Colin Jacobsen

Artistic Director

Violinist and composer Colin Jacobsen is “one of the most interesting figures on the classical music scene” (Washington Post). Since the early 2000s, Jacobsen has forged an intriguing path in the cultural landscape of our time, collaborating with an astonishingly wide range of artists across diverse traditions and disciplines while constantly looking for new ways to connect with audiences. For his work as a founding member of two game-changing, audience-expanding ensembles—the string quartet Brooklyn Rider and orchestra The Knights—Jacobsen was selected from among the nation’s top visual, performing, media, and literary artists to receive a prestigious and substantial United States Artists Fellowship. He is also active as an Avery Fisher Career Grant-winning soloist and has toured with Silkroad since its founding by cellist Yo-Yo Ma in 2000 at Tanglewood. Starting in the 2022–23 season, Jacobsen assumed the position of Artistic Director of Santa Fe Pro Musica, an organization with which he has had a fruitful long-term association as a guest soloist and leader. Learn more.

Thomas O’Connor

Executive Director, Co-founder
Music Director Emeritus, & Conductor Laureate

Tom has nurtured the vision and managed the mechanics of Santa Fe Pro Musica for over 40 years. Originally from Los Alamos, NM, he had a successful career performing in orchestras and music festivals across the U.S. and Canada as a Grammy-nominated oboist, baroque oboist and English horn player. He has now decided to let others do the work so that he can spend more time riding the backroads of New Mexico on his BMW motorcycles.

Nick Barral

Box Office Manager & Graphic Design

Nick has a background in IT, graphic design, photography, and customer service. He and his family left Southern California and moved to New Mexico in late 2007. In early 2017, he drove to each of the contiguous 48 states and photographed their state capitol buildings. He is a published photographer, and has photographed performance art, concerts, paintings and sculptures. Through work and leisure, he has ventured to many parts of New Mexico, and he is a Waze Map Editor for the entire state of New Mexico.

Elizabeth Cohen

Marketing Manager & Executive Assistant

A Santa Fe native, Elizabeth grew up immersed in the city’s rich arts and culture scene. Influenced by a musical family, she played piano prior to taking up violin and joining the Santa Fe Community Orchestra under the inspiration of mother/founder Anne-Lise Cohen. After raising her family in Colorado, Elizabeth is excited to return to Santa Fe and bring her passion for the arts to Santa Fe Pro Musica. She is eager to promote the organization’s mission, support its leadership and incredible musicians, and connect audiences with world-class performances. In addition to enjoying time with her family, Elizabeth is a group fitness/hot yoga/HIIT instructor, and practitioner of facial reflexology.

Gregg Koyle

Orchestra Manager

Gregg has been Principal Timpanist and Orchestra Personnel Manager for the Sarasota Opera since 2002 and Orchestra Manager with the Santa Fe Opera since 2005. He has performed as a soloist, chamber and orchestra musician throughout the U.S., Europe, and Japan. Gregg played in the percussion section for Santa Fe Opera’s GRAMMY-nominated recording of Cold Mountain and the GRAMMY-winning recording The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs.  He taught percussion at the Interlochen Arts Camp, University of New Mexico, and was on the faculty of Texas Tech University where he co-directed the Contemporary Music Ensemble.

Carol Redman

Senior Advisor & Co-founder

Carol and her husband Thomas O’Connor are the co-founders of Santa Fe Pro Musica. She has worn many hats for the organization, including as the orchestra manager, program note writer, librarian, historian, marketing assistant, editor, production manager, associate music director, and the GRAMMY-nominated principal flutist. Originally from Las Cruces, Carol is a magna cum laude graduate from the University of New Mexico.

Axel Retif

Music Librarian and Development Assistant

Composer and producer. His music has graced the stages of various national and international festivals. Retif’s compositions have been performed by esteemed artists worldwide. He proudly represented Mexico at the 69th International Rostrum Composers with his piece “Taos” (2022) for four string players. He serves as the director/editor and artistic director of the Tagma Records label and the Festival Methexis based in Mexico, both dedicated to the production and promotion of contemporary music. He holds a master’s degree in Music Composition & Theory from the University of New Mexico.

Sarah Schwenke

Development Manager

A native of the small farm-town of Volant, Pennsylvania, Sarah Schwenke’s love of music began when she was a flutist in her 5^th grade band. At the suggestion of her band director, Sarah unwillingly switched to the French horn, an instrument she eventually fell in love with and has been playing ever since. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Music from Youngstown State University in Ohio, as well as a Master’s and Performance Certificate from the University of New Mexico. When she’s not playing, teaching, or managing Pro Musica’s Development efforts, Sarah loves camping, reading, and snuggling her calico cat, Fallon.

Production Staff

Audio Technician: Kabby Sound Studios
Graphic Designer and Webmaster: Think All Day
Keyboard Technician: Andrew Gillispie
Stage Manager: Curtis Mark
Videographer: Video Magic