Ernesto Cordero
Insula Tropical: Concerto for Violin and String Orchestra

Gabriela Lena Frank
Three Latin American Dances

INTERMISSION

Manuel de Falla
El sombrero de tres picos (Three-Cornered Hat): Suite No.2

Astor Piazzolla
Libertango

Miguel del Águila
Conga

Tonight’s program is a celebration of Latin American musical traditions and their transformation into vivid, contemporary expressions. The concert begins with Ernesto Cordero’s Insula Tropical: Concerto for Violin and String Orchestra, a hybrid composition inspired by Puerto Rican landscapes and traditions. Its movements draw from two earlier works, blending Afro-Caribbean rhythms, serene meditations, and virtuosic energy. The first movement features the syncopated 3-3-2 rhythm prevalent in traditional Puerto Rican music, paired with modal melodies and an emotive violin cadenza. In Járome, the second movement, Cordero evokes a tranquil, mountainous afternoon influenced by Erik Satie’s Gymnopédies. The third movement, Fantasía Salsera, revels in the festive energy of salsa, while the finale, El Colibrí Dorado, dazzles with a whirlwind violin solo mimicking the flight of Puerto Rico’s golden hummingbird.  

Gabriela Lena Frank’s Three Latin American Dances follows, and takes the listener on a musical voyage across South America’s landscape. The first movement echoes the pulsating energy of the Amazon, with hidden jungle rhythms paying homage to composer Alberto Ginastera. The second, Highland Harawi, transports listeners to the Andes, where a mournful melody reverberates like echoes in a vast mountain range. The finale, Mestizo Waltz, bursts with joy, combining indigenous, African, and Western influences in a lively celebration of mestizo coastal dances. Frank’s masterful ability to blend tradition with modernity reflects her multicultural identity and deep connection to Latin American heritage.  

Astor Piazzolla’s Libertango is famous for its bold reimagining of the Argentine tango. As a pioneer of “nuevo tango,” Piazzolla fused the traditional dance form with elements of jazz and classical music. Composed in 1974 during his years in Europe, Libertango marked a break from classical tango conventions. Its driving rhythms and electrifying energy showcase Piazzolla’s bandoneon and his lifelong passion for reinventing the tango. Compact and dynamic, the piece remains a symbol of artistic freedom and continues to captivate audiences worldwide.  

Manuel de Falla’s El sombrero de tres picos: Suite No. 2 offers a lively depiction of Andalusian folk life. This suite, extracted from Falla’s celebrated ballet, brims with the spirit of Spanish dance. The Dance of the Miller’s Wife teases with a playful fandango, while the Neighbors’ Dance charms with a spirited seguidilla. The intense “Miller’s Dance” evokes the fiery passion of flamenco, leading to a jubilant Jota that concludes the work. 

The evening concludes with Miguel del Águila’s Conga. Its relentless rhythmic drive, rooted in the Caribbean conga dance, propels the music through distorted time signatures and unusual instrumental effects. Alternating between grotesque humor, sensuous allure, and terrifying energy, Conga builds to an explosive finale. Del Águila’s imaginative use of rhythm and texture conjures an otherworldly dance, blending playful chaos with haunting beauty.

One of the most versatile and respected musical artists of his generation – renowned as conductor, violinist, violist, and concertmaster – Guillermo Figueroa is the Music Director of the Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra. He is also the Artistic Director of the Music in the Mountains Festival in Colorado and Music Director of the Lynn Philharmonia in Florida. Additionally, he was the Music Director of both the New Mexico Symphony and the Puerto Rico Symphony.

International appearances, among others, include the Toronto Symphony, Iceland Symphony, Orquesta Sinfonica de Chile and the National Symphony of Mexico. In the US he has appeared with the orchestras of Buffalo, Detroit, New Jersey, Memphis, Phoenix, Tucson and the
New York City Ballet.

