The San Juan Symphony Chamber Singers will launch the 2025-26 season Sunday afternoon with music by young and emerging composers. At 3 p.m., the Singers, with their newly announced director Amy Barrett, will perform in St. Mark’s Church.
“Creating Legacy Through Harmony” is the concert title and carries multiple meanings. Barrett will be the third director of the ensemble created a decade ago by Elizabeth Crawford.
If you go
WHAT: San Juan Symphony Chamber Singers, Director Amy Barrett, works by Whitacre, Pederson and others.
WHEN: 3 p.m. Sunday.
WHERE: St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 910 East Third Ave.
TICKETS: Adults $30, students $10. Available at the door or at www.sanjuansymphony.org.
MORE INFORMATION: Call 382-9753.
“I founded the Singers in February 2016. I intended to get it going and then ‘hire’ a professional director once we received nonprofit status,” Crawford said. “When we did under the 3rd Avenue Arts umbrella in 2018, we hired Dr. Charissa Chiaravalotti (Fort Lewis College Music Department). She led the group until COVID shut us down in March 2020. I took over in 2021 and directed the project through to May 2025.”
Crawford’s farewell as director took place May 10 in an unusual collaboration. Working with the Durango Arts Center, Crawford and Monica DiBiasio crafted “Shakespeare: Sing me a Scene.” Narrator Susan Bennett set up scenes and the Singers performed music by various composers inspired to write music based on Shakespeare’s plays.
Another chapter for the Singers arrives on Oct. 26, with another innovative program continuing Crawford’s championing music by young and emerging composers.
Expect to hear Eric Whitacer’s magical “Child of Wonder” and Kyle Pederson’s moving “All of Me.” “El Grillo” will update a 17th-century work with a Spanish flair and Latin rhythms. Overall, the program will explore themes of life and death, youth, community and transformation, Barrett said.
“Each piece speaks to the transformative power of music,” she said. “All the composers are redefining what choral music can express.”
Barrett is known to many in town as she has helmed various groups over the past several years. She’s a graduate of the FLC music program and one of the most prolific musicians in the Four Corners. At FLC, she was a protégé of both Pete Peterson and Linda Mack Berven.
“’Dr. Pete’ saw something in a quiet, 19-year-old music major and somehow convinced a group of men (the Durango Barbershoppers) to hire me as their director,” she said. “Everything I learned from Dr. Linda Mack in choral conducting, I tried out on this group, and my confidence as a teacher and choral conductor grew.”
In addition to freelance conducting, Barrett continues to pursue her career in music education. This fall, she accepted a position as the new choir director at Miller Middle School and maintains a thriving piano studio. To say that she is a master of time management and has proven leadership skills is an understatement.
“A number of Durango singers asked me to apply, and I wasn’t sure, but I sent my letter of interest at the last minute,” she said.
Symphony Music Director Thomas Heuser recently commented on Barrett’s appointment: “Amy’s leadership promises to inspire both our singers and our audiences as we continue to expand the reach and impact of the Chamber Singers. Amy brings a wealth of experience and a deep passion for choral artistry.”
Back in 2016, when Crawford created the Singers, she knew there was an audience for vocal chamber music and a core group of talented singers to perform. Last May, as she prepared to pass the torch again, Crawford gave Barrett a high-five: “This is my last performance as director. Amy Barrett will take over from here. She will bring new energy and innovative programming to the ensemble.”
Judith Reynolds is an arts journalist and member of the American Theatre Critics Association.
