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ON THE BORDER
Born and raised in Arizona, Ollarsaba brings together his background in American song and his Mexican heritage, highlighting the rich diversity and similarities between the song traditions of the USA and Mexico.
Program selections from he USA include Steven Mark Kohn's musical adaption of Mark Twain's The War Prayer, premiered by Ollarsaba, with pieces by Paul Bowles and Jake Heggie. Silvestre Revueltas' 5 Canciones de Niños and songs by Salvador Moreno make up selections of Mexican compositions along with traditional folk songs like "La Zandunga" and "La Golondrina."
photo - AMP Studios Photography
ORIGINS
This idea of peoples who are considered from elsewhere because of their culture or heritage while living in the USA is not unique to Mexican-Americans. The generations of “American” families over the USA’s history span the full spectrum of peoples. It’s my wish that On the Border lives on not only as other iterations of my own perspective, but for it to be a theme for many more performers to highlight their American roots while paying homage to their own respective cultural heritage through music and song.
PERSPECTIVE
The program of this recital is simply constructed – 3 sets in English all by composers from the USA, and 3 sets in Spanish all by Mexican composers. Why? A reason is that it’s a representation of a cultural experience shared by many in the USA, myself included.
I am Mexican-American, not by nationality as usually understood outside of the USA – I was born and raised in Arizona. I use the term to indicate my heritage and the unique perspective of those of us who retain the culture of our forbears from across the border, but have only ever lived in the USA, resulting in that fine balance of simultaneously being “Mexican” and “American”.
Program Preview:
Canción de Jinete – S. Moreno
photo - AMP Studios Photography
photo - AMP Studios Photography
PREFERENCE
You who know me well know that I have a preference toward repertoire that would be considered underperformed, under appreciated, or underrepresented - usually from the past. I am a huge advocate for the composers and compositions that for whatever reason fell by the wayside in the annals of history or outside our modern programming.
These composers and compositions were contemporaries of the masters and masterpieces we hear and learn about so often. Knowing these “other” pieces offers a fuller perspective of any given musical era and broader context of what else was being composed around the same time as ‘the greats’.
Program Preview:
Lonesome Man – P. Bowles
PROGRAMMING
In concert and recital, programming tends toward the academic model where lesser known works are treated as sampler, filler, or novelty. It’s my hope that underperformed works and composers can take a more prominent position in programming especially outside of ‘discovery series’, and without the need of calendar events that highlight specific cultures or traditions.
Just like in the USA with English-language repertoire, the Spanish speaking world is able to easily draw from all countries and cultures that share in repertoire of the same language. However, I’ve observed that Mexican composers especially classical-style composers are rather underperformed in the states, or regarded as unknown altogether.
Program Preview:
El Caballito – S. Revueltas
photo - AMP Studios Photography
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