New Mexico Symphony Orchestra

You could not have asked for a nicer evening - comfortable temperatures, little wind and no rain but with beautiful sunset colors overhead and then planets peeking out later on. The music was varied, well done, and well received. Families were able to enjoy their picnics and the music - some kids danced or marched as the music inspired them! With almost 3000 people (if you include the children), it was surprising how quick and orderly it was with such a mob exiting the Zoo and for driving out of the parking lot - no traffic jams. All in all a wonderful evening of music among friends under the stars.

This was a great show. Very well done and professional and funny. Music wonderful.

Unique, hilarious, musical, and entertaining! NMSO pulls out all the stops and succeeds with a marvelous evening performance.

Good music collection in a delightful setting under the stars. Vocals enhanced the familiar and beloved tunes.

Awesome event for the money. Great atmosphere, great performance.

How could an evening be any better? It was our first time to attend a symphony program of any kind. We have been to Zoo music & it was good. But, to hear anything written by John Williams makes my heart soar. And, to top it off; to be sitting with my beautiful wife of 31 years dining on shrimp cocktail, a wonderful salad & strawberries with whipped cream. Under those enormous cottonwoods with the stars gazing down on us listening to the NMSO play outstanding music, accompanied by the sounds of the lions, sea-lions & peacocks; it truly was a magical evening. Thank you for a Wonderful evening. It will be a highlight I won't soon forget! My only wish is that they had played an encore of the theme from Close Encounters of a Thrid Kind. Just a thought......

This event is always enjoyable and this year was no exception.

Perfect weather, sublime music. No nicer way to spend a spring evening!

What an enjoyable evening - we want to go again!! Didn't even mind dressing warm & enjoying the weather!!

The weather was beautiful, company was great, and the NMSO was fantastic. Played a nice selection of music, everything ran on time. Would definetly go see again. It's a must if you have acess to see this.

It was still a bit chilly after the sun went down, but I don't think a whole lot of people cared. The music was great and the atmosphere was lively.

Very nice performance. The acoustics in this venue are superb.

Outstanding presentation from the technical pieces presented to the presentation. Seats are arranged so the stage can be seen from all angles. Violin soloist was amazing. Quite an enjoyable evening.

Beethoven's Violin Concerto has been my favorite piece of music since I was a little kid. I was a little concerned that I would be disappointed with this performance but I could not have been more pleased. It was absolutely PERFECT. Brahms Symphony # 3 a great additional bonus! Thanks NMSA and Guillermo! P

Having seen gigantic productions of Messiah with choruses of seemingly hundreds of singers and full symphony orchestras, we leapt at this baroque presentation of Handel's arguably greatest work. The orchestration was closer to Handel's original instead of Mozart's or Goosens. The work was the complete three Oratorios rather than the sing-along variety. Roger Melone performed admirably as both conductor and harpsicordist. The soloists held up their parts very competently as they flowed in and out of the score. Of course, the chorus was front and central, and it did not disappoint. The musicianship was tight and beautiful as well. Well worth the experience!

THe picnic basket was more than enough and food in it was great with wine and just wish I had asked for chairs, though we found seating anyway.

The weather looked like it would be a problem, but it turned out to be a perfect night. Having dinner while watching and listening to the symphony; it doesn't get any better.

Even though it looked like the rain would have kept the concert from performing, the skys cleared and the concert was great! I enjoyed not only the great music, but how the audience's mood and interacting with it was wonderful. We go every year to enjoy an unforgetable performance under the stars!

I would recommend this for the entire family or a date, this was my 2nd year attending and great both times.

The venue was amazing. Hearing the lions roar, the birds calling and the sea lions barking during the performance was a wonderful experience. The music was unforgettable.

Beautiful night that was filled with the beautiful sounds of the orchestra.(with the lions adding in the background). Glad we went early in the year before the heat took over. Will do it again!!

Everything was so wonderful. The music was great and the Zoo's theater was very nice. Thank you.

I really enjoyed both being at the zoo and the concert itself!!

This was the second time we attended this concert, and as in the year before, we were not disappointed. The setting in the zoo is great, the comments from the conductor very fitting, and the music "speaks" for itself. Will go again next year for certain.

As one who has served our country for many years, and who has attended many variations of this musical presentation, it never ceases to quicken the pulse, put a lump in the throat and bring a tear to the eye. I was both excited and humbled. The NMSO never fails to deliver.

