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.