¡Música del Corazón!

El Acordeón in New Mexico’s Hispano Musical Traditions ~ 12th Annual John Donald Robb, Jr. Memorial Concert

Sunday 16 November 2025
FREE family-friendly community event
2pm round table 3pm concert
UNM Keller Hall | directions
this is a non-ticketed event
general seating
first come, first served
Featuring
Free Parking

City of ABQ street & meter parking + UNM surface lot parking, at Central between Girard and Princeton | directions. Convenient paid parking at UNM Cornell Parking Structure | directions.

Commemorative Program

View, download, print a complimentary 2025 program coming soon

Tentative Schedule

Visit the John Donald Robb information table and meet members of the Robb Trust Board in the Keller Hall lobby.

2pm  Preconcert round table (45 minutes)                     Break
​3pm  Concert (approx. 120 minutes)
Co-Curator Statement

The twelfth annual 2025 ¡Música del Corazón! concert produced by the John Donald Robb Musical Trust will celebrate the rich cultural legacy of the accordion in the development of Hispano music of the American Southwest, with a particular focus on New Mexico. The performance showcases the instrument’s journey from European roots to its prominent place in Nuevo Mexicano folk and popular music. 

Through live performances, storytelling, and historical context, the show highlights how the accordion became the iconic instrument in regional genres such as rancheras, norteñas, polkas, and valses. These styles, embraced and adapted by New Mexico’s Hispano communities, reflect a blend of Indigenous, Spanish, Mexican, and Anglo influences. The accordion's portability and versatility made it a staple at communitygatherings, dances, and celebrations, cementing its role in intergenerational cultural expression. 

Featured artists—ranging from tradition bearers to contemporary interpreters—demonstrate how the instrument continues to evolve while honoring its roots. The program also explores the influence of oral traditions, family lineages, and local innovations in sustaining this vibrant musical heritage. 

¡Música del Corazón! El Acordeón in New Mexico’s Hispano Musical Traditions offers audiences an immersive, heartfelt experience that underscores the accordion’s enduring place in the musical soul of New Mexico. 

~ Dr. Enrique Lamadrid, guest curator
~ Robert Lucero, guest curator

About

The annual Música del Corazón concert is a showcase of the living legacy of John Donald Robb. He carefully recorded and transcribed more than 3,000 Hispano folk songs throughout New Mexico, the Southwest, Mexico, and Spain. Like romantic and modernist composers before him, he looked to the songs of everyday folk to inspire and inform his own compositions and scholarship. He also provided a living record to us, the musicians, scholars, and teachers of the future. Over the past decade, we have marveled at the persistence and genius of traditional music as it recalls the past, adapts to the present, and shapes the future. Robb’s extensive field recordings are archived at UNM's Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections.

Performers

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Carlos Medina is from el Coruco, NM, a suburb of the Ribera metro area, located between Pecos and Las Vegas.  Medina plays accordion and sings.

Carlos will perform with Trio CPR.





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Trio CPR - short for Carlos, Phil & Ryan.  Three friends doing what they love: making music. Phil Fernandez and Ryan Cordova are from Taos, NM, both sing, Fernandez plays bass and Cordova, bajo sexto.  


artistic example: "No Le Digan" (Don't Tell Her) is the first single from the album "El Cantador" by Meow Wolf's debut recording artist Carlos Medina. The video tells a story of two parallel paths on the road to heartbreak. Carlos, a forlorn Mariachi, dwells upon his sorrows, while a puppet version of himself revels in newfound freedom – proclaiming himself the be the king of the world. meowwolf.com
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Felix Gato Peralta is a dynamic blues musician who seamlessly blends the rich sounds of zydeco with southwestern themes, creating a captivating musical experience for audiences worldwide. With over 20 years of stage experience, Felix has traveled from the dirt roads of New Mexico to international festival stages across Europe and back to the majestic Rocky Mountains, showcasing his talents on button accordion, guitar, and harmonica. Accompanied by the talented Justin Bransford, affectionately known as "The Professor," Felix enhances the sound with stand-up bass and bow. Justin custom-fits every musical situation with his palette of organic tones, achieving a spiritual balance between earth and sky. Together, they create a vibrant vaquero gumbo of songwriting. Their performances transcend mere concerts; they are immersive cultural experiences that celebrate the heart and soul of American roots music. Learn more about Felix. 

