Evoking memories: Soprano Ann Toomey, Santa Fe Symphony go on a musical journey with ‘Symphonic Dances’

Soprano Ann Toomey is bringing her voice to Santa Fe Symphony’s  “Symphonic Dances,” coming to The Lensic Performing Arts Center on Sunday, March 22. 

The opera singer is a soloist in “Knoxville: Summer of 1915,” which she describes as reflective and relatable. 

“I think there’s something that feels familiar about it, even if you don’t know it,” Toomey said

She said “Knoxville: Summer of 1915” has a similar meter to a lullaby and tells the story of a lazy summer evening surrounded by family. She said it depicts moments that everyone has experienced or longed for. 

“It’s from a child’s point of view, which I think is also something that is precious and unique,” Toomey said.

The child, whose voice adds purity and innocence to the story, is lonely and feeling a lack of place in the world. These are feelings everyone can connect with, she said. 

“It’s just a very evocative piece of a specific place, time and environment,” Toomey said. “I just think it’s really beautiful storytelling, and that’s always what is exciting to me as a performer.”

This will be her first time performing “Knoxville: Summer of 1915.” Toomey said it is an iconic piece, especially for an American artist, and she has always wanted to perform it. 

The work showcases Knoxville, Tennessee, and Toomey said it is nice to do a piece that highlights life in America. 

Toomey, who is originally from Michigan, said the music resonates with her because she feels summers are special everywhere. While the season and place were important parts of the song for her, what stood out most was the family aspect. 

Her favorite line from the song is “May God bless my people, my uncle, my aunt, my mother, my good father, oh, remember them kindly in their time of trouble; and in the hour of their taking away.”

She said it was the point in the piece where she realized the child has knowledge beyond the innocence of youth. 

“It’s really beautiful,” she said.

Elizabeth Secor is an arts fellow from the New Mexico Local News Fellowship program. You can reach her at esecor@abqjournal.com.