Each orchestra concert has a theme. From movie soundtracks to songs about resilience and self-empowerment, the music performed by the orchestra always has a central, unifying message.
This upcoming performance is no different. On Oct. 26 at 3 p.m., the symphony orchestra will perform alongside the Latinx Student Union (LSU) and MEChA de UP in the Buckley Center Auditorium. Additionally, various Latinx staff and faculty were also invited to present a poem on where they come from.
This concert’s theme aims to uplift Latinx culture, according to Rebekah Hanson, professor of music and fine arts and director of orchestral studies.
“I want to show that music shouldn't and doesn't have borders, and I don't think we should either,” Hanson said. “All of our cultures are better when we collaborate, work together and share both our joys, our burdens and everything in between.”
The hour-long concert is open and free to everybody. The performance will also be livestreamed on the department’s YouTube channel.
The orchestra will perform multiple pieces by Latinx composers, including Arturo Marquez and José Elizondo. Senior viola player and orchestra manager Phoenix McCoubreyis excited to perform the new music.
“There's a lot of rhythmic complexity and a lot of texture that we don't get in a lot of classical music that we play,” McCoubrey said. “It’s just a different flavor of music that we get to participate in because all of these composers are coming from really diverse backgrounds and pulling their own cultures into the music, which is beautiful.”
Sophomores Leia Duarte and Kate Kabenina will both perform solos during the concert, and McCoubrey will conduct one of the pieces.
In addition to the orchestra’s musical performance, LSU will be performing a song. The group will also provide drinks and food before the concert starts.
Lupita Zamora-Resendiz, LSU’s staff advisor, is excited for the concert to showcase music’s significance in Latinx culture.
“Music and art is such a big part of Latino culture,” Zamora-Resendiz. “And so, I'm especially excited to show not just the music or the poems, but also how these are the things that make us who we are.”
Many LSU members were also eager to collaborate with another campus group, according to Zamora-Resendiz.
“In [LSU], it's mostly people with that same background, with that same or similar culture and practices,” Zamora-Resendiz said. “But I think students are always looking to be seen and heard in other spaces.”
Additionally, MEChA de UP will give a presentation on Dia de los Muertos to highlight what the holiday means and how audience members can get involved.
For one of the pieces, the orchestra will also be joined by the BRAVO Youth Orchestra, a non-profit organization that provides students with mentorship opportunities and pathways to engage in the arts.
The poems read by staff members are meant to show how people from different backgrounds can come together and make UP a richer community, according to Hanson.
The theme of the concert was decided early this year and preparations began at the end of last semester. While the additions of MEChA's presentation and a poetry reading complicated preparations, Hanson finds the planning to be rewarding.
“It’s so much fun to collaborate with another group,” Hanson said. “I like things that connect with people, and I think that's what we need right now, for people to come together and lift each other up.”
After months of preparation, McCoubrey is ready to share the group's hard work with the rest of the community.
“I am most excited to share and feel that atmosphere of celebration when we're in the concert,” McCoubrey said. “To feel that all of our hard work has accumulated by getting to share this with our community and show that we appreciate that side of UP’s community.”
Samantha Zavala is the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Editor for The Beacon. She can be reached at zavala27@up.edu.
