Marc Neikrug Celebrates
25 Years as Artistic Director
The esteemed composer, pianist, and arts administrator shares the vision he’s always had for the Festival and his hopes for the organization’s future.
by Emily Van Cleve, July 2023
The Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival is integrally woven into the life of composer and pianist Marc Neikrug, who celebrates 25 years as the organization’s Artistic Director—a position he began in 1998 and one that’s been held by just two predecessors.
“The kinds of activities I do now as Artistic Director are ones I was doing before I joined the Festival,” says Neikrug, who was born in New York City and moved permanently to New Mexico in 1988. “What’s wonderful about being the Artistic Director is that the entire staff embraces everything I’ve been interested in and everything we do with great enthusiasm.”
Neikrug’s passions—promoting high-quality new music, supporting talented living composers, bringing the finest players to the Festival, and offering the best possible music education programs to children and youth in the Santa Fe area—have blossomed during his tenure at the Festival.
Marc Neikrug and the Variation String Trio following the world premiere of his String Trio in 2017
“More than ever, championing new music is my greatest legacy,” he says. “I continue to do all the programming, staying mindful of the history of Western classical music by offering music from yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I feel a tremendous sense of responsibility for the audience and what they hear. I need to provide them with a broad and inclusive sense of this culture, which is why I feature classical masterpieces and lesser-known pieces by great composers as well as 20th- and 21st-century music.”
When colleagues remark that he’s demonstrating “courage” through his programming, Neikrug changes the direction of the conversation, saying it’s less about courage and more about respect for the audience. “I program ‘up,’ and it works,” he notes. “I believe in the integrity and curiosity of audience members. After 25 years, our audiences are as healthy as ever.”
Steven Ovitsky, who’s worked closely with Neikrug since 2004, when he became the Festival’s Executive Director, agrees that Neikrug’s vision has had a transformative effect on the organization. “Over time, the Festival’s audience has grown to not only accept but to really appreciate the new and innovative music that’s an integral part of our seasons,” Ovitsky says. “This broad mix of repertoire is one of the Festival’s strongest features, and it’s a great tribute to Marc’s artistic leadership.”
Out of his many initiatives over the past 25 years, Neikrug is particularly proud of the Festival’s Young Composers String Quartet Project, which he’s overseen since it began in 2013. Neikrug chooses two up-and-coming composers to participate in the program every year; offers them a Festival commission to write a string quartet, which the FLUX Quartet premieres during a Festival concert; and provides mentoring and feedback along the way. “Music touches us and communicates with us, so I search for young creators who are self-aware and expressive,” he says. “When I look at classical music, I see 500 years of a continuum. The composers who are of most interest to me are adding to this continuum.”
Marc Neikrug (far right) with the FLUX Quartet and participants in the Young Composers String Quartet Project
Neikrug is dedicated to making the Young Composers String Quartet Project not only musically memorable for the composers but personally memorable for them, too, which he does by introducing them to the places in New Mexico that are closest to his heart during their weeklong visit to Santa Fe. Beginning in 2024, the project will be funded by the newly named Neikrug Young Composers Commissioning Fund, which recognizes Neikrug’s legacy of supporting young composers as well as his and the Festival’s enduring commitment to commissioning new works and contributing to the growth and evolution of the chamber music repertoire.
Another significant way in which Neikrug has reached out to young musicians is through the Festival’s year-round music education programs: Music in Our Schools, Strings in Our Schools, Guitar in Our Schools, the Dream Big Private Lesson Program, and the Summer Youth Concert.
“I remember my first day on the job, a staff member came up to me to ask what we were going to do about music in the schools,” Neikrug says. “We were doing what was colloquially called ‘drive-by concerts’ when I came on board. I developed a whole program for schools—real education with prepared curriculum and trained teachers. Our program is presented in schools in areas of town, particularly the Southside, where music education has not been strong. One of the things that is really important to me,” he adds, “is that our music reaches preschoolers. I’ve always been interested in early childhood development.”
Even after a quarter of a century of commitment to the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Neikrug continues to generate tremendous energy for leading the Festival in years to come. “We are viewed as the standard-bearer of what a classical music organization should be,” he says. “The Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival has great integrity and excellence. I want to make sure we continue to be a shining example for the country.”
Emily Van Cleve has been an arts writer in Santa Fe for more than 25 years. Her articles have appeared in local, regional, and national magazines and in the Albuquerque Journal.