Chamber Music Concert Thursday Nov. 29
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Odin Rathnam (violin), Morag Northey (cello)
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Bring yourself and a friend down to the new art space, La Sala! You may have attended the Day of the Dead festivities and watched the film Coco here recently, at 2331 Hwy 522 (almost opposite Art Questa Gallery).
Not only is this concert part of the new Questa Chamber Music Series, it is a fundraiser for the continuing renovation of La Sala, which will be home to yoga, music, and expressive arts. Read more and get driving directions here.
This concert is a “sneak preview” concert - we're not quite sure what the program will be, but it is guaranteed to be exciting!
The full chamber music concert, “Odin Rathnam & Friends,” will be offered on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 7 pm at the First Presbyterian Church of Taos, and will include Morag Northey on cello and two local musician friends - Martha Shepp on piano, and Suzanne Schwartz on viola. That program will include works by Piazzolla, Bach, Mozart, Gliere, and Saint-Saens.
About the Artists
Canadian cellist Morag Northey will be presenting the American premiere of,"17, when emptiness turns inside out," the following evening at the TCA on Friday, Nov. 30, at the Taos Community Auditorium. More info here on that show, and for tickets. Over the span of her 35-year career, she has played both classical and improv, and with stellar musicians which include Tony Bennett, Linda Ronstadt, and Lyle Lovett. Read more about Morag here.
American violin virtuoso Odin Rathnam travels the world to perform. Most recently, he was in Dubai at the Dubai Opera. He played to a sold-out crowd at the Harwood last year for his second trip to northern New Mexico. Read more about him here.
Local string player (violin and viola) Suzanne Schwartz will be joining Morag and Odin on the Bach Double Concerto for two violins; that's on the program for sure!
All three performers are also teachers!
WHAT: Sneak Preview Chamber Music Concert
WHERE: 2331 Hwy 522, the south end of Questa
WHEN: Thursday Nov. 29, at 7pm
WHY: Fundraiser for La Sala
PRICE: $10 suggested donation at the door, children under 12 and students are free. Proceeds will help fund the continuing renovation of the new Questa venue La Sala, which will benefit our community greatly, so we hope you will be generous.
For questions about La Sala, contact Gaea McGahee at yogasalaquesta@gmail.com; (575) 224-2102. Website: LaSalaQuesta.com
For questions about the concert, contact Martha Shepp at sheppmartha@gmail.com; (575) 776-7579
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Thank You!
The 1st Wonderful Year of Your QCC
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YAY!!
Thank you for volunteering, attending, supporting, and contributing to the Questa Creative Council’s events and projects this past year!
The combined activities and projects drew roughly 875 participants to enjoy Questa this last year. About 550 of these folks were from outside the village. These visitors sought cafes and lodging, bought gas and coffee, discovered our National Monument, and learned about the unique heritage of our area. Many promised to return with family and friends.
The Questa Creative Council could not have achieved any of this without their much-appreciated members who donated their time and/or funds. A holiday party will be held at La Sala on Sat Dec. 8 from 2 to 5 to offer our heartfelt thank-you to all 50+ members who made this first year possible. If you’re not yet a member, come on down and join! We’ll have membership materials available. For as little as $10, you can support projects like
- NeoRio contemporary art and feast on the rim of the gorge
- Questa History & Community Trail
- Wild Rivers Plein Air Paint-Out
- Questa Art Tour
- Questa Chamber Music Series
We will always appreciate more volunteers to join the team to fill a variety of roles; from clerical chores to getting very involved in helping with individual events. If you would like to actively strengthen our community through a focus on arts and culture, do reach out. You can use the “Contact Us” feature on QuestaCreative.org. Or, stop in and visit with Co-Chair, Roger Harrington, at the Art Questa Studio and Gallery on the south end of the village. A “Join” feature on the website also makes donating easy and fast. If you were planning year-end charitable contributions, why not enjoy the same non-profit tax deductions and keep those dollars in our community?
Sneak Peak - plans for 2019
We’re already hard at work applying for grants for the upcoming year. Along with local support, we will be applying for funding from NM Arts. We are also looking at fundraising, help from foundations, and donations to help us keep up going.
