Whether viewed in the heat of day or under brilliant star canopies at night, New Mexico’s sweeping landscapes of white sands, red rocks, majestic mountains and otherworldly geological formations are every inch the Land of Enchantment. On par with its natural stimuli, groups will also find sensory magic on performing arts stages throughout the state, including a diverse roster of vintage movie palaces and outdoor concert venues, as well as year-round festivals that are all available to augment a group agenda.
Metro Marquees
Multicultural Albuquerque combines enhanced meeting venues, such as the Albuquerque Convention Center, sporting a recent $23 million renovation, with a distinct creative milieu to lure attendees. Part of that attraction is the city’s public art program, established in 1978, which decorates “Duke City” in murals, sculptures, photographs, stained glass and other art forms.
Live entertainment is also part of the multifaceted cultural framework, with a diverse calendar of music events, festivals and performance venues open to attendees.
Seating 1,985 people, Popejoy Hall is the largest performance venue in New Mexico, with wide-ranging programming, including touring Broadway shows, international recording artists, symphony concerts, world-renowned ballet and modern dance companies. Part of the five-venue University of New Mexico Center for the Arts, which also includes the Experimental Theatre X and Rodey Theatre, the Popejoy is available for group rental.
Albuquerque’s KiMo Theater is a historic downtown treasure celebrated for its flamboyant Pueblo Deco design, a short-lived architectural fusion of Native American and Art Deco styles. Opened in 1927 as a silent movie and vaudeville palace, the national landmark today hosts theatrical performances, movies and concerts. Located along Route 66, the 660-seat KiMo is available for private events through the city’s Department of Cultural Services.
Other performance venues offering rental space for meetings and events include the South Broadway Cultural Center and the intimate Cell Theatre (www.liveatthecell.com).
Internationally renowned as a center of arts and culture, Santa Fe was UNESCO’s first U.S.-designated World Creative City, its preeminence signified by the Santa Fe Opera. Opened in 1957, this unlikely icon—an opera company situated in the desert hundreds of miles from any major city—has since become one of the world’s undisputed cultural champions. Set on a 155-acre campus seven miles north of Santa Fe, venues include the striking Crosby Theatre and Stieren Orchestra Hall, where prelude talks are offered to audience members before most performances. The tailgating alone is high art, along with the sunsets. Running through July and August, the opera is a must for groups.
Currently underway with a $35 million, multiphase transformation that began last year and targeting completion by April 2016, the Santa Fe Opera celebrates its 60th anniversary next summer with five shows, including productions of Romeo & Juliet and Mozart’s Don Giovanni.
Another cultural anchor is the Lensic Performing Arts Center (www.lensic.org). Founded as the Lensic Theater in 1931, this downtown Santa Fe heirloom, with its captivating Moorish and Spanish Renaissance design, was restored and transformed into a state-of-the-art performing arts center in 2001. Offering 200-plus events in dance, music, film, theater, opera and more each year, the nonprofit Lensic is renowned as a national model for sustainability as an arts center, focused on performance, education and community programs.
Opened in July 2014, The Skylight brings big-city energy to downtown Santa Fe’s entertainment and event scene. Along with four full bars, two dance floors and a full-service restaurant serving dinner until midnight, the live music, dining and events venue offers two private rooms, rental packages, on-site event coordinators and other amenities.
Second Acts
Groups fanning out to New Mexico’s regional destinations will find yet more theatrical fodder for outings and events.
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Roughly 45 minutes from Santa Fe, Los Alamos is home to more than 60 cultural organizations and artistic educational programs. Group-capable performance venues include the Los Alamos Concert Association. Formed in 1946 when Los Alamos was still a closed military base for the Manhattan Project, the organization’s inaugural concerts included the Trapp Family Singers, of Sound of Music fame. Celebrating 70 years of bringing world-class talent to town in 2016, LACA’s events are held at Los Alamos High School’s Duane W. Smith Auditorium.
Other choices include Dance Arts Los Alamos and Los Alamos Little Theatre, housed in a former 1940s Army cafeteria.
Year-round festivals dominate the cultural calendar in Taos, the fabled mountain escape 90 minutes north of Santa Fe. During the summer, the Taos School of Music is renowned for its chamber music program, now in its 53rd season.
At the heart of northwestern New Mexico’s spectacular Four Corners region, where the state meets Arizona, Colorado and Utah, Farmington is an enticing destination with assets that include Lions Wilderness Park Amphitheater, where groups can experience local theater from Sandstone Productions and other outdoor performances under the stars.
Following a recent million-dollar renovation of its grand ballroom, the multipurpose Farmington Civic Center hosts conferences, conventions, and in its 1,200-seat auditorium, year-round live music and entertainment from headliners such as Clint Black and Buddy Guy.
In southern New Mexico, booming group destination Las Cruces is home to the New Mexico State University Theater Arts, where the American Southwest Theatre Company produces and coordinates diverse theatrical programming. The facility is available for rental on a limited basis from September through early May, with versatile spaces that include the Mark and Stephanie Medoff Theatre, accommodating up to 464 people; Hershel Zohn Rehearsal Hall, hosting up to 300 for standing receptions; and three outdoor terraces.
Groups meeting in Ruidoso have a prime venue in the landmark Spencer Theater for the Performing Arts, located in nearby Alto. Opened in 1997, this seven-story, wedge-shaped acoustic wonder is considered one of the world’s finest theaters, with its 514-seat hall and other spaces available for private rental.
Groups also have live entertainment at the meetings-capable Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort & Casino.
Further east in Roswell, the Roswell Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 55th season as southeastern New Mexico’s cultural hub, offering programs at Pearson Auditorium on the New Mexico Military Campus.
Frequent contributor JEFF HEILMAN loves getting in the New Mexico groove.