As violinist, his recording of Ernesto Cordero’s violin concertos for the Naxos label received a Latin Grammy nomination in 2012. Figueroa was Concertmaster of the New York City Ballet, and a Founding Member and Concertmaster of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, making over fifty recordings for Deutsche Grammophon. Also accomplished on the viola, Figueroa performs frequently as guest of the Emerson, Fine Arts, American, and Orion string quartets.

Figueroa has given the world premieres of four violin concertos written for him: the Concertino by Mario Davidovsky, at Carnegie Hall with Orpheus; the Double Concerto by Harold Farberman, with the American Symphony at Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center; the Violin Concerto by Miguel del Aguila, commissioned by Figueroa and the NMSO and Insula, by Ernesto Cordero with the Solisti di Zagreb in Zagreb.

Grammy-nominated contemporary American composer Miguel del Aguila writes distinctive, innovative modern classical music highly influenced by his Latin American roots. A prominent voice in 20th and 21st-century music, he remains a vital influence in contemporary classical music, with 140 compositions that infuse musical diversity into the modern chamber and orchestral music repertoire. His creative, rhythm-driven works blend tradition with modernity with drama and nostalgic nods to his South American Hispanic heritage. With 61 CDs, his music enjoys 200+ live performances yearly, earning acclaim like “brilliant and witty” (NY Times) and “sonically dazzling” (LATimes). Thousands of soloists, ensembles and orchestras commissioned and perform his music worldwide. Besides three Grammy nominations, he received a Kennedy Center Friedheim Award, New Music USA’s Music Alive and Magnum Opus, Copland Foundation awards among many others. After studies in his native Montevideo, he graduated from San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and continued studies at Vienna’s Universität für Musik un Darstellende Kunst. Early premieres in Musikverein and Konzerthaus were followed by his 1986 Carnegie Recital Hall debut and by Lukas Foss/Brooklyn Philharmonic concerts.

First Violin
Masako Yanagita, Concertmaster (Physicians’ Fund Chair)
Marsha Harbison, Assistant Concertmaster (Raymond E. & Mildred G. Clark Chair)
Robert Lawrence
Martha McAdams
Romina Kostare (Massachusetts Fire Technologies, Inc. Chair)
Ira Morris
Kathy Andrew
Mitsuko Suzuki
Miho Matsuno
Jennifer Hillaker
Yuko Naito-Gotay

Second Violin
Beth Welty, Assistant Principal
Julie Marden
Lori Everson
Amy Sims
Joyce Ryu
Jean Gress
Anne-Marie Chubet
Krzysztof Gadawski
Ani Gregorian Resnick
Lu Sun Friedman
Viktoria Tchertchian

Viola
Ronald Gorevic, Principal
Delores Thayer, Assistant Principal
Carol Hutter
James Gustafson
Elizabeth Rose
Dani Rimoni

Cello
Emily Taubl, Principal
Aron Zelkowicz, Assistant Principal
Richard Mickey
Karen Wilson
Joel Wolfe
Boris Kogan
Yoonhee Ko

Bass
Salvatore Macchia, Principal
Alexander Svensen, Assistant Principal
Joel Meginsky
Michael Gorajec
Julianne Russell

Flute
Ann Bobo, Principal
Ellen Redman

Piccolo
Ellen Redman

Oboe
Nancy Dimock, Principal
Karen Hosmer (Grace A. Kellogg Chair)
Grace Shryock

English Horn
Grace Shryock

Clarinet
Christopher Cullen, Principal
Lynn Sussman
John Friedrichs

Bass Clarinet
John Friedrichs

Saxophone
Lynn Klock, Principal

Bassoon
Yeh-Chi Wang, Principal
Shotaro Mori
Leo Kenen

Contrabassoon
Leo Kenen

Horn
Lauren Winter, Principal
Robert Hoyle
Sarah Sutherland
Matthew Muehl-Miller

Trumpet
Thomas Bergeron, Principal
Gerald Serfass
Dana Russian

Trombone
Brian Diehl, Principal
Paul Bellino
Glenn Mayer

Timpani
Martin Kluger, Principal

Percussion
Nathan Lassell, Principal
Robert McEwan

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Robert Bolduc
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