Wild Rivers Plein Air Festival, July 16-21, 2019
Questa Studio Tour August 17-18, 2019
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National Trails Day, Questa History Walk
The Questa History & Community Trail was introduced to the community for National Trails Day on June 2, 2018. Questa’s own Flavio Cisneros led over 50 people on this first guided walk. Half of those attending were from Questa and the rest came from further afield. The feedback that participants gave will provide input for planning the final signs. Members on this project team are seeking to fund the creation of long-lasting metal frameworks and sturdy posts. The National Park Service is still working with the QCC’s team, the Village, and members of St. Anthony’s Parish to plan the trail development. Some of this future work will be physical trail building, and some of it roadway marking. Flavio led a second walk on the opening day of the Questa Art Tour and all 10 attendees were non-locals, and they enjoyed learning more about Questa
More info: questatrail.org
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Gathering Memory: Object, Photo and Story Workshop
The Questa History & Community Trail project also hosted this community event at the VFW Hall on July 8, led by native son (and nationally-recognized historian) Estevan Rael-Galvez, with over 90 persons attending. Over half of those in attendance were from Questa. They participated by bringing in photos and mementoes that brought forward a host of shared stories. Ongoing participation in sharing Questa stories, by working with one of the LEAP team to record your memories and post your photos on the QuestaStories.org website.
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Wild Rivers Plein Air Festival
The sublime beauty of our area was expressed by the over 60 artists from all around the US (even 2 from Canada!) who participated in 3rd Annual Wild Rivers Plein-Air Festival this past July 17-22. Artists painted within a 20-mile radius of Questa, attended instructional demonstrations at the Questa Youth Center, and created paintings of St. Anthony’s Church for the special event, “Paint the Church” day. The 6-day festival ended with an Artist Quick draw event, a reception, and the display and sale of paintings at the Brass Rail Theater in Red River. The 221 participants and friends helped our economy by staying overnight and frequenting our shops and restaurants. https://www.wildriverspleinair.com
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Questa Arts Tour
The 3rd Annual Questa Studio Arts tour, held on August 18-19, had more participating artists this year, and drew at least 300 visitors to our beautiful area, who also stopped in Questa for food, coffee, and overnight lodgings. Two new artist hubs, in Sunshine Valley and El Rito expanded the offerings. Approximately one third of the visitors were within a 15-mile radius of our town, and the other two-thirds were from New Mexico and surrounding states. Next year’s tour will be held Aug 16 and 17. www.questaartstour.com
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PHOTOS: Nicholette Coddington
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NeoRio: Outdoor Contemporary Art Celebration
It was beautiful weather on Saturday, Sept. 15, at Wild Rivers as over 250 people arrived to explore the theme “Roots ~ Raices!” on the 10th anniversary of this contemporary art celebration. Art installations included a “wall” of rooted willows, innovative backpack kits for “short adventures in place,” and root words flapping in the breeze; hands-on activities were for all ages, notably a booth in homage to the lowly beet. Participants were captivated by impassioned young poets at the Poetry & Music Salon, a bountiful locally sourced (and served) feast, soulful tunes, and informative artist talks at dusk. Approximately one third of the visitors hailed from within a 15-mile radius of our town, and the other two-thirds were from New Mexico and surrounding states.
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Street Banners
This past fall, the QCC has partnered with the Questa Economic Development Fund (QEDF) to develop banners that hang from street light poles in the Village. The subject of the first set exhibits the beautiful hand-painted retablos in St Anthony’s historic Church. The other two sets of banners will display our local artists and craftspersons and a third set will show historic photos of our village. We hope the retablos will be up in the air for all to see very soon.
Welcome Signs
The QCC has partnered with the QEDF to develop 3 “Welcome to Questa” signs to be installed on the main roads as one drives into Questa. This past fall the QCC solicited for ideas and concepts from the public, and 37 entries were received, full of inventive designs. Once the QEDF board decides, the signs will go into fabrication mode.
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Questa Chamber Music Series
The first in this 3-part series of classical music concerts was held on Saturday, September 1. Taos cellist Rebecca Caron, violinist Andrea Gore, and Questeno pianist Martha Shepp played works of Haydn, Glinka, Brahms, and Clara Schumann at the building under renovation which will host music and expressive arts, as well as a yoga studio: La Sala Questa, at 2331 Hwy 522. There 20 in the audience in the small room that currently houses a beautiful grand piano, but which will be in the larger space once renovation is complete. The second concert is on Thursday, November 29 and features international virtuoso violinist Odin Rathnam, Canadian cellist Morag Northey, and local string player Suzanne Schwartz. A third concert is planned for early spring of 2019.
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How can you support projects like these into the future?
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When making your year-end donations we humbly ask that you consider supporting the mission and vision of community-building programs of the Questa Creative Council, and also keep renewing your annual membership. Please visit our website and donate there on the "Join" page or push our "join now" button below.
Your generosity has direct impact and is very much appreciated.
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