Franco-American violinist Guillaume Combet appears with pianist and UNM Music faculty Dr. Kristin Ditlow in a program of all-women composers. The celebrated Ditlow-Combet duo embarks on a concert season displaying an unusual program of all-women composers, which will culminate in a CD recording sponsored by UNM in December, 2025. The program includes works by Grażyna Bacewicz, Amy Beach, Amanda Maier, Germaine Tailleferre, Nadia and Lili Boulanger, and Dora Pejačević.

Tickets available starting January 17 at unmtickets.com. Livestream available on the UNM Music YouTube channel.

UNM’s all-strings orchestra presents Sturm und Drang, a dramatic musical journey filled with tension, passion, and profound beauty. Experience the stormy energy of Haydn’s Symphony No. 49, often considered a cornerstone of the movement. Sibelius’s meditative Impromptu and Albeniz’s evocative Legend of Asturias provide lyrical contrast, while Smetana’s Themes from the Moldau sweep you along a musical river of Czech pride. Baptiste’s Brandenburg rounds out the program with a virtuosic, modern twist.

Conducted by Dr. Sebastian Serrano-Ayala.

Free admission. Livestream available on the UNM Music YouTube channel.

Photo credit Terry Behal.

This concert opens the Spring season with a vibrant tapestry of orchestral works and a dazzling solo performance by competition winner Lorenzo Gallegos. The program features Paul Dukas’s whimsical L’apprenti Sorcier (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice), conducted by guest conductor Colonel Jim Keene, and Béla Bartók’s Violin Concerto No. 2, showcasing the breathtaking artistry of our featured soloist. The evening is rounded out with Grazyna Bacewicz’s bold Overture for Orchestra and Alexander Borodin’s exuberant Polovtsian Dances, creating an unforgettable journey through rhythm, melody, and imagination.

Conducted by Dr. Sebastian Serrano-Ayala and Col. Jim Keene.

Tickets available after January 17 at unmtickets.com.

UNM Music alumnus Fred Sturm performs the early and late music of Frederic Mompou.

The program features many of Mompou’s earliest works, including Intimate Impressions and Scènes d’Enfants, written in his late teens and early 20s, which propelled him to instant fame in Paris during the early 1920s. These will be paired with two of Mompou’s volumes of Musica Callada (“Silent Music”), written in the 1960s when he was in his 70s, and generally considered his masterpieces. Also included will be the first two of his Canciones y Danzas (songs and dances), based on Catalan folk music, a series he continued to add to throughout his long life (1893-1987). Mompou wrote intuitively in a very individual style, seeking sounds with his fingers, ears and heart, and only very gradually bringing works to completion. His output was relatively small, almost all for solo piano, but has a passionate following among many pianists, including Stephen Hough and Sergei Babayan.

Tickets available at unmtickets.com. Livestream available at UNM Music’s YouTube channel.

All ticket proceeds for this concert will benefit the George Roberts Piano Endowment for piano students.

The UNM Symphony Orchestra presents an evening of music that celebrates both intimacy and brilliance. The program begins with Paul Dukas’s Fanfare from La Peri, a short yet powerful opening statement. Jessie Montgomery’s Starburst follows, dazzling with its explosive energy and shimmering textures. The timeless vitality of Mozart’s Haffner Symphony (Symphony No. 35) brings a classical brilliance to the evening, and the program concludes with Adolfo Mejía’s Pequeña Suite, a charming and vibrant work that reflects the rich traditions of Latin American music.

Tickets available after January 17 at unmtickets.com.

Directed by Dr. Sebastian Serrano-Ayala and guest conductor Michael Sanderling, the orchestra presents Symphonic Bridges: Classic Elegance, Modern Energy. Repertoire includes the prelude to Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Beethoven’s Triple Concerto (Cármelo de los Santos, violin; Christoph Wagner, cello; and Falko Steinbach, piano), and Gershwin’s An American in Paris. This concert will also recognize and honor the recipients of the 2025 College of Fine Arts Distinguished Alumni Awards.

Tickets available at unmtickets.com.