October 3- President’s Chamber Music Series
Nomad Ensemble-Piano Trio
Light Hall Theater
7pm  -  $15
Tickets wnmu.edu/culture
Featuring musicians from the NM Philharmonic, Santa Fe Symphony, and Santa Fe ProMusica.

Repertoire for the program titled ‘Spirit and the Maiden’
Horatio Parker – Suite, op. 35
Carl Nielsen – Piano Trio, CNW 68
Elena Kats-Chernin – Spirit and the Maiden
Robert Fuchs – Piano Trio, op. 72

October 19- Sona Jobarteh
Gambian Kora virtuoso
Light Hall Theater
7pm  -  $15
Tickets and info at wnmu.edu


“Sona Jobarteh is Africa’s first female griot kora virtuoso, and also a fine singer and composer, blending traditional music, blues and Afropop to impressive effect” –Robin Denselow, The Guardian

The spirit of Sona Jobarteh’s musical work stands on the mighty shoulders of The West African Griot Tradition; she is a living archive of the Gambian people. With one ear on the family’s historic reputation, one on the all-important future legacy and her heart in both places, she is preparing a place today for the next generation. Her singing and Kora playing while fronting her band, spring directly from this tradition. The extent of her recognition today is evidenced by more than 23 + million watchers on YouTube and considerable numbers on other digital platforms. All this despite singing in her native languages and keeping to her own path within the music industry.

Sona Jobarteh’s Live performances and speaking engagements zoomed to 52 performances with 12 sell outs during 2019 and post-pandemic to 67 in 2022; she completed 15 dates in USA from the Hollywood Bowl in LA to Symphony Space in NYC; she added WOMAD Australia and New Zealand. Sona has increased her audiences in London to sell out 1200 seats at The Barbican, 2,000 in Cologne’s Philharmonie, when playing Paris for the second time at Seine Musicale it sold out all 1200 places. These band performances are under-pinned by her skills as a composer arising from early days at London’s RCM and Purcell School of Music. She scored the film Motherland in 2010 and by 2022 was scoring some of the Hollywood blockbuster “Beast” starring Idris Elba, co-writing a track on LL Cool J’s latest with Q Tip and filming several of her live shows for CBS’ “60 minutes”.

Sona’s dedication to spreading powerful humanitarian messages through her songs and her stage performances makes her much more than a musician; she is active in social change and leads by her own example. Sona singlehandedly set up The Gambia Academy, a pioneering institution dedicated to achieving educational reform across the continent of Africa. This Academy is the first of its kind to deliver a mainstream academic curriculum at a high level, whilst also bringing the culture, traditions and history that belong to its students, to the front and center of their everyday education. These efforts have gained her invitations to deliver speeches at high profile events around the world – including summits for the UN, the World Trade Organization and UNICEF.

Sona made 63 worldwide concert appearances in 2022, including a US Tour of 10 shows that followed on the heels of her Senegalese tour. Nevertheless, she managed to squeeze in special projects – 1) a  commission for a guest spot from Q Tip  producer of the forthcoming LL Cool J album, 2) a featured track for Hollywood blockbuster movie “Beast”  starring Idris Elba 3) a 15 minute feature on CBS news “60 Minutes” program, just in time to coincide with the release of her long awaited second album, Badinyaa Cuomo, featuring Youssou N’Dour, Ballake Sissoko and Kirk Whalum.

October 20- Sarah & Dusty Duo
Whiskey Creek Zocalo
7:30 PM
Free Tickets available to WNMU faculty, staff and students
General public tickets: whiskeycreekzocalo.com
Sarah Russo embodies the musical soul and charm of south Louisiana. Sarah grew up like many greats before her, such as Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner, singing in church. she began performing with her family at the young age of 4 and has not stopped since. with a voice so powerful it can rock any crowd, Russo’s musical journey includes performances in an astonishing variety of genres, including gospel, soul, country, pop, and rock. with the range akin to Whitney Houston and the grit reminiscent of Janice Joplin, Sarah makes fans before the first chorus is sung.

October 26- Cirque Mechanics (Zephyr)
Fine Arts Center Theatre
7pm  -  $15
Tickets and info at wnmu.edu
Cirque Mechanics was founded in 2004 by Boston native and German Wheel artist, Chris Lashua, after the success of a collaborative project with the Circus Center of San Francisco entitled Birdhouse Factory. Cirque Mechanics quickly established itself as a premiere American circus, with its unique approach to performance, inspiring storytelling, and innovative mechanical staging. Spectacle Magazine hailed it as “the greatest contribution to the American circus since Cirque du Soleil.”

Cirque Mechanics, although inspired by modern circus, finds its roots in the mechanical and its heart in the stories of American ingenuity. The shows, rooted in realism, display a raw quality, rarely found in modern circus, that makes their message timeless and relevant. The stories are wrapped in circus acrobatics, mechanical wonders, and a bit of clowning around. The troupe has created five extraordinary productions; Birdhouse Factory, Boomtown, Pedal Punk, 42FT- A Menagerie of Mechanical Marvels, and, most recently, the wind-inspired Zephyr.