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High Desert Winds Santa Fe was founded in 2010 by Concordia Santa Fe, a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization, as an educational and community outreach performing wind ensemble. High Desert Winds is dedicated to promoting wind-band music discovery and performance. Participation in High Desert Winds is by invitation for accomplished adult and student musicians who are capable of performing challenging music, motivated to expand their musical knowledge, committed to regular individual practice, and agree to the rehearsal and performance schedule.
High Desert Winds Santa Fe was designed as a vehicle for advanced high school music students to work alongside professional and advanced amateur adult musicians to hone their instrumental and musicianship skills. Our program promotes high expectations in improving personal practice in the preparation for performance of challenging repertoire.
The benefit to local high school music programs has been demonstrated over the years. For instance, of the nine student members who performed with High Desert Winds in the 2017-2018 season, seven were selected to participate in various New Mexico Music Educators Association All-State Ensembles. Experience in High Desert Winds also helps students prepare for college music programs and possible careers as performers or music educators.
High Desert Winds Santa Fe proudly presents for the benefit of the wider Santa Fe community three FREE concerts per year as well as support for Santa Fe’s diverse cultural passions through music. These passions come to life through the ensemble’s performances of music composed by members of the LGBTQIA+ community, composers of color, and a special collaboration in the 2024-2025 season with the NAACP to celebrate Black History Month through a concert featuring the music of Black composers. For the Black History Month concert, the community responded with one of the ensemble’s largest audiences and the highest amount of door donations in the history of High Desert Winds Santa Fe.
Ricardo A. Hernandez is an active musician and public school educator in New Mexico. In addition to leading High Desert Winds Santa Fe, he is currently the Director of Bands at Capital High School. Previously Mr. Hernandez held the same position at James Pace Early College High School in Brownsville, Texas, where he taught for 22 years.
Upon graduation from East Texas State University in 1982, Mr. Hernandez served for 10 years as Associate Principal Horn in the United States Marine Band, “The President’s Own,” in Washington, DC, and earned his Masters degree in Music Performance from the Catholic University of America. While living in the DC area, Mr. Hernandez was also principal Horn in the Arlington Symphony before winning a position with the Filarmónica de la Ciudad de México.
Mr. Hernandez has been a member of the High Desert Winds Santa Fe and Concordia Wind Orchestra since 2016 and is honored to have been selected as our current Artistic Director and Principal Conductor.
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