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Biography
James ' Santa Fe' Galloway was musically gifted from a young age. He played in his grade school band and studied piano at the Danfeslser School and at age 10, Galloway directed his first three-act play.
He was on the staff and a contributor to the school literary magazine at the old Albuquerque High School, participated in the active theater program, played clarinet in the marching band, oboe in the orchestra, and helped write the original operetta that the music theory class produced each year.
Galloway attended the University of New Mexico where he expanded his music and drama studies, and continued to write, compose, and perform.
Upon graduation, in 1961, Galloway received a Fulbright Scholarship to study music in Latin America. During this time, Galloway made his professional debut as a concert pianist in Mexico City with the National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico. Additionally, he spent two years touring Brazil as a solo pianist, and served as a Musical Ambassador for the U. S. State Department.
After returning to the United States, Harvard University invited Galloway to participate in the Artist-in-Residence program, but he declined in order to continue his career as a performer and composer.
From sketches he made in Brazil, Galloway wrote his first piano concerto, Maractu, which premiered with a performance by The New Mexico Symphony Orchestra.
The Maractu was later reworked into a ballet score for the Harkness Ballet in New York City, where Galloway served as Music Director, crossing paths with now famous opera composers Menotti, Barber, and Hoiby.
With roots and family in New Mexico, however, Galloway gave up almost certain fame and moved back to Albuquerque to help take care of his mother and ailing grandmother.
Galloway, still composing, would later be termed "a master of orchestration" at the nationally acclaimed Peninsula Music Festival lead by Dr. Thor Johnson. His score, Lembrances De Bahia, influenced by his studies in Brazil and written for Miss Susie Poole, "glitters with vivid color, savage rhythms and changing moods," said one columnist.
Lembrances De Bahia and two additional works by Galloway, Rain, and Songs of the Peyote Woman, were subsequently featured at Carnegie Hall in 1985, performed by The Trio de Santa Fe.
Galloway continued to write and compose, receiving recognition and awards throughout his career. He received a special recognition award from The National Cowboy Hall of Fame for the multi-cultural orchestral composition written for Santa Fe Spirit, based on the book by E. A. Mares. The American Theater College Festival awarded Galloway Best Play and Best Playwright for his Day of Resurrection and Outstanding Production for his play Mirage.
Locally, his musical Travelin' Show, was a huge success as a joint venture by the drama and music departments at the University of New and his most recent work, an operatic adaptation of his own play Mirage, was produced by Opera Southwest with grants form the National Endowment for the Arts.
Productions
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Artist Information
All information is derived from OPERA America's Season Schedule of Performances and titles databases which date back to 1991. OPERA America is constantly updating this data. If you feel that a work or an artist has been omitted or that information is incorrect, please use the linked forms below. Title Information Form Artist Information Form
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