I've attended the Symphony Under the Stars events for about 10 years and it is always an enjoyable evening. The NMSO is excellent and it's nice to hear them in the relaxed atmosphere of the zoo. There are families with young children, couples of all ages, and groups that look like small family reunions. Some people dress casually and pack a picnic. Others dress up more and might buy one of the higher end picnic baskets with wine. If you buy lawn seats, which I highly recommend, bring a small tarp to put under your blanket. Otherwise the grass will soak your blanket quickly. I recommend packing a blanket and a couple of chairs so you can claim your stake on a little bigger piece of zoo real estate for the evening. It will assure that the neighboring group of people isn't sitting movie-theater close.

The performance was excellent! Not only the choice of music was great , the ochestra played with enthusiasm and passion .You could see in the ochestra members' facial expressions how much fun they had playing,.. of course with a conductor like Guermo Figueroa it could not have been any differnt! He is one of the best ! Loved the Dvorak and then when Norman Krieger joined on the pano for the for the 'Gershwin' the concert could not have been more perfect. Yes, the performance deserved the standing ovation it had gotten. The audiance was estatic!! A special treat were the 3 pieces by Chopin Krieger performed on the piano as an anchor. Had been told by a member of the orchestra later that Krieger hardy ever gives 3 anchors! It definitely had been a verey special performance.

The Very Merry Pops by the NMSO was a wonderful way to get in the Christmas spirit. The accoustics in this year's venue were not as enjoyable though as it was difficult to hear some of the instruments and the singers. We also noticed the absence of Sleigh Ride again this year.....that is a Holiday "must" piece.... Maybe next year.

A rerun of years past. Some less familiar holiday pieces might have been nice. The orchestra was great, as usual. Liked Matt's jazz piano. The venue had no audience energy.

An outstanding show. A great selection of music and a wonderful performance. Also the 129 children were a real addition.

It was an incredible performance. It was wonderful to see and hear the Albuquerque Youth Symphony play along side the NM Symphony Orchestra. These young folks are the musical future of New Mexico. The exquisite , nuanced, and flight-of-the-fingers playing of solo violinist was absolutely amazing. We like the intimacy of the concert hall at the Hispanic Center.

I've heard the 7th played by the Vienna Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall and by The New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall. The NMSO performance was equal to those performances. As proof, my 16-year old daughter, who can t stand classical music, has been converted from rap to Beethoven. Thank you all!

Excellent performance in a first-class venue! Acoustics were stellar, so I doubt there's a bad seat in the house! Chorus did a fantastic job, loved every minute--and I'm not a big fan of classical music.

The orchestra, pianist, featured group, and chorus were all great. Unfortunately, it was very difficult to hear them properly because your sound mixer was busy talking to his friends instead of doing his job. Until close to the end, the only way I could tell the chorus was singing was to watch them having such a great time. The singer's mic was too loud, and it didn't do his voice any favors. Was the mixer a kid who volunteered? I had good friends who were singing in the chorus, and I haven't told them that I couldn't hear them for most of the concert.

The amount of talent and passion for music that I heard from Alb. symphony Orchestra,gave me goose bumps the entire show,I cannot put into words how AWESOME they sound..."It must be heard ,to be understood."...

This is an outstanding way to enjoy the NMSO. The venue is very comfortable (lawn in front of the stage at the zoo), making the event low key but the choice of music was perfect for the occasion and the rendition was great. Bring your friends and family and some munchies and enjoy a relaxing evening!

The lights, the music and the singer were disappointing. It seemed to be more of a comedy routine than a tribute to Queen - never mind Freddie Mercury. I lasted through the first half and then left because it was such a disappointment. They billed it as an amazing event and knowing the music and the ability of the NMSO - I expected much more. The singer - star of the show - ran around interacting with the audience and allowing them to sing rather than allowing us to live through him and hear what Queen and Freddie Mercury were all about - it was like a bad karaoke show and I will question whether to purchase tix in the future when they bill anything as a 'tribute'.

i highly recommend any of their performances! the venue was wonderful :)

Beautiful setting - in the park at the zoo - was amazing to lie back on a blanket, listen to music, hear animal sounds, and look at stars - all in one night. All in all there should have been more music ... there was a lot of talking, but overall it was wonderful.

The idea of symphony under the stars is perfect! However, in reality, there was too many people with too few manners. I support NMSO, and am happy to see them have many supporters, however, my suggestion is selling less tickets to this event. The picnic concept only works if there is enough room to sit, spread a blanket, and eat without having to sit on your neighbors lap. With everyone talking, commentating, and running around during the concert, the overall evening leaves much to be desired. My suggestion to NMSO is to raise the ticket prices, add a small charge to children under 5, and only sell a set number of tickets. This would not result in the overcrowding that happened at the Stars, Stripes, and 1812 concert. On the positive side, the music arrangement was beautiful, and the weather great. Furthermore, the ability to purchase a glass of wine during the concert is fantastic too.