Felix will be joined by Lara Manzanares and Justin Bransford. 
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Lara Manzanares is an award-winning bilingual singer-songwriter of Northern New Mexican heritage. In addition to singing the Mexican boleros, rancheras, and corridos of her sheep-ranching childhood, Lara also composes her own style of music in both English and Spanish. Learn more about Lara. 
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Justin Bransford, musician, bassist, improviser, and composer, has performed with many great artists of varying styles and musical traditions - from cumbia to classical - Justin speaks the language of music. Born from the dry arroyos of Santa Fe, Justin brings the depth of earth and sky to his music bringing inclusivity, heart and soul to every stage on which he performs. In addition to leading his own group, Justin currently plays with Felix Gato Peralta (Felix y los Gatos), The New Mexico Gay Men’s Chorus, Raul Pacheco, Lara Manzanares, Alma Santa Fe, Nueva Luna, and many others. Learn more about Justin. 
artistic example: Here is Felix's 2025 booking video featuring his many talents. 
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Miguel “Miguelito” Romero is currently one of the best known accordion players and musical producers of his time. Miguel has performed with such artists as Lorenzo Monteclaro, Hector Montemayor, Juan Gabriel, Cornelio Reyna, and Chayito Valdez to name a few. Currently Miguel has about 200 original songs which have been recorded by different artists. Miguel has his own recording studio called Triple M Records. His corrido of America Bajo Ataque was inducted into the Smithsonian Museum of US History for his collaboration on the September 11th attacks in New York, which led the Smithsonian Institute to build a website called corridossinfronteras.com, where you can listen to his corrido of the 9-11 attacks and also various other artists. On that same website Miguel was ask to make a model corrido so that anyone who would like to write a corrido could do so by using his template.

Miguel is married to Maria Luisa Guerrero de Romero for 32 years. They have two kids that are also in the music industry. Miguel Romero Jr. who is one of the best known Mariachi singers of his time. Marie Michelle Romero is currently one of the best known radio personalities. They have 4 grandchildren, which are the pupil of his eyes, Adrianne, Kristian Leigh, Bryan Alexander, and Joannah Marie. Miguelito's daughter-in-law Barbara Romero, and son-in-law Juan Zavala, are radio station managers for Univision Corp.
artistic example: "Hay Ojitos" by Miguelito Romero & Miguelito Romero Jr. recorded live at the Al Hurricane Tribute, Isleta Casino & Showroom April 21, 2007. Get the DVD of all 36 tracks of the live performances of New Mexico Artists recorded the evening at www.atlantiscds.com (Also available on two cds).
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Giselle Cruz is a full-time musician performing with her father, Micky Cruz. She started her music career at the age of five and performed at festival in the Southwest, Los Angeles, California, New Mexico, and casinos throughout the region.

Giselle has released a single titled La Cumbia Sampuesauna that has received radio airplay in many radio stations throughout the Southwest. 

Giselle will perform with her father, the legendary Micky Cruz, accompanied by Antonio Burciaga, and Hugo Reyes. 

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Micky Cruz is an award-winning international star, singer, songwriter and artist whose electrifying performances have captivated audiences across the U.S., Mexico, and Latin America. 

A former VMG-WARNER recording artist, Micky's talent has earned him national recognition, including the Billboard Top 40 hit "Morena," which placed him alongside Latin music giants like Alejandro Sanz and Luis Miguel. His album, CUMBE-GUE 2, garnered four-star reviews and heavy national radio airpolay, and his latest release, Cumbegue 3, made its international debut in Los Angeles and is already a number-one radio hit worldwide. 

Beyond his chart success, Micky has been sought after for high-profile corporate and private events, performing for prestigious organizations such as American Express, Kodak, and Texas A&M. His career highlights include exclusive performances for former President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. 

