Performing Arts

Santa Fe

presents and entertains all year long with an extensive variety of performing arts.

Venues

Built in 1931, The Lensic Performing Arts Center in the heart of downtown, just off the Plaza, hosts everything from the symphony to movie nights. State-of-the-art production capabilities meet a classic vibe in this 800-capacity Spanish-Moorish-style theater. Other large performance venues include the 450-seat St. Francis Auditorium at the New Mexico Museum of Art, and the 400-seat James A. Little Theater on the New Mexico School for the Deaf campus.

El Flamenco Spanish Cabaret

PERFORMING ARTS

Featuring stunning views, the open-air Santa Fe Opera presents world-class performances in an architectural wonder of a building, set in a peaceful and rugged landscape. There’s not a bad seat in the house! Plan your trip for July or August to catch the annual performance season of international operatic superstars. Nationally renowned bands perform concerts through September. santafeopera.org

Theater

Visit Theatre Santa Fe (theatresantafe. org) for the lowdown on the 20-plus local theater companies, offering everything from Shakespeare to contemporary productions throughout the year. And each summer, William Shakespeare’s prose and poetry come alive in the Santa Fe Botanical Garden’s Ojos y Manos: Eyes and Hands amphitheater.

santafebotanicalgarden.org

Flamenco

This passionate, age-old dance and music form of illustrious pageantry and costume is authentically alive in Santa Fe. Internationally known and New Mexican dancer María Benítez produced many protégés, among them native-born La Emi, who performs at the Benítez Cabaret at The Lodge at Santa Fe (emiarteflamenco.com). Enjoy a dinner performance at El Flamenco Spanish Cabaret downtown (entreflamenco.com), and at El Farol on Canyon Road (elfarolsantafe.com) with advance reservations.

The Santa Fe Opera won the 2022 Festival of the Year at the International Opera Awards and was nominated in the World Premiere category for its 2022 production of M. Butterfly.

Santa Fe Opera

La Emi Flamenco Shakespeare in the Garden

Performance Santa Fe 300 Paseo de Peralta, Suite 102 performancesantafe.org | 505.984.8759 Performance Santa Fe brings the world’s best music, dance, and theater to iconic Santa Fe locations. The organization’s year-round live programming includes offerings for everyone—classical, jazz, ballet, world music, early music, spoken word, and more. Book online at PerformanceSantaFe.org.

DID YOU KNOW?

New for 2023 is the Art + Sol Winter Arts Festival, showcasing symphony, song, chamber music, theater, chorus, and jazz in venues across The City Different for 10 days in February. artsolsantafe.org

Wise Fool New Mexico Santa Fe Desert Chorale

Classical, Orchestral, Chamber Music

There is no shortage of organizations presenting music in The City Different throughout the year! Internationally known musicians and vocalists grace Santa Fe stages.

New Mexico Performing Arts Society

nmpas.org

Performance Santa Fe

performancesantafe.org

Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival

santafechambermusic.com

Santa Fe Desert Chorale

desertchorale.org

Santa Fe Pro Musica

sfpromusica.org

Santa Fe Symphony

santafesymphony.org

Santa Fe Women’s Ensemble

sfwe.org

Julie Graber

Circus Arts

Throughout the year, local circus troupe Wise Fool New Mexico awes audiences with its socially conscious performances that include puppetry, theater and, of course, the circus arts. And, you, too, can learn to swing with the greatest of ease if you register for one of their classes. wisefoolnewmexico.org

SPOTLIGHT

El Flamenco Cabaret 135 West Palace Ave, 2nd Fl entreflamenco.com 505.209.1302 Enjoy the best of Spain in Santa Fe! Flamenco, homestyle Spanish Cuisine, a great wine selection with 2022 NYC Bessie award nominee Antonio Granjero + his company Entreflamenco the 2017 Mayor’s Arts Award winner to Santa Fe. Doors open at 6:15pm, shows start at 7:30pm.

Live Music

Find something to groove to most every night of the week! The venues range from club scenes to intimate hotel bars to more grandiose spots like the Santa Fe Opera, The Lensic Performing Arts Center, and SITE Santa Fe.

If you luck out to visit The City Different in the summer, you’ll find that free, live music is an absolute staple.

Check out the Santa Fe Summer Scene, 5 nights a week! ampconcerts.org

On the downtown Plaza, join the locals for an evening series in the gazebo offering the best of local and national talent—from jazz to bluegrass to rock ’n’ roll.

At the Railyard Plaza on Friday nights, listen and dance, while drinking and eating from one of the many food trucks or at one of the area’s great restaurants or bars.

Bring the kids, a blanket, and a picnic for the family-friendly movie series at the grassy Railyard Park, where the little ones can frolic safely nearby.

For a grassy, family-friendly, bring-yourpicnic concert experience, try the Summer Scene at SWAN Park or the Sunset Concert Series at Santa Fe Botanical Garden. santafebotanicalgarden.org

Or make Santa Fe your hub for attending music performances in picturesque Abiquiú (Ladder to the Moon held the second weekend in September) and Taos (held at Kit Carson Park throughout the summer).

DID YOU KNOW?

You can choose from more than a thousand different live performances in Santa Fe throughout the year.

Santa Fe Playhouse 142 East De Vargas St. santafeplayhouse.org 505.988.4262 In the heart of the historic district, Santa Fe Playhouse’s 2023 season features seven plays and two musicals, including the Tony Award-winning musical A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder and the Pulitzer Prize-winning labor rights drama, Sweat. Info: santafeplayhouse.org