This show was so wonderful. My wife and I had a great time.

This was the annual Symphony Under the Stars at the Albuquerque Biopark Zoo bandshell on Memorial Day weekend. As usual, they performed excellently, the weather was great, our small party had a peaceful and relaxing time. The full moon was rising on our way home. This event is getting more poopular, and set a record for attendance tonight - almost 3000 people.

This concert was an unforgettable experience. It was incredible to get to hear such great music while sitting out on the grass of the zoo lawn after having a nice picnic with the family! Even the seals and birds pitched in their voices several times for a unique experience. The 1812 overture performance was among the best I have ever heard.

Fantastic! Stirring, patriotic music, expertly performed; emotionally charged tributes to all branches of the Armed Forces and an unforgettable night of music under the stars with a Peacock and a barking seal playing point and counter point while a pair of ducks periodically performed 'fly-overs'! Bravo NMSO!

This is one of my favorite venues (zoo) and the evening was absolutely gorgeous. We couldn't have had better weather and with it some incredible music. This concert series is a must see.

This was the second symphony under the stars that we have attended and like the first, it was absolutely memorable and wonderful. What a fantastic experience to listen to great music at a great venue. What can we do to have more of these saturday evenings under the stars?

Went to the show with my 21 year old son. He's an 80's rock fan but really didn't know a lot of Queen's music. By the end of the show he was ready to come home and break out all of my Queen cd's so he could learn. The Orchestra sounded great, but the band was spectacular. Stayed true to the music without trying to sound exactly like Freddie and the boys. All in all an excellent show.

I am already a big fan of the NMSO. They did some wonderful music for the Lord of the Rings and the Star Trek symphony, so I was expecting a lot for this. What impressed me isn't just that the full orchestra was there, but they also had a band complete with singer, guitarist, bassist, drummer, pianist, and a FULL CHOIR! I failed to catch the name of the lead singer but he was pretty amazing. Honestly though, nobody can ever hope to top Freddie Mercury, and this guy knew that. I was very impressed with their performances of Classic Queen songs, from One vision to The Show must go on to Radio Ga Ga to Killer Queen. I was a little dismayed to hear the singer trash talking the film "Flash Gordon" which arguably is one of the most entertaining films of all time, yeah it's cheesy but it's frickin' awesome! One thing that kind of upset me was that they left "I want it all" out of their set! I mean how do you do that???You can't leave one of the best Queen songs of all time out of your set! I know this is the Symphony orchestra, but dammit when you're doing a tribute to Queen you better damn well perform "I want it all"! My one complaint aside, the concert was marvelous. I had a lot of fun, and I am still sore from dancing around like a complete spaz. Truly though, when it comes to a tribute to Queen by a group of people as talented as this... you can't go wrong.

If you have never been to a show where you are annoyed more by the minute, so much so that when it's over you ask yourself, "why didn't I just get up and leave," then this is your show. The NMSO was good when you could hear them. The choir was average when you could hear them. The tribute front man, tried to get the crowd of a handful to engage most of the show. This just got more and more annoying as it went on. I've seen many good bands start with a bored crowd and win them over by the end of the night. This seemed much more like a band with no power and a front man just grasping at anything to save himself. There was no saving anyone at this performance. The crowd, choir, cover band, and unfortunately the NMSO all went down with the ship. RIP Queen. Note to Sandia Casino: purchase a sound system! Really you have a great performance space but if no one can hear the music, it kind of ruins it.

I hope the NMSO continues to entertain us with these rockin' performances. NMSO's tribute to Queen, as well as the December 2006 performance of the Music of Led Zeppelin have delighted us and uniquely demonstrates NMSO's commitment to quality, diverse performances.

Ensemble started pretty dissonant and out of tune, but eventually warmed up. They probably could have used another rehearsal. While the players were mostly in synch, it would have helped if they looked to the conductor at least once during the Tchaikovsky piece. Providing a printed program would have been a nice touch. Considering the price that I paid for me and my wife, a more professional performance is called for. P.S. Mr. Figueroa mistakenly said the Four Seasons Concerti were part of the Opus 3. They are actually from the Opus 4.

Wonderful performance! The soloists were amazing. Thank you!

Good program selection of favorite Lerner & Lowe Broadway tunes; especially nice to hear Brigadoon included. The male soloists were uneven, especially in pitch. The chorus was stunning in limited use.

That was the first time we went to such an event and I was pleasantly surprised.. My whole family was able to enjoy it. Kids could freely play and adults could listen to the music. I would definitely recommend to attend this event!!!

Couldn't have asked for a more pleasant evening. Good company, food, wine and music!

The weather was perfect and so was the music and song. So many memorable tunes !! Our party of six agreed.