ONE YEAR AGO I had the immense honor to present my album “Cuban Sketches for Piano” at the @ascoa for their @musicamericas concert series. Now that some time has passed (enough time to get over my self-consciousness…) it’s brought so much joy to listen back to the live recording of this concert.
Wow… Leo Brouwer and his music has changed any musical trajectory that I could have possibly imagined for myself…
Here’s a snippet of my own composition— a theme and variations based on the solo guitar piece “Un Dia de Noviembre.”
Full video of “Variations on a Theme By Brouwer” on YouTube if you want to hear the rest!
Eight different performances in five different cities, all within one month.
No one needs to hear me say that building a career is hard…But it’s hard. And I could not have imagined a month like this in my wildest dreams.
Thank you to all of my beautiful friends and family for the support and for meeting me in each of these places near and far—whether in person, through a phone call, or text.
Mucho amor,
M
PS. I thought a video reel would help me process. It did not. Now back to the piano.
This happy traveler had the opportunity to perform in Greece for the first time— at the @gennadiuslibrary at the American School of Classical Studies with soprano, Alexandra Burkot. To say these last few days have been amazing would be an understatement. Learning more about Athens and my own Greek heritage was just the cherry on top 💙🇬🇷
“Green Card”
2024
I am so pleased that my sound installation was exhibited yesterday as part of the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Arts.
This hanging garden/mobile has been in the works for sometime, and I’m so glad that it turned out as beautifully as I had hoped. It was interesting to see people engage with the different natural materials, including the scent of lime and cinnamon that engulfed the space; and to take time in reflection with the composed soundscape.
…but most of all, the piece was made as a symbol of refuge and solace for displaced people…
As written on the placard:
“Green Card” is for displaced people. It is about the essence of home— a native land, a transient state, a memory, or an imagined future.
The piece is inspired by the more than 7.7 million people who have left the country of Venezuela in search of protection and a better life. Although one of the largest refugee crises today, Venezuelans are far from the only people groups who find themselves in need of refuge— Syrians, Palestinians, Ukrainians, Central Americans, Afghans, Sudanese...
What memories endure when you leave your home? What elements are passed forward to your children? With so much that is unspoken about an ancestors’ homeland, it is the spices, herbs, flora, fruit, and music that are a constant. These are the ingredients of conversations both delightful and nostalgic; and are the things that most closely link generations to a sense of place.
This installation piece uses natural and synthetic materials to create a vertical garden of quotidian Latin American items; including the national flower of Venezuela, the cattleya mossiae orchid commonly known as the “Flor de Mayo.” Viewers are encouraged to find refuge beneath the garden while taking in its sounds and scents.
Materials: sugar cane, limes, plantain leaves, cinnamon, paper
“Caminante, son tus huellas
el camino y nada más;
Caminante, no hay camino,
se hace camino al andar.”
(Antonio Machado)
This past year I wrote a piece with these words, and they circle around in my head often…
I’m trying to remember them as I make choices, and work, and travel for another semester.
📷 @andrerodrigues.photo
