Established in 1932, The New Mexico Symphony Orchestra is one of the largest symphonies for a state with such a small population, of approximately 2 million people. As of January 2011, the symphony's music director is Guillermo Figueroa, with Roger Melone as the resident conductor. This symphony puts on performances of classical music two to four times a month at Popejoy Hall in central Albuquerque. It also hosts free performances at community centers a few times a year. Past performances include Beethoven's Seventh Symphony, Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2, Stravinsky's "The Firebird," Rachmaninoff's Vespers op. 37, Dvorak's String Sextet in A Major op. 48 and Bach's Christmas Oratorio.
Albuquerque has rated New Mexico Symphony Orchestra's Symphony Under the Stars musical event as the "Best Place to Hear Classical Music Outdoors," for 2009 and 2010. These performances, which take place at Rio Grande Zoological Park, take place on Saturday evenings throughout the temperate month of May each year. As of January 2011, prices range from $15 to $50. The Rio Grande Zoological Park is located right along the Rio Grande river near downtown Albuquerque. Past performances include Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture and Sousa's famous patriotic piece, Stars and Stripes.
Located on Silver Avenue in downtown Albuquerque, the Cathedral Church of St. John hosts classical music performances as part of its Cathedral Music program. Performances occur several times a month, including Evensong, choir concerts, organ recitals and musical charity fundraisers. Past performances featured selections from Couperin, Franck, and Reger.
The Nutcracker is an annual classical music event that takes place in Albuquerque each Christmas season. The New Mexico Symphony Orchestra collaborates with the New Mexico Ballet Company to perform Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Suite at Popejoy Hall. Past guest dancers include members of the New York City Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre.