brandon Cruz (Trombone) and Penelope Teixeira (Cello). Here also with the 5 judges Jamie Reeves (conductor), Dr. Sandra Cotton (Mezzo-Soprano), Dr. Rossitza Goza (violin), Dr. Yoshiko Arahata (Piano), and Jesse Tatume (Flute). We could not have asked for better participants and better judges. Until next year!! UNM Music UNM Opera Theater UNM Fine Arts

10/16/2025

🎵🎶🎵

09/13/2025

🎶🚩 Let Music Surprise You! 🚩🎶

🥳MUSIC THAT CELEBRATES:🎉
A Festival Overture written for an academic celebration with hidden student drinking songs🍺✅
A Lullaby that celebrates the birth of a child 👼✅
A Symphony that celebrates overcoming personal adversity with creative expression ✍️✅

Join Dr. Karin Hendrickson in her first concert at UNM with the wonderful UNM Symphony Orchestra.

Tickets: https://music.unm.edu/events-calendar/

UNM Music The University of New Mexico - UNM Popejoy Hall

08/09/2025

05/22/2025

Scenes from our last concerts of the season!
It’s been an incredible year of music-making with the UNM Orchestras, here are just a few moments that show the focus, teamwork, and dedication each of you brought to the stage.

Thank you all for your energy and commitment!
Tag yourselves and your friends!! we’re proud of every section.

The University of New Mexico - UNM
UNM Fine Arts
UNM Music

05/17/2025

What a week!
For our students, this was more than just a concert, it was a chance to grow alongside one of today’s leading conductors, Maestro Michael Sanderling, and to collaborate with world-class mentors from our very own faculty: Carmelo de los Santos, Falko Steinbach, and Christoph Wagner.

05/07/2025

🚖🎶 What do a walk through Paris, four honking horns, and homesickness have in common?
They all live inside Gershwin’s An American in Paris — now heard as he intended it.

This week, we perform from the new Clague Critical Edition, built from Gershwin’s own manuscripts, markings, and the 1929 recording he supervised. What’s different?

🔹 Taxi horns? Tuned to specific pitches — A♭, B♭, D, and A. Gershwin bought them himself on the Avenue de la Grande Armée, hoping they’d sing in tune.

🔹 Saxophones? All eight of them, just as he imagined. (3 players, 8 instruments — soprano to baritone!)

🔹 Celesta? Gershwin played it himself at the recording session. The sound is personal.

It’s not just a fun piece. It’s a statement — a jazz-symphonic tone poem about longing, rhythm, and modern life. 🎩🗼🎷

05/05/2025

This week, our world-class faculty take stage! Get to know them!

Brazilian-born violinist Cármelo de los Santos has captivated audiences worldwide with his expressive artistry and technical brilliance. A laureate of several international competitions, including the Júlio Cardona International String Competition, he has performed as a guest soloist with over 40 orchestras across the Americas and Europe. In 2002, he made his New York debut as soloist and conductor at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. Currently, he serves as Professor of Violin at the University of New Mexico and Concertmaster of the New Mexico Philharmonic. He performs on a 1791 Angelo Soliani violin.

German cellist Christoph Wagner is renowned for his emotive performances and dedication to music education. As a soloist and chamber musician, he has graced stages across Europe and the United States. Wagner holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Rice University and currently serves as Assistant Professor of Cello and Head of Strings at the University of New Mexico. His commitment to nurturing young talent complements his dynamic presence on stage.

Falko Steinbach is Professor of Piano at the University of New Mexico and an internationally recognized concert pianist, composer, and pedagogue. A native of Germany, he has performed in major venues throughout Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Known for his virtuosic command and interpretive insight, Steinbach is also an advocate for contemporary music, often performing premieres of new works—including his own compositions. He has released numerous critically acclaimed recordings and published groundbreaking work on piano technique and musical interpretation.