A self-taught musician and composer who write and produces all his own music, Micky's journey began with a natural connection to his audience. His inspiring story and talent led to an interview with Univision Broadcasting, where he was introduced to the legendary Bo Diddley, who helped produce his second CD. The Micky Cruz Show is now a premiere headliner act, taking the stage at the hottest clubs, hotels, and casinos in major cities, including Las Vegas, Miami, Denver, New York City, and Albuquerque.
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Antonio Burciaga, with 35 years of experience under his belt, is a seasoned professional whose musical career began at the age of 10. His mastery extends across the rhythmic spectrum as an accomplish drummer, versatile percussionists, and electrifying DJ. From the stage to the booth, Antonio delivers a performance built on decades of passion, precision, and deep musical knowledge. 
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Hugo Reyes is a multi-instrumentalist and distinguished veteran of the music industry, bringing over three decades of experience to every performance and project. His mastery spans keyboards, bass, percussion, and accordion, contributing a dynamic range to his work. Reye's career has taken him across international stage, with notable performances throughout the United States and Mexico. 
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Ballet Folklórico Santa Fe (BFSF) is a Santa Fe-based organization, founded in 2007 by Alex Manzanares, that focuses on teaching and performing traditional and regional dances of Mexico and Northern New Mexico. BFSF aims to promote positive youth development and cultural exchange by preserving and reinterpreting local folklorico traditions, including the rare Taleán figure dance.

The group has partnered with the University of New Mexico's Chicano & Chicana Studies department to create a credited core class and performing ensemble.  

Robb Award Honoree

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Raven Chacon is a composer, performer, and installation artist born at Fort Defiance, Navajo Nation. A recording artist over the span of 24 years, Chacon has appeared on over eighty releases on national and international labels. He has exhibited, performed, or had works performed at LACMA, The Whitney Biennial, Borealis Festival, SITE Santa Fe, Swiss Institute Contemporary Art New York, and more. As an educator, Chacon is the senior composer mentor for the Native American Composer Apprentice Project (NACAP). In 2022, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Music for his composition Voiceless Mass, and in 2023 was awarded the MacArthur Fellowship.

Learn more about Raven:
artistic example: Present Music premieres Raven Chacon's 2022 Pulitzer Prize-winning composition "Voiceless Mass" on November 21st, 2021 at The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Milwaukee. Present Music, along with the Wisconsin Conference of the United Church of Christ and Plymouth Church UCC, commissioned "Voiceless Mass" by Raven Chacon for the 40th season of their concert series. “Voiceless Mass” is scored for organ, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, two percussionists, strings and sine tones. Raven Chacon writes: "This work considers the spaces in which we gather, the history of access of these spaces, and the land upon which these buildings sit. Though ‘mass’ is referenced in the title, the piece contains no audible singing voices, instead using the openness of the large space to intone the constricted intervals of the wind and string instruments. In exploiting the architecture of the cathedral,  Voiceless Mass considers the futility of giving voice to the voiceless, when ceding space is never an option for those in power." See more about Present Music at www.PresentMusic.org.

Guest Curators

PictureEnrique Lamadrid photo by Sage Vogel
Enrique Lamadrid, PhD {Embudo / ABQ} is Professor Emeritus, Distinguished Professor of Spanish at the University of New Mexico. His research interests include ethnopoetics, folklore and music, Chicano literature, contemporary Mexican poetry, and literary translation. His field work centers in NM, but ranges as well into Mexico, Spain, the Andes and the Caribbean. His research on the Indo- Hispanic traditions of New Mexico charts the influence of indigenous cultures on the Spanish language and imagination. His literary writings explore the borderlands between cultures, their natural environments, and between popular traditions and literary expression. In 2006 and 2008 he organized an international research team working on the spiritual traditions of the Camino Real, with special focus on Durango, the role of penitential brotherhoods, and the Mexico experiences of Padre Antonio José Martínez. In 2009 and 2010 he organized expeditions to Aguascalientes, Mexico and Jinotepe, Nicaragua to document popular festivals on Santiago, the patron saint of Spain most associated with conquest and resistance to conquest.

​Author of numerous books and articles, Enrique Lamadrid’s collaboration with renowned photographer Miguel Gandert is legendary. In 2009 they were jointly awarded the Gilberto Espinosa Prize by the New Mexico Historical Society for their work on the intangible cultural heritage of the Camino Real, “Hermanitos Comanchitos”: Indo-Hispano Rituals of Captivity and Redemption (UNM Press 2003), won the Chicago Folklore Prize in 2004, the oldest and most important in the nation for folklore and ethnography. Nuevo México Profundo: Rituals of an Indo-Hispano Homeland (Museum of NM 2000), a previous collaboration with Gandert won the prestigious Southwest Book Award in 2001. In 2005, Hermanitos Comanchitos also won the Southwest book award. The same year he was awarded the Américo Paredes Prize by the American Folklore Society in 2005 to recognize his community based cultural work. Lamadrid is a scholar of the corrido ballad tradition of Greater Mexico and has several key articles on the subject, as well as a book co-authored with Jack Loeffler, La Música de los Viejitos: Hispano Folk Music of the Río Grande del Norte (UNM Press). He has produced a notable series of CDs.

