 Monica Demarco was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her work is shaped by the vibrant and resilient Albuquerque arts community. She is grateful for the exchange of skills and vision that comes from living and collaborating in the Southwest. Her compositions have won numerous awards, such as the Scott Wilkinson Composition Contest at UNM in 2008 for the piece “Hijas y Mas” and again in 2009 for the piece “Fray.” The composition “Hijas y Mas” has undergone revision over the last decade and was featured as a graphic score installment for National Sawdust in Brooklyn, New York in 2019. Discussion of the work was also published in “Experimentalisms in Practice” by Dr. Ana R. Alonso-Minutti.
She acquired a dual bachelor’s degree from the University of New Mexico in music composition/theory and piano performance in 2009 and a master degree in social work from New Mexico Highlands University in 2020. She owns Monica Demarco Music in Albuquerque, which is dedicated to fostering creativity and passion for music in students of all abilities and ages. As a teacher, Demarco strives to provide musical skills, development informed by life course theory and family systems concepts to provide instruction that is socially conscious and uniquely tailored to the individual. Demarco performs under the name Cthulha. The project is a synthesis of Demarco’s passions, with piano at the heart and center of the ensemble. Cthulha has enjoyed collaboration with many amazing New Mexican artists who are all featured on the album Always Who You Were released in 2019 in collaboration with Matron Records. She is also a bassist in the local Albuquerque band Chicharra, The second album Let’s Paint This Town in Craters was released through Matron Records in 2017. She has had the great pleasure of organizing and performing in the music festival Gatas y Vatas founded by Marisa Demarco, which has brought her joy, connection and performance opportunities all over the world. World Premiere Map Songs (2024) for mezzo-soprano, flute, cello, piano, and electronics by Monica Demarco, poetry by Laura Tohe, Navajo Nation Poet Laureate. The world premiere performance of Map Songs took place at the 52nd annual Robb Concert, Friday 29 March 2024, 7:30pm mst, UNM's Keller Hall. Admission is free. Laura Tohe read some of her poetry at the premiere. Featured performers: Jacqueline Zander-Wall mezzo-soprano Jesse Tatum flute Sally Guenther cello Debra Ayers piano Monica Demarco electronics  Juantio Becenti (Diné / Farmington) lives in the four corners area of New Mexico close to his birthplace on the Navajo Nation. He began composing music at a young age and received his first commission from the Moab Music Festival in 1998. He has since received commissions from Dawn Avery (North American Indian Cello Project), Raven Chacon (Native American Composers Apprenticeship Program), Michael Barrett (New York Festival of Song), George Steel (Abrams Curator of Music, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum), and others. His compositions have been performed by the Phoenix Chamber Orchestra, Dawn Avery, ETHEL, America’s premier postclassical string quartet, and the Claremont Trio. He has studied at the Walden School for Young Musicians which he attended on full scholarship. He was the recipient of a grant from the First Nations Composers Initiative which he received in order to create original music for the film "Two Sprits", a documentary about the life and murder of Fred Martinez, a transgendered Navajo teenager.
