Robb Trust Graduate Assistantship

PictureEmilio Méndez Rizo
2025-2026 Graduate Assistant

Emilio Méndez Rizo was born in Simi Valley, California, in 1998. He moved to Mexico City, where he was raised, shortly after birth. He began his musical studies in 2006, playing piano and electric guitar. During his teenage years he delved into electronic music, taking a self-teaching approach, which, through an unexpected turn of events, by connecting an appeal for complex timbre and form, lead him to take on the world of academic concert music.

Shortly after beginning his undergraduate studies at the Escuela Superior de Música (ESM, INBAL, Mexico City) in 2018, he was selected, alongside fellow colleagues, to present a mixed-media work as part of the 25th anniversary celebrations of the Centro Nacional de las Artes (CENART). Following this performance, he was commissioned to compose a fanfare; however, the project was ultimately cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this setback, the artistic relationships formed during the event led to several commissions from ensemble members, including a drum set concerto for the conductor’s graduation recital and a string quartet.

Driven by a deep commitment to collaboration and guided by a humane artistic vision, he has taken part in several interdisciplinary projects. Notably, he contributed to the award-winning independent film collective Desvaríos, composing for the short film Puertas (2022).

“Emi” has always looked for maximizing the emotional effects of music, whether it’s by mellow textures or blasted tones. Blending compositional techniques of total specificity with aleatoric processes and uncanny timbres through electronics, using his background in mathematics, he thrives in simplifying complex ideas into intuitive notation with a powerful emotional load.

Performance Example

Here is Realidades Entrelazadas 1 (Entangled Realities 1) Composition & Live Electronics by Emilio Méndez Rizo, Conducted by Adrián Gutiérrez de Llano, performed by Kandinsky Chamber Orchestra, Premiered 26 January 2020, Teatro nacional de las Artes, México. 
About

John Donald Robb Graduate Assistantship was established in 2000. Primary duties include preservation and improvement of the John Donald Robb Field Recordings and the John Donald Robb Papers collection at the University of New Mexico Libraries’ Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections, as well as assisting with Robb Trust programming, primarily the John Donald Robb Composers’ Symposium, the Robb Commission, and ¡Música del Corazón!. The assistantship is open to qualified students pursuing a Master’s Degree in Music or Music Education at the University of New Mexico.

Compensation
  • Tuition remission of up to 6 credit hours per academic year
  • A stipend ~ .25 FTE 10 hours per week ~ hourly wage is set by the UNM Graduate Assistant bargaining unit and was approximately $18/hour during the 2023-24 academic year
  • This is a renewable position  

Responsibilities
  • Improving access to the Robb Archives
  • Assisting with production and marketing of the annual Robb Symposium Series, the biennial Robb Commission, and the annual ¡Música del Corazón! concert
  • Support of educational and community outreach programming
  • Clerical support of the Trust's daily operations
  • Other duties as directed

Qualifications
  • A qualified student pursuing a Master’s Degree in Music or Music Education at UNM
  • Experience and interest in composition and theory
  • Strong proficiency with technical equipment and computer software

Apply
Past Graduate Assistants