In the museum world, he led the design team and was co-curator of the permanent exhibit at the International Camino Real Heritage Center south of Socorro, NM. He was also a member of the curatorial team of the Smithsonian “El Río” exhibit on bio-regionalism and traditional culture in the Río Grande/Bravo basin. Lamadrid was sole curator of “Nuevo México, ¿Hasta Cuándo?: Four Centuries of Hispanic Ballady”, a component of the renown Smithsonian exhibit “Corridos sin Fronteras / Ballads without Borders: A New World Ballad Tradition.”

Lamadrid is also an acequia activist and scholar of traditional water management. He and his students are preparing documentation for a UNESCO nomination for the Acequia cultures and systems of New Mexico and northern Mexico for world heritage status in the category of intangible cultural heritage. He is mayordomo of five sub-laterals of the Gallegos Lateral in Albuquerque’s north valley, a district of 90 parciantes known as Acequia los Alamos de los Gallegos. His recent children’s book is titled Juan the Bear and the Water of Life: La Acequia de Juan del Oso, and combines the history of the acequias in the beautiful Mora valley with the famous Juan del Oso cycle of traditional cuentos.
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Robert Lucero is a native of northern New Mexico. He began playing music as soon as he could stand and reach the keys on the old upright player piano in his parents’ home. Coming from a musical family where he played and sang ranchera music on guitar, trumpet, keyboards, acordeón, and vocals with primos y primas, he also trained in classical piano and symphonic band trumpet.  Robert first began playing mariachi in high school with Mariachi Española, directed by his late father, Robert “Bobby” Lucero.

After leaving New Mexico for college, he founded, in the fall of 1994, and directed, until the spring of 1998, el Mariachi Cardenal de Stanford, which continues to perform to this day. He was instrumental in establishing the mariachi ensemble class in the Music Department at Stanford. After a year of graduate school at Stanford, he was appointed adjunct faculty in the Stanford Music Department, where he was the lead instructor of the mariachi ensemble class for five years. During this time, Robert taught mariachi in public schools and at the Mexican Heritage Corporation Plaza in San Jose, CA. Robert has also been honored to teach armonía and trumpet at Mariachi Spectacular de Albuquerque, and other mariachi conferences and festivals in New Mexico, Colorado, and Texas.

During and after his time at Stanford, he performed mariachi music professionally in and around San Jose, CA, including with Mariachi Santa Cecilia, Mariachi Azteca, and other ensembles. He also performed and recorded other musical genres, such as son jarocho, son Cubano, cumbia, vallenato, son huasteco, and Chican@ music, with various ensembles throughout California and beyond.

Returning to New Mexico in 2005, Robert began law school at the University of New Mexico, during and after which he performed with Mariachi Tapatío, Mariachi Tepeyac, and Mariachi Tenampa.

In the fall semester 2019, Robert re-initiated the mariachi ensemble class at UNM, with the essential support of visionary leadership at the UNM College of Fine Arts and Department of Music, as well as the invaluable contributions of his fellow instructors. He continues to instruct the UNM Music Department mariachi ensemble class.

In addition to his music career, Robert maintains a law practice centering on real estate, land use, and estate planning. He remains active in community service with several boards and organizations such as the UNM John Donald Robb Musical Trust, the State Bar of New Mexico Committee on Diversity in the Legal Profession, the UNM School of Law Alumni/ae Association (Past President), and the United Way of Central New Mexico Hispano Philanthropic Society.  He has taught as an adjunct faculty member at the UNM School of Law, and he is a frequent presenter at continuing legal education classes.