World Premiere The Empty (2024) for mezzo-soprano, flute, cello, and piano, dedicated to United States Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, by Juantio Becenti, text "The Empty" ©2008 by Renee Podunovich Used With Permission from "If There Is A Center, No One Knows Where It Begins" ISBN 978-0-6152-0069-9. The world premiere performance of The Empty took place at the 52nd annual Robb Concert, Friday 29 March 2024, 7:30pm mst, UNM's Keller Hall. Featured performers: Jacqueline Zander-Wall mezzo-soprano Jesse Tatum flute Sally Guenther cello Debra Ayers piano 2023 Robb Award Honoree10/3/2024 John Truitt Music Educator, Composer, Flamenco Guitarist and Woodwind Specialist John Truitt has been a career music educator in Albuquerque New Mexico for more than 50 years. In his career he has taught at all levels, from pre-K to the graduate level, and in recent years has mentored both formally and informally many of the music teachers in New Mexico. He has taught for The Albuquerque Public Schools, The National Institute of Flamenco and The University of New Mexico, but is most associated with the nationally prominent guitar program at Albuquerque Academy which he started in the 1970's and directed for 22 years. In the early 1970’s he studied baroque and renaissance performance practice with Frans Brueggen, Floyd Williams, Frank Bowen and Susan Patrick at UNM, and with colleagues started the early music ensemble Musica Antigua de Albuquerque. He has studied with flamenco guitarists Eric Patterson, Julio de los Reyes, David Serva and Pedro Cortes, and has accompanied and worked with Eva and Joaquin Encinias, La Tati, Maria Benitez, Chuscales, Lili del Castillo, Luis Campos, El Pelete and Daniel Ward. He is a past chair of the Guitar Education Council of The National Association for Music Education, a former member of the Pre-College Education Board of the Guitar Foundation of America, and as a member of the board of NMMEA, spearheaded the inclusion of guitar ensemble in the New Mexico All-State Music Festival, the first state in the country to do so. In 2019 he directed the New Mexico All State Guitar Ensemble in a premier performance of his piece “En El Torreon” for guitar orchestra. In 2014, his composition “Fin de Fiesta” for trumpet and guitar quartet (see video below) was selected by the International Trumpet Guild as a significant new work for the trumpet and performed at that organization’s international convention that year. He has written for concert band, jazz band, orchestra and chorus as well as guitar literature for both solo and ensemble. His works have been played by such artists as Mickey Jones, Jeremy Mayne, Genevieve Leitner, Ben Silva, Sarah Herbert, Adam Larison, Lynn McGrath, Elliot Simpson, Matthew Rohde, The Rio Grande Quartet, The Texas Guitar Quartet and The Triptych Guitar Trio. He is currently completing a set of musical impressions of works by artist Helen Hardin to be performed in the Spring of 2024. Mr. Truitt is a judge, clinician and director for festivals and competitions around the country, as well as being a freelance jazz woodwind player and flamenco accompanist. John Truitt is married to his wife of 48 years, Holly Truitt, with whom he has two children, airline pilot Lee Truitt, and historian Jacquelyn Truitt. He and Holly have three grandchildren, Grant, Grady, and Gibson. John will receive the Robb Award during the Robb Trust's annual Música del Corazón celebration featuring live performances by Lara Mananares, Jordan Wax, Felix Peralta, Rob Martinez, the UNM Mariachi Ensemble and others Sunday 19 November 2023 3pm at the National Hispanic Cultural Center's Albuquerque Journal Theatre. The event is free and the public is cordially invited. Below is a 2018 performance of John Truitt's composition "Fin de Fiesta; Evocacion; Bulerias" performed by the Texas Guitar Quartet with guest violinist Jennifer Choi. Robb Symposium Series9/23/20242023-2024 Season 2023 Friday 15 September 11am Matthew Bertner, composer Location: CFA Room 1111 Program: Artist talk and composition master class with UNM composition students Friday 29 September 11am Rhonda Rider, cello Location: CFA Room 1111 Program: Read through and discussion of cello excerpts by UNM composition students Friday 27 October 11am Majel Connery, composer Location: CFA Room 1111 Program: Artist talk  Wolf Tones '23 poster by Hannah Trader Friday 27 October 7pm Wolf Tones '23 Concert #1 New Mexico Contemporary Ensemble * Location: UNM Arts Lab Program: tba Saturday 28 October 7pm Wolf Tones '23 Concert #2 Manny Rettinger and The Chuppers * Location: UNM Arts Lab Program: tba * An audio-visual analogue-hybrid installation by Micah Hood will also be featured. Friday 3 November 11am Leo Eguchi, cello Location: Keller Hall Program: Read through and discussion of UNM composition student works 2024  Friday 23 February 7:30pm loadbang Location: Keller Hall Composers: Doug Falk, Elias Lang, Carlos S. Medina, Axel Retif, Lucas Stafford, Heather Stebbins Program:
 Thursday 28 March 2:00pm Dana Wilson, composer Location: CFA Room B120 Thursday 28 March 7:30pm UNM Symphony Orchestra Tickets: $15 general admission, $10 seniors and UNM employees, $5 students Location: Popejoy Hall Director: Colonel Jim R. Keene Commander U.S. Army Field Band, UNM alum 1988 Program:
Friday 29 March 11:00am Reiko Füting, composer Location: CFA Room 1111  Friday 29 March 7:30pm Annual Robb Concert Composers: Juantio Becenti, Monica Demarco, Doug Falk, Reiko Füting, Tania León, Christopher Orphal, John Donald Robb Performers: Debra Ayers piano, Monica Demarco electronics, Kristin Ditlow piano, Sally Guenther cello, Daniel Lippel guitar, Jesse Tatum flute, Laura Tohe poet, Jacqueline Zander-Wall mezzo-soprano Program (performance order tba):
The public is cordially invited to a free reception in Keller Hall lobby following the concert.  Friday 12 April 11:00am Kurt Stallmann, composer Location: CFA Room 1111 Friday 26 April 11:00am Rodrigo Sigal, composer Location: CFA Room 1111 2021-2024 Graduate Assistant7/10/2024 Christopher Orphal is a 2024 Master of Music (MM) graduate from the University of New Mexico’s Music department, focusing on Music Theory and Composition. He is an active composer of new music, whose compositions for a variety of instrumental combinations often include explorations of new or novel tonal colors and harmonies through extended instrumental techniques and microtones. His pieces often attempt to connect with both historical and contemporary styles, and through this synthesis aim at creating a unique yet accessible musical voice. Christopher held the John Donald Robb Graduate Music Assistantship from 2021 to 2024. Through this program, he worked with the UNM Libraries' Center for Southwest Research and Special Collection’s music archives, focusing on composers of the South-West. Performance Example Here is Dan Lippel performing Christopher's work "Siaynoq" for solo guitar, in 36 equal divisions of the octave. The composition received its premiere in 2021. 2023 Underwriting Recipient5/28/2024UNM Symphony Orchestra  Wednesday 25 September 7:30pm WORLD PREMIERE ...Contempla, alma, y considera double concerto for oboe and viola by Sérgio Azevedo (b. 1968) Kevin Vigneau, oboe Kimberly Fredenburgh, viola Sebastián Serrano-Ayala, conductor UNM Symphony Orchestra Other works on the program:
Popejoy Hall $15 adults, $10 seniors, $5 UNM students general admission purchase tickets All pieces on the program are tied by the utilization of folk and popular materials from the regions of Iberia to Nuevo México. The University of New Mexico Symphony Orchestra commissioned Dr. Sérgio Azevedo, a leading contemporary Português composer, to write a concerto for oboe, viola, and orchestra. The concerto utilizes materials from the collected folk and indigenous music found in the John Donald Robb Archives at the University Libraries Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections. The work will have a programmatic element related to the story of an Iberian immigrant's journey to Nuevo México.  Dr. Serrano-Ayala photo by Jota Pardo Dr. Sebastián Serrano-Ayala is the newly-appointed Visiting Professor of Orchestral Studies at UNM. An advocate for the music of our time, Colombian-born conductor Sebastián Serrano-Ayala blends inclusive collaboration, and effortless conducting with fresh and timely interpretations. Sebastián is actively involved with symphonic music and educational programs in the United States and an avid adjudicator. He has also served as Assistant Conductor with the Skagit Symphony and the Saratoga Orchestra, and has held Conducting Fellowships at the the Cabrillo Festival, the National Orchestral Institute, Symphony Tacoma, Allentown Symphony Orchestra and the Mostly Modern Festival in NY, where he premiered works with the American Modern Ensemble. Below is an example of Sérgio Azevedo's compositional oeuvre: "O vento sopra onde quer..." (The wind blows where it wants) Concerto para Orquestra de Sopros (2020) performed by BSP, directed by Francisco Ferreira, 30 October 2021. Dr. Azevedo served as "BSP Composer in Residence" in 2020. 2023 ¡Música del Corazón!4/11/2024 ¡Música del Corazón! Tenth Anniversary Celebration John Donald Robb, Jr. Memorial Concert Sunday 19 November 2023 3pm show, 2:45pm preconcert roundtable National Hispanic Cultural Center Albuquerque Journal Theatre FREE family-friendly community event Commemorative Program View or download (PDF 36.4 MB 44 pages) the 2023 ¡Música del Corazón! commemorative program. View on Heyzine. Schedule 2:00pm ABQ Journal Theatre lobby
