In 1987 a group of Placitas, New Mexico residents organized a concert to benefit the family of a young girl who was badly burned in a local home fire. The concert, presented in the new sanctuary of Las Placitas Presbyterian Church by a group of local musicians who later became known as the Helios String Quartet, was very well received. Many, many people asked for more concerts in the beautiful and culturally diverse mountain community of Placitas. Not only did members of the audience express their pleasure at hearing chamber music in a local venue, but the church sanctuary also revealed its special acoustical gifts. Thus was born the Placitas Artists Series (PAS), which has been offering an annual concert series at the church ever since. Click here to see a list of past concerts. From its founding, PAS has established a solid reputation for providing music
of consistently high quality, at extremely modest cost (an Albuquerque Journal
reviewer has described PAS as “one of the best bargains for quality music in
the area”). Until the end of the 96-97 season, the Helios Quartet anchored the
series with five concerts of chamber music. Since that time its violist, Willy
Sucre, has continued the association by organizing the five concerts with a
changing combination of musicians which has been dubbed “Willy Sucre and
Friends.” The “Friends” he has chosen are some of the most accomplished
and best known chamber musicians in the area. Very early on, PAS realized that it could also support the visual arts by offering juried exhibits of the work of local artists in the church Fellowship Hall. It decided to hold receptions for selected exhibitors before each musical performance, in order to present artists and their work to concertgoers. Exhibits continue to this day, displaying the work of 36-40 visual artists each year. A new group of artists is on display each month of our concert year, September to May. During this season, there will be a bit less wall space for out visual artists due to the construction activity. However, when the new addition is complete, there will actually be a great deal more hanging space. Not long after the exhibits were begun, PAS found other ways to serve the Sandoval County community. For several years it cosponsored the annual Hispanic Music Festival in Bernalillo. And it initiated and continues to expand its outreach program in public and pueblo schools in the county with the Music in the Schools program . This outreach offers performances of music, drama, puppetry, even opera, to schoolchildren in the area. Each year the school outreach program reaches more children in more schools. In recent years Sandoval County has supported the school outreach program as well as providing PAS a grant to offer some free concert tickets to senior citizens. The
Placitas Artists Series has continued to grow in stature and reputation
throughout the region. It enjoys wide support from private and government
sources. Continuing, strong support from the county and from individuals
in the community is essential to PAS’s success. Numerous local small
businesses sponsor concerts or advertise
in our program booklet (which remains one of the most attractive in the
area). Many people in the community make annual
donations so that ticket prices can remain low and musicians can receive pay
commensurate with their talent. In addition, donations support our free child
care policy and the special concerts we are able to offer from time to
time. The all-volunteer Board of Directors has always taken a conservative approach to financial planning. They offer their services, often of professional quality, without pay, and they enlist other volunteers to assist them. Grants and contributions are used to enhance the outreach, visibility, and professionalism of the series. Administrative costs are kept to a minimum, whereas performers are paid well (recently PAS increased pay to performers in “Willy Sucre and Friends” by 10%). We hope you will agree that PAS provides a vital service to Sandoval County, building a sense of community in this area of cultural and economic diversity and promoting interest in the musical and visual arts as well as encouraging musicians and artists. And we hope you will agree that PAS is indeed worthy of your support.
President Gary Libman, December 2005 |
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Click here to view photos of the PAS Volunteers in the Placitas 4th of July Parade. |