Pre-Concert Roundtable
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Carmella Scorcia Pacheco is a post-doctoral fellow with the University of New Mexico’s Hispanic Southwest Studies program in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. She is a certified accordion technician with the New Mexico Folk Arts program where she learned to rebuild and tune accordions under master craftsman, Tony Tomei. She has since received her Ph.D. in Spanish with a concentration in Border Studies from the University of Arizona in 2023. Her research and teaching interests include expressive culture of New Mexico and the U.S. Southwest borderlands while utilizing the folkloric record to recover feminine-voiced narratives of 19th and early 20th century New Mexico. Her work has been featured in The New Mexico Historical Review, The Journal of the Southwest, Borderlore Online Journal, The New Mexico Poetry Anthology, Intersecciones Hispánicas (UNM), and the Smithsonian Folklife Magazine.
Poster Artist
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Jim Vogel deftly weaves color and emotion, detail and shape into paintings that reflect life and land in New Mexico. Vogel hails from a family of storytellers, so each of his works tells its own tale of the land, the culture, and the common man's struggle. Vogel's storytelling continues including paintings which depict New Mexican folklore and myths that have crossed cultures and been told for generations. "I'm trying to put images to these stories I've heard over and over from my mother and father," says the artist. Vogel is also well known for his paintings featuring New Mexican landscapes and rural life, many of which feature beautiful hand-made tin frames.
Artistic Director
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lisa nevada's choreographies, performance, and teaching are an homage to the generosity & wisdom of our earth mother. Dedicating her life to dance, lisa has created land-based choreographies and teaching methodologies on the Mesas, in the Bosque, within the Mountains, and amidst the Volcanoes in her homelands of New México where she spent most of her life. lisa landed in Brooklyn in 2019 where she thrives as a dance and teaching artist. In Lenapehoking (NYC) and beyond, she facilitates movement experiences and performs dances that engage people in the observation of ecosystems and our human interactions to ignite kinship with mama earth, centered on gratitude. lisa is fortunate to be one of the inaugural Artists-in-Residence at the Beaver Institute (US) and teach with The Taylor School of The Paul Taylor Dance Foundation (NYC). She is a participant of MAQAHATINE, a Montréal-based gathering space for First Nations and Indigenous artists and a member of Radical Evolution’s Street Theatre Crew. 
Educational Outreach

Each year ¡Música del Corazón! delivers 'eduformaces' lasting approximately 30 to 120 minutes. Events feature artists performing in the annual November ¡Música del Corazón! concert, plus invited specialists of northern New Mexico Spanish cultural history, dance, and music.

2025 Educational Outreach Events
Friday 7 November 11am-1:30pm
Felix Peralta
Siembra Leadership High School will visit UNM Keller Hall
Tour of Keller Hall, open rehearsal and Q&A with Felix
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Wednesday 12 November
Felix Peralta
Dolores Gonzales Elementary School
Felix will deliver 3 sessions

Wednesday 12 November 12-1pm
Dickie Chavez and Robert Lucero
Busking at UNM Main Campus outside the Sub

Wednesday 12 November 1-2pm
Carlos Medina
UNM Ortega Hall 3rd Floor Lounge

Thank you to our co-sponsors UNM Department of Spanish & Portuguese and UNM Center for Regional Studies.
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Saturday 15 November 2-4pm
NM Folk Dance Workshop
Lucy Salazar & Tios Mios
Northern NM College, El Rito campus
State Rd 554, El Rito, NM, 87530 | directions

Lucy Salazar will teach treasured NM folk dances such as El Talián, La Cuna, and La Vaquera accompanied by the musical duo, Tios Mios ~ Kateri Lopez and Rosie Hutchinson. This is a FREE family-friendly community event. All ages are welcome. 

Lucy Salazar is a Nuevo Mexicana born in Agua Fria, NM. She has been dancing since childhood as her grandfather, uncles, aunts and father all were musicians. She learned these traditional New Mexican Folk dances from her parents and grandparents and have made it her passion to preserve and teach these dances to the younger generation and anyone who may want to learn them. She has been involved in teaching traditional dances, working through the New Mexico Arts Division Artist in Residence Program and The National Hispanic Cultural Center as well as private events throughout New Mexico. She is in the process of documenting these dances in a book and hopes to include YouTube links of the dances. 

Thank you to our co-sponsor Northern New Mexico Community College, El Rito Campus.
Production

Guest Curators
  • Enrique Lamadrid, PhD {Embudo / ABQ} Historian of Chicano, Mexican American, and Hispano culture, Professor Emeritus, University of New Mexico
  • Robert Lucero, Jr. ~ {Las Vegas / ABQ} Robb Trust Board of Directors Chair

Keller Hall
  • Rebecca RJ Smith, Production Manager
  • Margaret Liz Rincon, Audio/Visual Senior Technician

John Donald Robb Musical Trust

Sponsors
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