Don’t expect to see programs with titles like “In a Romantic Mood” or “Happy B-day, Ludwig van B,” or “¡Viva España!” at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival anytime soon. “I don’t do themes, I don’t do birthdays, and I don’t do geography,” says Neikrug, who’s now in his 26th year with the company. What he does do is create program pairings that harmonize perfectly, even if the reasons they do so aren’t overt, a skill for which he is widely recognized.
“Marc Neikrug’s programming has earned deserved popularity with the audiences of the Santa Fe Chamber Music and respect internationally,” says renowned pianist Kirill Gerstein, who is as enthusiastic a player of chamber music as he is of orchestral concerts, via email. “His curation over the past 25 festivals demonstrates that cultivating the trust and taste of the audience results in gradually bringing the core chamber repertoire, the rich field of lieder, and both modern and specially commissioned works ever nearer to the listeners. As a result, participation in the festival is a most stimulating and fulfilling experience for both musicians and public.
” Neikrug revealed the secret of his success to Pasatiempo : it’s thinking like a composer. His primary focus is composition, which his extensive credits in performance and administration helped support financially. Neikrug estimates that he has programmed more than 1,000 concerts between his chamber music festival tenure, as the St.
Pau.