Robb Archives Featured in Raven Chacon Premiere

When Raven Chacon debuted Tiguex (Score for the City of Albuquerque) on September 27, 2025, echoes of John Donald Robb and the Robb Musical Trust were heard in the ambitious composition that was performed in 20 movements across the city from sunrise to sunset.

Tiguex’s third movement, “The Greeters,” features three songs from Robb’s field recordings, and Trust Chair Robert Lucero’s UNM mariachi students perform in the tenth movement, “The Balladeers.” Chacon, who earned a BA in music from UNM, acknowledges decades of interest in Robb’s music and UNM archives and the Robb Trust Composers’ Symposium.

The day-long composition was live-streamed on KUNM and scores of UNM music students and faculty were among the participants. Details and locations. 

Chacon (spiderwebinthesky.com) received the 2025 Robb Award during the Trust’s annual ¡Música del Corazón! celebration of New Mexico music on November 16 at Keller Hall.

Learn more about the UNM CSWR Robb Musical Archives.

Here's an interview with Raven and Robb Trust board member Nancy Harbert, recorded on the Keller Hall stage, October 2025.

---

And here's a video clip of the UNM Mariachi performing in Chacon's Tiguex, recorded by their Director, Robert Lucero, Jr. 

Chacon shares, "The transcriptive work of John Donald Robb has been influential to my practice, and my understanding of the extended musical traditions of our home. Robb's own electronic music has also been a fascinating source for me, and the work of the Robb Trust, particularly the Composers' Symposiums, have been an important part of my life (I first attended in 1989 when John Cage was the guest)."

Experience a groundbreaking sonic journey with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, MacArthur fellow, and UNM Music Composition Alumnus Raven Chacon as he premieres Tiguex (Score for the City of Albuquerque) on September 27, 2025. This large-scale composition unfolds across the city in twenty overlapping movements, each performed in a location mapped by Chacon’s lithographic score done at Tamarind Institute. Inspired by the landscapes and histories of the central Rio Grande valley, Tiguex invites you to hear Albuquerque in a whole new way—from volcanoes to railroads, pueblos to Route 66. Don’t miss this one-day-only event that transforms the city into a living, breathing concert hall. 

The UNM John Donald Robb Musical Trust is a proud sponsor of Tiguex. 

Below are photos of several movements from Chacon's Tiguex by Robb Trust board member Nancy Harbert. 

learn more about raven chacon