2:30pm ABQ Journal Theatre house opens ~ general seating 2:45pm ABQ Journal Theatre stage
I. Nuevoméxico
II. Jarocho
Intermission III. Robb Award for Excellence
IV. Mariachi
About Música del Corazón celebrates its tenth anniversary with our favorite performers in the Nuevoméxicano tradition with Nueva Luna, a conjunto featuring Lara Manzanares, Rob Martínez, and Felix "Gato" Peralta, with special guest Jordan Wax, the founder of Lone Piñón. Two emerging ensembles join us: A new mix of Jarocho musicians under the leadership of the renowned Laura Rebolloso, and UNM's Mariachi Lobo directed by Robert Lucero, Jr., with ethnomusicologist Adolfo Estrada. We have explored foundational genres of the romancero and cancionero, from Medieval ballads to Revolutionary corridos, Baroque and contemporary fandangos. We remember the music of our hybrid Indo-Hispano rituals and that of Sephardic, Moorish, and Christian spiritualities. We revel with the beloved musical "stepchildren" of New Mexico – Flamenco, Mariachi, Jarocho and Afro-Caribeño. It is so hard to sit still as we indulge ourselves, that we stand up for dance, the embodiment of music, in all its forms. We also honor musical families and the revivals facilitated by teachers and scholars. We have included groups of every size, from soloists to duos and tríos, to conjuntos and even coros. The annual Música del Corazón concert is a showcase of the living legacy of John Donald Robb. He carefully recorded and transcribed more than 3000 Hispano folk songs all over 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. Educational Outreach Each year ¡Música del Corazón! delivers several 'eduformaces' lasting approximately 30 to 90 minutes. 2023 ed/outreach events will feature artists performing in the free Sunday 19 November concert at the National Hispanic Cultural Center's Albuquerque Journal Theatre. Educational Outreach presentations typically incorporate Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado Spanish cultural history, dance, and music, as well as folk traditions from Mexico. All 2023 educational outreach events are free admission and the public is cordially invited to attend: Wednesday 15 November 2023 2:30p La colectiva de Son Jarocho ~ Jarocho Longfellow Elementary Thursday 16 November 2023 12p Mariachi Lobo ~ Mariachi Barelas Senior Center Thursday 16 November 2023 7p Mariachi Lobo ~ Mariachi National Hispanic Cultural Center Bank of America Theatre Featuring:
Friday 17 November 2023 10a Felix "Gato" Peralta ~ Nuevoméxicano National Hispanic Cultural Center Bank of America Theatre Reserve seats: my.nmculture.org/27584/27586 Friday 17 November 2023 1p Felix "Gato" Peralta ~ Nuevoméxicano National Hispanic Cultural Center Bank of America Theatre Reserve seats: my.nmculture.org/27584/27587 ¡Música del Corazón! Committee National Hispanic Cultural Center
UNM John Donald Robb Musical Trust
Media Press Release Click here to read the ¡Música del Corazón! Tenth Anniversary Celebration press release (PDF) Here is the National Hispanic Cultural Center's ¡Música del Corazón! listing: nhccnm.org/event/musica-del-corazon Video Teaser Interview Laura Rebolloso sits down with the Robb Trust's Grad Assistant Chris Orphal to discuss the history and sounds of the son jarocho musical tradition. 2024 Robb Concert4/8/2024 2024 Robb Concert poster by Chris Orphal and Peter Gilbert Friday 29 March 2024 7:30pm 52nd Annual John Donald Robb Concert featuring guitarist Daniel Lippel composers Tania León and Reiko Füting world premieres by Juantio Becenti, Monica Demarco, Christopher Orphal UNM Keller Hall | directions FREE Admission all ages family-friendly community event Composers Juantio Becenti, Monica Demarco, Doug Falk, Reiko Füting, Tania León, Christopher Orphal, John Donald Robb Performers Debra Ayers piano, Monica Demarco electronics, Kristin Ditlow piano, Sally Guenther cello, Daniel Lippel guitar, Jesse Tatum flute, Laura Tohe poet, Jacqueline Zander-Wall mezzo-soprano Commemorative Program Download a free copy of the Robb Concert commemorative program (PDF). It contains artists’ bios and head shots, extended program notes, song lyrics, information on the Robb Symposium Series and biennial Robb Commission, career highlights of John Donald Robb, donor acknowledgments, sponsors, a history of the Symposium Series, a list of notable Symposium guests, upcoming events, and information about the Robb Trust annual appeal. Click here for a copy of the one-page program distributed to audience members attending the concert in person. Play List
Video Teaser Composer Interview Monica Demarco interviewed by Robb Trust graudate assistant Chris Orphal. |
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